Big League Blocks
Over the past year several talented, high profile prospects have been involved in big trades, largely because these young players were perceived to be blocked by a glut of talent at their respective positions.

Rarely do you see a team with such a glut of catchers, but that is exactly what the Braves had on their hands with Jarrod Saltalamacchia seemingly with nowhere to go with Brian McCann firmly entrenched as the Braves young superstar backstop. Salty, along with shortstop Elvis Andrus, who also part of a glut at the shortstop position in the Braves organization, were dealt to Texas along with Matt Harrison in exchange for Mark Teixeira.

Just a few weeks ago the Braves made another deal, moving veteran starting shortstop Edgar Renteria to the Detroit Tigers for a pair of prospects, right-handed pitcher Jair Jurrjens and outfielder Gorkys Hernandez. I’m not going to touch on the pitching in this column, since you can truly never have enough, but Hernandez was clearly blocked by a dynamic Tigers outfield that includes Cameron Maybin, Curtis Granderson and Magglio Ordonez.

Moving Renteria will allow the Braves to hand their starting shortstop position to Yunel Escobar while also having Brent Lillibridge waiting in the wings.

Chris Young of the Arizona Diamondbacks may be the most notable of such talents traded, dealt from the Chicago White Sox last off-season as part of a package in exchange for Javier Vazquez.

Because of the number of young potential stars being dealt recently, I wanted to look at a few more young positional players that have enjoyed great success in the minor leagues that may be poised to be dealt given a perceived roadblock ahead of, and in some cases, behind them.

Erick Aybar – SS
Orlando Cabrera’s presence at the big-league level blocks any young shortstop in the Angels system, which also includes Sean Rodriguez and Hainley Statia at the two levels below AAA. Young hitting sensation Howie Kendrick also any blocks by such a player hoping to slide to the other side of the infield. A dynamic all-around player that could hit towards the top of a team’s batting order, Aybar has nothing left to prove at AAA, and could be one of the bigger trading commodities the Angels have this off-season.

Alberto Callaspo – 2B
Callaspo was in the same boat as Aybar was in the Angels system before being dealt to the D-Backs two years ago. The change in scenery didn’t exactly include a clearer path to the big-leagues with incumbent starter Orlando Hudson blocking his way. Like Aybar, Callaspo has nothing left to prove at AAA, although he has had quite a bit of big-league experience already under his belt. While he certainly is a candidate to be traded, Orlando Hudson is a free agent a year from now, and the organization may prefer to wait a year playing Callaspo again off of the bench before handing him a full-time starting job.

Jeff Clement - C
No stranger to the Perfect Game staff, Clement is coming off of a big year at AAA, and could be poised to make the permanent leap to the majors. However, there isn’t a clear spot for him, with Kenji Johjima currently serving as the starting catcher with Raul Ibanez splitting time between left field and the designated hitter. I doubt the Mariners move Clement, unless they’re dealing for an established star to fill a clear need, as the Mariners have always been at their best with a tremendous amount of depth, and Clement should find ample playing time spelling Johjima a few days a week while serving as the team’s DH when Ibanez is on the field.

Carlos Gomez - OF
Between Gomez and Lastings Milledge, one of these players likely will be playing elsewhere at some point in 2008. Carlos Beltran doesn’t appear to be going anywhere, and the Mets recently picked up the 2008 option on Moises Alou. Fernando Martinez is also another promising outfield prospect in the Mets system, and recent rumors regarding Arod switching New York addresses could mean David Wright is headed to an outfield spot. Gomez’ tools are very similar to those of Chris Young, and he may be one of the bigger named prospects to be dealt this off-season.

Carlos Gonzalez - OF
Of all of the prospects listed here, none is more blocked by Carlos Gonzalez or any outfield prospect in the Diamondbacks system, which includes Carlos Quentin. Eric Byrnes, Chris Young and Justin Upton stand to represent the D-Backs starting outfield for years to come. Gonzalez is one of the best and brightest young hitters in the minors, and could be a half season away from a big-league call-up. Similar to Gomez, Gonzalez likely would be the key player involved in a much bigger trade, as he’s been one of the top prospects in the game for the past several years.

