• Changing RCF's index page, please click on "Forums" to access the forums.

Early 22 GM Thread! (Trade Ideas here)

Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Yepez ' numbers are the kind that at first glance I say, 'Those can't be right.

His power numbers have trended up, his BB rate has trended up, and his K rate has trended down...all without living on BABIP. Plus he maintains a solid batting average for a power hitter.

He has gone from being an extreme ground ball hitter, using an all fields approach, to an extreme fly ball dead pull hitter.

Wanna know who else did that? Jose Ramirez. Jose also does it without living on BABIP.

This past season Jose had an XBH every 7 at bats. Yepez had one every 6.5 ABs.

Not comparing Yepez to Jose, just pointing out that Yepez batting profile is one that looks to be maintainable at the MLB level.

Yepez is one of the very few MLB ready prospects I'd be interested in trading for.
Jose made and makes absurd levels of contact though, Yepez is making pretty good contact but if Jose strikes out 25% of the time with the rest of his numbers he's no longer a plus hitter at 1B/DH.
 
@CATS44

That's the thing Yepez isn't a highly rated prospect so it would be a swap of prospects with the Cardinals kind of like the Mercado trade... I posted a Tucker for Yepez type of deal in the past and that's what I am thinking could happen... Thats his price right now...
 
I tossed Lane Thomas out and believe he’d be a solid contributor: discipline bat, hits the ball hard, good corner OF defense.

If I recall correctly his SSS career EV would be second to Reyes on the Guardians.

A good acquisition in the context of adding to the “A” player—the Lindor to Ramirez—the Guards acquire. Yeah. I’ll keep beating that dead horse:)
 
I tossed Lane Thomas out and believe he’d be a solid contributor: discipline bat, hits the ball hard, good corner OF defense.

If I recall correctly his SSS career EV would be second to Reyes on the Guardians.

A good acquisition in the context of adding to the “A” player—the Lindor to Ramirez—the Guards acquire. Yeah. I’ll keep beating that dead horse:)
Seems like exactly the type the Guardians like and should want. Would more than fill in the void that Luplow left behind, and supplements the lefty heavy OF crew.
 
Jose made and makes absurd levels of contact though, Yepez is making pretty good contact but if Jose strikes out 25% of the time with the rest of his numbers he's no longer a plus hitter at 1B/DH.
True...sort of.

But if Yepez can put up the same % of XBHs per at bat, the production isn't that much of a drop off from Jose....even with a 25% K rate. And, except for 28 games at age 17, Yepez has never K'd at a 25% rate. Thats the odd thing that makes Yepez intriguing, his downward trend in Ks as his power numbers go up.

Although we are talking about different levels, Yepez' production was 53% better than average with a K rate of 19%. Jose was 37% above average with a 14% K rate.

@sportscoach

A trade with StL has to include what StL is interested in. We are asking them for their MiLB player of the year who may be their first in house option for the DH spot, which is generally expected to be a done deal in the NL. And they are in win now mode.

They will want immediate, or close to immediate, production in return...and their immediate need is pitching...both in the pen and as MLB rotation depth.

As much as I'd like to have Yepez...and Edman...I can't figure out a way that the Cards are a trade partner.

Both the Cards and Guardians are intending to be contenders now. Neither team is interested in trading 2022 production for future considerations...but both need 2022 production.
 
True...sort of.

But if Yepez can put up the same % of XBHs per at bat, the production isn't that much of a drop off from Jose....even with a 25% K rate. And, except for 28 games at age 17, Yepez has never K'd at a 25% rate. Thats the odd thing that makes Yepez intriguing, his downward trend in Ks as his power numbers go up.

Although we are talking about different levels, Yepez' production was 53% better than average with a K rate of 19%. Jose was 37% above average with a 14% K rate.

@sportscoach

A trade with StL has to include what StL is interested in. We are asking them for their MiLB player of the year who may be their first in house option for the DH spot, which is generally expected to be a done deal in the NL. And they are in win now mode.

They will want immediate, or close to immediate, production in return...and their immediate need is pitching...both in the pen and as MLB rotation depth.

As much as I'd like to have Yepez...and Edman...I can't figure out a way that the Cards are a trade partner.

Both the Cards and Guardians are intending to be contenders now. Neither team is interested in trading 2022 production for future considerations...but both need 2022 production.

Yepez is not ranked high in any rankings that I have seen... He isnt a strong fielder and also is blocked in the organization. He's also behind Baker as a 1B prospect.. Shoot I'd swap a SP prospect for him as long as it wasn't on of our top guys... He has a listed FV of 40 and likely wouldn't even get into our top 30 prospects overall...

