Week That Was: Week That Was: Trades Trickle

Major League Baseball’s non-waiver trade deadline fell on July 31st, but the door was still open for teams to swap players that passed through waivers until the end of August. With the month coming to a close this past week, we saw several contenders pull off relatively minor moves (with potentially larger fantasy implications) in order to solidify themselves for the stretch run.

Austin Jackson‘s move to the Cubs was the most noteworthy transaction of the week. Acquired from the Tigers as part of the David Price blockbuster last August, Jackson was never particularly effective in Seattle despite being given every chance to become a mainstay in center field. The former Rookie of the Year runner-up was hitting just .272/.311/.385 with eight homers and 15 steals in 107 games before the M’s decided to part ways. He figures to serve as a pinch-hitter and occasional starter in Chicago, erasing most of his value.

San Francisco, seeking outfield depth with Hunter Pence sidelined, swung a deal with the Red Sox to bring Alejandro De Aza aboard. The 31-year-old had rebounded nicely in Boston after being released by the Orioles in late May, putting up an 831 OPS in 60 games for the Sox. If he plays enough, De Aza could be a deep sleeper target thanks to his combination of moderate speed and power.

The Royals bulked up their offense by adding Jonny Gomes from the Braves. The moves makes plenty of sense for a club that has struggled some against lefties (704 OPS, compared to 741 against righties), as Gomes has had a career-long reputation for punishing southpaws.

The Dodgers became Justin Ruggiano‘s fourth club in the past three seasons when they picked him up from Seattle. Like Gomez, Ruggiano is a potent weapon against lefties, but offers little else.

* Jake Arrieta has been enjoying an incredible season with the Cubs, and had his best performance yet on Sunday when he tossed a no-hitter against the Dodgers, striking out 12. Arrieta is now 17-6 and arguably the Cy Young front-runner in the NL. In his last 14 starts he is 11-1 with a 1.07 ERA. In 101 innings during that stretch, he has struck out 101, walked 23, and allowed only ONE home run. He allowed zero earned runs in five of his six August starts. Absolutely incredible.

* The year of exciting rookie debuts continues. This week it was Corey Seager – widely viewed as the top prospect remaining in the minors – called up by the Dodgers to chip in as they look to wrap up the NL West and prep for the postseason.

Seager, who has mashed at two different levels this year and owns an 891 lifetime OPS in the minors, figures to see fairly steady playing time with the Dodgers, who insist they didn’t call their promising young infielder up to sit on the bench. With eligibility at shortstop, Seager could be a difference-maker in fantasy races down the stretch. The 21-year-old had multiple hits in both of his first two games with LA.

* On Monday, Manny Machado made his first big-league start at shortstop, the position he played almost exclusively in the minors. It’s an interesting development because if the Orioles are actually considering a permanent move in the future, with JJ Hardy due for free agency this offseason, it would be a huge boost for Machado’s fantasy value. His production is very good at third base but would be flat-out spectacular at short, where the average AL hitters has an OPS almost 60 points lower.

* Alex Gordon‘s lengthy stay on the disabled list came to a close this week. He was activated on Tuesday and went 2-for-3 with a double in his return to the Royals lineup. He sat Wednesday and Friday as Kansas City eases him back into action, but should be a full-time player the rest of the way. Gordon has been enjoying one of the best seasons of his career, with an 854 OPS, though his lack of steals has been a bit of a letdown.

* Seattle’s trade of Jackson removed another outfield obstacle in front of Franklin Gutierrez, who has been tremendous this season despite sporadic usage. He blasted his 11th homer of the season on Wednesday and is now hitting .313/.364/.641 in 45 games. Gutierrez’s once-promising career has been ruined by injuries over the past several years, so it would be a great story if he can once again become a fixture in the Mariners outfield, though he’s no longer really an option in center.

* Javier Baez looked utterly overmatched in his first taste of the majors last year, batting .169 with 95 strikeouts in 213 at-bats, but the 22-year-old slugger enjoyed another big season in the minors this season, posting a 914 OPS with 13 homers and 61 RBI in 70 games at Triple-A, and now he’ll get another chance to show his stuff in the majors after joining the Cubs as a September call-up. There’s definitely some deep-league intrigue there but expectations should be kept in check until he proves that he can make contact more regularly.

* The Cubs could use a power infusion from Baez, because they might be without Kyle Schwarber for a while after the slugging rookie strained his rib cage while swinging in the cage on Wednesday. He’ll be reevaluated after the weekend but might miss another week or two.

* Corey Kluber missed his schedule start on Friday due to hamstring soreness, with Cleveland manager Terry Francona stating the the Indians ace will be out at least 10 days so he’ll likely miss a couple more starts.

* The off-and-on back stiffness that has been plaguing Glen Perkins has been frustrating for fantasy owners counting on his saves, as his availability has been spotty and unpredictable in recent weeks. Well, at least we now know for sure that he won’t be contributing for a little bit now. Perkins’ back pain reached a point where he could barely walk, so he skipped Minnesota’s road trip to Houston and will rest up. The Twins are hopeful he can return within a week or two but his timetable is unclear. In the meantime, Kevin Jepsen will keep racking up save chances.

* Tim Lincecum hasn’t pitched since June 27th and now he’s officially done for the year after undergoing hip surgery on Thursday morning. The former back-to-back Cy Young winner, due for free agency this offseason, didn’t provide the Giants with much on his two-year deal, totaling 48 appearances (41 starts) with a 4.54 ERA and 1.42 WHIP. Still only 31, he could be an interesting flier for some team this winter, but he hasn’t been a particularly effective pitcher since 2011.

* Edwin Encarnacion‘s 26-game hitting streak came to an end on Tuesday when he finished 0-for-2 against the Indians. His was the longest streak in the majors this year in the second-longest in Blue Jays history. He is having a typically excellent year in the middle of Toronto’s stacked lineup and was named American League Player of the Month for August.

* Mark Teixeira finally ended up on the disabled list due to a nagging shin bruise that has hampered him for a couple weeks. He is expected back at the end of the month.

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