Baseball Daily Dose: Daily Dose: Deadline Deals
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Whew.
The moves came fast and furious prior to Monday’s trade deadline, with a whopping 18 deals being made. Let’s get to some fantasy implications of those trades.
Lucroy, Beltran Land in Texas
Jonathan Lucroy used his veto power to shoot down a trade to the Indians over the weekend, but the Rangers weren’t on his no-trade list and that’s where he’s headed. The Brewers shipped both Lucroy and Jeremy Jeffress to the Rangers in exchange for outfield prospect Lewis Brinson, pitching prospect Luis Ortiz and cash.
Lucroy gets to swap one favorable home park for another, going from Miller Park to Globe Life Park. He’ll have to make an adjustment to a new league, which can be an issue for players sometimes. However, Lucroy also gets to be part of a better lineup.
The big loser fantasy-wise in this trade is Jeffress, as he’s now slated for setup duties ahead of Rangers closer Sam Dyson. Jeffress can safely be dropped in shallower fantasy formats.
The Rangers didn’t stop there, as they also picked up Carlos Beltran from the Yankees for pitching prospects Dillon Tate, Nick Green and Erik Swanson. Beltran has had one of the best seasons of his career at age 39, putting up a .304/.344/.546 batting line with 22 homers and 64 RBI. While Beltran benefitted from playing half his games at Yankee Stadium, slugging 14 of his 22 bombs there, he still smacked eight homers over 186 plate appearances while hitting .306/.323/.494 on the road. He should do just fine hitting in the middle of the Texas lineup.
Joey Gallo was optioned to Triple-A to accommodate the arrival of Beltran, so he’ll have to continue to wait for a full-time opportunity. Beltran’s absence in New York could create some playing time for Gary Sanchez, who Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said might be recalled as soon as Wednesday. He’s worth a deep league pick-up, especially in leagues where he’s catcher-eligible. Cashman also mentioned Aaron Judge as a possibility to be promoted eventually, although he’s been out with a knee injury recently (he’s expected back in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s lineup Tuesday). Rob Refsnyder and Aaron Hicks also figure to see more at-bats, as the Bomber seem content to let Alex Rodriguez keep rotting away on the bench.
With Jeffress and Will Smith (who was dealt to the Giants) out of town, Milwaukee is likely to turn to Tyler Thornburg as their new closer. He needs to be scooped up in all formats, and Corey Knebel might be worth a deep league flier, as well. Andrew Susac, who was acquired from the Giants in the Smith trade, figures to assume regular catching duties for the Brewers soon. The 26-year-old really struggled in the majors last season while battling a wrist issue, but he’s a former top-100 prospect and has batted .273/.343/.455 with eight homers at Triple-A in 2016. Susac is worth a shot in a deeper two-catcher format.
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Dodgers Nab Reddick, Hill from A’s
One of the more interesting things to follow this deadline was what was going to happen to Rich Hill, as he was a prime trade candidate but also is currently on the disabled list with a blister issue.
There had been reports that the A’s could sign him to a contract extension or even just hang on to him and extend him a qualifying offer over the winter if they didn’t like the trade proposals they received. Ultimately, not only was Hill traded to the Dodgers, but teammate Josh Reddick came along with him. The A’s got three nice pitching prospects in return in Grant Holmes, Frankie Montas and Jharel Cotton.
Hill has been a revelation his last five months in the majors since spending some time in independent ball last year. The 36-year-old southpaw has put up a 2.25 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 90/28 K/BB ratio over 76 innings for the A’s this season. The A’s had planned to activate Hill from the DL and start him Friday before the trade, so it stands to reason that he’ll be ready to start for the Dodgers soon. General manager Farhan Zaidi said Monday that there’s no timetable for Hill’s first outing with the Dodgers.
If Hill can put his blister problem in the rear view mirror, he’s in a good spot for fantasy purposes in the National League and in a pitcher-friendly park. Workload was obviously a major concern for him entering the season given how little he’s pitched the last few years, but that concern is mitigated somewhat by the time he’s missed. Hill is currently on pace to throw 117 innings, which should be doable without him hitting a wall.
Reddick has missed time this season due to injury, but he’s been excellent when on the field with a .296/.368/.449 batting line and eight homers across 272 plate appearances. The aforementioned league change concerns apply here, but Reddick will have a slightly more hitter-friendly home park to play in and will be part of a better lineup.
