2021 Under-the-Radar MLB Offseason Transactions

by Kyle Stowe, February 18, 2021

overtimeheroics.net

At the end of every MLB offseason, us passionate baseball fans rant and rave over who won the hot stove period as we get ready for pitchers and catchers to meet at their respective spring training facilities. Our arguments usually cite the obvious: nine-figure megadeals, superstars changing teams via trade, long-term contract extensions for the up-and-comers, etc. While teams like the Dodgers, Mets, and Yankees will win those sweepstakes on a yearly basis, low-budget teams like the Rays, Indians, and Athletics have to take a shot at the low-risk, high-reward talent either by trade or free agency, a shot they often hit. We often overlook the type of deals that put guys Mike Clevinger in an Indians jersey for Vinnie Pestano; or Fernando Tatis Jr. in a Padres jersey for James Shields. Let’s go over some of those under-the-radar moves of the 2021 MLB offseason….

Dec. 10, 2020

Rangers Receive: 1B Nate Lowe, 1B Jake Guenther, PTBNL

Rays Receive: C/1B Heriberto Hernandez, INF Osleivis Basabe, OF Alexander Ovalles

tampabay.com

baseballamerica.com

I know the introduction was about low-market teams hitting on under-the-radar talent, but the Rays might have given some of it up here. 25-year-old first baseman Nate Lowe, the only player mentioned with experience in the majors, has had some stellar professional-ball numbers with a career minor-league .399 wOBA and 149 wRC+, similar numbers to Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette over the same time period. We’ve all seen what Bichette has been capable of doing the last couple of seasons. Lowe hasn’t been a slouch in his brief time in the major leagues, either, recording a 106 wRC+ over 245 plate appearances. This was a great move by the Rangers, but they didn’t get Lowe by giving up peanuts. Hernandez, a 21-year-old catcher, has put up numbers superior to Lowe in his two years of professional ball. Over 473 minor league plate appearances in Rookie and Low-A ball, Hernandez recorded a whopping .493 wOBA and 190 wRC+. If that were a season in the major leagues, it would’ve recorded the 60th best all-time single season in wOBA for players with more than 400 plate appearances, 1 point behind Lou Gehrig’s 1937 season. I understand minor league numbers are inflated due to the competition, but if you want to compare him to other minor leaguers in the past two seasons, Hernandez’s .493 wOBA and wRC+ topped the list of all registered minor leaguers that qualified over that span. I think a lot of talent switched hands in this transaction, and I am excited to see how it turns out for both teams.

Dec. 15, 2020

Rangers Sign: OF David Dahl

dknation.draftkings.com

David Dahl’s career has been a wild one, and it looks as if it is still in the beginning stages. Dahl was non-tendered by the Rockies after a very poor 2020 season, with a wOBA of .208 and wRC+ of 10 over 99 at-bats. However, in the two prior seasons, he recorded a wOBA over .360 and wRC+ over 110. Spending parts of 6 seasons in the minors, Dahl recorded an overall .380 wOBA. However, his biggest limitation is his lack of durability, appearing in no more than 100 games in any season he has played in the majors. Add that to the fact he is coming off a dreadful year, and you start to understand why David Dahl received a one year contract worth only $2.7 million. With that said, he has proved he is capable of producing good numbers in the majors, and his minor league numbers show he can keep it up if healthy. This looks like a potential big steal by the Rangers.

Jan. 19, 2021

Mets Receive: LHP Joey Lucchesi

Padres Receive: RHP Joe Musgrove

Pirates Receive: 5 Prospects

amazinavenue.com

The big name in this trade was right-handed pitcher Joe Musgrove going to the stacked San Diego starting rotation, but left-hander Lucchesi might make more of an impact once the season starts. Lucchesi looks to nab one of the last spots in the Mets rotation during spring training, and it would be wise for New York to give him the chance. In three seasons in the majors, Lucchesi has started 58 games consisting of 299.1 innings, and recorded a 4.21 ERA and FIP. While those numbers aren’t very impressive, if you take a look at his minor league numbers, you might see that the best is yet to come for the southpaw. Through 187.2 minor league innings, Lucchesi registered a 10.17 K/9, 1.92 BB/9 and 0.62 HR/9, giving him a WHIP of 0.96. His BB and HR numbers in the majors are quite a bit higher than the minors, so look for those to come down with more experience. Lucchesi isn’t going to lead any team’s pitching staff, but I don’t know how much of an upgrade Musgrove is over Lucchesi.

Feb. 9, 2021

Giants Sign: LHP Jake McGee

aroundthefoghorn.com

Jake McGee is coming off a stellar year with the Dodgers in 2020, recording a whopping 14.61 K/9 while only giving up 1.33 BB/9 and 0.89 HR/9. Those numbers earned him a 2 year contract with the Giants, earning $7 million over that span. His 2020 numbers aren’t super inflated compared to his career numbers, as he has recorded a career K/9 of 10.03, BB/9 of 2.54, and HR/9 of 1.08. He has also recorded a career 3.39 FIP, 0.2 points below his ERA, a good sign for a reliever. These numbers are comparable to RHP Kirby Yates, who signed a 1 year, $5.5 million contract with the Blue Jays, and slightly better than RHP Adam Ottavino, who got traded to the Red Sox this offseason and it making $8.1 million in 2021. The Giants might have gotten a discount on some talent here.

Feb. 15, 2021

Rockies Sign: 1B C.J. Cron

roxpile.com

After the Nolan Arenado trade, the last thing Rockies fans want to hear is how their front office found an under-the-radar free agent. Make no mistake, C.J. Cron will not replace Nolan Arenado, but he could be a key piece in the middle of that lineup. Cron debuted in the majors with the Angels in 2014 and has also spent time with Rays, Twins, and Tigers. The right-hander has a career .330 wOBA and 110 wRC+, similar career numbers to Padres outfielder Wil Myers and newly-acquired Indians outfielder Eddie Rosario. The Rockies signed Cron to a one year deal worth $6.1 million, while Myers is earning $22.5 million and Rosario is earning $8 million in 2021. Plus, the thin Colorado air can only help Cron’s effectiveness in the Rockies lineup. From the outside looking in, this deal has the chance to be a big steal for the Rockies.

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All stats were obtained from Fangraphs.com

All news were obtained from mlbtraderumors.com

All contract details were obtained from spotrac.com