tyler-locklear.jpg

With the trade deadline in our sights, the prospects most top of mind for everyone right now are the ones who could be dangled as trade chips -- or if not them, the ones who could see a new pathway open up. The potential beneficiaries, in other words, and if you'd like to hear more about those, I wrote about them just last week.

In doing so, however, I may not have done Moises Ballesteros and Tyler Locklear justice. It turns out they didn't need the benefit of a trade to reach the majors, each earning a promotion Wednesday.

For Ballesteros, the reason is an Ian Happ injury (bruised shin). He'll likely fill in at DH, with Seiya Suzuki shifting to Happ's spot in left field, which is also what happened when Happ was sidelined by a strained oblique earlier this year. For Locklear, the promotion is more about him forcing the issue by batting .387 (48 for 124) with 14 homers in his past 32 games. The timing couldn't be more awkward, actually, with the Mariners having just acquired Josh Naylor to man first base, but if they're willing to let Jorge Polanco handle third base, evicting the punchless Ben Williamson from that spot, Locklear may be able to secure playing time at DH.

player headshot
Tyler Locklear 1B
ARI Arizona • #28 • Age: 24
2025 Minors
AVG
.316
HR
19
SB
18
OBP
.401
OPS
.943
AB
373

He's certainly deserving of it. He may have fallen out of the Mariners' good graces with a 7 for 45 performance with the big club last year, but we all know better than to judge a hitter call-up on such a small sample. For whatever Locklear lacks defensively, there's no second-guessing his bat. He impacts the ball well and has no obvious plate concerns. Given the uncertainty over his role and the fact he's more of a mid-level prospect than a high-end one. He's not someone you should be looking to add right off the bat, but he could emerge as a Fantasy asset with the right opportunity.

player headshot
Moises Ballesteros DH
CHC Chi. Cubs • #25 • Age: 21
2025 Minors
AVG
.332
HR
9
OPS
.889
AB
337
BB
35
K
49

Ballesteros is of more immediate use since he has a clearer path to playing time and retains his catcher eligibility, but the problem for him is that nobody needs a catcher in Fantasy Baseball right now. His hit tool is so strong, combining elite contact rates with plus exit velocities, that he could find his way into the top 12 at the position if all breaks right, but with so many catchers already performing at a high level, you have no reason to turn to him outside of two-catcher leagues.

Doesn't sound like you should be trampling over anyone to add these two off the waiver wire, does it? But hey, they're in the majors already and didn't need a trade to get there. Now let's look at the best who are still awaiting their opportunity.

FIVE ON THE VERGE

(Here are the prospects most worth stashing in redraft leagues.)

Spencer Jones, OF, Yankees

2024 minors: .259 BA (482 AB), 17 HR, 25 SB, .788 OPS, 54 BB, 200 K
2025 minors: .317 BA (259 AB), 29 HR, 16 SB, 1.119 OPS, 42 BB, 95 K

Why not Jones, huh? His new weeble wobble stance -- a change that he says allows him to adjust to different pitches better -- has brought out the power potential long forecasted by his 6-foot-7 frame. A run like he's on now, homering 10 times in his past 13 games and 19 times in his past 33, is exactly the sort that would make an organization abandon all preconceived timelines and give him a try, and the Yankees have shown incredible discipline by keeping him down even with Aaron Judge hitting the IL with a flexor strain. You could make the case that Jones was dealing with back spasms at the time, but he returned to the lineup with a 2 for 4 performance Tuesday. Might the Yankees be waiting for the trade deadline lest Jones' excessive swing and miss tendencies are exposed against major league pitchers? Keeping the illusion alive may be the most valuable thing he could do for them.

Then again, maybe it's not an illusion at all, in which case Jones is a transcendent slugger whose ability to impact the baseballs outshines anything an opposing pitcher can do to him. In any case, he's generating too many headlines right now to remain free for the taking should a spot open up for him at the trade deadline, whether with the Yankees or elsewhere. He's long been a polarizing prospect, but if he goes on a home run rampage the second he arrives, it wouldn't be the most shocking development ever.

Samuel Basallo, C, Orioles

2024 minors: .278 BA (479 AB), 19 HR, .790 OPS, 46 BB, 112 K
2025 minors: .275 BA (222 AB), 20 HR, .992 OPS, 40 BB, 60 K

Not that anyone in Fantasy needs another catcher, but Basallo's actual position is hitter. I think the reason why the Orioles didn't call him up when Adley Rutschman was sidelined by a strained oblique is because they don't want him catching in games that matter. Right now, first base and DH, the two other lineup spots he could man, are blocked by veteran sluggers with trade value, but if any of Ryan O'Hearn, Ramon Laureano and Tyler O'Neill are moved at the trade deadline (and all three could be), then Basallo suddenly has a path. 

