Los Angeles Dodgers: Jack Dreyer
One of the prospects the Dodgers protected from the Rule 5 Draft was Jack Dreyer, a 24-year-old left-hander with a great pitch repertoire. He was never ranked within Los Angeles' top 30 prospects, but he has been very effective in his short minor-league career.
Last season in Double-A and Triple-A, Dreyer posted an earned run average of 2.20 with a FIP of 2.75 across 57.1 innings, striking out 72 batters. Opposing hitters batted just .209 against him to pair with a walk rate of 5.3%, generating a WHIP of .99. Those numbers are excellent, and they come from a dominant pitch mix.
Dreyer's fastball sits around 93 mph, and batters have just a 2.4% barrel rate against it. Their expected slugging percentage (xSLG) against it is just .240, carrying an expected batting average (xBA) of just .166. For a pitch used 57% of the time, that is sheer dominance. His curveball is not used much, but it generates soft contact, as opponents have an average exit velocity of 87.8 mph against it.
His other breaking pitch is a slider, which pairs nicely with his fastball, but is not as effective as the heater. Opponents put together an xBA of .196 and an xSLG of .349 against it. It also generated a whiff percentage of 32.4% and limited batters to an average exit velocity of just 86.7 mph.
This pitching prospect could instantly join the Pirates' bullpen, especially with their lack of left-handed relievers. The Dodgers want to add Sasaki badly, so maybe Pittsburgh can take advantage of the bidding by acquiring this southpaw in exchange for some international money.
San Diego Padres: Tirso Ornelas
Another prospect that has yet to reach the big leagues is Tirso Ornelas. MLB Pipeline has him as the 18th-ranked prospect in San Diego's organization. He has a lot of raw power, which he displayed in Triple-A El Paso last season.
A season ago, Ornelas belted 23 home runs, 24 doubles, and two triples to generate a slugging percentage of .497. That paired with an on-base percentage of .367 to create an OPS of .864. His wRC+ reached 113, along with a solid strikeout rate of 16.1%.
Some may think that his numbers were highly inflated by the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, but he posted an .854 OPS the year prior at Double-A San Antonio as well. There's real power potential here. Ornelas is currently projected to be the Opening Day left fielder for the Padres on FanGraphs, but Sasaki seems like more of their priority. That makes this trade possible. The Pads likely plan to supplant Ornelas with a veteran option before the opener anyhow (Tommy Pham reunion, anyone?).