Bryce Harper trade value = wild speculation!
Disclaimer: The following idea is unlikely, entirely hypothetical, and will probably never happen. However, I am having fun thinking about it and I'm sure everyone else will too.
Situation:
Bryce Harper falls to the Pirates and they draft him. By the time hot hitting, but me-frst type Harper is at AA Tony Sanchez is an all star catcher on the Cutch/ alvarez/ tabata led buccos. Alvrarez is hitting like Prince Fielder, but eating like him too and playing 1B while Andy is playing top-caliber 3B, hitting 290 and 20 HR's a year. Buccos lock up team leader Sanchez with an extension and the team, while competing for the division and winning the wildcard with their young core, appears to still need more impact players to really threaten the Cardinals who have just locked up Pujols by buying out InBev and making him majority shareholder of Anhueser-Busch instead of a standard contract.
The Pirates decide to trade Harper for the pieces that could make them a playoff team for years to come...what could they get?
I realize the most logical move is to move Harper to 1B, but hypothetical Pedro is there! Also Harper has stated that he insists on leaving once he hits free agency and is talkign about A-Rod money while in the minors. He and boras publicly resist any notion of him moving from catcher due to decreased FA value.
For the no fun people who say: Nothing, trade Sanchez and keep Harper's service time.......if you insist on no playing along, then fine, what could Sanchez fetch? Hypothetical fantasy Tony is a great clubhouse guy and receiver similar to Pudge in his prime.
I just feel that the idea of putting a super prospect on the market for several lesser super prospects is interesting, since when premiere players go on the market its usually at most only a year or two from free agency. What if the Braves could've gotten Neftali Feliz, Smoak, Andrus and another prospect for Heyward? Do you do it? That's along the lines of what Im thinking here.
GO!
This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of the managing editor (Charlie) or SB Nation. FanPosts are written by Bucs Dugout readers.
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The most comparable player to be traded in recent memory...
…is probably Delmon Young. Young was a consensus top-5 prospect, viewed as a young emerging star/superstar. But he had burned some of his service time, he was a corner OF rather than a catcher, and he was regarded as something of a character risk.
It’s hard to even imagine what a guy like Harper would bring back in trade, under that scenario. I’m not sure any team would have enough portable assets on hand to make such a deal, even if they were so inclined.
I was thinking of the best of what the Phillies gave up in the Lee and Halladay trades, but even then I dont think any of those guys have high enough ceilings.
The Rangers haul above still seems like the best combo of semi-proven talent and all -star ceilings that would be needed. Maybe Desmond Jennings, Hellickson, Wade Davis and Breignac?
RIP NATE. RIP TONY PLUSH.
"I'D BE A CHEF"
-TONY PLUSH
I would take Jennings and one of Davis/Hellickson for Harper without hesitation.
Then, I’d run for the hills, laughing my tail off all the way about how badly I just ripped off Tampa Bay. Unfortunately, Andrew Friedman isn’t a total idiot, and he’d never trade those guys for Harper.
by Suffering Buc on May 3, 2010 5:59 PM EDT up reply actions
That's the fun part
If Harper was putting up Weiters-ish #’s in AA as a 19 year old Im sure there are plenty of people who would think that Tampa Bay got the better of the deal.
RIP NATE. RIP TONY PLUSH.
"I'D BE A CHEF"
-TONY PLUSH
I'm sorry to disrupt your fantasy
But is there really a legitimate chance of the Nats passing on Harper?
As I said in the disclaimer
I dont think it would ever happen. Theres just never been a scenario where a team has 6 years of an Uber-prospect but that team might be better of with 6 years of 2-3 top prospects for their situation and can trade him at his max value
RIP NATE. RIP TONY PLUSH.
"I'D BE A CHEF"
-TONY PLUSH
Sure.
It’s just that most of the scenarios involve things like Harper being injured or arrested, which would decrease his value significantly.
They probably aren’t going to pass him up for no reason.
What if
Harper declared that he was a big Pirates fan and said he would refuse to play for anyone else?
Can you trade to move up spots in the draft?
I’m assuming not since I’ve never heard of such a discussion.
Correct me if I'm wrong
But I believe the MLB does not allowing trading draft picks because they are afraid of big market teams being able to trade for high draft picks and skewing the parity even more in their favor.
by thefutureisnear on May 3, 2010 10:34 PM EDT up reply actions
It makes sense
It’s only fair that Harper isn’t a Yankee until age 26 instead of age 20.
Yet
it would make more sense since you have teams like the Pirates taking Moskos’ top 5 because of the bonus demands of other players. So the Yanks and such can still get the top players and not even have to give up the picks to move up in the draft.
Moskos wasn't just a pick about bonus.
There were better players available at the slot who would have taken similar money.
Moskos was chosen not only because he was cheap but also because he was seen as being mostly ML-ready, and DL thought that he might be able to push Moskos through the farm system rapidly enough to have him up in the majors and contributing in the fairly near term, helping to stave off DL’s firing. Oops.
Agreed
To frame the Moskos pick as a purely financial decision doesn’t give Littlefield his deserved discredit for making a truly awful choice… in hindsight of course.
count me as a Harper skeptic
I think it’s just as likely that Harper will flame out before he reaches the majors (due to immaturity or injury, like Brien Taylor), so I’d definitely be open to trading him, if the return was right.
If they get him, they will find somewhere for him to play. However, this raises an interesting question, is there some minimum period that you have to hold a guy after you draft and sign him?
On another note, how to people feel about Manny Machado? We could certainly use an elite shortstop in the system.
I believe you can't trade a player until a year after they are drafted.
I like Machado a lot. If we go position player I hope he’s the pick. Really good defender with plus power potential from SS…yeah I’ll take it. Most scouts believe he has a good chance to stay at SS even if he fills out his big frame. It would be nice to have a mainstay at the position that could bring both offense and good defense. I know people want a player who can contribute sooner but I think that you have go with the best player. IMO, if we don’t go with a pitcher, he is the best player available after Harper. And for the record, Taillon is the only pitcher I see with upside higher than Machado. I don’t think we are in on Taillon though.
Vlad's a fan
and frankly he’s got me convinced. From what I’m reading, the guy has smooth hands, looks great defensively now and into the future, and has stud potential with the bat.
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