The trade deadline is right around the corner, and plenty of top prospects are being used as trade bait. Teams are often willing to pay a steep price from their prospect depth at the deadline. Last year, three Top 100 prospects were dealt at the deadline, but at a steep price. Roughly two to three Top 100 prospects are traded at the deadline; however, a record-setting eight were dealt in 2022. The three Top 100 prospects traded last season at the trade deadline were Mick Abel, Leo De Vries, and Eduardo Tait. Tait and Abel were a part of the same deal to the Twins, while De Vries went to the Athletics from the San Diego Padres.
Philly Playoff Push
Mick Abel – RHP (Minnesota Twins)
The Philadelphia Phillies were deep in the hunt for the playoffs last July when they made a trade to acquire closer Jhoan Duran. Philadelphia needed a boost in the back end of their bullpen, and they got the top guy on the market from the Minnesota Twins. However, it came at a steep price. The Phillies gave up two Top 100 prospects and two of their top five prospects in the system in right-handed starting pitcher Mick Abel and catcher Eduardo Tait.
The Phillies were willing to give up Abel, who had burst onto the scene with a nine-strikeout performance during his debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates. At the time of the trade, Abel had made seven career major league starts and had experienced ups and downs. In 25 career innings, he had pitched to an ERA just over 5.00. However, a major league-ready arm is good compensation for the steep price of a reliever.
Philadelphia was rewarded with a dominant closer who helped them win the National League East, while the Twins have largely been disappointed by Abel’s performance so far. In 14 innings last year for the Twins, he pitched to a 9.00 ERA. This season, he had been much better before elbow inflammation. In three starts and four games pitched, he’s thrown 20 1/3 innings to an ERA of 3.98. Unfortunately, for both the Twins and Abel, he has not pitched since early June and is on the 60-Day IL, hardly holding the value when the Phillies paid a steep price for Duran.
Eduardo Tait – C (Minnesota Twins)
Eduardo Tait was the other key prospect in the Jhoan Duran trade that came at a steep price for the Phillies. Before the trade, the Phillies had called up Tait to High-A for seven games. In a little over 300 at-bats before the trade, across two levels, Tait was batting .255 with 11 home runs and 19 doubles. After the trade, Tait still maintained a .250 average and added 10 more doubles and three homers in 30 games. The Phillies could use having a top catching prospect in their farm system if not for the steep price they paid for Duran.
Tait seems to be the headliner in the steep price the Phillies paid last July. This season in High-A, he’s hitting for more power than before, but his average has slipped nearly 30 points. This is in large part due to his aggressive nature at the plate. He knows he has good bat-to-ball skills, and can get chase-happy. Behind the plate, he’s shown improvements defensively and has the arm strength to catch at the big league level.
The Athletics’ Steep Price Tag
Leo De Vries – SS (The Athletics)
AJ Preller is no stranger to a blockbuster trade, and last season’s deadline saw him pay a steep price for a top-end closer. This was the fourth blockbuster trade Preller had initiated in the last five years at the helm of the Padres. He traded away a top-ten-ranked prospect, Leo De Vries, and three other pitching prospects in all of baseball for the best closer in the game, Mason Miller. Miller has held down the back end of the bullpen for the Padres, but could be shipped again at this deadline.
The 2025 season saw De Vries, the third-ranked prospect in all of baseball, continue to perform. He was the top international prospect amongst the 2024 class. Before the trade, De Vries was batting .253 across two levels with 44 extra-base hits, all while being 18 years old and a switch hitter. He even showed feel for the strike zone, walking at a healthy rate, continuing to show why he was the answer for the Athletics’ steep price tag.
Thanks to the graduations of multiple top-end prospects, De Vries now sits at the second spot amongst the Top 100 Prospects. In Double-A, he is hitting .290 with 12 home runs and 14 doubles. Defensively, he has the athleticism to play the position, but needs to work on his footwork and hands to stick at shortstop long-term. Still, De Vries looks to have at least four potential plus tools and one other solid tool in his fielding. The Athletics are certainly cashing in on the steep price they required for Miller at last year’s deadline.
Main Photo Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
