A Super Prospect Swap?

     While thinking about Opening Day on this slow news day, I daydreamed up a simple, but meaningful, trade that seemed unprecedented, but logical. What I came up with was the Tigers sending their #1 rated prospect, 3B/OF Nick Castellanos to the Texas Rangers for their top rated prospect SS/2B Jurikson Profar. After much thought and looking at team depth for both squads this is the opinions I formed on it. Enjoy!

Nick Castellanos Logistics:

   Nick Castellanos is a natural 3^rd Baseman. The Tigers clearly have that position log jammed by Miguel Cabrera who won’t be going anywhere until his career is over.  The current plan for Castellanos is to move him to left field and have him learn the position in Triple A. When he’s ready to field at a big league level, his bat is already there, he will be called up to Detroit to take over for Andy Dirks who will always be a solid ball player, but never a superstar.

     The club has significant outfield depth with Quentin Berry, who would make many teams’ opening day roster, another five tool prospect in Avisail Garcia, Torii Hunter’s heir apparent in right, and a younger clone of Andy Dirks at Double-A Erie waiting in the wings as well.  Castellanos is a luxury at this point with the current depth which makes trading him something that would be feasible for the franchise.

Jurickson Profar Logistics:

     The Tigers also have a strong need for middle infielders throughout their organization. They have not done a good job of acquiring and developing strong shortstop or second base prospects in many years.  This is where Jurickson Profar, the super prospect from the Texas Rangers comes into play.  He is a bona fide shortstop prospect, and like Castellanos, only 20-years-old.  The Rangers have no need for middle infielders in the distant future as Ian Kinsler is a stud second baseman still in the prime of his career, and Elvis Andrus is a top five major league shortstop as it stands today.  Similar to the Tigers’ logjam at third base, the Rangers don’t have a spot for Profar to play every day. 

     Additionally, the Rangers have an aging Adrian Beltre at third, and will need to find a replacement for him soon. Nick Castellanos could be the guy that arrives as Beltre departs and makes that a seamless transition at the third base position. It also would maximize the value of Castellanos as he would be able to play his natural defensive position.

Could a Trade Happen?

     From the level of pure logic and based on the logistics stated above it seems like this trade is beneficial to both parties and makes both clubs better both now and in the future. The problem with this, however, is that a simple swap of super prospects is completely unprecedented. Many clubs are attached to their “homegrown” prospects, and as such are very unwilling to part with a top prospect unless the trade returns a current major league star.  It’s a strange facet of baseball, but organizations take great pride in turning their own draft picks into superstars, and doing it with the player wearing their uniform.

     I firmly believe that this trade would be one that benefits both teams greatly. I also think that it is a trade that carries tons of risk and could cost a general manager their job.  With the idea of a trade like this being unprecedented, if one of these prospects flops while the other thrives, the general manager on the short end of the stick could lose his job. The risk involved with this trade would tend to make me believe it would never happen.  Both teams are stacked this year, and heavily favored to make the playoffs. They also seem to have staying power for the next 5-7 years as is.  With the teams both solidly placed amongst the top 8 in baseball, a risky move neither is necessary nor makes sense. 

     As a Tigers fan, I would love to see Profar take over the reins from Jhonny Peralta at shortstop. He would be a great potential leadoff hitter which would allow Austin Jackson to occupy the second or fifth spot in the lineup which he is more suited for.  It would improve the Tigers’ defense up the middle immensely and add some much needed speed to the lineup making this trade beneficial for the Tigers in both the short run and long run. 

     This trade in reality is a pipe dream.  There is no way Jon Daniels and Dave Dombrowski take this risk with the current position of their teams. This would be a completely unprecedented move based on players with less than 40 major league games played between them that could alter the future well being of each franchise.  As large market teams with high payrolls, there is no reason to resort to unprecedented moves in order to improve the team. This trade will never happen, but I think it would be awesome to see from a Tigers fan’s point of view.

     What are your thoughts on a move like this? Could you see it happening?  Would you like to see this happen? I would love it if you left your thoughts and ideas in the comments.