In discussion of the recent trade that sent three minor leaguers who had nominal experience above complex league ball to the Tampa Bay Rays for Nate Lowe, Jake Guenther and a player to be named later, one of the things I discussed as a possible factor in the Texas Rangers making this deal was the large number of players they have in the age and experience range of Osleivis Basabe, Alexander Ovalles and Heriberto Hernandez. MLB eliminated the short-season leagues, meaning that having players go to Spokane in the Northwest League would not be an option in 2021, which creates more of a logjam in terms of getting players playing time — and even if the Rangers did still have Spokane available, there would be tough decisions being made about who to send to full season ball and who to keep back in the complex league.
Spitballing 2021 minor league prospect assignments
