CHW/MIN

The reasons I am trading away Gio:

1. Certainly he is one of my best SPs but his contract ends in 2019-20 whereas I will control both Freeland + Banda until 2022.

2. While Gio's 2017 ERA was a solid 2.96, for the 4 year period spanning 2013-16, his ERA was only 3.82 w/ a WHIP of 1.30. So while Gio is one of my top SPs, his #'s and age indicate that he's a solid MLB SP (ranked #33 by ESPN) on the wrong side of 30 years old. (He will be 33 later this season).

3. Freeland, although he pitches at Coors Field, did pitch 156 innings as a rookie, is young (24) and did pitch within 2 outs of a complete game no hitter vs the CHW at Coors Field on July 9. So he has some upside (especially if he were to get traded away from Coors Field).

4. Banda is the #4 prospect for the D-Backs. in 2016, he led the organization in strikeouts (averaging almost one K per IP) while also finishing 2nd in ERA. He also has shown hints of durability after pitching 150 innings in 2016. So he could have some upside at the MLB level. With the uncertainties of the D-Backs pitching in 2017, he has an possible opportunity to pitch for them in some role in the near future.

5. I also receive a draft pick (which is helpful in adding prospects to a MILB system that only currently has 30 prospects.

6. Lastly, this cuts salary and increases my cap space by +$4.7 mil.