Also in 23 the Cardinals have a ton of prospects to protect and they have open 40 man spots. I believe once things open back up they will bring in pieces to help them now.

I honestly feel like Yepez overall isn't going to be as nearly expensive as you think...
 
Yepez is not ranked high in any rankings that I have seen... He isnt a strong fielder and also is blocked in the organization. He's also behind Baker as a 1B prospect.. Shoot I'd swap a SP prospect for him as long as it wasn't on of our top guys... He has a listed FV of 40 and likely wouldn't even get into our top 30 prospects overall...

Also in 23 the Cardinals have a ton of prospects to protect and they have open 40 man spots. I believe once things open back up they will bring in pieces to help them now.

I honestly feel like Yepez overall isn't going to be as nearly expensive as you think...
Lets wait to see what Yepez rankings and FV are when his past season is taken into account.

If you research all the media reports involving the Cards...both local and national...and if you do the same with their roster, Yepez is far and away the odds on favorite to be their opening day DH. And if you look at Steamer projections, his is for a 117 wRC+.

Now, if you look at the StL needs to cement themselves as strong contenders for the NL Central, they are a back end reliever and another SP...preferably one who is a proven solid MOR at least.

We don't have either that we would trade for Yepez.

StL also has to decide what to do with their MIF situation, and we can't help them there. They aren't interested in a bat first SS, because their defense is built on inf defense behind a groundball staff. Their main concern is upgrading DeJongs offense without hurting the defense. We don't want DeJong and his contract and they don't want Amed. While I am very high on Gimenez, he hasn't yet shown to be a better option than DeJong. The Cards aren't gonna entrust their middle defense to an untested rookie...not in their present situation, so a kid like Arias is not an option either.

We are planning on contending this year on a team built around the rotation and Clase, so we are not trading a present rotation piece for a prospect, unless we get a viable MLB SP in return.

So what does StL have that we might trade a rotation piece for? One of their starting OFs....which StL has no interest in doing.

Forget the BTV site. All their numbers are created in a vacuum, and therefore have little real value. According to BTV, trading Arias for Carson Kelly would be a fair trade. I highly doubt that Arizona agrees.

According to BTV, Arias has basically the same value as Civale, Plesac, or Quantrill. Anybody really want to make that kind of trade...one of our SPs for a MIF prospect?

In any trade proposal, if we are to do it correctly, we have to begin by looking at it from the other teams point of view.

I'd trade Bobby Bradley right now for Yepez, because I dont think that Yepez would be worse, and because he is a RH bat with no splits. They supposedly have the same value, but the Cards would hang up the phone, even though they don't have a left hand bat (2 switch hitters, though) in their lineup.

Fans love BTV...but only to stoke their own preconceived notions. When BTV doesn't fit, they ignore it.

Weeks ago their were some firm opinions that several on here would not trade Palacios (2.4 per BTV) for Ian Happ (18.2). I wish one of them was the Cubs new GM, instead of Carter Hawkins...lol.
 
Lets wait to see what Yepez rankings and FV are when his past season is taken into account.

If you research all the media reports involving the Cards...both local and national...and if you do the same with their roster, Yepez is far and away the odds on favorite to be their opening day DH. And if you look at Steamer projections, his is for a 117 wRC+.

Now, if you look at the StL needs to cement themselves as strong contenders for the NL Central, they are a back end reliever and another SP...preferably one who is a proven solid MOR at least.

We don't have either that we would trade for Yepez.

StL also has to decide what to do with their MIF situation, and we can't help them there. They aren't interested in a bat first SS, because their defense is built on inf defense behind a groundball staff. Their main concern is upgrading DeJongs offense without hurting the defense. We don't want DeJong and his contract and they don't want Amed. While I am very high on Gimenez, he hasn't yet shown to be a better option than DeJong. The Cards aren't gonna entrust their middle defense to an untested rookie...not in their present situation, so a kid like Arias is not an option either.

We are planning on contending this year on a team built around the rotation and Clase, so we are not trading a present rotation piece for a prospect, unless we get a viable MLB SP in return.

So what does StL have that we might trade a rotation piece for? One of their starting OFs....which StL has no interest in doing.

Forget the BTV site. All their numbers are created in a vacuum, and therefore have little real value. According to BTV, trading Arias for Carson Kelly would be a fair trade. I highly doubt that Arizona agrees.

According to BTV, Arias has basically the same value as Civale, Plesac, or Quantrill. Anybody really want to make that kind of trade...one of our SPs for a MIF prospect?

