Pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report in just over a month, making this an opportune time for teams to tie up any remaining loose ends. Such intent can manifest in myriad ways. For some clubs, it means signing another middle reliever; for others, it concerns figuring out their backup catcher situation. And, for a select few teams, tying up the loose ends involves trading a young player who has become an afterthought.
Take the Los Angeles Dodgers and backstop Diego Cartaya as an example. They designated him for assignment last week and traded him to the Minnesota Twins on Thursday in exchange for right-handed prospect Jose Vasquez.
Cartaya isn’t far removed from being considered a top prospect, a young catcher with real power upside and on-base skills. His stock has since been diminished by slow introductory periods at both the Double- and Triple-A levels. Given that Cartaya will spend most of the upcoming season as a 23-year-old, and given that he has a minor-league option remaining, you can understand why the budget-strapped Twins are rolling the dice on unlocking his upside.
On the flip side, Cartaya’s days with the Dodgers had been numbered for a while. The Dodgers are one of the few organizations who can claim they have more capable backstops than spots: there’s Will Smith and Austin Barnes, of course, as well as top prospect Dalton Rushing. It seemed like a matter of “when” and not “if” Cartaya would find himself on the outs — and “when” finally arrived.
The same could be true for other notable young players. Below, I’ve highlighted three who lack a clear pathway to a permanent big-league job with their clubs. In turn, that could make them a compelling trade candidate for teams with less impressive depth charts.
Before getting to the players in question, I want to reprint a note from last year’s version of this piece: “The concept of a blocked prospect is often overapplied. When it comes down to it, teams will almost always find a spot for a compelling young player. That might entail asking someone to change a position, or, in this day and age when the value of cost- and team-controlled seasons are understood by front offices and fans alike, it might mean trading an entrenched veteran.”
Got it? Good, let’s roll.
Luciano made five consecutive Baseball America top-100 prospect rankings before exhausting his rookie eligibility this past season. His appeal was straightforward: he profiled as a left-side infielder with power, albeit with some serious hit-tool concerns. Unfortunately, Luciano has scuffled in the majors and minors alike the last two seasons, causing his stock to tumble and the Giants to deviate from old plans.
Indeed, San Francisco has made long-term commitments at third base (Matt Chapman) and shortstop (Willy Adames) since last summer. That leaves Luciano with two possible destinations: another part of the diamond, or another organization entirely.
The Giants can certainly justify keeping Luciano into the season, perhaps with an eye on him slotting in at second base if Tyler Fitzgerald stumbles. Bear in mind, though, that Luciano will exhaust his final minor-league option this year, necessitating they make a call on him at some point over the next 12 to 14 months.
Seeing as how Luciano still has some marketable attributes — he’s young (23) and he possesses undeniable strength and feel for the strike zone — I could see the Giants moving him in exchange for a player with a more clear fit on their roster.
Caissie is a perpetual breakout candidate thanks to his gaudy minor-league exit velocities. He reduced his strikeout rate to a career-best 28.4% last season, a statement that says plenty about his swing-and-miss tendencies. One number working in his favor is his birth year: he’ll celebrate only his 23rd birthday come July. Conversely, one number opposing Caissie is the amount of quality outfielders in the Cubs’ system.
Chicago will have Kyle Tucker for at least a year, as well as veterans Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ, and fellow youngsters Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kevin Alcántara. Is there a scenario where the Cubs keep Caissie and Alcántara for the long haul? Certainly. But Caissie’s name has already surfaced in trade rumors this winter, and I doubt that’s by accident.
Fabian isn’t as good of a prospect as Caissie. He’s coming off a disastrous introduction to Triple-A, where his approach and whiffing tendencies resulted in a nearly 5-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Still, he combines center-field athleticism with good strength, making him plenty appealing in theory.
The catch is that Fabian might have the most challenging playing time situation of anyone in this piece. He has to contend for opportunities with free-agent addition Tyler O’Neill, Rookie of the Year Award runner-up Colton Cowser, veteran Cedric Mullins, former No. 2 pick Heston Kjerstad, as well as fellow prospects of note Dylan Beavers, Enrique Bradfield Jr., and Vance Honeycutt. Good luck, everyone.
The Orioles tend to take their time clearing out prospect logjams; just look at how long it took them to move either Connor Norby or Joey Ortiz. As such, I’m not sure a resolution is coming quickly for Fabian (or any of the other outfielders for that matter).
As the spring approaches, Baltimore should explore their options to enhance certain areas of their roster.