Where there is Smoak, there is a fire (sale)

After the 2018 MLB trade deadline, it became very clear what the intentions of the Blue Jays were. The long awaited rebuild was finally here. Jays fans saw Donaldson go to the Indians, Happ to the Yankees, Axford to the Dodgers, Osuna to the Astros, Pearce to the Red Sox, and more. Many young pieces were acquired to add to the Blue Jays already strong farm system. The rebuild is now in full throttle, and with a few good pieces remaining, it is time to fully unload.

There are no doubts in any fans mind that Justin Smoak is the best remaining Blue Jay. Being that the Blue Jays are in a rebuild, that already puts him in a position to be traded. Now include the fact that he is 31 year old, plus in the final year of his contract (assuming that the Blue Jays pickup their cheap $6 million team option), and you have a perfect trade candidate.

There are many teams who could use a switch hitting power bat who is also an above average fielder. Obviously, based on the terms I stated above, he would go to a contender. So, the list of possible trade partners I've found includes the following:

- St. Louis Cardinals (Would replace the struggling Wong, the aging Carpenter, or the inconsistent Gyorko)

- Boston Red Sox (Would replace Moreland at 1B, who had worse stats in each significant category despite his all-star appearance, or an outfielder, by hitting DH)

- Los Angeles Dodgers (Would replace Kike Hernandez, or Chris Taylor, who are both very inconsistent)

- Los Angeles Angels (Would replace Jefry Marte, who had a .217 average with 7 home runs last year)

- Colorado Rockies (Would replace Carlos Gonzalez, who is a free agent)

In this article, I will only be writing about the top 3 trade candidates, which in my opinion are the Rockies, Dodgers, and the Angels. Smoak is a fantastic fit for each of those teams, and they have the necessary pieces to give up for him in return.

The Rockies. This seems like the best fit for Smoak for many reasons. First, Colorado loves power. Adding Smoak, who hit 38 home runs just year ago would be deadly alongside the bats of Arenado and Story (who finished 1st and 2nd in the home run leader boards, and combined for 75 home runs). Plus, everyone knows the effects of the mile high city. A power bat like Smoak could feast in those conditions.

Now, many poeple might bring up the fact that the current Rockies first baseman Ian Desmond isn't going anywhere, as he is only 2 years into a 5 year $70 million contract. However, Desmond is a versatile player, and this is what makes Smoak fit right in. During Desmond's time with the Rangers, he would learn to play the outfield. This is critical, as Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez is becoming a free agent at this seasons end. Gonzalez, also known as CarGo, has been in a clear decline, but still expects a large contract. There is an increasing chance that he does not return this following season. Desmond could naturally shift to the outfield, and let Smoak take over at first.

Now, what kind of deal could be expected to happen? Right away, there are some prospect names that come to mind for me. Here are the prospects that could (and should) be worked into this deal:

1. Colton Welker - Welker is currently rated the #2 prospect in the Rockies organization, and 98th in all of baseball. He is a third baseman, who is only at 21 years of age. He was selected in the 4th round of the 2016 MLB draft, and has shown significant progress since then. Welker is a very strong hitter, as well as a very solid fielder (as he played shortstop in college). Last year in advanced A, Welker hit for a strong .333 average and 13 home runs with 82 RBI through 454 at bats. Those are extremely impressive numbers. Welker is easily on pace to receive a promotion rather soon, and is expected to debut by 2020. Welker looks like he should be the strongest pursued prospect in a Smoak trade.

2. Riley Pint - Pint is rated the 9th overall prospect in the Rockies system. in the 2016 MLB draft. he was selected in the first round, 4th overall. This biggest reason for looking to include Pint in a deal like this is because he is a fairly high rated pitching prospect. The Blue Jays pitching is very weak, and their farm system isn't much better. Pint could be a very helpful addition to the rotation down the road, as he has the potential to be a front line starter. He is known for his incredible fastball, which usually hits between 96-98 MPH. He also has 4 other pitches, which are options, but nothing overly strong. The only main issues preventing Pint from reaching his full potential is his control. If he could figure that out, he could become one of the leagues best prospects once again.

