Earlier this afternoon, the Reds, Dodgers, and White Sox swung a large three team trade that saw Reds All Star third baseman shuffled off to the south side of Chicago, the Sox throw in three players the Dodgers way, and the Dodgers hold up their end of the bargain by sending the Reds infielder Jose Peraza, outfielder Scott Schebler and outfielder/infielder Brandon Dixon.
Peraza is the headliner here, and was rumored to be the headliner in the Chapman to Dodgers deal that was halted early last week. The Reds obviously are very keen on the 21 year old's potential, so let's zoom around the internet and see what's been said of Jose's game.
MLB.com ranks Peraza 24th in their top 100 as of now, boasting a hit tool that rates as a 60 and off the chart running ability at 75. He ranked as LA's number four prospect, just behind the seemingly Untouchables (Seager, Urias, De Leon). Here's their scouting report:
Peraza has raced through the Minor Leagues thanks to his feel for the game and his top-of-the-scale speed. As a 20-year-old in 2014, he reached Double-A Mississippi and played in the All-Star Futures Game. He moved up to Triple-A in 2015 and was performing as expected when he was sent to the Dodgers in the huge three-team deal that brought Hector Olivera and others to Atlanta.
Peraza has a quick, short swing and excellent hand-eye coordination. His swing produces minimal power and he mostly tries to keep the ball on the ground to use his considerable speed to his advantage. He's a threat to steal whenever he gets on base and has swiped at least 60 bases in each of his first two years of full-season ball.
Baseball America also ranked Peraza fourth in LA's system. In their Dodger's Prospect Chat, Ben Badler commented on the concerning lack of walks for the young hitter, but overall remained optimistic that he'd round into a useful piece to the lineup.
It is concerning. Is he a high-ceiling, impact player? I don't think so. But he does enough other things well to give you value and evolve into a 2-3 win type player, especially from a guy who's either big league ready or just on the verge of there. The high contact rate, ability to use the whole field and speed all give him a chance to hit for a high average, give you value on the basepaths and the defense could be above-average at an up-the-middle position at second base. I'm certain the Dodgers will hammer into his head the importance of drawing more walks, and given that he's such a smart, high baseball IQ guy, I could see him developing better plate discipline to take better advantage of the skills he does have.
In 2015 Mid-Season prospect update over a Minor League Ball, John Sickels ranked Peraza 31st out of his top 75, though it's worth pointing out that with the inordinate amount of top prospects graduating to The Show last year, this ranking feels a bit artificial, especially considering the 2015 draft picks were not yet slotted. Regardless, here's what Sickels said about Peraza after the trade that sent him from Atlanta to LA:
Peraza is a 21-year-old Venezuelan hitting .294/.318/.379 in 96 games for Gwinnett in the Triple-A International League. He doesn't have huge power or much patience but he makes contact, is an effective basestealer (26 steals this year, 203 in his minor league career), and draws praise for his defense up the middle.
When Los Angeles promoted Peraza to the big leagues just a short time thereafter, Sickels again was asked to weigh in on the intriguing prospect, and wrote a whole piece dedicated to his prospect profile.
The general consensus is pretty much the same: Jose Peraza has the makings to be a solid if unspectacular player in the major leagues, with a high contact approach that produces very few strike outs but also no walks with plus defense at multiple positions, and a threat to steal whenever he gets aboard.
There's a ceiling here that Reds fans can dream about once they get over their sorrow from losing Todd Frazier. Billy Hamilton and Jose Peraza on base at the same time will produce havoc, and any time that happens there's a chance that Joey Votto is coming to the plate behind them.
Then again, at first blush its a rather uninspiring haul for a player who accrued over 9 fWAR over the last two seasons at third base, and who is controlled cheaply for two more years. The Reds are obviously in love with this guy, but as we'll see later, the other two pieces in the deal don't move the needle a great deal.
If you're looking for editorializing, at this moment I'm indifferent to the trade until I actually watch some baseball be played. It's certainly a trade that leaves me wanting more, especially considering that Todd Frazier projected to be the guy that would get the best bounty in a trade. If this is all we're getting (that is, if none of these guys exceed the expectations of most of these people that make a living prognosticating on these types of things) for THAT GUY, then we could very well be in for a disappointing trade off season in Redsland.
Then again, if there's one thing that Walt and Company have done consistently well over the years, it's been getting great value on return in their trades. I'm not saying that we should all just close our eyes and say, "In Walt We Trust," but he does deserve some benefit of the doubt.