Trade roundup: Padres swap bounty for Clevinger
The 2020 Major League Baseball Trade Deadline is Monday at 4 p.m. ET. MiLB.com will round up the most notable prospect deals throughout the day in the space below. If anyone out there is selling, let it be known that Padres general manager A.J. Preller is buying. And buying big-time.
The 2020 Major League Baseball Trade Deadline is Monday at 4 p.m. ET. MiLB.com will round up the most notable prospect deals throughout the day in the space below.
If anyone out there is selling, let it be known that Padres general manager A.J. Preller is buying. And buying big-time.
San Diego picked up potential ace Mike Clevinger along with outfielder Greg Allen and a player to be named later from Cleveland for No. 7 prospect Gabriel Arias, No. 9 Joey Cantillo and No. 11 Owen Miller as well as Major Leaguers Cal Quantrill, Josh Naylor and Austin Hedges, the clubs announced Monday.
We have traded RHP Mike Clevinger, OF Greg Allen, and PTBNL to the San Diego Padres in exchange for SS Gabriel Arias, LHP Joey Cantillo, C Austin Hedges, INF Owen Miller, 1B/OF Josh Naylor, and RHP Cal Quantrill.
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) August 31, 2020
Welcome to #OurTribe, gang. pic.twitter.com/hqeH4GnUOL
From a prospect perspective, Arias is the biggest name involved and becomes a notable piece of a Cleveland farm system that is deep but contains only one Top-100 prospect in Nolan Jones. The 20-year-old is considered a gifted defender at shortstop and can also play second and third. He broke out with the bat last season, hitting .302 with a career-high 17 homers and .809 OPS over 120 games at Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore. Though not a Top-100 talent himself, he should figure prominently in Cleveland's infield depth chart, which also features notable youngsters Jones, Tyler Freeman, Brayan Rocchio and Aaron Bracho. He is Rule 5-eligible this winter, meaning Cleveland will need to add him to the 40-man roster or risk losing him in that Draft.
Cantillo would be the standout left-handed pitching prospect in organizations that didn't also have MacKenzie Gore and Adrian Morejon. The 6-foot-4 southpaw was taken in the 16th round of the 2017 Draft out of a Hawaii and took only two years to blossom into a top-10 prospect in a loaded San Diego system. Cantillo posted a 2.26 ERA and 0.93 WHIP with 144 strikeouts over 111 2/3 innings last season between Class A Fort Wayne and Lake Elsinore. His fastball only sits in the high-80s to low-90s, but features plenty of movement. His changeup also shows above-average to plus potential, and his control is good enough to give him a starting projection. Cleveland has had success developing pitchers with promising control, including current Cy Young favorite Shane Bieber.
Miller, a third-round pick out of Illinois State in 2018, gets out of Fernando Tatis Jr.'s shadow and right into Francisco Lindor's. The 23-year-old has above-average potential with his hit, run and fielding tools, and while the majority of his Minor League playing time has come at short, he seems more likely to play second base long term. The Padres were aggressive with Miller in his first full season by sending him straight to Double-A Amarillo, and he responded by hitting .290/.355/.430 with 13 homers and five steals in 130 games with the Texas League champion Sod Poodles.
Quantrill, Naylor and Hedges should all help the Cleveland Major League team right away. Naylor, in particular, is expected to slot right into left field at a time when the outfield has been a real problem in northeast Ohio. (He also joins the same organization as his brother Bo, who is the club's No. 3 prospect.) Hedges became expendable for San Diego after its acquisitions of Austin Nola and Jason Castro behind the plate, and Quantrill is a multi-inning reliever with a 2.60 ERA and 18 K's in 17 1/3 frames this season.
Clevinger is the biggest name in the deal. The 29-year-old right-hander was one of the Majors' best starting pitchers in 2018 and 2019 and could become the Padres' top starter. He had a 3.18 ERA with 21 strikeouts in four starts (22 2/3 innings) with the Tribe this season. However, his stock took a hit when he was placed on the restricted list and later optioned to the alternate-site roster after breaking COVID-19 protocols by going out during a road trip in Chicago. The Indians still have a strong rotation, led by Bieber, Carlos Carrasco, Aaron Civale and prospect Triston McKenzie, thus making Clevinger expendable even at a time when the club is tied with the White Sox for the best record in the AL Central. Clevinger has two years of arbitration left after the 2020 season.
