The Dodgers selected him in the eighth round last year and jumped Bannon, 22, right to High-A Rancho Cucamonga to start 2018 after he played rookie ball last year. Despite not showing much power until his final year at Xavier, he's homered 20 times with 16 doubles in the hitter-friendly California League, helping him to a .296/.402/.559 line in 89 games. Despite some uppercut in his swing, his high strikeout rate is largely because of the deep counts he gets himself in, and he otherwise shows a good command of the strike zone.<doc-sep>"This week has been great," Díaz said, via interpreter Andres Pavia. "I'm just excited to go out and play for the Orioles now. Everything's finalized, so I'm ready for a new beginning. ... I'm just grateful. I feel like I'm wanted, and I mean something for this team, and I just want to thank God that now the Orioles have put so much faith in me. I'm going to do everything I can to put my name in good company."<doc-sep>The July 31 non-waiver trade deadline approaches quickly, and we're just as quickly diving teams into buyers and sellers. Speaking of sellers, let's boldly declare that the following teams will be looking to trade mostly prospects in exchange for veterans in the service of near-term goals (i.e., making the postseason and winning the World Series): Red Sox, Yankees, Indians, Astros, Mariners, Athletics, Phillies, Braves, Nationals, Cubs, Brewers, Cardinals, Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Giants and Rockies. To be sure, not all of these teams are going to wind up making impact moves, and it's entirely possible that current fringe contenders like the Nats, Cards, and Giants will struggle between now and then and opt to sit things out or even re-position themselves as sellers. For now, though, let's go with this. As noted, buyers tend to trade away prospects, so we're going to the rank prospects in "buyer" organizations who might be dealt between now and July 31 (or even during the August waiver period). We're leaving off prospects/rookies who are making an impact at the highest level this season or are in the active-roster plans of the contending team in question. That means the likes of Gleyber Torres of the Yankees, Juan Soto of the Nationals, Walker Buehler of the Dodgers, perhaps Kyle Tucker of the Astros, and a number of young arms in Atlanta aren't going anywhere (the injured J.P. Crawford of the Phillies may also be in this group). It's also entirely possible that some of the names to follow have been designated as untouchable during discussions. The higher you go in the rankings, the bigger the hypothetical trade. A trade built around, say, one of the top five names to come is probably something close to a blockbuster deadline deal. Move further down (or even off) the list, and you're talking about a trade for less of a needle-moving veteran or perhaps a larger package of "merely" good prospects instead of one or two great ones. You know this drill by now. So now let's run down some "deadline" prospects who, in the right deal, might wind up being traded to a seller in the days to come. We'll leave it to the general managers in question to determine what kind of swap it would take to justify parting with the names to come. To the rankings: 1. Forrest Whitley, RHP, Astros Whitley lost 50 games of the 2018 season to a suspension. Since his return, he's looked strong at the command-and-control level. The 6-foot-7 20-year-old boasts an improbably deep repertoire for someone his age, and his fastball sits in the mid-90s. 2. Victor Robles, OF, Nationals Robles has been overshadowed by Juan Soto's huge splash in the majors, but he remains an intriguing high-ceiling prospect. He missed time due to an elbow injury this season, but he still has a rare speed-average-power combo. 3. Francisco Mejia, C, Indians Mejia projects as being a truly special hitter by catcher standards. The question is whether he'll stick at the position. 4. Sixto Sanchez, RHP, Phillies Sanchez has elite velocity and some of the best stuff in the minors, and from a numbers standpoint he's thrived despite being younger than his peer group at every stop. 5. Keston Hiura, 2B, Brewers The ninth overall pick in 2017, Hiura's gotten past some elbow concerns and is now back to being a regular second baseman. Hiura boasts an excellent hit tool and also has some power. He'll be ready for the bigs in short order. 6. Jesus Luzardo, LHP, Athletics Luzardo, 20, has three plus offerings and good velocity for a lefty. He's also posted excellent command-and-control and run prevention numbers at every level. 