Contenders in need of bullpen help at the MLB trade deadline will have plenty of options. Here are the top 10 relievers likely to be put on the market.
As the MLB trade deadline looms nearer and nearer on the horizon numerous front offices will be forced to make a determination on their status as buyers or sellers. With far more teams remaining reasonably competitive far deeper into the dog days, and the new playoff format providing playoff accommodations for a full third of baseball, procrastination on this decision will be the norm. This figures to create yet another seller’s market, which will be especially kind to those offering up quality pitching.
Perhaps the asset carrying the greatest potential return is a quality relief pitcher. From a purely analytical standpoint even the most dominant of relievers is considerably less valuable than a modestly good everyday player. For some perspective, in 2015 the top reliever in WAR was Cody Allen (Chapman was second), with a 2.6 WAR. An equivalent position player was Brett Gardner, while the equivalent starting pitcher was Edinson Volquez.
The bounty often procured for sub-elite relievers on rental for less than a third of a season is bound to be of greater long-term value. If the sampling of mid-level prospects you receive ends up collectively contributing more than a half a game of WAR value to your club over the subsequent several years you will have handily won the trade. Then again, “winning” a trade is a relative term, for each club is operating with disparate objectives in mind. Those going all-in now are willing to take a long-term loss for the un-quantifiable prize that is a deep playoff run or World Series ring.
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