As you may or may not already know the 2018 MLB trade deadline is rapidly approaching on Tuesday, July 31st at 4 PM. There have been several big trades throughout the sport as of the start of writing this article and all have huge implications on fantasy rosters in the second half of the season. In this week’s edition of Managerial Tendencies, we will examine a few of these moves and how their fantasy value will be affected under their new skipper. We’ll take a look at recent history involving the handling of their respective positions and what to look for during the remainder of the season.

 New York Yankees

Brian Cashman and the Yankees were in the market for starting pitching help and were rumored to be negotiating for several top end pitchers. The Yankees ended up making a deal with the Blue Jays for veteran lefty J.A. Happ . Manager Aaron Boone must be thrilled with the moves that have been made to his pitching staff while having a lineup boasting a league leading home run total. The team also acquired Zach Britton from the Baltimore Orioles, further solidifying a terrifying bullpen. A bullpen with this level of talent and dominance doesn’t need very much from its starters but adding a veteran in Happ who has been in the division since 2012 and putting him with Severino, Sabathia, Tanaka and Gray gives the Yankees a tough group who have been around the block a few times.

The outlook for Aaron Boone is very appealing as he can now let his pitchers get him five and six innings and get into that bullpen and close the door on the other team. Happ owners must be ecstatic about his prospects for the rest of this season as his win potential just skyrocketed being on a team with huge offensive numbers. A negative is that the Yankees do rank 21st in innings pitched from the starting pitchers so far in 2018, a product of subpar starting pitching and an elite bullpen. Zach Britton on the other hand isn’t likely to receive a prominent role in this bullpen with so many other arms already in place.

Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies have acquired some infield help with the addition of Asdrubal Cabrera in a trade with the New York Mets. It is likely that Cabrera will take over as the everyday shortstop forcing Kingery to the bench. Manager Gabe Kapler has a nice switch hitter that he can put in several positions and lineup slots, adding a ton of flexibility to an already surprising and exciting roster in the NL East. In his first start with the Phillies he was put at shortstop and slotted in as the number five hitter against the Reds.

The veteran infielder is much better versus righties but should continue to be a force in the lineup everyday as Kingery is hitting below .200 versus lefties. Cabrera joins a better lineup and gets a ballpark upgrade by moving to Philly so his owners will experience a slight upgrade in environment for the rest of 2018. Kapler and the Phillies want to win now and are making the moves to do so. Look for Cabrera to be a focal point in this lineup and remain in fantasy friendly circumstances for the rest of the season.

Milwaukee Brewers

The Brew Crew in Milwaukee are putting the petal to the metal as they’re just a half game back in the NL Central of the Chicago Cubs. They’ve now made the move to acquire Mike Moustakas from the Royals and have in turn, moved Travis Shaw over to second base to get them both into the lineup. This is a monumental move for both the Brewers and Moustakas as it gives the team another powerful left-handed hitter in an ultra hitter friendly ballpark and gets “Moose” out of the rebuild in Kansas City. Moustakas has 20 homers and 62 runs batted in for the lowly Royals and is set to have a huge second half in a ballpark that has a home run factor of 1.141(8th best in MLB) while leaving a park that has a factor of 0.839(23rd best in MLB).  

Manager Craig Counsell has already set the tone for the team after moving Shaw to second base after acquiring Moustakas, telling his team that they will have to do what’s needed in order to win in Milwaukee. Counsell has a plethora of power from the left side of the plate and while that doesn’t sound like a problem, the right side of the plate could use some help. This doesn’t affect Moose at all as he is hitting 18 points higher versus lefties than he is righties, although 16 of his 20 homers have come against righties. Bombs away in Milwaukee!

Arizona Diamondbacks

The Diamondbacks have suffered an injury at the hot corner as third baseman Jake Lamb went to the disabled list due to a shoulder contusion. The team made a deal with the Twins for infielder Eduardo Escobar which will bridge the gap for Lamb’s return to the team. When that happens, Escobar will likely play third when a lefty is on the mound and play short stop when a right hander is on the hill so Lamb can play third. Escobar is having an outstanding season slashing .277/.341/.516 and won’t be affected by a negative ballpark factor as Minnesota ranks 19th in home runs and Arizona sits at 18th.

Manager Torey Lovullo now has a very solid core of hitters at his disposal with the addition of Escobar who is leading the league in extra base hits this season. Lovullo has several “utility” players on the major league roster so it’s likely that Marte, Descalso and Ahmed have a timeshare over at second base as they battle for at bats. Escobar should continue raking for a Diamondbacks team desperate for his talents as they’re middle of the pack in most offensive categories.

Boston Red Sox

We all know by now that if the Yankees make a trade then the Red Sox must answer back, or vice versa. The Red Sox traded minor league pitcher Jalen Beeks to the Tampa Bay Rays for starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi . Eovaldi has been incredible in 2018 with a 3.51 xFIP, 6.63 K/BB ratio and 0.98 WHIP. Boston now has a rotation of Chris Sale , David Price Nathan Eovaldi , Rick Porcello and for right now, Drew Pomeranz . This gives manager Alex Cora one hell of a rotation to battle the Yankees for the AL East title.

Cora will continue to give his starters a longer leash than his New York counterparts as Boston doesn’t have quite the same level of bullpen talent as the Yankees. In fact, the Red Sox have the third highest inning total from their starting pitchers this season even though their bullpen ERA is the 6th lowest in baseball. While the bullpen has been pretty good for Cora this season he clearly trusts his rotation and doesn’t want to push it with his bullpen, a great sign for owners of any Boston starting pitchers.