"There's a plan in place for him right now. You guys don't know what it is, and we're not going to tell you. But there's definitely a plan in place," interim manager Tony Mansolino said over the weekend. "[General manager] Mike [Elias] is thinking about him every day. Our front office is really smart. There's a lot that goes into those decisions."

Mansolino cited defensive development as a possible holdup, but again, I don't think that really matters. The Orioles already have their franchise catcher in Rutschman. What they need is to see if they can rely on Basallo's bat for next year. By the looks of his minor-league production, he's ready. His exit velocities (94.2 mph average and 115.9 mph average) compare favorably to Kyle Schwarber's, and he profiles as a similar hitter, combining massive power with plus on-base skills. Fitting that Schwarber was also a catcher prospect who had no chance of staying at the position.

It's possible that Coby Mayo and Ryan Mountcastle take precedence over Basallo after the trade deadline, which is why he's only second on this list of the most stashable prospects, but even if he doesn't come up right then, he surely will at some point over the final two months.

JJ Wetherholt, SS, Cardinals

2024 minors: .295 BA (105 AB), 2 HR, 2 SB, .805 OPS, 16 BB, 15 K
2025 minors: .307 BA (270 AB), 12 HR, 14 SB, .941 OPS, 48 BB, 48 K

Five picks from the first round of the 2024 draft (Chase Burns, Nick Kurtz, Jac Caglianone, Christian Moore and Cam Smith) have already reached the majors. Wetherholt, selected seventh overall, could be next. It may hinge on whether the Cardinals finally find a taker for Nolan Arenado (and whether he himself signs off on the deal), or it may hinge on nothing given how quickly Wetherholt has taken to Triple-A. He hit another home run Tuesday, giving him five in 12 games since his promotion to the highest rung of the minor league ladder, which is particularly encouraging given that power was thought to be the one part of his game still in development. His hit tool may be the best in all the minors, with his main competition being Tigers shortstop Kevin McGonigle.

It may turn out that the Cardinals have too many other infielders they want to evaluate to turn a position over to Wetherholt yet. Nolan Gorman is due back from a sore back soon and could take Arenado's place at third base. Thomas Saggese is also kicking around. There are options. But by the time late August gets here, allowing Wetherholt to retain his rookie eligibility into next year, his promotion is all but certain.

Bubba Chandler, SP, Pirates

2024 minors: 10-7, 3.08 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 119 2/3 IP, 41 BB, 148 K
2025 minors: 5-3, 3.27 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 82 2/3 IP, 41 BB, 104 K

What more could there possibly be to say about Chandler, who has appeared in almost every edition of Prospects Report this season? Well, perhaps a Mitch Keller trade will be what finally thrusts him into the majors. It would be rather silly. It's not like his delay is because there are no openings in the Pirates rotation. Nevertheless, removing Keller would require the Pirates to go one arm deeper, and that one arm may be Chandler. In fairness, Chandler may have already been called up if not for a 10-start stretch in May and June in which he lost a feel for the strike zone, issuing 6.5 BB/9 while throwing just 59 percent of his pitches for strikes, but his past four starts have been much better, seeing him issue 3.4 BB/9 while throwing 65 percent of his pitches for strikes.

The rough patch makes me less confident he'll be an impactful Fantasy pitcher from the jump, particularly since the Pirates lineup figures to do him no favors, but he offers so much upside with his elite fastball/changeup pairing that I wouldn't want to take the chance of him falling into the wrong hands.

Owen Caissie, OF, Cubs

2024 minors: .278 BA (472 AB), 19 HR, .847 OPS, 71 BB, 156 K
2025 minors: .278 BA (313 AB), 20 HR, .938 OPS, 46 BB, 106 K

Perhaps the single prospect most likely to be moved at the trade deadline, Caissie has been stuck at the Cubs' Triple-A affiliate for a couple years now. It's through no fault of his own, though. We've seen genuine growth from him this year as he's finally learned to actualize the power long teased by his top-of-the-scales exit velocities, having already hit one more home run than last year despite playing in 45 fewer games. The strikeout rate has always run high, but then again, so has the walk rate, making for the sort of three-true-outcomes profile that always seems to play well in the majors.

So why do I say Caissie is likely to be traded? Because the Cubs outfield is overloaded as it is. Seiya Suzuki has been forced to DH all year except when Ian Happ has been injured. That happens to be the case now, but instead of calling up Caissie, the Cubs called up catcher Moises Ballesteros (see above) even though he offers less defensive utility. Caissie has nothing more to prove at Triple-A, so whatever club acquires him (Marlins, maybe?) is likely to use him right away.

