Fansided

Top 25 tradeable pieces to keep an eye on this season

By Joshua Sadlock

BALTIMORE, MD - MAY 16: Manny Machado #13 of the Baltimore Orioles looks on during the eighth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 16, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - MAY 16: Manny Machado #13 of the Baltimore Orioles looks on during the eighth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 16, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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ARLINGTON, TX – JUNE 09: Jake Diekman #41 of the Texas Rangers throws in the ninth inning against the Houston Astros at Globe Life Park in Arlington on June 9, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Rick Yeatts/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – JUNE 09: Jake Diekman #41 of the Texas Rangers throws in the ninth inning against the Houston Astros at Globe Life Park in Arlington on June 9, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Rick Yeatts/Getty Images) /

18. Jake Diekman

Relief specialists are always one of the more intriguing groups to watch as the trade deadline approaches. They are hardly flashy, but the addition of a solid lefty who can come in and get one out whenever called upon can make or break a contender. The LOOGY has lost a little bit of shine as teams fully embrace the multi-inning relief stud, but there is still a place in every bullpen for a nasty lefty who does one job and does it well.

Texas Rangers lefty Jake Diekman is an interesting potential trade chip pitching for a bad team on an expiring contract. After missing almost all of the 2017 season while battling ulcerative colitis and undergoing surgery, Diekman is back with a vengeance and putting up his best strikeout numbers since 2014.

Diekman falls somewhere between true LOOGY and a reliever who can be trusted to face the occasional right-handed batter. For his career, he has held lefties to a .224/.321/.288 line and has allowed only four home runs in 455 plate appearances. Diekman holds similar strikeout rates against lefties and righties, but has allowed more hard contact when not in a platoon advantage.

The splits for Diekman are actually slightly reversed this year as he has been given more chances to face right-handed batters for a bad Texas team. He has struck out 22 of the 65 righties he has faced and has held them to a .525 OPS. That type of performance can only help his trade value.

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