In any trade proposal, if we are to do it correctly, we have to begin by looking at it from the other teams point of view.

I'd trade Bobby Bradley right now for Yepez, because I dont think that Yepez would be worse, and because he is a RH bat with no splits. They supposedly have the same value, but the Cards would hang up the phone, even though they don't have a left hand bat (2 switch hitters, though) in their lineup.

Fans love BTV...but only to stoke their own preconceived notions. When BTV doesn't fit, they ignore it.

Weeks ago their were some firm opinions that several on here would not trade Palacios (2.4 per BTV) for Ian Happ (18.2). I wish one of them was the Cubs new GM, instead of Carter Hawkins...lol.
Any deal sending a SP and/or a reliever to St. Louis would either be for one of their OFers or a package of players/prospects that includes Yepez. Yepez would not be the headliner and suggesting so is blatantly inaccurate.

The only person stroking "preconceived notions" is you. The BTV sight is no different than this one. It's for fans to entertain themselves with possibilities. They have a formula that assigns excess values on players based on scouting reports, performance, length of contract, and the cost of that contract. It is not literal or etched in stone. It is a best guess and I find myself disagreeing with those values consistently. BA reports are the largest influence and that's opinion while they don't give enough credit for actual performance IMO.

Bobby Bradley had a league average OPS+ last season(99) while with Cleveland. You'd give the average production of a major league player for the possibilities of a prospect that's never played in MLB? That's not consistent with your usual opinion.

You have this desperate notion that if the Guardians don't go in "win now" mode that it's over for the next 5 yrs. That isn't how this organization is ran and is terribly wrong. They'll continue to be smart, patient and frugal. They'll deal players heading for FA and from their depth. Right now that depth is SP and MIF. How they view all of Morris, Pilkington, Battenfield, Myers, Allen Sr, and even Morgan will determine if one of the current rotation members will be dealt. Based on each of these prospect/players performances I'd bet that they feel confident in dealing a SP. I'll also bet they feel comfortable dealing Rosario. That doesn't mean they are as good as gone either. The return has to be either beneficial or potentially so very soon.

Talking down to folks that may prefer to keep Palacios over acquiring Happ is basically talking down to this organization. Palacios' value to this organization far surpasses most outside assessments that I know of. Then when you look at his performance against high level competition you come to the realization that this kid can hit. So is it better to acquire Happ's 2 WAR or see what a young talented hitter has to offer? How does it fit in with "the plan"? Everybody doesn't share your desperation.
 
Its not desperation at all. It is timing.

You view this team as an 80 win team that is so far behind Chicago that trading for significant upgrades won't make a real difference in 2022.

With Jose only two years away from leaving, and several other core players not far behind, you think that all that production can be easily replaced by in house prospects without missing a beat....but even if that was possible (its not), we would simply be back to an 80 win team.

But adding a full season of Bieber, Civale, Plesac, Quantrill, and TMac to the rotation, plus Straw in CF, and Franmil for another 30 games...plus some normal improvement from a few youngsters...makes this closer to an 88 win team.

Not quite good enough to catch Chicago, but close enough that a few upgrades...one significant...would allow us to pass the Chisox.

Waiting another year to make a push makes zero sense.

********

Bradley hits a lot of home runs, but his strike outs and defensive limitations eliminate all his value. Losing him carries very little risk, something as GM I am very willing to do.

Bradley is hardly a proven MLB talent, like so many of our posters are more than willing to trade away for more prospects.

************

There isn't a contending team in baseball with an OF need that wouldn't trade Palacios for Happ. Happ is only a 2 WAR player? How many true rookie position players that weve brought up in the last two decades have put up 2 WAR? Not many.

I doubt that StL would trade Yepez for Palacios.

********

You say that the Guardians place a higher value on Palacios than outsiders, so he is really more valuable than listed. Well, the same applies to Yepez then, doesn't it?

If Palacios is more valuable than Happ, Yepez is nearly as valuable as which Tribe starter? Quantrill? Civale? Or how about Espino?

Hint: Both assertions are ridiculous.

*********

Obviously, Yepez is not worth an established and productive MLB player/pitchers in return, and would have to be part of a package in a major trade with us...or part of a more minor deal.

And there lies the rub.

What StL has that we would want in a major trade they won't trade. What StL would want from us in a major trade we won't trade. Trading one of our front line pitchers for one of their starting outfielders would not improve either team...a trade merely for the sake of making a trade.

And if we are talking about a minor trade, its really unlikely that StL is willing to make a minor trade for a kid expected to be in their opening day lineup.

