3 potential trade destinations for Stephen Strasburg
Almost immediately after news of Max Scherzer's seven-year, $210-million deal with the Washington Nationals surfaced Monday, trade speculation regarding some of the team's other (equally heralded) starters began.
Stephen Strasburg's future in D.C. became a particularly contentious topic after it was reported the 26-year-old is "very much available" and that "both sides believe it is time to move on." Though holding onto Strasburg would afford Washington baseball's best rotation in 2015, the Nationals seem willing to at least entertain parting ways with the talented right-hander, who's still two seasons away from free agency.
Armed with a devastating three-pitch repertoire, Strasburg has accrued more wins above replacement than all but 22 pitchers since 2010 despite missing considerable time recovering from Tommy John surgery and acquiescing to the innings limits that followed. Every team in baseball would love to add a pitcher like Strasburg - a true ace with largely unparalleled strikeout capabilities - but let's take a look at three teams with a reasonable chance to trade for him before the 2015 season begins.
Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox are poised to rebound from a disastrous 2014 after a flurry of activity brought Pablo Sandoval, Hanley Ramirez, Rick Porcello and Wade Miley to Boston, but the absence of premium rotation talent continues to curb enthusiasm over the club's offseason improvements.
Rotation issues notwithstanding, Boston is uniquely qualified to pursue Strasburg, as the club is ready to contend for a playoff spot but also boasts a deep inventory of talented prospects and growth assets on the 25-man roster required to pry him away from Washington.
Though any deal would likely require the Red Sox to part with Xander Bogaerts or Mookie Betts, the club has enough depth and flexibility to compensate for the loss of either youngster. Should Boston send Bogaerts to Washington, it could install Ramirez at shortstop rather than relegate him to left field. If the Red Sox trade Betts, it would ease the congestion in Boston's outfield, where Ramirez, Rusney Castillo, Shane Victorino, Allen Craig and Daniel Nava are expected to compete for playing time.
Chicago Cubs
The Cubs further insulated their talented but inexperienced lineup Monday by trading for Dexter Fowler, who joins veteran catcher Miguel Montero as the second major addition this winter to the Cubs' tentative 2015 lineup. With continued development from Javier Baez, Jorge Soler and Arismendy Alcantara - along with the impending arrival Kris Bryant - the Cubs may be primed to put a lot of runs on the board this year.
Their rotation, however, remains a little suspect despite the additions of Jon Lester and Jason Hammel. Though Kyle Hendricks enjoyed some success across 13 starts in 2014, the 25-year-old outperformed his peripherals considerably and finished the season with a 14.6 percent strikeout rate - the 20th-lowest mark among 171 pitchers to log at least 80 innings. Travis Wood also regressed, stumbling to 5.04 ERA fueled by both an increased vulnerability to the home run and a .320 batting average on balls in play.
Another big addition to the rotation couldn't hurt, and the Cubs have the prospect capital to get a deal done. Armed with a surplus of infield prospects, the Cubs could part with Baez or Addison Russell to acquire Strasburg and still have trouble finding spots on the diamond for all their burgeoning talent.
Texas Rangers
Rather than opt for a radical roster overhaul, the Rangers took a passive approach to the offseason, chalking up last year's abysmal 65-97 record to myriad injuries suffered by, seemingly, every key member of the 25-man roster. The Rangers deployed 64 different players in 2014, a new MLB record.
The rotation was ravaged particularly hard by injuries last season, and though Yu Darvish and Derek Holland are expected to be healthy when spring training opens, both Martin Perez and Matt Harrison are coming off major surgeries. Though Monday's addition of Yovani Gallardo added some much-needed depth to Texas' starting corps, another impact arm may be necessary to compete in the American League West.
The Rangers' farm system is a tad top-heavy, but the club still possesses assets strong enough to land Strasburg between third baseman Joey Gallo - who hit 42 home runs in 126 games in 2014 - and catcher Jorge Alfaro - who posted a .763 OPS with 48 extra-base hits between High-A and Double-A. Both Jurickson Profar and Rougned Odor remain intriguing trade commodities, and the Rangers could create a package revolving around one of the two without creating a void on their active roster.