This year's installment is the fourth edition -- while FanGraphs has only done one version in the same timeframe...losers! -- in an attempt to figure out which players have the most value in the league heading into the upcoming 2042 trade deadline. Essentially, the best way to look at a player’s placement on this list is to ask “Would you be able to trade him, straight up, for any of the guys listed ahead of him?”
A few notes about what you'll see below:
- Ratings (OVERALL/POTENTIAL) and age are as of July 21, 2042
- 2042 WAR figures are projected out for the rest of the year
- Salary figures in italics are projected arbitration totals
- Players selected in the 2042 First Year Draft were not considered for the list due to lack of professional experience
Today we start at #50 and work our way up to #41:
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#50 - Dan Cannon, Rockville, SP 65/65
PREVIOUS RANK: 44
| YEAR | AGE | WAR | SALARY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2040 | 31 | 7.3 | $17,000,000 |
| 2041 | 32 | 7.7 | $18,000,000 |
| 2042 | 33 | 8.4 | $17,000,000 |
REMAINING CONTRACT: $77,000,000
REMAINING AAV: $25,666,667
Cannon has been in a "free fall" on this list for four straight years but not because of performance issues. The man's left arm was created by God himself. With a chance for an incredible fourth-straight Nebraska, Cannon is and has been the best pitcher in the league, but he's 33 and his backloaded contract gets expensive real quick. Still, he's the ace every team would love to own and who knows, everyone may get that opportunity soon as Rockville's hinted this year at selling off some of their veterans. Because this will be his last time on this list, let's all raise a toast to the great Dan Cannon.
#49 - Girolamo L'Archibudelli, Las Vegas, DH/LF 70/70
PREVIOUS RANK: NR
| YEAR | AGE | WAR | SALARY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2040 | 19 | 1.9 | $500,000 |
| 2041 | 20 | 2.6 | $500,000 |
| 2042 | 21 | 4.9 | $500,000 |
REMAINING CONTRACT: $20,600,000
REMAINING AAV: $5,150,000
Sure, the Italian Stallion is one-dimensional, best suited as a designated hitter, but, using one of the worst baseball clichés, he's as professional a hitter as they come. The league's best chance at a .400 hitter (hitting .421 at press time), "L'Arch" is the fuel that runs the Las Vegas offense. As he approaches his 22nd birthday next month, L'Archibudelli's growth during his first three seasons in the bigs leaves many to believe he's got another gear. On pace for a career-high nine home runs and 56 steals, there's potential to hit 15+ HR and steal 70+, along with that incredible contact skill. His defense is passable in left field, so more time on the field could help his WAR and put him in MVP talks one day. One of the funnest players in all of the Brewster.
#48 - Rocky Wattson, Chicago, 2B 70/75
PREVIOUS RANK: NR
| YEAR | AGE | WAR | SALARY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2040 | 21 | 1.0 | $500,000 |
| 2041 | 22 | 2.3 | $500,000 |
| 2042 | 23 | 5.2 | $500,000 |
REMAINING CONTRACT: $21,300,000
REMAINING AAV: $7,100,000
Here are the OPS+ for the first three full-seasons in the majors for the tremendously astute and hirsute second-bagger: 80, 96, 136. On page for 44 HR and 20 SB to go along with one of the best gloves in the league, Wattson has broken out to be a force. Unless he continues to follow-up this great season, his value could be at an all-time high as his arbitration numbers start to get expensive next season.
#47 - Octávio Moreno, San Antonio, C 65/80
PREVIOUS RANK: NR
| YEAR | AGE | WAR | SALARY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2040 | 19 | 1.9 | $500,000 |
| 2041 | 20 | -0.7 | $500,000 |
| 2042 | 21 | 4.8 | $500,000 |
REMAINING CONTRACT: $16,900,000
REMAINING AAV: $5,633,333
The man known as "Dog House" is out of the dog house, bouncing back from a rough sophomore season to become one of the most dangerous backstops in the game. Named to the All-Star team this year for the first time, Moreno hits like power corner infielder, yet can handle the tool of ignorance behind the plate as well. A young all-around catcher is one of the more desired player profiles around and carries considerable value (see 'Ron Shiplack Trade'). Moreno's arbitration numbers jump next year but is still incredibly valuable.
