MLB Trade Deadline: The ultimate 30-team trade
13. New York Mets
C.J. Cron and Luis Valbuena have combined to be the worst first base tandem in the major leagues, and Los Angeles first basemen are tied with the Yankees at the bottom of the fWAR leaderboard (-1.2). Angels first basemen have hit just .198/.274/.340 with 16 home runs this year. Therefore, going after a player like Lucas Duda makes perfect sense.
In 72 games this season, Duda has hit .245/.348/.539 with 17 home runs and 37 RBI. His left-handed bat would also help the Angels break up a heavily right-handed middle of the order, ideally behind Mike Trout and ahead of Albert Pujols in the order.
But there’s an issue since the Angels, who have a shallow talent pool in the minor leagues, aren’t likely willing to give up top prospects Jahmai Jones, Matt Thaiss or Brandon Marsh in any 2017 trade deadline deal. Therefore, if the Angels want an upgrade at first base, even a rental like Duda, the club will likely need to get creative. In our example, we pegged Los Angeles to send a player to be named later to the Brewers in exchange for an improved package of Brewers prospects for the Mets, though the Angels would still need to send a prospect to New York, such as 23-year-old catcher Taylor Ward.
Blevins and Granderson wouldn’t likely bring back three midlevel prospects in a straight-up deal with Milwaukee, but by involving the Angels in a deal for Duda, New York was able to get the biggest bank for its rebuilding buck. Fowler, a left-handed hitter with a sweet swing, should slide nicely into the Mets lineup in 2018 or 2019, and Jorge Lopez should provide the club with pitching depth.