Win-Win Trade

[Brandon]

Probably not popular, but don't shoot the messenger. Just sharing.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2905387-win-win-mlb-trade-predictions-2-weeks-from-2020-deadline?fbclid=IwAR1sOeQVzhJHJB5TYFwEmYMXOmgj-RfoM-La7swGuIcizAfXdOcUOpjVhYI

The Los Angeles Angels sit at 8-16 with a minus-19 run differential. They also employ Mike Trout, arguably the best player on the planet.

Trout has played in a scant three postseason games, which is a crime against both logic and the game.

If the Halos hope to improve upon that ignoble record, they'll need to augment a pitching staff that ranks 23rd with a 4.93 ERA.

The Angels should call the Giants and inquire about right-hander Johnny Cueto.

He threw 69 innings combined through 2018 and 2019 while coming back from Tommy John surgery. So far this year, he's tossed 25.1 innings with a 4.62 ERA. He took a no-hitter into the sixth inning against the Dodgers on Aug. 8 and logged seven innings of three-hit, two-run ball against the Oakland Athletics on Aug 14.

He's owed $21.8 million in 2021 with a $5 million buyout and a $22 million club option in 2022. That means the Giants would need to eat some cash.

If San Francisco is willing to offset the financial burden, however, Cueto is a difference-making arm with postseason experience.

The Halos could dangle high-upside outfield prospect Jordyn Adams and take back money to make this work for both sides.

[Stradling]

I wouldn’t mind Cueto, but I just don’t see the Angels committing whatever money they would have to to acquire him.  I do think the Giants would pick up a chunk of his contract but how much?  The Giants would probably have to pay about $11 million of that contract.  

[Blarg]

2 hours ago, Brandon said:

The Halos could dangle high-upside outfield prospect Jordyn Adams and take back money to make this work for both sides.

That would be, quite simply, a catastrophically stupid trade. 

[tdawg87]

With Adell struggling so bad this year, I think we need to hang on to Adams.

I'm not at all saying Adell is a bust. I just think we should keep Adams in our back pocket, or at the very least, for someone better than Cueto.

[Blarg]

Over the last six games Jo Adell is hitting .273/.360/.318/.678. He may have turned the corner and figured out how to take a few more pitches which may point to a power surge coming up. He has the rest of this lousy season to build on what he has learned and if the development continues he is the starting right fielder next season with Marsh getting his cup of coffee audition.

Jackson is probably three years behind, so there is a lot of baseball between now and then to determine who needs to stay and what is a trade chip. Currently Jackson woud be selling low. 

[Claude]

If the Angels would take on his full salary the Giants would probably give him away.

[DMVol]

We don’t need an expensive, injury plagued veteran pitcher right now....finding good pitching is hard and I don’t have all the answers, but I don’t think Cueto makes a lot of sense....

[Docwaukee]

We need to be sellers.  Taking on that salary or even part of it for very little impact this year and next doesn't seem right.  Punt 2020.  Who cares.  

[Vegas Halo Fan]

Do we really want to commit to any deals to try to save a 60-game season? This is going to be an atypical year regardless.

[Angel Oracle]

They have 8 days to determine if Stella is given a chance to play a lot at 1B going forward.

If so, keep him and re-sign him.

Otherwise, trade him for a developing pitcher.

[Docwaukee]

I like La Stella.  If I can get something of value for him before the deadline, I do it in a heartbeat.  

[Stradling]

While I know that in a weird season like this Adams won’t bring back a young starter by himself.  I personally would rather package him for an arm of the future and not an arm for now, which is what Cueto would be.  

[Stradling]

Just now, Dochalo said:

I like La Stella.  If I can get something of value for him before the deadline, I do it in a heartbeat.  

Yep.  I’d trade every expiring dude and I would want an arm or a catcher in return for each.  

[Brandon]

I kind of want to be sellers, but I'm more looking forward to Upton and Pujols coming off the books and seeing what we do.

[totdprods]

I made a casual mention of this in a Gameday thread a couple days back, but its persisted in my mind and this looks like a good thread to bring it up. I see a lot of potential in a three-way deal between San Francisco, Cleveland, and the Angels. All of their needs and available pieces are quite interchangeable across all three clubs. I'll throw one idea out below, but it could really go in a lot of different ways. 

Essentially, the meat and potatoes would be...

