The MLB Trade Deadline is now past and with it came a lot of prospects switching teams. Not as many as the 2022 Trade Deadline, but still so very impressive pieces were on the move. The New York Mets themselves got a handful of big and buzzy names for the big name players they moved like Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. So coming off the heels of the Trade Deadline, I have a brand new fully updated Top-400 MLB Prospect Rankings list, MLB Farm System Rankings, and positional ranking list. We’ll be highlighting the biggest movers and shakers in the rankings from a team standpoint and some of the more interesting prospects that were dealt by MLB teams. Remember, all of these prospects are ranked based on their fantasy baseball value and not their pure baseball value. Players closer to the major league lineups, and thus closer to helping your fantasy baseball rosters, will be ranked ahead of younger ones if they’re close in skill, projection, and upside.

 

New York Mets Make Big Trades

It’s hard to start a prospect report this week off without mentioning the Mets. They made huge moves and got big returns. Just put this into perspective, the last Top-400 rankings that came post-MLB Draft had the New York Mets as the 23rd ranked farm system, even with a few good gets in the draft. Now though, you’ll see them ranked 10th. Getting players like Luisangel Acuna, Drew Gilbert, Ryan Clifford, and Marco Vargas will do that for a system. They went from just seven prospects in the Top-400 to 14 now with basically every prospect traded for in the top-400 rankings. That’s an impressive improvement for a team that was a bit dead in the water before the deadline.

St. Louis Cardinals Stick To Trade Deadline Plan

The other biggest move in the team rankings was the St. Louis Cardinals. They came into the deadline wanting to build for 2024 and beyond and the moves they made showed that. The post-MLB Draft rankings had St. Louis ranked 26th in the farm system rankings and now they’re 19th, mostly on the backs of the Texas Rangers who slid from seventh to 14th. Getting a couple of prospects from Texas in the Jordan Montgomery trade in Tekoah Roby and Thomas Saggese certainly helped.

Prospects Traded At MLB Trade Deadline

We’re not going to talk about all of the prospects traded at the Trade Deadline, but we’ll talk about some of the more interesting ones.

Luisangel Acuna — SS New York Mets

All we really need to know here is that Ronald Acuna Jr., his older brother, has said that Luisangel is a better player at his age than Ronald was at that age. That should have Mets’ fans salivating. The Hit tool is the only below-average tool he has with 55-grade Power and 60-grade Speed tools also at his disposal. Right now he plays shortstop and second base but he could easily be moved to center field if needed to not be blocked. He is an easy 25-30 HR bat and 30-35 SB threat when he reaches his ceiling for New York. Currently at Double-A, expect him to be pushing for a spot on the MLB roster in mid-2024.

Drew Gilbert — OF New York Mets

The Astros’ top prospect that was moved to the Mets in the Justin Verlander trade, was a top-100 prospect prior to the deal. He’s now a top-50 prospect and comes in ranked third in the Mets’ system behind Ronny Mauricio and the aforementioned Acuna. Fun side note here, he was also the college teammate of Blade Tidwell, a fellow Mets farmhand, who were both taken within picks of each other in the 2022 MLB Draft. Gilbert is a toolsy outfielder who may not have a plus tool but has a bunch of above-average ones. The Hit tool is average but the Power and Speed tools are above-average which should result in a 20-25 HR-SB combo with a .270 or so AVG. We could see him move to a corner outfield rather than center depending on who remains on the MLB roster and what happens on the farm.

Kyle Manzardo — 1B Cleveland Guardians

The highest ranked prospect, in my rankings, to be traded at the deadline was Manzardo. In a bit of a surprising move, the Tampa Bay Rays moved him in the Aaron Civale deal after a bit of a down start to the season at Triple-A. The move does give the Rays a starter with 2.5 years of control but giving up the best first base prospect in the game is still a bit of a steep price. He posted 22 homers in 93 games, split between High-A and Double-A, in 2022 while hitting well over .300 with an OBP well over .400 as well. The start of 2023 has been hampered by injury but he still has a double-plus Hit tool and above-average Power. The rest of the profile limits him to first base only or DH but that’s still a heck of a fantasy value profile in the skilled hands of the Cleveland development team.

Kahlil Watson — SS Cleveland Guardians

There was a lot of buzz surrounding Watson coming into the 2021 MLB Draft given the electric tools he possessed. However, a decent amount of the buzz has worn off thanks to an inability to take pitches and not swing and miss. In 58 games at Double-A this year, he’s slashing just .206//337/.362 with seven homers and 14 steals. That comes with a 28-percent K-rate which is a career-best at this point. If Cleveland can get him to be more patient and make more consistent contact, there’s still a guy with a lot of pop and speed waiting under the surface.

Jake Eder — LHP Chicago White Sox

Eder had a breakout year in 2021 that saw him pitch 71.1 innings at Double-A with a 1.77 ERA and 34.5-percent K-rate. Then Tommy John surgery was needed and he’s just getting back on the mound this year. It’s been a slow start to the return with a 3.94 ERA in 29.2 innings at Double-A with a lower K-rate (30.6 percent) and higher BB-rate (12.9 percent) than previously. Traded in the Jake Burger trade to the White Sox, Eder will likely be a centerpiece of their rebuilt starting rotation or perhaps will be pitching with Dylan Cease in Chicago if they wind up keeping him. Either way, when Eder is healthy, he’s a very good number-two starter with three-pitch mix that features two plus-pitches.

Edgar Quero — C Chicago White Sox

The 20-year-old offensive-minded catcher made out pretty well when he went from the Los Angeles Angels to the Chicago White Sox at the Trade Deadline. Quero was a bit blocked in the Angels’ system with Logan O’Hoppe the starting catcher and Matt Thaiss also an option but the White Sox has no one in front of him. He is a bat-first backstop with an above-average Hit tool and average Power. There is a lack of speed in the profile and still burgeoning defensive skills though he is only 20 and catchers take a bit to fully develop. If you’re looking for a solid fantasy catcher who might be overlooked, it’s hard to look past Quero.

D.J. Herz — LHP Washington Nationals

For the best bat that was available on the market, the Chicago Cubs shipped two prospects to Washington in the Jeimer Candelario trade. One of those prospects is D.J. Herz, a left-handed pitcher with an interesting profile. The first thing that jumps off the page at you is the 80 Ks in 59 innings he’s posted this year. The second thing that pops out are the walks. There are 37 free passes on the ledger this year but the ERA is solid and his avoidance of big innings has been good too. The stuff is there to be a backend to mid-rotation starter from the left side, but if he can’t get the control figured out, he’s more in line to be a high-strikeout high-leverage reliever for the Nationals.

Tekoah Roby — RHP Texas Rangers

Speaking of control issues, that’s what we’re talking about with Roby, that and a bit of health. While there isn’t a plus-pitch in the four-pitch mix they are all above-average and capable of being out pitches at their best. That being said though, he gets hit more than he should be cause he’s forced to come back into the zone to avoid walks. With 211 strikeouts in his 171 innings in the minors, there’s enough strikeouts to reach the mid-rotation ceiling he possesses, it’s just reducing the hits and runs allowed that’s keeping him from that ceiling that St. Louis has to figure out.

 

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