July 28th
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Trade: David DeJesus to the Los Angeles Angels; Eduar Lopez to the Tampa Bay Rays
Prospect(s):
Eduar Lopez – RHP – A 20 year old who still hasn’t had a taste of full season ball, Lopez big strikeout power pitcher. Striking out almost 12 per nine, his 96 MPH fastball and put away curve have been able to overpower lower level batters. However, despite the big strikeout numbers, his ERA is nearly 3.40 due to his five walks per nine and a change that just isn’t very good right now. If the change develops and becomes a viable pitch he could remain a starter, but he probably fits better as a late inning reliever.
Trade: David Murphy to the Los Angeles Angels; Eric Stamets to the Cleveland Indians
Prospect(s):
Eric Stamets – SS – If Stamets hit the ball as well as he plays defense, he would easily be one of the better prospects in baseball. He has almost no power, a career best in home runs and slugging cmae in 2013 in the California League with 4 and .375. He has never really hit for a lot of average either, a career .262 hitter and an on-base clip of .317. He has shown some ability to steal bags; successful in nearly 80% of attempts, but it is not a big part of his game. He should be a future big leaguer, but mainly as a late inning defensive utility infielder.
Trade: Ben Zobrist and cash considerations to the Kansas City Royals; Sean Manaea and Aaron Brooks to the Oakland Athletics
Prospect(s):
Sean Manaea – LHP – Manaea has battled injuries all the way back to college at Indiana State, but when he is on the mound he is special. At 6’5” and 235 lbs. as a lefty, he certainly stands out. His fastball can sit as high as 95 and always has arm side run to it. His slider is a very heavy pitch that will break plenty of left handed bats. His change is still a work in progress, and in talking to him this spring he said he is reworking it. He used to throw a two-seam change but a four-seam fastball and realized hitters at the upper levels were able to recognize that, so he changed to a four-seam grip on his change to add more deception. His numbers this year aren’t great, but part of it is due to the fact he is still getting a feel for a brand new change. He could be a front line starter in time with a realistic floor, assuming health, of a three or four.
Aaron Brooks – RHP – Brooks has made four appearances in the big leagues over the past two seasons for the Royals, and has really struggled. His ERA is 20.57 over just seven innings of work, and his Minor League track record is great either. He has a career ERA of 4.21 and strikes out less than seven batters per nine. He does have solid control, walking less than two per nine, so he is more likely a spot starter/last man in the bullpen type guy when he is in the big leagues.
Trade: Jonathan Papelbon and cash considerations to the Washington Nationals; Nick Pivetta to the Philadelphia Phillies
Prospect(s):
Nick Pivetta – RHP – The former Canadian Junior National Team pitcher has the prototypical starter’s body at 6’5” and 220 lbs. He has a very good fastball that can work up to 96 with regularity, but his secondary stuff is still raw even for a 22 year old. His curveball shows very good 11-5 break but is overthrown too often and just doesn’t have the consistency yet. He also has a developing changeup that has good dip in it, but is again inconsistent. He could become a solid back-of-the-rotation starter in time, which is a win given he came over in the deal that got the Phillies out from under the Papelbon contract.
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