Reddick’s arrival in Los Angeles could signify the beginning of the end of Yasiel Puig’s tenure with the Dodgers. FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported that Puig was told by the club not to travel with the team to Colorado, as they either planned to trade him or demote him to Triple-A Oklahoma City. A trade was unable to be worked out, so Puig is expected to officially be sent down prior to Tuesday’s game. Puig has batted a disappointing .258/.321/.411 since the beginning of 2015 and has often dealt with injuries, not to mention the occasional on- and off-field behavioral issues. He’s not slated for free agency until 2020, but Puig would seem to be a good bet to hit the trade block over the winter.
Big Apple for Bruce
The Mets have dealt with their fair share of injuries to their offense this season, but they added some help on Monday.
Jay Bruce was acquired by the Mets from the Reds in exchange for infield prospect Dilson Herrera and pitching prospect Max Wotell. Bruce had been in a big two-year drought at the plate coming into this season, but he’s rebounded in a big way with a .265/.316/.559 batting line with 25 homers and an NL-leading 80 RBI. A move away from Great American Ball Park isn’t great news, but at least Citi Field plays neutrally. Bruce should be knocked down a few ticks for fantasy purposes, but he should be alright.
Bruce isn’t a perfect fit for New York, at least not from a defensive perspective. He’ll take over in right field, pushing Curtis Granderson to center. It’s a position Granderson hasn’t played regularly since 2012, and given that he’s 35 his defense there will probably be pretty brutal. Michael Conforto will also see some time in center, although he could be needed to man left for a while if Yoenis Cespedes’ quad injury sends him to the disabled list. When everyone is healthy, Conforto figures to be fourth in the pecking order.
With Bruce vacating right field in Cincy, the Reds are expected to shift Adam Duvall from left to right and give Jose Peraza a long look in left. The 22-year-old has batted only .236/.282/.291 across his first 118 plate appearances in the majors, but he’s managed 13 stolen bases while being caught only once. Peraza is also a career .299/.339/.384 in the minors, so he shouldn’t be a lost cause with the bat for long. Pick him up in deeper leagues, especially if you need a stolen base boost. Herrera could also get a look with the Reds before long, although it’s hard to envision much playing time for him with Brandon Phillips still around.
Giants Want Some Moore
The Giants didn’t stop with the aforementioned addition of Smith to supplement their bullpen. They also added rotation help in the form of Matt Moore, who was acquired from the Rays for Matt Duffy, infield prospect Lucius Fox and pitching prospect Michael Santos.
Moore has been inconsistent since returning from Tommy John surgery last season, putting up a 4.52 ERA and 155/63 K/BB ratio over 193 innings. The southpaw has been superb of late, though, with a 2.39 ERA over his last nine starts.
Moore can be a headache to own at times, but he’s in a great situation in San Francisco. AT&T Park is the most pitcher-friendly venue in the majors, and the left-hander will now get to face a pitcher instead of a designated hitter. When Moore is going good he can pitch anywhere and when he’s going bad it’s not pretty. This is a great setup for him, though. He’s currently owned in less than half of Yahoo leagues but I expect that number to rise.
Duffy is currently working his way back from an Achilles injury, but he’s expected to begin a rehab assignment soon. Most of the 25-year-old’s playing time in the majors has come at third base due to the presence of Brandon Crawford, but he’s slated for shortstop duty in Tampa Bay. Duffy’s success last season caught many by surprise and he’s fallen back to earth this year, but he’s a high-contact hitter who should ultimately hit for a pretty good average while also stealing some bases.
Duffy Dominates
Danny Duffy began the season in the Royals’ bullpen, but he’s probably not going back there anytime soon.
The left-hander flirted with a no-hitter in a scintillating performance on Monday versus the Rays, ultimately finishing with one hit and one walk allowed over eight innings. Duffy set a Royals franchise record with 16 strikeouts on the night. The southpaw induced 34 swings and misses, which is the highest total in baseball this season. Yes, it was even more than Max Scherzer had in his 20-strikeout game (he induced 33).
While Duffy took the dominance to a new level Monday, he’s been excellent ever since re-entering the Royals’ rotation in mid-May. The left-hander boasts a 2.98 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 105/18 K/BB ratio across 90 2/3 frames in his 15 starts this season. Between starting and relieving combined, he’s at a 2.98 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 126/23 K/BB ratio over 108 2/3 innings.
