It’s crunch time for the MLB front office. The 2022 trade deadline approaches at 6 pm ET on Tuesday. It’s the last chance for the contenders to shore up their playoff hopes and the last chance for the also-rans to make moves to help their future prospects. In some cases, it’s an opportunity to decode the intentions of fence-sitting teams.
For each major deal so far at Tuesday’s deadline, we’ll break down the moving pieces and the logic behind the trades. As always, baseball is hard to predict, so what looks like a C+ trade now could easily become an A+ trade with a swing adjustment or new pitch.
Mariners acquire starting pitcher Luis Castillo from Reds for 4 prospects, including SS Noelvi Marte
The first big trade of the season saw Castillo, perhaps the most impactful pitcher available, head to Seattle. He’ll sit at the top of the Mariners’ rotation and try to pitch them to their first playoff appearance since 2001. It’s a total play by famous Mariners shortstop Jerry Dipoto, but he could still give up in 2023, as Castillo will continue to be. under team control for one more season as the Mariners’ young core matures. Landing the best pitcher on the market is certainly a win, but it’s worth noting that the rotation, already bolstered by an offseason signing of Robbie Ray, wasn’t Seattle’s biggest need. And it came at a significant cost.
As the Reds continue a (fairly cynical, seemingly provocative) rebuild, this will become the biggest move yet. In exchange for Castillo, the Reds got a premium prospect in shortstop Noelvi Marte, another young shortstop who can now be a top-100 talent under Edwin Arroyo, and two pitchers, Levi Stoudt and Andrew Moore, with whom his solid team of release development can work. . Marte is the prize here, ranked as the No. 11 prospect right now by FanGraphs and No. 12 by Keith Law. He’s only 20 years old and looks like a solid infielder with a sturdy body who will hit for average and power, a star in the making even if he eventually moves to third base. Highly touted prospects like Marte don’t move around very often these days. Drafting him for a very good but non-Cy Young-winning pitcher is a win for the Reds.
The story continues
Sailors: B
Reds: A
Andrew Benintendi of the New York Yankees in action against the Kansas City Royals during a game at Yankee Stadium on Saturday. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
Yankees acquire OF Andrew Benintendi from Royals for 3 prospects
Sometimes the pivots are very obvious. In this case, the Yankees are admitting defeat in their acquisition of Joey Gallo and leaning toward an outfielder who takes the diametrically opposite approach. Benintendi, the former Red Sox shortstop, makes consistent contact, hits doubles and plays solid defense. The Yankees will put him at the top of the lineup and try to unload Gallo before the deadline. The problem with Benintendi is his refusal, so far, to get vaccinated against COVID-19. If and when the Yankees play key games against the Toronto Blue Jays in Canada, Benintendi won’t be able to go unless he changes his mind about getting vaccinated.
In return, the Royals snagged three pitching prospects: Beck Way, TJ Sikkema and Chandler Champlain. If you’re going to go against young pitchers in any organization, the Yankees are one of the best choices. The Royals gave up very little to get Benintendi a few years ago, so while FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen says none of these pitchers project higher than a No. 4 starter (Sikkema), the Royals did well in the exchange
It remains to be seen if Kansas City’s player development team can help them continue to progress. The Royals’ recent track record does not inspire confidence.
Yankees: B+
Royals: B
Mets acquire DH Daniel Vogelbach from Pirates for reliever Colin Holderman
The Mets needed another home run threat to add to Pete Alonso, preferably a lefty. Vogelbach checks those boxes and gets on base to boot. New York’s lineup has a lot of contact ability, so Vogelbach’s true three-out approach isn’t an issue here. It probably shouldn’t be his only training upgrade, but it’s a good start.
Holderman quickly emerged as a quality bullpen arm capable of working more than one inning. The Pirates may see more potential as a back-end reliever or as someone who is a couple of snaps away from starting.
Mets: B+
Pirates: B