Pitchers and catchers are expected to report in just over a month, making now an opportune time for teams to iron out remaining details. Such an intention can manifest itself in multiple ways. For some clubs, that means recruiting another middle reliever; for others, it’s about determining their situation as a backup receiver. And, for a select few teams, tying up the loose ends involves trading away a young player who has become an afterthought.
Take the example of the Los Angeles Dodgers and backstop Diego Cartaya. They designated him for assignment last week and traded him to the Minnesota Twins on Thursday in exchange for right-handed prospect Jose Vasquez.
Cartaya isn’t far from being considered a top prospect, a young catcher with real power potential and on-base skills. His stock has since been diminished by slow introductory periods at the Double and Triple-A levels. Given that Cartaya will spend most of the upcoming season at age 23 and has one minor league option remaining, you can understand why the budget-strapped Twins are rolling the dice to unlock its potential.
On the other hand, Cartaya’s days with the Dodgers had been numbered for some time. The Dodgers are one of the few organizations that can claim to have more supporting players than spots: There’s Will Smith and Austin Barnes, of course, as well as top prospect Dalton Rushing. It seemed to be a question of ‘when’, not ‘if’, Cartaya would end up on the sidelines – and ‘when’ would finally arrive.
The same could be true for other notable young players. Below, I’ve highlighted three who don’t have a clear path to permanent big league employment within their clubs. In turn, that could make him a compelling trade candidate for teams with less impressive depth charts.
Before we get into the players in question, I want to reprint a note from last year’s version of this article: “The concept of a blocked prospect is often overapplied. Ultimately, teams will almost always find room for a convincing player.
Got it? Okay, here we go.
Luciano made five consecutive rankings among Baseball America’s top 100 prospects before exhausting his rookie eligibility last season. His appeal was simple: He presented himself as a powerful left infielder, albeit one with serious hit tool issues. Unfortunately, Luciano struggled in the majors and minors over the past two seasons, causing his stock to plummet and causing the Giants to stray from old plans.
Indeed, San Francisco has made long-term commitments at third base (Matt Chapman) and shortstop (Willy Adames) since last summer. This leaves Luciano with two possible destinations: another part of the diamond, or another organization entirely.
The Giants can certainly make a case for keeping Luciano into the season, perhaps hoping he slots in at second base if Tyler Fitzgerald stumbles. Keep in mind, however, that Luciano will use up his last minor league option this year, which will require them to call upon him at some point in the next 12-14 months.
Given that Luciano still has marketable attributes – he’s young (23) and he possesses undeniable strength and feel for the strike zone – I could see the Giants moving him in exchange for a player with a clearer spot on their list.
Caissie is a perennial contender thanks to his gaudy minor league exit speeds. He reduced his strikeout rate to a career-high 28.4% last season, a statement that speaks volumes about his swinging and missing tendencies. One number that works in his favor is his year of birth: he will only celebrate his 23rd birthday in July. Conversely, one of the numbers that goes against Caissie is the number of quality outfielders in the Cubs system.
Chicago will have Kyle Tucker for at least a year, along with veterans Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ, as well as youngsters Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kevin Alcántara (the latter viewed more favorably by some talent evaluators). Is there a scenario in which the Cubs would keep Caissie and Alcántara long term? Certainly. But Caissie’s name has already surfaced in trade rumors this winter, and I doubt it’s by chance.
Fabian is not as good a prospect as Caissie. He’s coming off a disastrous introduction to Triple-A, where his approach and whammy tendencies resulted in a strikeout-to-walk ratio of nearly 5 to 1. Yet he combines athleticism in center field with a good strength, which makes it very attractive in theory.
The catch is that Fabian might find himself in the toughest playing time situation of anyone in this room. He must compete for opportunities with free agent Tyler O’Neill, Rookie of the Year finalist Colton Cowser, veteran Cedric Mullins, former No. 2 pick Heston Kjerstad… plus other prospects renowned Dylan Beavers, Enrique. Bradfield Jr. and Vance Honeycutt. Good luck to everyone.
The Orioles tend to take their time clearing prospect logjams; just look at how long it took them to move Connor Norby or Joey Ortiz. As such, I’m not sure a resolution will come quickly for Fabian (or any of the other outfielders for that matter). Baltimore should still consider its options heading into spring to improve parts of its roster.
