Now the fun begins! This is the portion of my articles where I talk about guys who might not be traded but would be good options on the market. I'm starting with Alejandro De Aza. MLB Trade Rumors took my scoop on him when they named him a corner outfield trade target yesterday. De Aza is a late bloomer who didn't get regular playing time until last season in Chicago. He's 29 and doing good work playing centerfield there. Since the ChiSox are in full sell mode, could De Aza be up for grabs for Pittsburgh.
I'm gonna start with a game here. Player A and Player B. These players will be compared a lot throughout the article so pay attention.
Player A: .268/.325/.429 for an OPS of .754 and he has 11 HRs, and 37 RBIs
Player B: .265/.322/.418 for an OPS of .739 and he has 11 HRs and 41 RBIs
Really similar right? Do you know which one is De Aza? He's Player B. Player A is his teammate Alex Rios at last check. Rios is the one everyone covets but De Aza is having a similar season. Those are De Aza's stats this season and in his career he averages .276/.338/.418 OPS .750 with 11 HRs and 58 RBIs in a full season. These numbers are extremely similar to Rios, who has a career line of .278/.324/.444, an OPS of .768, and HR/RBI totals of 18 and 79. They are similar in two aspects. One, is Rios is way more coveted and pricey. Two, is De Aza mashes with RISP. If you want to see Rios' stats, check out my trade profile on him. De Aza is hitting .340/.356/.600 for a big OPS of .956 with a runner at second or third, and on his career he hits .326/.373/.523 for another big OPS of .896. That's the Pirates' weakness and he can fix it. He's a lefty who hits both types of pitchers well and could really benefit from hitting towards the Clemente Wall. He's also a great athletic fielder who fits better at a corner than in center. Downside to De Aza?
Well, two things worry me with De Aza. First, he's a lead off hitter in Chicago. He doesn't seem like one but he is. I'm just wondering if he has the power to hit in the middle of a lineup. He has 11 HRs so I guess he could hit 5th since we have Martin their currently. That would also put him in a position to flash those RISP numbers. Second thing is that he is a relatively unknown commodity. This is only his second full year starting so you really don't know what you're going to get. His power numbers are going up and he's driving in runs so he seems like he could hit in the middle of an order. He could hit second and drive in Marte after doubles and triples but that's not really what I want. That's just something the Pirates would have to decide.
My thoughts on De Aza are to bring him in. I out him on the list because he reminds me of several things. First, he's like a Shin Soo Choo in production and the Pirates wanted him last year. Second, he's a lot like Travis Snider was last year. Not expected to be traded, relatively unknown in the bigs, and control on the contract. He's arbitration eligible two more times and could bridge the gap for Gregory Polanco when he's ready to shine. NH likes guys who can help now and later so De Aza fits the bill. De Aza should come cheaper than most but not too cheap. He'd likely cost a few average to good prospects. That's a lot cheaper than teammate Alex Rios who has similar production. The more I look at De Aza the more upside I see. He's entering his prime, he has power potential, he gets on base, he drives in runs, he'd move to the NL, and he'd hit to a short porch in right. His production is going up exponentially. I like this and I know this is what the Pirates like. So I say go for it. It would be a Pirates move that would reap big rewards. So don't be shocked if you see De Aza traded to Pittsburgh this month.
Tomorrow's trade target is SS Jurickson Profar
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