5 buy low trade targets for the Atlanta Braves
Ryan McMahon 3B (AA) Rockies
Ryan has spent his fair share of time on top prospect list the last few years and came into 2016 as one of Colorado’s top prospects. And while 2016 wasn’t a bad year for him, it was a decline in production from his previous production.
His wRC+ in 2013 was 147, in 2014 it was 137, and in 2015 it was 141. But in 2016 it dropped down to 101 as both his power output and OBP took a hit. Combine that drop in production with a rising K rate and questions about his defense and you can see why his overall value went down.
The upside is just as compelling though. He has a beautiful left-handed swing and Fangraphs just put a 60 on his raw power. He also gotten off to a much better start in 2017 which should mitigate some of the worry about last year.
In terms of availability, there’s this guy named Nolan Arenado blocking him at 3B and the Rockies hot start may lead them to trade some future value for present day help. Maybe an opportunity there.
Billy McKinney OF (AA) Yankees
McKinney is a guy I’ve personally been following for a while for reasons I can’t really explain. I’ve just always liked him. His big claim to fame is being a former 1st round pick by the Oakland A’s and being the other piece to go to Chicago in the Addison Russell/Jeff Samardzija trade.
The Cubs sent him to NY in the Aroldis Chapman trade last July and he really just hasn’t hit. The 92 wRC+ he posted last year wasn’t terrible but there just wasn’t much power there for a guy who projects to be a corner OF.
Eric Longenhagen still has 50 raw power grade on him though and the contact numbers are good enough to think there is still value there. The Yankees might need an upgrade later this year with their pitching staff and Mckinney is a guy I would love to take a chance on.
Jurickson Profar UTIL (MLB) Rangers
So this is the one everyone is talking about. Profar has the highest prospect pedigree of any guy on this list simply because none of the other guys have ever been the #1 prospect baseball.
The biggest problem Jurickson has had is not being able to hit MLB pitching. He hit, and hit impressively, at every level of the minors which combined with his positional versatility vaulted him up prospect rankings.
But all that talent hasn’t transferred to major-league success yet as he posted a 78 wRC+ last year for the Rangers and has seen his value plummet. His also been around so long that you get the sense Texas might just be ready to move on. Familiarity does breed content.
The upside for Profar is he just turned 24, a full year younger than Aaron Judge, and still has all that talent in there somewhere. Who knows, maybe a change in scenery or a different voice coaching him can unlock that superstar potential.
The other part, of course, is the Rangers are very much in contention in 2017 and may be willing to finally cut bait on Profar in exchange for help to their big-league club.