Adam Jones - OF
Similar to Jeff Clement, I honestly don’t think Jones is going anywhere, but he has spent two full, successful seasons at AAA, and still doesn’t have an open spot for him in the Mariners everyday lineup, unless they choose not to re-sign free agent right fielder Jose Guillen. Raul Ibanez in left and Ichiro in center means right field is probably the only position Jones may have a shot for regular playing time. Keep an eye on whether or not the Mariners keep Guillen, as that could go a long way to determine Jones’ fate.

Adam Lind - OF
Lind received a fair amount of playing time this past year for the Toronto Blue Jays with Vernon Wells missing several months due to injury. When Wells returns healthy next year, the Blue Jays will face a good problem to have with several competent and productive outfielders on the roster. Wells and Alex Rios will certainly fill two of the team’s outfield spots, with Reed Johnson and the recently re-signed Matt Stairs fighting for time at the other two spots. With one of the most dynamic young hitters in Travis Snider behind Lind, he may be the odd man out in Toronto.

James Loney – 1B/OF
Loney has been pegged as a possible trade candidate for a couple of years now. Nomar Garciaparra has limited his time at first base, while Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp could block a potential move to an outfield corner. Loney has hit throughout his career, and his best position is definitely first base. It’s possible the Dodgers carry Loney on their bench for another season, knowing how fragile Nomar has been in recent years, but he could be a big name involved in trade rumors, particularly if the Dodgers make a run at Johan Santana.

Jed Lowrie – SS/2B
I really don’t think Lowrie is going anywhere at this point in time, and his future with the Red Sox may have more to do with whether or not they re-sign Mike Lowell. Third base may be the best position for Lowrie to break into the big-leagues with Julio Lugo and Dustin Pedroia at shortstop and second base respectively. More likely, Lowrie will return to AAA or serve as a valuable utility player coming off of the Red Sox bench in 2008, but the Red Sox haven’t been afraid to deal some of their promising young players in recent years for proven stars, and the Red Sox are always in the mix for the biggest names available.

Eric Patterson – 2B
Mark DeRosa may not sound like a huge roadblock, but the Cubs did invest a fair amount of money in him a year ago, and he responded with a good, not great season, on the North side of Chicago. Patterson, the younger brother of Corey Patterson, formerly of the Cubs, has enjoyed a very good minor league career so far, coming off of a big year at AAA. Like his older brother, Eric has a wide selection of tools and talents, and his patient eye may be a perfect fit atop a batting order, possibly with a different organization.

Ian Stewart – 3B
The Rockies can continue to be patient with Stewart, who is currently blocked at both the infield and outfield corners by Garrett Atkins, Todd Helton, Matt Holliday and Brad Hawpe. Stewart has the offensive potential on par with all four of those sluggers, and he may start 2008 back at AAA before joining the big-league club for good. If the Rockies do get involved with a blockbuster type trade, Stewart could very well be their most powerful bargaining chip.

Ryan Sweeney - OF
Sweeney is the best in-house option to solve the White Sox woes in centerfield with left field and right field currently taken by Josh Fields and Jermaine Dye respectively. However, the Sox may dabble a little on the free agent market, and are rumored to be one of the teams active in pursuing one of the big-name free agent centerfielders that includes Andruw Jones, Torii Hunter and Aaron Rowand. Rowand was a member of the White Sox just a few short years ago, as was Chris Young, so they may be better off sticking with the talent they have in-house. If not, Sweeney, who has more than 800 AAA at-bats under his belt, could be on the move.

Delwyn Young - OF
With a .306 batting average and a .507 slugging percentage spanning nearly 1,200 AAA at-bats, Young is yet another player that has more than proved his worth in the minors and deserves a chance to play on a more regular basis at the big-league level. As noted above with Loney, the Dodgers may not be the best fit for Young, as they would need to move at least one current player in their projected starting lineup to make room for one of these two young and deserving hitters.

The thoughts and opinions listed here do not necessarily reflect those of Perfect Game USA. Patrick Ebert is affiliated with both Perfect Game USA and Brewerfan.net, and can be contacted via email at pebert@brewerfan.net.