Possible future trade targets..

[blueagleace1]

I think it's apparent to everyone that if we are going to upgrade the offense the most likely (also the most attractive) way to do this is by making a trade or a series of trades. With the relatively thin free agent market not showing a ton of options by 2017 (I honestly believe we will be ready to contend next year) the trade route seems to make the most sense and we can still sign a free agent bat as well. As things currently stand, we will need to be in the market for the following:

1. Catcher
2. Third Baseman
3. Left-fielder (or a RF with Markakis sliding over to LF)

This is all under the assumption that Maybin is NOT traded or that Mallex Smith / Jose Pereza have shown they're ready and capable of handling the everyday CF job. For me personally, I would love them to keep Maybin thru 2017 for a couple of reasons: 1.) He's shown why he was such a highly regarded prospect 2.) He's relatively cheap 3.) He wants to be here


So, here is my question to everyone..

Who are some players (current big-leaguers or prospects) that you'd like to see us acquire to fulfill one of the needed positions above? Include the following:

1. Player(s)
2. Why you'd like to acquire that player(s) / How they would fit with us
3. What you think it would cost us to acquire them

I will do my best to keep a running list of everyone who is mentioned and if a certain player is mentioned more than once, a running tally how many times he's been targeted.




Future trade targets:

1.)

[auyushu]

For catcher I'd look at Austin Barnes from the Dodgers and Andrew Susac from the Giants for short term options, and Max Pentecost from the Blue Jays for a long term option.

3B is pretty slim pickings, I'd probably try and sign Uribe short term and trade for Ryan Mcmahon from the Rockies for a longer term option (with Arenado on board in Colorado I think he would be tradeable).

OF is fairly tough as well, I'd probably kick the tires on Nomar Mazara or Nick WIlliams from the Rangers. Perhaps Aaron Judge from the Yankees. Not really a ton of good trade options for OF, and most of the other good OF prospects are on teams that need hitting way more than they need pitching.

[nsacpi]

most of the other good OF prospects are on teams that need hitting way more than they need pitching.

We're in an era where it is much more difficult to acquire a top hitter. We'll see it this off-season. The competition for Heyward and Upton will be much keener than the competition for Price and Greinke.

[GovClintonTyree]

If we want to go cheap at third, I hear Chris Johnson is available.

[nsacpi]

If we want to go cheap at third, I hear Chris Johnson is available.

We can also bring back Uggla and move Peterson to left.

[Chico]

For catcher I want Lucroy and do think he'll be available this off season if he's not traded this week. Austin Barnes is option 2.

For 3b Trevor Plouffe makes a lot of sense. Sano will be ready to take over next year. McMahon is a great future target.

If we could workout Plouffe and Lucroy I'd be stoked. 2 steady players being paid below market value would allow us to go big on a guy like Price.

[nsacpi]

Among free agents this off-season Zobrist, Uribe and Kelly Johnson would be high on my list.

Among trade targets Lucroy is an obvious one.

If we give up major league ready starting pitching for Lucroy I'd try to sign a veteran free agent starting pitcher.

[skillet]

We're in an era where it is much more difficult to acquire a top hitter. We'll see it this off-season. The competition for Heyward and Upton will be much keener than the competition for Price and Greinke.

I completely agree, which is exactly why I really wish we would stop targeting pitchers in trades and go after position players/prospects.

[nsacpi]

I completely agree, which is exactly why I really wish we would stop targeting pitchers in trades and go after position players/prospects.

I don't think we are necessarily targeting pitchers. Rather we are taking what other teams are willing to part with. Which has been mostly pitching. Which should tell us something.

Fortunately, we have an exceptional group of young hitters that we have signed on the international market (Peraza, Albies, Yepez, Acuna,Salazar, Baez, Ventura). This has provided some balance between pitching and hitting in our farm system.

[emk418]

I would love to target some of the Astros OF's. Domingo, Tucker, Phillips

[Russ2dollas]

For catcher I want Lucroy and do think he'll be available this off season if he's not traded this week. Austin Barnes is option 2.

For 3b Trevor Plouffe makes a lot of sense. Sano will be ready to take over next year. McMahon is a great future target.

If we could workout Plouffe and Lucroy I'd be stoked. 2 steady players being paid below market value would allow us to go big on a guy like Price.

I think plouffe is a possible candidate bc of sano. I don't know if we match up.

I think we fill one hole via trade and one via free agent . Then prob try to get lucky on a kj type vet having a solid yr

[Carp]

OF:

I still think we should keep Maybin and shift him to RF and Nick to left and go with Mallex in CF. Or, if we were to the FA route, I think Dexter Fowler on a 2 or 3 year deal wouldn't be a bad option. He's having a down year, so may be we could get him on the cheap. Something like 2 years 20 million with a team option for year 3. I still think Austin Jackson could be a good reclamation project for some team as well. At the top of my list of trade options is Michael Brantley, J.D. Martinez, and Starling Marte. If you can't make something happen for one if those guys, I would look into options like Josh Reddick or Alex Gordon. Plenty of good OF prospects to choose from as well if.

