13 players who might benefit from change of scenery
Sometimes issues don’t work out. Or they cease working. And that’s definitely true in skilled sports activities, the place it’s tough to type a long-standing relationship between a participant and a workforce. For no matter motive — consolation or teaching or some quirk — there are specific gamers who solely show able to delivering their greatest after being despatched to a brand new squad.
What follows is a listing of fellows for whom that might conceivably be the case. Be it a veteran in want of a bounce again or a teenager who’s blocked, these commerce candidates may profit from a change of surroundings this offseason.
In the wake of the Teoscar Hernández acquisition, the Mariners are nonetheless searching for different methods to replace their outfield, and that might imply transferring one or each of those gamers. Kelenic has bounced between the Majors and Minors and struggled to reside as much as the acclaim that accompanied his arrival in a blockbuster commerce with the Mets, and Winker’s perspective and conditioning have come into query within the quick time since his arrival in a swap with Cincinnati final winter. Considering Winker was an All-Star for the Reds in 2021 (.949 OPS, 24 homers, 32 doubles) and Kelenic was not way back thought-about one of many best possible, can’t-miss prospects within the sport, it’s not a stretch to suppose they may succeed elsewhere.
In school at UC Irvine, within the Minors and in his first season within the huge leagues (2019), all this dude did was hit. But he seems to have offered out for extra energy and suffered consequently, slashing .205/.293/.394 with a 38.5% strikeout charge over the past three seasons. His defensive points have additionally damage his standing with the Brewers, who tendered him a contract for 2023 however may not wish to commit the DH spot to him. Perhaps one other membership may get his swing — and profession — again on observe. Hiura is just 26.
The tenth total choose within the 2017 Draft, Adell was the Angels’ high prospect and rated the No. 6 total prospect by MLB Pipeline on the time he was first known as up in 2020. But his huge, bodily skillset merely hasn’t translated to huge league success. Adell has slashed .215/.259/.356 in 161 video games. The Halos’ addition of Hunter Renfroe makes Adell expendable, however he’s solely 23 and may profit from some new voices.
A supposed certain factor when acquired from the Cubs as a prospect within the 2016 Aroldis Chapman commerce, Torres has had an erratic tenure in pinstripes. He was an All-Star in every of his first two seasons in 2018-19 earlier than posting a mixed OPS+ beneath league common whereas struggling defensively at shortstop in 2020-21. A full-time shift to second base was a part of a greater 2022 during which Torres slashed a extra respectable .257/.310/.451. Torres is getting into his age-26 season and had above-average hard-hit and barrel percentages final season. So not like fellow Yankees commerce candidates Josh Donaldson and Aaron Hicks, an buying workforce may speculate that his greatest days are nonetheless forward of him.
It simply hasn’t labored out for the previous World Series hero in Arizona. Three seasons right into a five-year, $85 million contract, Bumgarner is 15-29 with a 4.98 ERA with the D-backs. There was hope that his work with new pitching coach Brent Strom would assist unlock the Bumgarner of previous in 2022, however a powerful begin to the season didn’t actually take. The peripherals aren’t fairly, and the D-backs would have a tough time transferring the cash connected to him, however you by no means know if there’s an association on the market that might make Bumgarner a minimum of a league-average rotation choice once more.
The Tigers made Báez their darling of the offseason final yr with a six-year, $140 million deal, and he – just like the workforce itself – turned out to be an enormous disappointment. All of the considerations about Báez’s free-swinging methods performed out to the acute when he slashed .238/.278/.393 with one of many league’s worst stroll charges (4.4%). The Tigers are way more more likely to simply root for a bounce again in 2023, however Báez is price together with right here simply in case some creativity on the a part of new common supervisor Scott Harris comes into play and Báez is shipped elsewhere. We did see a stretch on the finish of 2021 during which he was dealt to the Mets and was briefly at his greatest, so possibly one other transfer would encourage him.
The 69 OPS+ (31% beneath league common) isn’t very good, however let’s not overlook that Robles was a strong on a regular basis participant (who completed sixth within the NL Rookie of the Year voting) for a World Series championship membership in 2019. And he’s solely 25. Robles nonetheless supplies wonderful protection (ninetieth percentile in Outs Above Average) and 86th percentile in dash pace, however he’s had hassle barreling up the ball constantly. The rebuilding Nats aren’t identified to be purchasing him (struggling starter Patrick Corbin, who may additionally be a change of surroundings candidate, is one other story). But the issue of filling the center-field spot may entice another workforce to take a superb have a look at Robles and see if there are tweaks to his swing or method that might yield higher outcomes.
Neither of those gamers figures prominently into Boston’s plans for 2023, and you can make the case that both may profit from transferring to a market with much less scrutiny and extra alternative. Dalbec struggled in ’22 after posting an .819 OPS, 33 homers and 24 doubles in 156 video games from 2020-21, and he’s blocked at first base by the membership’s No. 2 prospect, Triston Casas, and Eric Hosmer. Duran was a extremely touted prospect (No. 84 in MLB, per MLB Pipeline, at the beginning of 2022) who’s as a substitute off to an uninspiring begin to his huge league profession (.219/.269/.354 slash in 91 video games) and is seen solely as a depth choice for a Boston membership trying into different methods to enhance its outfield manufacturing.
Plesac had as soon as appeared one other constructive product of the Cleveland pitching manufacturing facility when he emerged with a 3.32 ERA and 140 ERA+ in 171 innings over his first 29 profession begins in 2019-20. But over the previous two seasons, he has fractured his thumb whereas “aggressively ripping off his shirt,” damaged his pitching hand punching the mound and labored to the tune of a 4.49 ERA and 90 ERA+. The Guardians are open to dealing him, and maybe in one other place he may recapture his success and remove the self-inflicted accidents.
The vibes are so much stronger after a postseason during which he immediately regarded like a Gold Glove-caliber nook outfielder. But there’s no denying that Castellanos’ first season of a five-year, $100 million contract was not what anyone signed up for. His slugging share dropped by almost 200 factors from his 2021 season in Cincinnati, and Bryce Harper’s incapacity to play the outfield due to an elbow harm solely uncovered a decidedly not Gold Glove-worthy efficiency within the discipline for Castellanos within the common season. It’s unlikely he will get dealt due to the cash concerned, however one does need to marvel if there may be a greater match for Castellanos. With Harper on the mend from Tommy John surgical procedure, Castellanos’ iffy protection is an ongoing concern.
In the primary two years of the six-year extension DeJong signed with the Cardinals after ending second within the NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2017, he offered league-average offense together with wonderful defensive metrics. Alas, the final three seasons have been a large number (.631 OPS, 76 OPS+), and DeJong bottomed out and bought demoted to Triple-A for a stretch this previous season (and struggled upon his return). The Cards are seemingly caught with the $9 million owed DeJong for 2023, however maybe there’s a workforce prepared to roll the cube on the 29-year-old returning to viable offense to go together with the still-strong D (87th percentile in Outs Above Average in 2022).
