MLB Pipeline's top 100 rankings are a bit outdated and tend to rate polished prospects higher than those with more upside. Having said that, Verdugo is 50th for now while Quantrill is 82nd, but then again, Walker Bueller is 78th. I personally like Quantrill more than Verdugo but I doubt San Diego would be agreeable to dealing him.
You know what? If we could get Hand and Almanzar, I'd probably sign off on Verdugo, Calhoun, and Gavin Lux for them. Ideally,
I'd also want Cole Bellinger as a throw-in but he can't be traded until after the World Series or be used as a player-to-be-named-later in a deal before then either.
Almanzar would be our best SS prospect in the system replacing Lux while Hand would solve our left-handed bullpen issue. Verdugo is technically the higher rated prospect, but I like Almanzar the best out of the entire prospects included.
If the Padres don't want to include Almanzar, I'd only offer Calhoun as the best prospect in the deal for Hand. I wouldn't include Lux or Brock Stewart in such a deal either.
Quake Griffin wrote:But you'd package Verdugo for a bullpen arm?
Naaahhhhhh.
I like Verdugo and Buehler better than Eloy and Cease respectively. They just arent where those 2 are on the rankings. That's my hesitation. I'm not sure what I'd consider equal value from my assessment but it is what it is.
Ranma wrote:I've talked about Brad Hand in a post at the top of this page as well as towards the bottom of the previous one. He's actually my top trade target for a deadline deal, but even I wouldn't give up Alex Verdugo for just Hand. I've made no secret that I think Verdugo and Willie Calhoun are basically trade bait for the Dodgers to use, but it doesn't mean I'm going to dump either of them just for the sake of trading them.
As I mentioned in the previous page, I'd aim to include Verdugo and Willie Calhoun in a trade package for Hand and one of the Padres' top prospects in their developmental system. If the Padres want to reunite some of Logan White's former draft picks with the man who oversaw the program that drafted them, then A.J. Preller is going to have to be more open-minded with his asking price.
Ranma wrote:Yeah, it'd probably cost a a premium to deal with Preller, especially if there is demand for Hand, which seems to be the case. If he plays hardball, we move on. I'd love to have Hand but not at the expense of grossly overpaying.
However, maybe Friedman & Co. can continue to outsmart him in identifying under-the-radar type prospects to acquire. Cole Bellinger is not eligible to be traded until after the World Series but he's not someone worth pursuing heavily either unless he's a throw-in. I'd love to work a deal where we package Verdugo and Calhoun for Hand and Cal Quantrill, Luis Almanzar, or maybe Luis Urias (with others).
Quantrill is a pitcher we all liked in the 2016 draft. Almanzar was one of the top prospect signings in last year's J2 international class and arguably the best SS talent on that list. Urias is an infielder in the Padres' minor league system who's shown a good feel for batting while having a decent glove; more players would have to accompany Urias, though, as he's not as promising as either Quantrill or Almanzar.