3B:

Basically nothing available in FA other than some aging vets like Freese, A-Ram, and Uribe. I wouldn't mind bringing back Uribe. We also have no internal options either that are MLB ready. CJ should not be on this team next year regardless how he performs the rest of the season (hopefully we find a sucker to take him before then). That leaves the trade route. Not a lot of top prospects at the hot corner currently, though certainly there are some intriguing names like DJ Peterson and Colin Moran, but other than that, there are no high end 3b prospects close to the majors that I am aware of. I don't consider Joey Gallo as a 3b long term, so I didn't include him. Basically we're looking at established 3b hitters as trade targets. Highly unlikely that the Jays trade Josh Donaldson and I can't even fathom the sort of package it would take to acquire him, but he is my first option nontheless. Next in line would be Moosetacos. KC needs pitching in a bad way and we certainly have an abundance of that. Would a straight up trade of Moosetacos for Alex Wood be beneficial for both teams? Todd Frazier is another target, but he is older with only like a year of contol left.

[GovClintonTyree]

Among free agents this off-season Zobrist, Uribe and Kelly Johnson would be high on my list.

Among trade targets Lucroy is an obvious one.

If we give up major league ready starting pitching for Lucroy I'd try to sign a veteran free agent starting pitcher.

On the Lucroy thing, and I like him as much as everybody else, but - his contract is up in '17, right? He doesn't really fit our 2017 model unless we extent him, which is no gimme. I'm assuming he doesn't want to work for cheap anymore and has fired that agent.

Five years a slave.

[nsacpi]

On the Lucroy thing, and I like him as much as everybody else, but - his contract is up in '17, right? He doesn't really fit our 2017 model unless we extent him, which is no gimme. I'm assuming he doesn't want to work for cheap anymore and has fired that agent.

Five years a slave.

The 2017 season would be Lucroy's age 31 season. Any extension has to fully take into account the typical aging curve for catchers in their age 32 and beyond seasons.

[Hawk]

In a world where Russell Martin got $82MM for his 32-36 seasons I'll pass on Lucroy (and the prospect upchuck).

[50PoundHead]

I think plouffe is a possible candidate bc of sano. I don't know if we match up.

I think we fill one hole via trade and one via free agent . Then prob try to get lucky on a kj type vet having a solid yr

Everyone's got Sano fever up here in Minnesota. He's DHing now but Molitor wants to get him in the field. Problem is, the guy is huge. He's listed at 260 and he's all of that.

Plouffe is a good player. He has some of the same annoying tendencies of Chris Johnson (swings at a lot of crap), but is a better player and can also handle the glove around the diamond, having played both IF and OF.

[nsacpi]

Here is how I would plan out the outfield for 2016:

Start the season with: Zobrist in left, Maybin in center, Markakis in right; Gomes, KJ (sign him in the off-season) & Perez major league backups; Smith & Toscano start the year in AAA.

At some point in 2016 (in season or after the season) trade Maybin and promote Smith once he proves himself against AAA pitching. I would try to package Maybin with other assets (such as Peterson or Peraza, and maybe a pitcher) to get the best bat I could get (someone who can play third or corner outfield).

[KB21]

On the Lucroy thing, and I like him as much as everybody else, but - his contract is up in '17, right? He doesn't really fit our 2017 model unless we extent him, which is no gimme. I'm assuming he doesn't want to work for cheap anymore and has fired that agent.

Five years a slave.

I like Lucroy as much as the next guy, but here is one big issue. He's signed through 2016 with a club option for 2017, so if you resign him, you are giving a catcher who will be 30 years old at the time a new long term deal.

Well, that was one of the reasons used against resigning Brian McCann to a long term deal last year. Now, I know Atlanta had some financial restraints that kept them from doing it, but even if they could have, many used Brian's age as a reason to let him walk. So, to get Lucroy, you are going to have to give up a load of prospects, only to let him walk in his free agent year? Or else you are signing a 30 year old catcher to a 5+ year contract.

[keithlaw]

I think we'll trade for Aaron Hill plus at least one of Drury, O'Brien, and a draft pick.

[nsacpi]

I like Lucroy as much as the next guy, but here is one big issue. He's signed through 2016 with a club option for 2017, so if you resign him, you are giving a catcher who will be 30 years old at the time a new long term deal.

Well, that was one of the reasons used against resigning Brian McCann to a long term deal last year. Now, I know Atlanta had some financial restraints that kept them from doing it, but even if they could have, many used Brian's age as a reason to let him walk. So, to get Lucroy, you are going to have to give up a load of prospects, only to let him walk in his free agent year? Or else you are signing a 30 year old catcher to a 5+ year contract.

It would be similar to the situation with Uggla. The trade filled a need and carried limited risk. But it was the extension that was very risky in light of the aging curve for players with certain characteristics. In those kinds of situations I don't mind just having the player for a year or two and letting them hit free agency. And possibly pocketing a draft pick in the process.