One reason that prospects throughout baseball command so much attention from fans and analysts is because of their importance to the offseason trade machine.
In some ways, prospects are even more exciting to see included in trades because they possess an unknown quantity. If a six-year veteran gets traded, while it can be fun for fans, it doesn’t have the same feel because you know what that player is.
The beauty of young players developing in the minors is they could be anything. Even someone who is the third prospect in a trade package has a chance to become a star. It’s not likely, but there’s a better-than-non-zero shot it happens.
As the MLB offseason kicks into high gear, we wanted to track some of the notable prospects who could find themselves on the move. Rumors are starting to fly hard and fast, so there’s a lot to digest.
Prospects listed are ranked in descending order, with my personal choices reflecting their ranking. We will keep track of all the latest developments on the prospect trade front.
Note: All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference unless otherwise noted.