2019 MLB Trade Deadline: Where will the Biggest Names Land?

2019 MLB Trade Deadline

The Deal: Zack Wheeler to the Brewers, Aaron Ashby Micah Bello to the Mets.

The main figure in return for Wheeler would be Ashby- a lanky left-handed A-baller whose wicked movement has him slotted to eventually become a back of the rotation arm. His signature pitch is a highly-rated curveball that will no doubt develop as he develops overall.

To complement his curve, he has a mid-90’s sinking fastball that is bound to produce a number of groundballs. The best takeaway from Ashby is that he has quite a bit of movement on his pitches.

He would not necessarily be contributing anytime soon- as he is slated to make his MLB debut in the 2021 season- yet this gives him more upside to develop, given that the Mets can for once exhibit patience.

John Harper highlights Ashby as a potential return for Wheeler, based upon what he has heard from MLB evaluators, according to an SNY blog post.

Wheeler would be a more than welcome addition to the rotation of the Brew Crew, as his plus fastball, solid slider, and excellent change-up make for a tough opponent. He does not have postseason experience, as he was injured in the 2015 Mets run, yet he has found much success upon his return, mostly thanks to a recently-developed high spin rate.

This allows him to fire his fastball at a higher velocity and- similar to Jacob deGrom– it gives the batters the illusion that the ball is rising. His change-up is often misread as being a splitter, however, it makes no difference in the pitch’s effectiveness. His only real issue this season is an abundance of home runs surrendered, yet the entire league has been a victim of that and evaluators can see past a few home run balls.

A postseason rotation of Brandon Woodruff, Gio Gonzalez, Zack Wheeler, and Zach Davies would provide enough resistance to get to the bullpen.