FIVE ON THE PERIPHERY

(Here are some other prospects doing something of note.)

Sal Stewart, 2B, Reds

2024 minors: .279 BA (280 AB), 8 HR, 10 SB, .845 OPS, 50 BB, 57 K
2025 minors: .305 BA (334 AB), 14 HR, 14 SB, .863 OPS, 27 BB, 57 K

The Reds have graduated so many infielders in recent years that there wouldn't seem to be a place for Stewart, but then again, Elly De La Cruz is, to this point, the only true success story among those infielders. Third base no longer seems to be an option for Spencer Steer, Matt McLain has fallen on hard times this year, Noelvi Marte remains something of a mystery box, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand just can't seem to get it together.

Meanwhile, there's no slowing down Sal Stewart, who just reached Triple-A at the start of the second half and has already hit four home runs there, including three in his past three games. The 21-year-old has been on the fringes of top 100 lists the past couple years because of his mature approach, advanced pitch recognition, and penchant for hard line drives, but he's learned to tap into more power this year and could soon get a look at either third or second base, depending on where the Reds need him more.

Dylan Beavers, OF, Orioles

2024 minors: .242 BA (451 AB), 15 HR, 31 SB, .750 OPS, 68 BB, 125 K
2025 minors: .302 BA (291 AB), 13 HR, 21 SB, .907 OPS, 54 BB, 62 K

With all the elite hitting prospects that have passed through the Orioles system, Beavers has gone unnoticed, and his anonymity has continued even during what's been a massive breakthrough for him this year. While his patient approach and line-drive tendencies have always stood out, he's spent his minor-league career searching for a swing that would optimize his power. Contact has been more of the emphasis this year, delivering a batting average commensurate with those line drive tendencies, and perhaps that was the key all along given that the power has played up, too.

That's particularly true since the start of June, during which time he's hit 10 of his 13 home runs while walking more (28 times) than he's struck out (24 times). Given that he's doing all of this at Triple-A, it could be that the Orioles' deadline maneuvering opens up a spot for him rather than Samuel Basallo. 

Robby Snelling, SP, Marlins

2024 minors: 4-10, 5.15 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 115 1/3 IP, 45 BB, 115 K
2025 minors: 3-6, 3.38 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 88 IP, 26 BB, 101 K

After a stellar professional debut in which he climbed all the way to Double-A as a 19-year-old, many considered Snelling to be the top left-handed pitching prospect heading into last season, but his follow-up performance was so underwhelming that the Padres ended up making him part of a massive package for left-handed reliever Tanner Scott at the trade deadline. Now 21 and in his first full season in the Marlins organization, Snelling has enjoyed a resurgence. His fastball is up 2 mph from a year ago, his walks are down, and his slurve is back to missing bats -- so many, in fact, that he recorded 11 strikeouts and 23 swinging strikes in his latest outing for Triple-A Jacksonville. His last six starts have seen him deliver a 1.60 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and 10.2 K/9. If someone cut Snelling loose in your Dynasty league, now is the time to capitalize.

Hector Rodriguez, OF, Reds

2024 minors: .274 BA (507 AB), 12 HR, 12 SB, .729 OPS, 26 BB, 72 K
2025 minors: .309 BA (346 AB), 13 HR, 9 SB, .867 OPS, 35 BB, 53 K

One 2025 breakout who's continued to fly under the radar even as he's climbed to the top of the minor-league ladder is Rodriguez, whose nine games since his July 18 promotion to Triple-A have seen him hit .412 (14 for 34) with four doubles, a home run and three stolen bases, all while walking more (seven times) than he's struck out (five times). 

It's that improved plate discipline that's turned him into a legitimate prospect, reversing the free-swinging tendencies of a player whose hit tool figures to be his biggest selling point. His smallish build likely prevents him from being a significant power threat, though a 20/20 outcome isn't entirely off the table.

Miguel Mendez, SP, Padres

2024 minors: 3-5, 3.86 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, 81 2/3 IP, 55 BB, 86 K
2025 minors: 8-2, 1.89 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 66 2/3 IP, 25 BB, 81 K

At 23, Mendez is a little old to be pitching in A-ball still, but he's dominating as thoroughly as would be required to keep such a pitcher in the prospect conversation. His best work has come since his move up to High-A, too, where he's put together a 1.46 ERA across 11 starts. He hasn't allowed an earned run in three July starts, allowing just a .138 batting average between them. You don't have to squint too hard to see it carrying over to higher levels. His fastball has peaked at 100 mph, and it plays well at the top of the zone, as most good fastballs do these days. His classic fastball/slider pairing has racked up plenty of whiffs against low-level hitters, but his changeup is a work in progress and will likely be the key to him remaining a starter all the way to the majors.