Indians Receive:

• Mike Yastrzemski 
• Brandon Marsh
• A SP prospect from the Angels (along the lines of Barria or Suarez) 

Giants Receive:

• Mike Clevinger (or Zach Plesac)
• Griffin Canning
• Justin Upton

Angels Receive:

• Zach Plesac (or Mike Clevinger)
• Johnny Cueto
• one or two OF from either club; ideally, one of Slater, Naquin, Mercado, or Luplow. But two of (or a throw in of) Zimmer, DeShields, Duggar could be in play too.

First and foremost - the biggest obstacles here are Justin Upton has a NTC, the money owed to Upton and Cueto, and whatever level of interest Cleveland really has in dealing Clevinger or Plesac. In order to get around this, I ran with the idea that Upton, seemingly a West Coast guy, is amicable to staying in California and waives his NTC. In addition, it's hard to pin where exactly the value lies with either Clevinger or Plesac. Clevinger has a better track record, but a little more injury risk. Likely more upside. Plesac has more control, is cheaper, may even wind up being better. But he could be due for some regression. It sort of comes down to which team prefers who and for what reasons. Personally, I like Plesac more, so I put him first as whom the Angels receive, but you can easily swap those names in your mind if you'd prefer Clevinger.

Regarding the money, Upton has 2-yr/$50m remaining after this year. Cueto has 1-yr/$22m remaining, and a $22m or $5m buyout the year following. The Giants absorb a little more money, but the Will Wilson deal shows they're not afraid absorbing some salary if they get some talent back. That's where Griffin Canning enters. The Giants also take some risk in dealing Yaz, but, despite his enormous numbers, he's yet to even play a full 162 games at age 30. Is it selling high on a player who's come out of nowhere? Maybe. But they get Clevinger/Plesac, a promising young arm in Canning, and Upton to offer some (hopefully) steady vet production in the OF. For a team with a patchwork rotation, Canning and a Cleveland arm give them a bit of hope, and I doubt they ever thought they'd be trading a 4A OF like Yan almost straight-up for someone like Clevinger when they acquired him.

The Indians rid themselves of some of the clubhouse drama in dumping Clevinger and Plesac, and gain an immediate MVP-calibre bat in their awful OF. In addition, they can take Brandon Marsh back in the deal and get a Top 100 prospect who could also step in and contribute. For a team looking to keep payroll trimmed to a minimum, Yastrzemski has enormous value now and in the future with his control and age. They also receive one of the Angels MLB-ready SPs to help give them some cheap pitching. Not a Canning or Sandoval, but perhaps a serviceable #4-#5 in Barria/Suarez. 

The Angels obviously score a big win landing Plesac or Clevinger - a badly needed arm with upside to drop in at the front. They gain an unexciting but steady arm in Cueto. But one of the biggest wins is the shedding of Upton's salary. Likely, they buy-out Cueto at the end of '21- basically saving them from Upton's last year of his contract, and with that, have ~$50m come off the books with Pujols and Cueto's deals expiring, just in time for another strong FA class featuring Lindor, Correa, Story, Baez, Seager all at SS, Conforto in OF, Salvador Perez at C, Freeman and Rizzo at 1B, Kris Bryant, and arms like Syndergaard, Kershaw, Scherzer at SP. Both Cleveland and San Fran have a logjam or 4A OF types as well. A couple could be displaced from these deals, so the Angels could be a landing spot for one or two of them in hopes they find another Brian Goodwin-type late bloomer. 

Another way to look at this deal in a way to see what is fair to look at it as: 

• Upton for Cueto 
• Yaz for Clevinger/Plesac
• Canning, Marsh, Barria for Plesac/Clevinger, an OF throw-in or two, and significant money saved.

There are other permutations you could look at as well. Maybe Cueto goes to Cleveland. Maybe Upton goes to Cleveland and the Halos eat a lot of cash involved. Maybe the Angels replace Marsh with Goodwin and only get a SP back. Maybe the Angels try and expand to bring SF catcher Patrick Bailey back.

[totdprods]

Thought I’d also add that the Giants have really seemed interested in Angels cast-offs recently. I think they claimed Jerez, Jewell, Madero, Wong, and trades for Wilson, so maybe, just maybe, the Angels could also get by in keeping Canning in place for a trio of prospects San Fran would like. Maybe they have some faith in some part of the Angels amateur system. 

Edited August 24, 2020 by totdprods

[Erstad Grit]

I'd dangle Upton for Cueto lol