7. Alex Verdugo, OF, Dodgers He's got the range for center and the arm for right, and he's also got an accomplished and projectable bat. 8. Estevan Florial, OF, Yankees Florial underwent wrist surgery in May, but he's back now. He's got elite speed and a powerful throwing arm, and he's expected to grow into his impressive raw power potential. He projects as a dual-threat center fielder. 9. Brendan Rogers, SS, Rockies Rogers is one of the best infield prospects in baseball. He boasts excellent power, and he may be able to stick at short. On the downside, his plate discipline needs some work. 10. Carter Kieboom, SS, Nationals Kieboom has an advanced approach at the plate and the underlying skills to make it last. He may eventually outgrow his current position, but he could wind up as a plus glove at the hot corner. 11. Ian Anderson, RHP, Braves The third overall pick from 2016 has a plus fastball and two MLB-quality secondary offerings. The 20-year-old is on his third rung of the Braves' system, and he's yet to be tested. Yes, as you've probably already figured out the Braves can easily package arms to get a big name at the deadline. 12. Yordan Alvarez, 1B/OF, Astros The hulking lefty slugger has massive power at the plate and a selective approach. He'll have to be careful lest holes in his swing get exploited at the highest level. He's probably bound for first base long-term. 13. Kyle Wright, RHP, Braves Wright's got good velocity, ground-ball proclivities, and a full repertoire. The former fifth overall pick has struggled with his control at times this season in his first taste of the high minors. 14. Austin Riley, 3B, Braves Riley has power to all fields and the willingness to take a walk. The bar will eventually be raised for him, though, as he's likely going to wind up at first base or an outfield corner. 15. Triston McKenzie, RHP, Indians While McKenzie doesn't have great velocity, he does boast one of the best curveballs in the minors. If his changeup comes along, he can be a rotation fixture. 16. Keibert Ruiz, C, Dodgers He's got the defensive skills to stick at the catcher position. As for the bat, he's got a shot at being a league-average hitter, but that will require more development time. 17. Kolby Allard, LHP, Braves Allard's quite polished by the standards of 20-year-old lefties.<doc-sep>By trading for Manny Machado, the Los Angeles Dodgers are adding an All-Star shortstop who's in the middle of a career year. They'll only have Machado for the rest of this season because he'll be a free agent this winter, but it would be worth it if Machado can help them win one more game than they did last year – when they lost the World Series to the Houston Astros in seven games. But who are the Baltimore Orioles getting in return? – OF Yusniel Diaz, 21. The headliner in the deal, Diaz is hitting .314/.428/.477 with six homers and eight stolen bases at Class AA Tulsa. He was selected to the All-Star Futures Game, where he hit two home runs for the World team. The Dodgers signed Diaz out of Cuba three seasons ago for $15.6 million -- and he's progressed rapidly through the farm system. The strides he's made this season in particular are impressive. He's been overly aggressive at the plate in his first two seasons in the minors, but through his first 59 games this year at Tulsa, Diaz has more walks (41) than strikeouts (39). BaseballHQ.com ranked Diaz No. 33 in its Midseason Top 50 prospects list. He should warrant a promotion to Class AAA before the end of the season, with an eye toward a debut in Baltimore sometime in 2019. The other three prospects in the deal are a bit further away from the majors. – INF Rylan Bannon, 22. Bannon, an eighth-round pick of Xavier in last year's draft, is playing his first full season as a pro at High Class-A Rancho Cucamonga (Calif). In the hitter-friendly Cal League, he's sporting a .296/.402/.559 slash line with 20 homers and 61 RBI in 338 plate appearances -- good enough to be named to the league's All-Star team. Bannon has split his time on defense between second and third base. – RHP Dean Kremer, 22. Kremer was a 14th-round pick in 2016 from UNLV. He has shown both power and control at High-A Rancho Cucamonga, with 114 strikeouts (13.0 K/9) and only 26 walks in 79 innings. Kremer was 5-3 with a 3.30 ERA in 16 starts before being promoted to Class AA Tulsa and throwing seven shutout innings and striking out 11 in his one start. – RHP Zach Pop, 21. Pop has been used exclusively a reliever since he was drafted in the seventh round last year from the University of Kentucky – and he's shown closer-worthy skills. At two Class-A levels, he's put up a 1.04 ERA and 0.88 WHIP, while averaging 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings. In addition ... – 2B Breyvic Valera, 26.The final player in the trade has played 25 games in the majors over the past two seasons. A native of Venezuela, Valera has a .154 career average with six hits, all singles. This season at Class AAA Oklahoma City, he's hit .284/.350/.433 with six home runs and 25 RBI in 56 games. Overall, it's not a bad haul for a rental player the Dodgers won't even attempt to re-sign because they already have their own All-Star shortstop in Corey Seager – who's out for the season after undergoing elbow surgery. The Orioles are also expected to trade impending free agents Adam Jones and Zach Britton before the July 31 deadline, so this could be just the start of a major rebuilding effort in Baltimore. Follow Gardner on Twitter @SteveAGardner<doc-sep>
