This year's installment is the third edition -- while FanGraphs has only done one version in the same timeframe...losers! -- to attempt to figure out which players have the most value in the league heading into the 2041 trade deadline. Essentially, the best way to look at a player’s placement on this list is to ask “Would you trade him, straight up, for any of the guys listed ahead of him?”
You can check out last year's list in these forum posts.
A few notes about what you'll see below:
- Ratings (OVERALL/POTENTIAL) are as of July 27, 2041
- 2041 WAR figures are through July 27, 2041 and projected out for the rest of the season
- Salary figures in grey italics are projected arbitration totals
- Players selected in the 2041 First Year Draft were not considered for the list due to lack of professional experience
- - - - - - - - - -
#50 - Augusto Sánchez, Louisville, SP 65/65
PREVIOUS RANK: 5
| YEAR | AGE | WAR | SALARY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2039 | 22 | 5.8 | $500,000 |
| 2040 | 23 | 6.6 | $500,000 |
| 2041 | 24 | N/A | $6,875,000 |
REMAINING CONTRACT: $20,700,000
REMAINING AAV: $10,350,000
Ranked 6th in 2039 and 5th last year, Sánchez saw his value take a drastic hit when he ruptured his UCL in October last season. Scouts have downgraded his skills since and whether the Nicaraguan southpaw can raise his previous ceiling remains to be seen, however Sánchez was one of the top five pitching talents prior to the injury and still is under team control for two more seasons.
#49 - Pancho Germán, Boise, SP 55/60
PREVIOUS RANK: NR
| YEAR | AGE | WAR | SALARY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2039 | 23 | 4.7 | $500,000 |
| 2040 | 24 | 3.3 | $500,000 |
| 2041 | 25 | 4.6 | $4,250,000 |
REMAINING CONTRACT: $17,100,000
REMAINING AAV: $5,700,000
The man known as "Teliqua" is not a top 50 talent, but the 2039 All-Star is having a bounceback season as surprise Boise's staff ace. Earlier this year, Germán signed an under-market three-year extension that justifies his spot on this year's list. A workhorse arm in his mid-twenties making less than $6M per season is sure to be valuable in trade talks.
#48 - Manuel Aguilar, Jr., Hawaii, 1B 70/70
PREVIOUS RANK: 16
| YEAR | AGE | WAR | SALARY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2039 | 22 | 3.8 | $500,000 |
| 2040 | 23 | 6.1 | $4,000,000 |
| 2041 | 24 | 0.0 | $5,500,000 |
REMAINING CONTRACT: $14,400,000
REMAINING AAV: $7,200,000
Aguilar, Jr. has failed to build on his breakout 2040 season, putting up a slash line of .261/.311/.478 that not exactly "Second Coming"-like. That said, Junior will only turn 25 in two months and still has two years of team control. More likely to be extended than traded, the Tropics' first-bagger would make almost any team better and their fanbase happier.
#47 - Ángel Zalapa, Valencia, SS 80/80
PREVIOUS RANK: 10
| YEAR | AGE | WAR | SALARY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2039 | 23 | 7.5 | $8,125,000 |
| 2040 | 24 | 5.8 | $10,562,500 |
| 2041 | 25 | 4.8 | $12,090,000 |
REMAINING CONTRACT: $158,820,000
REMAINING AAV: $26,470,000
Zalapa didn’t crack the top ten last year despite averaging over 7.0 WAR per season in the last three years. Why? Well, with just one year left of team control there was risk. Now after signing a massive six-year, nearly $160M extension, the shortstop is locked up as Valencia’s premium star. Every team, even Omaha, would take Zalapa but their ability to do so given his contract narrows the field significantly.
