![]() ![]() For a team branding itself as a perennial front-runner, 30 years without a ring is increasingly unacceptable. Their progressive mentality has helped them salvage multiple underperforming talents ( Justin Turner, Chris Taylor, Max Muncy, Kenley Jansen) in recent years, while their astronomical budget has allowed them to absorb failures on numerous massive financial investments ( Alex Guerrero, Hector Oliviera, Scott Kazmir, Erisbuel Arruebarrena, Yaisel Sierra, Carl Crawford, etc.) that would’ve sunk most teams.ĭespite an inarguably superior roster, the Dodgers have no better record than the Mariners, and are at risk of missing the playoffs a year after heartbreaking loss in the World Series. The Dodgers, shoddy health fortune this year notwithstanding, are as enviable an organization as they come. Moreover, at nearly every position, their players are either at their expected peak or on the aging end of it. Their payroll is constructed to compete immediately and for the next few years, but their roster simply isn’t strong enough to back it up. Why the Dodgers?: The Mariners have an unenviable situation. Perhaps the M’s could pull an Edwin Díaz and convert him to reliever as well. Florial is a raw centerfielder with 30-30 potential, and MLB.com has him at #46 overall. He’s excelled in AAA but struggled with injuries in the bigs, and the Yankees have quickly found other players to take his spot of the future. Frazier, meanwhile, has lost his prospect sheen since he and Sheffield, coincidentally enough, were dealt for Andrew Miller back in 2016. With over a strikeout per inning in 25 appearances this season between AA and AAA (20 starts), he seems primed to make his big league debut next year. ![]() Justus Sheffield is the jewel of this package, a 22-year-old lefty ranked #27 on MLB.com’s midseason list of the top 100 prospects in baseball. But it would take a haul for Dipoto to give up on perhaps his greatest masterstroke and deal away Díaz. The Proposed Haul: LHP Justus Sheffield, OF Clint Frazier, OF Estevan Florial, RHP Domingo Acevedo And given their nearly unstoppable player development machine, they don’t mind dealing away a few prospects. When you’re the Yankees, you don’t really worry about where a player will fit (see: Rodriguez, Alex). Sure, they already have a bullpen that eats people’s souls, thanks to Aroldis Chapman and Dellin Betances, but Electric Eddie would make them that much more dangerous. Why the Yankees?: It’s an unfortunate reality that whenever a top player is being bandied about in trade discussions, the Yankees will be mentioned as a potential destination. Yankees - Grant LHP Justus Sheffield - Yankees No. Read on for more, and, also, maybe grab a coffee - this is a long one. It’s not unreasonable to imagine Jerry Dipoto choosing to keep Díaz for now, and potentially trading him away on July 31, 2019.īut, that said, we’ve identified a few trade partners who could net the M’s a huge return this offseason and potentially jump-start a rebuild, and each of the deals, in theory, would still work at or near the Trade Deadline. After all, relievers are both volatile and most useful in the postseason, so contenders have even more motivation to deal for them when they’ve already banked a good amount of wins and when they they know the relievers in question are performing well. It should be noted, however, that both Chapman and Miller were dealt at midseason, and there’s some evidence that the reliever market remains high, or even peaks, up through July 31. Should Díaz reach the trade market, he might well fetch the largest haul of any reliever in recent memory - a recent memory that includes the Aroldis Chapman, Craig Kimbrel, and Andrew Miller trades. 24-year-old relievers with fastballs that touch 100 MPH and four years of club control left don’t exactly grow on trees, and by the nature of reliever usage, there simply isn’t much more that a reliever could achieve in a season. In 2018 Seattle has thumbed their nose at probability thanks, in large part, to the transcendent work of Díaz.Īs dominant as Electric Eddie has been this year, however, it’s likely that this is the peak of his value. Their roster is built to compete now, yet the players on it have been unable to bust the blockade between Seattle and the playoffs. But the Mariners are at an unenviable juncture. It’s an objective measurement, but if anyone ( like Jake Mailhot did) made the case for RP Edwin Díaz as Seattle’s clear star, it’d be difficult to protest. Last week our entire staff outlined who has felt like the most valuable player of the season to us. ![]()
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