Allen -- a San Diego State alum -- heads back home to Southern California with Clevinger. The 27-year-old switch-hitter has played all three outfield spots and is considered a plus runner, though he's hit just .239 in his big league career.
D-backs ship Bradley to Reds: With both teams within reach of a Wild Card spot, Arizona dealt reliever Archie Bradley and cash to Cincinnati for outfielder Stuart Fairchild and utilityman Josh VanMeter.
Fairchild, who was the Reds’ No. 11 prospect, reached Double-A in his second full season. The 24-year-old has average tools across the board and has a career .272/.356/.421 line in 295 games. Fairchild can be a threat on the basepaths, swiping 41 bags in 58 attempts over three seasons.
The left-handed hitting VanMeter provides options for the D-backs in both the infield and outfield. In 14 games this year, the 25-year-old went 2-for-34 (.059) with a solo shot before being optioned back to the alternate training site in Mason, Ohio on Aug. 22.
After the D-backs selected him seventh overall in the 2011 Draft, Bradley battled a slew of injuries before making it to the Majors for good in 2016. The following season, the 28-year-old righty was moved to the bullpen where he has remained ever since. This year, Bradley is 1-0 with a 4.22 ERA, 12 strikeouts and three walks in 10 2/3 innings over 10 appearances while converting six of seven save opportunities for Arizona.
Packy’s going to Disneyland: The Reds were not done dealing as they sent southpaw Packy Naughton and a player to be named later or cash considerations to the Angels for outfielder Brian Goodwin.
As Cincinnati’s No. 14 prospect, Naughton showcased a three-pitch arsenal, highlighted by his 55-grade changeup. The 24-year-old Boston native went 11-12 with a 3.32 ERA, 131 strikeouts and 35 walks in 157 frames across 28 starts for Class A Advanced Daytona and Double-A Chattanooga last summer. Naughton had been at the Reds’ alternate site and will head to the Angels’ at Long Beach State.
The Reds will be Goodwin’s fourth organization after the Nats drafted him in 2011, the Royals traded for him in 2018 and the Angels claimed him off waivers in 2019. In 30 games this season, the 29-year-old is hitting .242/.330/.463 with four homers and 17 RBIs. Goodwin has played all three outfield positions this year.
A's make Minor trade: Oakland looked within its division to get pitching help, picking up Mike Minor and cash considerations from the Rangers for international slot money and what are officially being called two players to be named later. Those two prospects are outfielder Marcus Smith and infielder Dustin Harris, according to multiple reports including MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Neither Smith nor Harris are members of the A's 60-man player pool and, as such, cannot be officially dealt until the end of the 2020 season.
Ranked as the No. 22 prospect in the A's system by MLB.com, Smith was Oakland's third-round pick in 2019 coming out of a Kansas City high school. The 19-year-old outfielder is considered a plus-plus runner with potentially above-average defense in center field. His overall hit tool has average potential, while power is his weakest tool. Smith hit .361/.466/.443 with seven extra-base hits over 29 games in the Rookie-level Arizona League last season.
Harris was a 2019 11th-round pick out of St. Petersburg (Florida) Junior College and played mostly first base with some third mixed in during his only Minor League season. The left-handed hitter batted .325/.403/.407 one homer and nine steals over 58 games with the AZL A's and Class A Short Season Vermont last summer.
Minor, coming off a career year in 2019, is off to a difficult start with a 5.60 ERA over 35 1/3 innings this season. A free agent this winter, Minor will try to bounce back for a 22-12 Oakland club that sits atop the AL West.
Mets deal Smith for Castro: New York's National League club was a late mover before the 4 p.m. Deadline, and one of those deals cost the club a notable Minor Leaguer. The Mets traded No. 12 prospect Kevin Smith along with a player to be named later or cash to the Orioles for Major League reliever Miguel Castro.
