Hearing people talk about "trade value" makes me wonder, in the organization who has the most trade value (IE what can they get you in return), obviously certain players (1/2 year or Odorizzi) appear to teams needing help just for 2019 while others (Lewis, etc) for teams looking at value down the road.  What do you think?  How far off am I?

 

1. Berrios: team control for 3 1/2 years

2. Buxton: team control for 3 1/2 years

3. Polanco: team control for 4.5 years plus 2 options

4. Kepler: team control for 4.5 years plus 1 option

5. Lewis: team control for 6 years

6. Rosario: team control for 2.5 years

7. Garver: team control for 4.5 years

8. Kirilov: team control for 6 years

9. Rogers: team control for 3.5 years

10. Graterol: team control for 6 years

11. Odorzzi: team control for .5 years

12. Larnach: team control for 6 years

13. Javier: team control for 6 years

14. Sano: team control for 2.5 years

15. Gibson: team control for .5 years

16. Cron: team control for 1.5 years

17. Gonzalez: team control for 1.5 years

18. Cruz: team control for .5 years plus 1 option

19-25: prospects 6-whateverr on your list (Rocker/Duran/Thorpe/Gordon/Severino/Arraez)

I could quibble with a couple, but overall the list looks pretty good. My top for might be Polanco, Berrios, Kepler, Buxton. The contracts extensions are just soooooo good. Probably more upside with Berrios and Buxton, but the shorter control and the unknown costs hurt a decent amount. 

 

Worth noting, in my opinion, there's a sharp dropoff after #9

Generally on target, but I consider the extensions to be years of team control, with the added bonus of not being locked in. So to see Polanco as team control for 6.5 years makes it hard not to bump him up to the top. It’s hard to argue against having a pitcher of Berrios’ caliber at the top, but I think I’d at least swap Polanco and Buxton.

 

On the option side, since Cruz is really team control for 1.5 years, I’d probably move him up some.

 

But as you note, it really depends on context — the Royals looking at this list would order it quite a bit differently than the Astros.

Oh, and with an option for next year, I’d consider adding Perez.

I think Perez a month ago is on this list but given his slight step backward lately, he's probably below the cut line.  Would you trade Nick Gordon right now for a Martin Perez pitcher?  I wouldn't.  I thought about those type of players as I listed.  Would you deal Larnach/Javier for a rental of someone like Odo?  I might.  But I probably wouldn't go quite that high for a rental of Gibson.