What about the prospect Rosenthal mentioned?
And while Rosenthal did include the caveat of a prospect being involved, it seems unlikely the Orioles would give up anyone worth putting Devers on the table for. Austin Hays might be worth it but would have nowhere to play in Boston in the near term. So the team would be creating a hole to build surplus. Ryan Mountcastle does play third base, and is expected to make it to the majors next year some time, but his bat sputtered out in AA last year. It’s looking better in his second go at the level, but he’s more of a high floor than a high ceiling player. His defensive limitations mean the bat really needs to play up to be worth keeping him at the hot corner.
And there just doesn’t appear to be that much bat there. Fangraphs has him as a future 45 grade player, which is below average. Outside of those two, I’m not sure they have a prospect good enough to consider including Devers in a deal. Hunter Harvey still has a nice ceiling, but can’t stay on the field. D.L. Hall is very far away. Tanner Scott is likely in the Orioles’ plans for the future and wouldn’t be available. The proverbial “and a prospect” was likely just a way of saying that Machado and Britton alone aren’t enough to get Devers. And he’s right about that. A closer look leaves me less than optimistic that there’s a match here.
This just isn’t going to work out.
Would having Manny Machado at third base the rest of the season make it more likely that the team will win the division and make a playoff run? Yeah, absolutely. Even if Rafael Devers catches fire the way he did when first called up last season, Machado will probably be better. But it would hurt their chances next year, and seriously damage the team long term. As enticing as the results this season are, it’s just not good decision making to pay that much in future value for such a short term gain. The playoffs in baseball are just too much of a crapshoot to make that bet.
Next: Red Sox: Rafael Devers may be breaking out of his slump
How about you? Would this trade be worth it? Is there a prospect in the Orioles’ system worth saying yes for? Would the Orioles even trade within the division? Let us know what you think!