3. Jesus Tinoco - Tinoco is another pitching prospect who could be included in a deal for Smoak. Tinoco is Colorado's 20th overall rated prospect, who is 23 years old. Tinoco is currently MLB ready, as he is on the Rockies 40 man roster already (which is fairy impressive for someone who is age 23, and not a top prospect). If the name Tinoco seems familiar to anyone, it is because he is actually a former Blue jays prospect, who was sent to the Rockies in the Troy Tulowitzki deal. He has made good progress since then. He looks to eventually become a middle to late end of the rotation starter, which could be beneficial to the Blue Jays.

It would be extremely unlikely that the Blue Jays would receive all three in a deal, but a combination of any two would be a very reasonable deal. The Blue Jays might also be able to acquire an older MLB ready player as well. However, the Rockies don't have many good fits for the Jays, so it would be more likely that they just stuck to prospects.

The Dodgers. How could the Dodgers not be here? They are willing to trade and sign anybody! Especially when it could fix their infield issues. Currently, the Dodgers have Justin Turner, Corey Seager (recovering from tommy john surgery), Manny Machado, Max Muncy, and Cody Bellinger. However, lately Bellinger has been playing outfield increasingly often. Also, with Seager still recovering from surgery, and with Machado hitting free agency this offseason (with a massive price tag), they could definitely use an additional infield piece, especially a powerful one like Smoak. Currently. They have Kike Hernandez at second base, who only hit for a .256 average (and a career high 21 home runs, which will likely decline after this season). Moving Hernandez to the bench, or the outfield would be very good for the team. With Bellinger in the outfield, Max Muncy has been player first. However, Muncy naturally plays 2nd. With Hernandez out, Muncy can shift to second, leaving a hole at first for Smoak to play.

Now, the Dodgers farm system is filled with strong prospects. The team also has a lot of depth. This gives the Blue Jays several good trade pieces to work with. Some of the key prospect names you will hear from me are Jaren Kendall, and Dennis Santana. Active roster pithcer Zac Rosscup could also be a mentioned name. Anyways, here is a quick rundown on all the guys:

1. Jaren Kendall - Kendall is rated 9th overall in the Dodgers system. He is a former first round draft pick (23rd overall) who is 22 years old. The outfielder is a fantastic fielder, with a little bit of a confusing batting issue. Kendall is known for a really smooth, and good swing. However, he struggles offensively, as last season in advanced A he only hit for a .215 batting average. Still, he remains a very exciting prospect to watch. If he can just iron out his swing, we can likely expect all-star appearances from him. As of right now, he looks to be the Next Kevin Pillar, as his skill set is EXTREMELY similar. He is an excellent fielder, who has some trouble hitting for average, but has lots of pop in hit bat, meaning he hits quite a few home runs. Sounded like I was describing Pillar, didn't it?

2. Dennis Santana - Santana is likely the most important piece of this deal for several reasons. Santana is rated 6th in the Dodgers farm system. He is a pitcher who is of 22 years of age. Last season Santana pitched in AA, and AAA, and was very successful in both. Also, Santana does have Major League experience, as he was called up this year. This is the crucial part, as Santana is a young, MLB ready pitcher. This is perfect to fit in the Vlad and Bo era. He fits in perfectly with our young prospect, and would be a huge addition to a team who is especially weak with pitching prospects. One more important factor to consider is his fastball. Not only can it top out at 98 MPH, but it has lots of sinking action (according to MLB.com). This produces a very high ground ball rate, which is very important in the hitter friendly Rogers Centre.

3. Zac Rosscup - Rosscup is has quite a bit MLB experience. He has been in the MLB since 2013, and has pitched for the Cubs (WS team), Rockies, and now the Dodgers. He is a left handed reliever who is 30 years old. Rosscup isn't a very important piece in this deal, but would be a very beneficial one to get. Even before the Aaron Loup trade, the Blue Jays have always been weak with lefty bullpen options. Not that Rosscup is a fantastic option, but we just have first years guys filling that role right now, who might not be ready. Plus, Rosscup is only making $600,000 this season, and will be under team control until 2022. He would be more for the short term. but would be a good option. Plus, he is more of a throw in player, meaning he would come at a cheap price.