Duffy is throwing harder than ever this season, experiencing only a slight drop in velocity since moving from the bullpen to the rotation. He’s seen his strikeouts rise significantly (10.4 K/9 in 2016 versus 7.1 BB/9 pre-2016) while also watching his walks bottom out (1.9 BB/9 in 2016 versus 3.8 BB/9 pre-2016).
Duffy’s rise has been unexpected from a guy who looked before the season like he was better off being used in relief. However, as a hard-throwing lefty who is a former top-100 prospect, we can’t say this totally came out of nowhere. Currently slated to hit free agency after next season, Duffy is suddenly looking like a guy the Royals might want to lock up to a long-term extension.
Maxed Out
It’s been a lost season for the Twins, but one of their rookies is proving to be a bright spot.
Max Kepler had a night to remember Monday, slugging a trio of two-run homers in a victory over the Indians. The rookie took All-Star Danny Salazar deep twice and reliever Cody Anderson over the boards once, with all three dingers travelling over 400 feet. He also had a single on the night, going 4-for-6 in the Twins’ 12-5 blowout win.
Kepler was rated as a top-50 prospect coming into 2016 after a breakout 2015 season, but the power he’s shown at the major league level has been a surprise. The 23-year-old never hit more than 10 home runs in a season in the minors, but he’s already got 14 bombs over 230 plate appearances this season with the Twins.
Kepler is a big guy and scouts have thought that he’d eventually grow into more power. It appears that it’s finally starting to show, and what better time for it to appear than in his first long look at the big league level. As of this writing, the young outfielder remains unowned in 75 percent of Yahoo leagues. That number will be on the rise.
National League Quick Hits: Aledmys Diaz will require more than a minimum stay on the disabled list after being diagnosed with a hairline fracture in his right thumb. Jhonny Peralta (thumb) will move back to shortstop when he returns from the disabled list on Tuesday … Kyle Hendricks tossed his second career shutout in Monday’s victory over the Marlins … Yoenis Cespedes (quad) will miss a third straight start on Tuesday … The Pirates acquired Drew Hutchison from the Blue Jays in a deal that sent Francisco Liriano to Toronto … The Cubs acquired reliever Joe Smith in a trade with the Angels … The Dodgers picked up Jesse Chavez from the Blue Jays in exchange for Mike Bolsinger … Ivan Nova was acquired by the Pirates from the Yankees for two players to be named later … The Pirates flipped Jon Niese back to the Mets in exchange for Antonio Bastardo … Zack Wheeler (elbow) is expected to resume a rehab assignment on Saturday … The Marlins sent Colin Rea (elbow) back to the Padres in exchange for Luis Castillo … Daniel Murphy returned from a hamstring injury to go 3-for-3 with an RBI and three runs scored in Monday’s win over the Diamondbacks … Stephen Strasburg recorded six strikeouts while limiting the D’Backs to one run over six innings Monday … The Dodgers acquired Josh Fields in a trade with the Astros …
American League Quick Hits: The Blue Jays acquired Francisco Liriano in a trade that sent Drew Hutchison to the Pirates … The Red Sox will call up outfield prospect Andrew Benintendi on Wednesday … Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins confirmed Monday that the team plans to move Aaron Sanchez to the bullpen at some point … Hector Santiago was traded to the Twins in a deal that sent Ricky Nolasco and Alex Meyer to the Angels … Danny Salazar will undergo a precautionary MRI after struggling again Monday and complaining of having “something in my elbow.” … Marcus Stroman set a new career high with 13 strikeouts while holding the Astros to one run over seven innings Monday … The Orioles acquired Steve Pearce in a trade with the Rays … James Paxton struck out six over eight frames of one-run ball in Monday’s loss to the Red Sox … Eduardo Rodriguez whiffed while allowing one run across six innings Monday versus the Mariners … Doug Fister struck out eight over six scoreless innings against the Blue Jays on Monday … Troy Tulowitzki (thumb) is expected to avoid a stint on the disabled list … The Blue Jays got Scott Feldman in a trade with the Astros … The Indians acquired Brandon Guyer from the Rays and designated Juan Uribe for assignment … Fernando Abad was picked up by the Red Sox for Pat Light …
