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There are reports floating around that the Houston Astros have been stalking the Atlanta Braves over one of the best defensive outfielders in all of baseball, the newly-acquired Ender Inciarte. Inciarte was traded to Atlanta in the massive Shelby Miller trade earlier this offseason and has been the center of rumors since arriving.
Well, the only way a trade like this would go down is if a team took Carlos Gomez off the hands of the Astros. Say, a team like the Detroit Tigers.
The Tigers could definitely use an outfielder at this point unless they really trust the offensive capabilities of Anthony Gose and Cameron Maybin (pass). Gomez would be an outstanding addition for Detroit because they could get him affordably, and wouldn’t have to spend $100 million on either Justin Upton, Ian Desmond, or Yoenis Cespedes. Gomez will hit free agency next year, so they’ll be able to make a decision at that point.
Gomez would give the Tigers’ lineup much-needed pop, and he can still play a pretty quality center field. The Astros would get an amazing defensive center fielder, which is especially important in that goofy stadium they call home. He’s controllable as well with an improving bat. The Braves would likely want some prospects in this deal, and they’d get them. Here’s the deal I’m proposing:
Astros receive:
Ender Inciarte
3B Zach Shepherd (Tigers)
Tigers receive:
Carlos Gomez
Braves Receive:
RHP Francis Martes (Astros)
OF Derek Fisher (Astros)
RHP Joe Jimenez (Tigers)
The Astros would get the guy with the highest ceiling, but they’d trade the best hitter in the deal in Gomez, which is why they’ll get an okay prospect in return from the Tigers. Inciarte is going to be controllable for a while, and he’s still got plenty of upside to realize. Houston would give up two pretty good prospects, but they’d keep their core together.
The Tigers would get a much-needed outfield bat combo that they’re currently still looking for in free agency. Gomez has been an All-Star and can still play at a high level. They’re giving up a few prospects here, but they’ll keep their core together as well without sacrificing their future.
Finally, the Braves would end up with three above-average high-ceiling prospects who are a little further away from MLB, but who have shown flashes of high-upside tools. I’d say the best player in the deal for them is going to be Fisher, who can hit for both power and average, and who also has some legs. He can definitely go get it, but will likely be a left fielder moving forward.
You can read my analysis of Martes here. Jimenez is a hard-throwing reliever, but as we’ve seen from teams like the Kansas City Royals, strong bullpens win games. It’s not easy to find a guy who can reach 98 mph with his fastball, and that’s what they’d be getting.
It’s a deal that works for all three teams, and wouldn’t that be a fun way to kick off Spring Training?
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