Smith was the 2019 Mets Minor League Pitcher of the Year after posting a 3.15 ERA with 130 strikeouts and 39 walks over 117 innings between Class A Advanced St. Lucie and Double-A Binghamton. A 2018 seventh-rounder out of Georgia, the 6-foot-5 left-hander typically sits in the high-80s/low-90s with his fastball and features an above-average slider. His impressive control lifted his stock coming out of his first full season.
Castro, who averages 97.5 mph on his sinker, could help the Mets bullpen down the stretch. The 25-year-old right-hander has struck out 24 batters in 15 2/3 innings this season and has a 4.02 ERA and 1.40 WHIP.
Marlins expected to acquire Conine: Miami officially sent infielder Jonathan Villar to the Blue Jays for a player to be named later on Monday, and it was quickly revealed that said player would be No. 16 Toronto prospect Griffin Conine, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman. Conine is not a member of the Jays' 60-man player pool and cannot be traded until the 2020 season is over.
The 2018 second-rounder out of Duke got his first full season off to a rough start when he was suspended 50 games after testing positive for Ritalin, but after that punishment, the left-handed slugger took off at Class A Lansing. Despite playing only 80 games, Conine led the Midwest League with 22 home runs in 2019 and also produced a .283/.371/.576 line. His above-average power is his standout offensive tool, and his outfield arm, which racked up nine assists in 2019, is considered plus. Conine, who turned 23 in July, projects to play right field in the Miami system.
Villar was hitting .272/.328/.360 with two homers and nine steals in 29 games for Miami. He has played primarily shortstop and second base and has also seen limited time in center field. He is slated to be a free agent this offseason.
Cubs trade Short to Tigers: Chicago continued to build out its bench Monday by adding veteran outfielder Cameron Maybin from Detroit in exchange for No. 21 prospect Zack Short.
Short was a 2016 17th-rounder out of Sacred Heart who blossomed into one of the better infield prospects in the Cubs system. He has earned above-average tools for his speed, glove and arm -- the latter two of which have helped him play shortstop though he has experience at second and third as well. Short missed time with a broken left hand in 2019 but hit .211/.338/.414 with six homers in 41 games for Triple-A Iowa when he was on the field. There's a good chance those numbers would have been even better if not for the injury.
Maybin hit .244/.311/.415 with one homer in 14 games for Detroit after signing a one-year deal as a free agent back in February. He's played all three outfield spots in his career, but served exclusively as a right fielder this season in his third stint with the Tigers.
Williams turning in Jays uniform for Dodger blue: Toronto and Los Angeles snuck in a last-minute deal that sent Major League right-hander Ross Stripling along with a player to be named later to the Blue Jays for a separate player to be named later. On Tuesday, we found out that "later" meant one day when Toronto announced it was sending No. 13 prospect Kendall Williams to the Dodgers.
The 6-foot-6 right-hander was a 2019 second-round pick by the Jays out of the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Besides his size, Williams stands out for his low-to-mid-90s fastball and curveball, both of which could become above-average offerings. He also has an average change and below-average slider. Because of the cancellation of the 2020 season, Williams has featured in only six Minor League games, all in the Gulf Coast League. He posted a 1.13 ERA and 0.81 WHIP with 19 strikeouts over 16 innings there in 2019. Williams, who just turned 20 on Aug. 24, is expected to report to the Dodgers' alternate training site at USC.
Stripling could use the change of scenery after getting off to a rough start this year. The 30-year-old right-hander posted a 5.61 ERA and surrendered a Major League-high 12 home runs over seven starts (33 2/3 innings) with the NL West-leading Dodgers. He has experience working out of the bullpen as well and could be used as a swingman for Toronto in its chase for one of the eight AL playoff spots.
Sam Dykstra is a reporter for MiLB.com. Follow and interact with him on Twitter, @SamDykstraMiLB. Kelsie Heneghan also contributed to this report. She is a writer for MiLB.com and can be followed on Twitter, @Kelsie_Heneghan.
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