#46 - Orlando Ordóñez, Omaha, CF 65/80
PREVIOUS RANK: 17
| YEAR | AGE | WAR | SALARY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2039 | 19 | 0.5 | $500,000 |
| 2040 | 20 | 5.2 | $500,000 |
| 2041 | 21 | 2.4 | $500,000 |
REMAINING CONTRACT: $21,600,000
REMAINING AAV: $5,400,000
The former #2 prospect in baseball had a breakout sophomore campaign last year (47 HR, 34 SB and plus-plus defense in center field), earning him top 20 trade value status. However, his follow-up wasn’t what Hawks fans had hoped for. While his power numbers and defense have dipped a hair, the popular outfielder is still an elite young talent yet to have reached his full potential, something Omaha is banking on in the next four seasons of team control.
#45 - Carlomaria Donadoni, Edmonton, 1B 50/80
PREVIOUS RANK: NR
| YEAR | AGE | WAR | SALARY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2039 | 18 | -- | minor leagues |
| 2040 | 19 | -- | minor leagues |
| 2041 | 20 | -- | minor leagues |
REMAINING CONTRACT: --
REMAINING AAV: --
The lone prospect with no BBA major league experience to crack the top 50, “Short Circuit” has risen to the Brewster’s #2 overall prospect after being drafted 13th overall in 2038. On pace for over 40 homers in AAA this season, Donadoni has the offensive profile and character make-up that teams build their lineups around. Although there’s no shortage of talented first basemen in the Brewster, Donadoni has held his own at 3B, where he can be an even greater asset for Edmonton.
#44 - Dan Cannon, Rockville, SP 65/65
PREVIOUS RANK: 48
| YEAR | AGE | WAR | SALARY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2039 | 30 | 8.4 | $18,000,000 |
| 2040 | 31 | 7.3 | $17,000,000 |
| 2041 | 32 | 8.3 | $18,000,000 |
REMAINING CONTRACT: $94,000,000
REMAINING AAV: $23,500,000
Sure, Cannon is 32. Sure, scouts don’t exactly see him as an ace. Sure, he’s one of the highest paid players in the entire league. But when you are on pace to win a third straight Nebraska Award in a league starved for pitching, you carry significant value.
#43 - Cris Martínez, San Fernando, LF 65/70
PREVIOUS RANK: NR
| YEAR | AGE | WAR | SALARY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2039 | 19 | -- | minor leagues |
| 2040 | 20 | 1.1 | $500,000 |
| 2041 | 21 | 4.3 | $500,000 |
REMAINING CONTRACT: $14,100,000
REMAINING AAV: $3,525,000
San Fernando saw two players drop out of the top 50 in Sergei Hopkins and Ángel García, but the addition of Martínez is a welcome sign for the aging team. Martínez has already been traded once in his career, straight up for Feliciano Rafael, a then 27-year-old pitcher just one year removed from winning the Nebraska and heading into free agency.
#42 - Júlio Barajas, Rockville, RF 70/75
PREVIOUS RANK: 23
| YEAR | AGE | WAR | SALARY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2039 | 18 | 3.7 | $500,000 |
| 2040 | 19 | 3.8 | $500,000 |
| 2038 | 20 | 3.5 | $500,000 |
REMAINING CONTRACT: $21,200,000
REMAINING AAV: $5,300,000
Part of the 2038 Super Draft, Barajas saw his ceiling tick up a hair by scouts since last year, however he’s yet to breakout as some have expected. The value is still there, however the Chilean outfielder is starting to enter the expensive years of team control.
#41 - Jorge Nevárez, Charm City, SP 60/75
PREVIOUS RANK: 20
| YEAR | AGE | WAR | SALARY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2039 | 21 | 2.9 | $500,000 |
| 2040 | 22 | 3.0 | $500,000 |
| 2041 | 23 | 2.2 | $500,000 |
REMAINING CONTRACT: $12,000,000
REMAINING AAV: $4,000,000
Nevárez is having the worst season of his young career and it’s looking more and more like his changeup will never develop. All that said, he’s still a twenty-something lefty under team control however his value is likely that of a #3 starter with an injury history, not the potential ace Charm City had hoped for when trading for him in 2035.