The long-rumored Manny Machado trade happened this evening, the Baltimore Orioles shipping the star infielder to the Los Angeles Dodgers for five prospects. Here is a quick take on the newest members of the Orioles organization. Yusniel Diaz, OF: The Dodgers signed Diaz as a free agent in November 2015, spending $31,000,000 to sign the Cuban defector (half as a bonus, half as penalty tax). By far the best known prospect in the trade, he is having an excellent season in Double-A, hitting .314/.428/.477 for the Tulsa Drillers with six homers, 41 walks, and just 39 strikeouts in 220 at-bats. Age 21, Diaz is a right-handed hitter and thrower listed at 6-1, 195. He’s shown strong pure hitting skills with a fine batting eye and has reduced his strikeout rate and boosted his walks significantly this year despite playing at a higher level. Although his raw power is rated as just average by most observers he can certainly put a charge in the ball, as he demonstrated by hitting two homers in the 2018 Futures Game. His defense need some polish but he has the range and arm to manage all three outfield positions. Rylan Bannon, INF: The Dodgers drafted Bannon in the eighth round in 2017 from Xavier University. 2018 has gone well for him, with a .296/.402/.559 slash line for Rancho Cucamonga in the High-A California League. He’s hit 20 homers while drawing 59 walks against 103 strikeouts in 338 at-bats. Bannon is 22 years old, listed at 5-10, 180, a right-handed hitter and thrower. There’s some real power in the bat despite his size, though the strikeout rate is high enough (and the Cal League friendly enough) that his offensive profile at higher levels is still rather opaque. He features a strong arm and is a capable defender at both third and second base, though his range would be stretched at shortstop. Dean Kremer, RHP: Kremer was drafted in the 14th round in 2016 from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. He’s spent most of 2018 at Rancho Cucamonga, posting a 3.30 ERA in 79 innings with a sharp 114/26 K/BB. He was recently promoted to Tulsa and fanned 11 men in his first start on July 5th. Kremer is 22 years old, listed at 6-3, 180. His best pitch is a 90-95 MPH fastball with plus movement. He also has a decent curveball and has done a good job throwing strikes this year. Reports on his change-up vary and there’s mixed opinion about his long-term role, but his clear success in the hitter-friendly Cal League this season is a positive sign. Zach Pop, RHP: Drafted in the seventh round in 2017 from the University of Kentucky, Pop has split 2018 between Low-A Great Lakes and High-A Rancho, dominating at both levels. Combined he has a 1.04 ERA in 43 innings this season with a 47/13 K/BB and only 25 hits allowed. Pop is 21 years old, listed at 6-4, 220. He has a classic relief profile with a fastball at 94-98 and a slider that can be erratic but is overpowering on his best days. His college track record was inconsistent and there’s some worry about durability but his performance in pro ball has been excellent to this point. Breyvic Valera, INF: Valera is from Venezuela, originally signed by the St. Louis Cardinals back in 2010. The Dodgers picked him up in a trade this past spring. He has a good track record in Triple-A, hitting .314/.368/.450 for Memphis last season and .284/.350/.433 for Oklahoma City this year. He’s appeared briefly in the majors with the Cardinals and Dodgers, hitting just .154/.250/.154 in 39 at-bats. Age 26, Valera is a switch-hitter listed at 5-11, 160. His best attributes are line drive hitting and defensive versatility. He controls the strike zone reasonably well but has never shown much pop outside the Pacific Coast League. Overall he profiles as a utility infielder. ASSESSMENT: Diaz is one of the better hitting prospects in all of baseball and the key to the trade; the Orioles really need him to pan out to make this worthwhile. Kremer and Pop add pitching depth to the farm system while Bannon looks like an intriguing sleeper, though we need to see if the whiffs inhibit him as he moves up. Valera is a utility guy but could be a good one.