Now, if StL wants to trade from its over abundance of young MLB ready hitters who are scheduled to get to MLB this year (they have four), they might be willing to trade for one of our over abundance of SPs, who could conceivably be slotted into a contending MLB rotation at the beginning of this season....except that we don't have one.

No true contender is interested in slotting Morgan or Morris into their opening day rotation.

StL simply is not a good fit as a trade partner.
 
Its not desperation at all. It is timing.

You view this team as an 80 win team that is so far behind Chicago that trading for significant upgrades won't make a real difference in 2022.

With Jose only two years away from leaving, and several other core players not far behind, you think that all that production can be easily replaced by in house prospects without missing a beat....but even if that was possible (its not), we would simply be back to an 80 win team.

But adding a full season of Bieber, Civale, Plesac, Quantrill, and TMac to the rotation, plus Straw in CF, and Franmil for another 30 games...plus some normal improvement from a few youngsters...makes this closer to an 88 win team.

Not quite good enough to catch Chicago, but close enough that a few upgrades...one significant...would allow us to pass the Chisox.

Waiting another year to make a push makes zero sense.

********

Bradley hits a lot of home runs, but his strike outs and defensive limitations eliminate all his value. Losing him carries very little risk, something as GM I am very willing to do.

Bradley is hardly a proven MLB talent, like so many of our posters are more than willing to trade away for more prospects.

************

There isn't a contending team in baseball with an OF need that wouldn't trade Palacios for Happ. Happ is only a 2 WAR player? How many true rookie position players that weve brought up in the last two decades have put up 2 WAR? Not many.

I doubt that StL would trade Yepez for Palacios.

********

You say that the Guardians place a higher value on Palacios than outsiders, so he is really more valuable than listed. Well, the same applies to Yepez then, doesn't it?

If Palacios is more valuable than Happ, Yepez is nearly as valuable as which Tribe starter? Quantrill? Civale? Or how about Espino?

Hint: Both assertions are ridiculous.

*********

Obviously, Yepez is not worth an established and productive MLB player/pitchers in return, and would have to be part of a package in a major trade with us...or part of a more minor deal.

And there lies the rub.

What StL has that we would want in a major trade they won't trade. What StL would want from us in a major trade we won't trade. Trading one of our front line pitchers for one of their starting outfielders would not improve either team...a trade merely for the sake of making a trade.

And if we are talking about a minor trade, its really unlikely that StL is willing to make a minor trade for a kid expected to be in their opening day lineup.

Now, if StL wants to trade from its over abundance of young MLB ready hitters who are scheduled to get to MLB this year (they have four), they might be willing to trade for one of our over abundance of SPs, who could conceivably be slotted into a contending MLB rotation at the beginning of this season....except that we don't have one.

No true contender is interested in slotting Morgan or Morris into their opening day rotation.

StL simply is not a good fit as a trade partner.

Yepez isn't expected to be in their everyday lineup... He's expected to play 15 games with the big league club.

Yepez is listed as a 4.1 on BTV, so he is near Lavastida (4.6) Tena (4.5) and Gabby Rodriguez (4.3). Carson Tucker is listed at a 6... Ali Sanchez is listed at 0.8... Tucker for Yepez and Sanchez on paper is a legit trade.

It would have to be prospect swap for prospect swap if the deal is just for Yepez in a sense and I am okay with swapping a MIF for Yepez. Now the Cardinals would want a prospect that doesn't need protected soon who can play SS since they will be cutting DeJong as soon as possible if he doesn't shape up...
 
Just curious, during lockout, are GMs talking about potential deals now for when CBA is finalized?

As I haven’t heard a peep on MLBTR, I assume things are quiet between GMs as they don’t want rumors lingering for a couple months on potential players names. Just thinking this puts Guardians behind the 8-ball if rumors they put the screws to other GMs to hammer out the best deals for us. Not the best process to get our needs filled in a shorten ST - as other teams look for easier trade partners to fill their needs as well before the music stops in baseball version of musical chairs (meaning get needs filled by opening day with FAs and trades in matter of 3 or so weeks).
 
Just curious, during lockout, are GMs talking about potential deals now for when CBA is finalized?

As I haven’t heard a peep on MLBTR, I assume things are quiet between GMs as they don’t want rumors lingering for a couple months on potential players names. Just thinking this puts Guardians behind the 8-ball if rumors they put the screws to other GMs to hammer out the best deals for us. Not the best process to get our needs filled in a shorten ST - as other teams look for easier trade partners to fill their needs as well before the music stops in baseball version of musical chairs (meaning get needs filled by opening day with FAs and trades in matter of 3 or so weeks).