#46 - Pepe Espinosa, Edmonton, 2B/SS 60/70
PREVIOUS RANK: NR
| YEAR | AGE | WAR | SALARY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2040 | 19 | -- | minor leagues |
| 2041 | 20 | -- | minor leagues |
| 2042 | 21 | 4.3 | $500,000 |
REMAINING CONTRACT: $16,700,000
REMAINING AAV: $3,340,000
Espinosa's value has already been tested, headlining a package that sent Bobby Lynch, at the time a 27-year-old stud pitcher, to Calgary back in 2039. Smooth with the glove at both middle infield positions, Espinosa is an extra-base machine in the midst of a fantastic rookie season. The Jackrabbits' front office has sold off pieces from their major league roster in the last two seasons, but having the young Guatemalan as one of the cornerstones for the next decade in Edmonton means they're re-tooling, not re-building. Already popular in Canada, Espinosa is likely going to be a fixture in All-Star Games and postseason series for years to come.
#45 - Eduardo González, Montreal, 3B 70/80
PREVIOUS RANK: NR
| YEAR | AGE | WAR | SALARY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2040 | 19 | -- | minor leagues |
| 2041 | 20 | 5.4 | $500,000 |
| 2042 | 21 | 2.3 | $500,000 |
REMAINING CONTRACT: $19,700,000
REMAINING AAV: $4,925,000
#44 - Daniel Pepper, Rockville, 2B 70/75
PREVIOUS RANK: NR
| YEAR | AGE | WAR | SALARY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2040 | 19 | -- | minor leagues |
| 2041 | 20 | 5.7 | $500,000 |
| 2042 | 21 | 3.4 | $500,000 |
REMAINING CONTRACT: $21,400,000
REMAINING AAV: $4,280,000
The Sophomore Slump is a real thing, just ask González and Pepper. Both players burst onto the scene in 2041 and would have normally duked it out for the Johnson League Gillstrom Award winner if not for González's teammate Lineu Aldo. González is still on pace for a .800 OPS, so if this is a "down" season, good grief. Seasons of .300/35 HR are in his future and along with Aldo, give the upstart Blazers two franchise offensive players. Due to being a mid-season call-up last year, Rockville has the luxury of Pepper potentially being a Super Two-eligible player, giving him one more year of team control than González. While he'll likely never hit .418 again like he did in his abbreviated rookie season, Pepper, who is the youngest player in the Top 50, looks to be a very solid offensive contributor with defensive versatility. Talk about value!
#43 - Dani García, California, SP 55/65
PREVIOUS RANK: NR
| YEAR | AGE | WAR | SALARY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2040 | 19 | -- | minor leagues |
| 2041 | 20 | 1.9 | $500,000 |
| 2042 | 21 | 5.0 | $500,000 |
REMAINING CONTRACT: $14,900,000
REMAINING AAV: $2,980,000
Three of California's vaunted pitching staff is over thirty years old, so Garciá is the future of the Crusader rotation. That said, the future is now, as the hard-throwing Cuban has stepped up his game in his second big league season. It's without question Garciá will continue to see his value rise as the 2042 first-time All-Star keeps improving.
#42 - Alberto Rodríguez, Nashville, C 70/70
PREVIOUS RANK: NR
| YEAR | AGE | WAR | SALARY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2040 | 20 | 0.3 | $500,000 |
| 2041 | 21 | 4.0 | $500,000 |
| 2042 | 22 | 4.5 | $500,000 |
REMAINING CONTRACT: $22,800,000
REMAINING AAV: $5,700,000
One of the most exciting, young backstops in the game, Rodríguez has backed-up his outstanding first full season with an encore that earned him his first All-Star nod. The reigning Frick Puckett Award winner at catcher has been already traded an incredible three times in his career, most recently in a 2040 one-for-one deal with Omaha for second baseman Tu-fu Yong. The deal brought Rodríguez back to the franchise that drafted him in 2038 and the Bluebirds are in great shape with their catcher for the next several years.
#41 - Rafael Gutiérrez, Louisville, 3B 70/70
PREVIOUS RANK: NR
| YEAR | AGE | WAR | SALARY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2040 | 21 | 2.1 | $500,000 |
| 2041 | 22 | 3.8 | $500,000 |
| 2042 | 23 | 5.5 | $4,094,500 |
REMAINING CONTRACT: $20,100,000
REMAINING AAV: $6,700,000
Signed to a arbitration-buying out three-year deal prior to this season that is going to end up looking like a steal, "Big Time" has a few more batting titles in his future (won in 2041 with .364 average.) Thanks to incredible bat-to-ball skills and blazing speed, Gutiérrez is a base hit machine and equally lethal on the base paths. When speaking about the third baseman, it's not a matter of how good he is now, but how great he can eventually be. Note: Gutiérrez was traded twice in 2040 thanks to Omaha general manager Justin Niles' wheeling and dealing ways. Two years later, and the Venezuelan is looking like a star for one of the best franchises in the Frick while Emilio Morales is set to leave the Hawks with no Landis ring.