In this scenario, it seems fairly likely the Blue Jays would be able to acquire all of the players listed. This is a pretty strong deal, and would be quite beneficial for both teams. Although the Dodgers are less likely to trade for Smoak the the Rockies, this deal is the biggest win-win so far.

Lastly, the Angels. Smoak is a very good fit for the Angels. for years, they've been looking to surround Mike Trout with enough talent to make a push to, and in the playoffs, and a good hitter like Smoak in the lineup might be that final piece. This past year, like many other years, the Angels were wild card contenders, but yet again failed to make it, only winning 80 games. With the addition of Smoak (who has a cheap comtract), the Angels might finally be able to make that push. Last year, the Angels played Jefry Marte at first, who only hit for a .216 average with 7 home runs. The other big thing is that all of the Angels heavy hitters are right handed (Trout, Simmons, Cozart, Pujols, etc.). The addition of a switch hitter could be critical to mix things up in the lineup.

Some of the players the Jays can possibly get in return include Brandon Marsh, Ty Buttrey, Jesus Castillo, and Kaleb Cowart. Here is a run down of each of them:

1. Brandon Marsh - Marsh is rated the 3rd overall prospect in the Angels organization, and 98th in the MLB. He is a 20 year old outfielder who was drafted in the second round of the 2016 MLB draft (60th overall). The left handed hitter is very well rounded on offence, as his contact, power, RBI, and stolen bases were all on display last year in the minors. Plus, his projections show him to be very well rounded as well. Marsh would also fit in well with the Blue Jays current wave of prospects, as his MLB eta is set for 2020 (only one season away). He could be a very strong addition to the team, as the Jays aren't overly strong in their outfield prospects (with Alford and Billy McKinney leading the way). He could add essential outfield depth.

2. Ty Buttrey - Buttery is a 25 year old pitcher, rated the 26th overall prospect in the Angels organization. Over the past year in the minors, Buttrey showed large samples of success at the AAA level. He maintained an ERA of 2.20 over 49.0 innings, and held opponents to a low .207 average. Buttrey is currently MLB ready, as he is on the Angels 40 man roster. Last season in 16.1 innings, he pitched for a 3.31 ERA, which is solid for a pitcher in their rookie season. He has shown many signs of constant improvement, and looks to be a valuable asset in this trade.

3. Jesus Castillo - Castillo is currently rated the 12th highest prospect in the Angels organization. Although he isn't a huge piece to target for the Jays, he could be very valuable for the Jays, as their pitching is fairly week. Despite a poor year in AA last year (4.94 ERA), Castillo still looks like a solid prospect, as he is projected to be in the bigs by 2020. The 23 year old is projected to be a mid to low end of the rotation starter down the road, but with some development, he could easily surpass that. He has incredible control of his pitches, but struggles with velocity. Either way, he is a valuable piece to acquire.

4. Kaleb Cowart - Cowart is not a prospect. He is a young infielder who has already been in the MLB for around 2 years. He is a switch hitter capable of playing all the infield positions. With his fielding talent, he also seems very capable to handle a shift to the outfield if needed. He seems to have pretty good potential, but isn't showing much improvement. With some good coaching, he could become something though. He is more of a throw in player at this point, but he could be helpful to the team if they do acquire him. Especially in the possible event of a Solarte trade as well.

This trade does get fair returns on each end, but it doesn't seem to be the most likely. For the Jays, it doesn't work out great, as none of the prospects seem to be very above average. Plus, there really aren't many great pitching pieces (which are the main concern right now). Despite being a fair return, it isn't the most practical here. If this trade goes through, there is reason to be happy, but perhaps not thrilled.

Overall, I would say the best deal is the Rockies. The most likely is the Dodgers. However, all three are suitable trade partners with strong returns. Of course, there are endless other possibilities with other players or teams, but these are both fair, and likely. These deals would likely work out as win-win for each of the teams.