I'd be very surprised if GMs weren't doing some type of talking even if they cannot actually make any deals on paper, it wouldn't surprise me if they don't have oral agreements in place...
 
  • Like
Reactions: LL3
Just curious, during lockout, are GMs talking about potential deals now for when CBA is finalized?

As I haven’t heard a peep on MLBTR, I assume things are quiet between GMs as they don’t want rumors lingering for a couple months on potential players names. Just thinking this puts Guardians behind the 8-ball if rumors they put the screws to other GMs to hammer out the best deals for us. Not the best process to get our needs filled in a shorten ST - as other teams look for easier trade partners to fill their needs as well before the music stops in baseball version of musical chairs (meaning get needs filled by opening day with FAs and trades in matter of 3 or so weeks).
There is nothing that prevents baseball front offices, including GM's and so on, from having substantiative discussions regarding their teams.. potential trades and the like. It's pretty clear that the reason the "viewing public" gets some insight into potential trades (hundreds of Trade/rumor/whisper sites) is because the players & player agents / friends / & just plain speculation by fans make it a point to allow that cauldron to be stirred.. and stirred with vigor... It's the vast number of people who are so inclined to guess what they think/guess could happen (without regard to being close to correct).. that make up the majority of the keystrokes found on websites such as this one..

BTW.. don't you think the speculators know they're almost always wrong?.. does it make it clearer if it's repeatedly stated "..you're wrong".....but this is a rant for another day..
 
Yepez isn't expected to be in their everyday lineup... He's expected to play 15 games with the big league club.

Yepez is listed as a 4.1 on BTV, so he is near Lavastida (4.6) Tena (4.5) and Gabby Rodriguez (4.3). Carson Tucker is listed at a 6... Ali Sanchez is listed at 0.8... Tucker for Yepez and Sanchez on paper is a legit trade.

It would have to be prospect swap for prospect swap if the deal is just for Yepez in a sense and I am okay with swapping a MIF for Yepez. Now the Cardinals would want a prospect that doesn't need protected soon who can play SS since they will be cutting DeJong as soon as possible if he doesn't shape up...


Research everything you can about Yepez and the Cardinals.

They have four bats that are MLB ready....Yepez, Nootbaar, Donovan, and Gorman.

Two, Donovan and Gorman are MIFS....not the kind of prospects that a team puts at DH.

Maybe not all, but close to every article you can find on Yepez lists him as their first option at DH going into spring training. He is listed as the Cards best offensive prospect over the last year.

If, as expected, the NL uses a DH, Yepez is gonna get a lot more than a handful of at bats this season. Steamers projection is based on the current situation...no DH and no corner position open in the StL lineup. A DH would add 650 available plate appearances.

We don't have that problem. The only corner player assured of at bats is Jose. We also don't have a prospect in the same situation as Yepez, as none of our prospects is an odds on favorite to be a starter in our roster.

I'd love to trade a Gabby Rodriguez for Yepez....but those trade 'values' are way off.

Bradleys value is 4.1. Would you trade Battenfield and Mikolajchak for a Bobby Bradley? Would you trade Palacios and Morris for a Bradley? Of course not, because the values assigned to them are skewed....nearly meaningless.

Yepez is worth more to the Cards than any so-called value on BTV, even if only because of his situation.
 
There is nothing that prevents baseball front offices, including GM's and so on, from having substantiative discussions regarding their teams.. potential trades and the like. It's pretty clear that the reason the "viewing public" gets some insight into potential trades (hundreds of Trade/rumor/whisper sites) is because the players & player agents / friends / & just plain speculation by fans make it a point to allow that cauldron to be stirred.. and stirred with vigor... It's the vast number of people who are so inclined to guess what they think/guess could happen (without regard to being close to correct).. that make up the majority of the keystrokes found on websites such as this one..

BTW.. don't you think the speculators know they're almost always wrong?.. does it make it clearer if it's repeatedly stated "..you're wrong".....but this is a rant for another day..
I mean, there is…a lockout…

Teams front offices can’t have “official” discussions with other front offices or agents, but you’d be naive if you believe they aren’t havinh back channel discussions, considering the access 99% of the league has with everyone’s personal contact info.

The rush of moves as soon as the lockout is over will show how much leg work was done when teams technically weren’t allowed to talk to each other or negotiate with agents.
 
Last edited:

Rubber Rim Job Podcast Video

Episode 3-13: "Backup Bash Brothers"

Rubber Rim Job Podcast Spotify

Episode 3:11: "Clipping Bucks."
Top