The CttP Five: Most Desirable Trade Targets

Rob Leifheit-USA TODAY Sports

#2  HOMER BAILEY

Homer Bailey was chugging along for a few years there, slowly and quietly improving his craft. His results got better year by year, he held and even improved his strikeout rate as he cut down his walk rate to near-elite levels. It was all very under-the-radar. Then he threw two no-hitters in the span of less than a year, and now everyone knows who Homer Bailey is. Bailey continued to improve in 2013, putting up 3.7 fWAR and lowering his FIP by 0.6 to 3.31. His K rate continues to climb, with a career best 8.57 in 2013, and his walk-rate has remained fantastic at 2.33 BB/9. He posted a career best ground-ball rate completing a package that saw him post above average results in nearly every category in 2013, with none of his BABIP, strand rate or HR/FB rate indicating that he had gotten unusually lucky. Bailey is a fantastic starting pitcher with one year remaining on his contract. He’s projected to earn $9.3 million dollars in his final year of arbitration, and being a Scott Boras client likely means that he will be paid around double that on a long contract come 2015. Bailey is a fantastic and consistent pitcher who has succeeded in a hitters’ ballpark. There’s no shortage of demand for starters who throw 200 innings with fantastic control and keep the ball in the park, and Bailey would undoubtedly be viewed as being far superior to any of the available free agent pitchers.