Trade Deadline

The non-waiver trade deadline happened yesterday and there were a flurry of moves. I broke down the majority of them in yesterday’s Closing Bell, but here is some more in depth coverage of the trades that have fantasy impact.

The Tampa Bay Rays acquired Tommy Pham from the St. Louis Cardinals for Genesis Cabrera, Justin Williams , and Roel Ramirez. Pham will move over to right field for the Rays. Williams is the main prize in the return for Pham. He has  good power and can swipe a few bags, but will need to work on his strike zone judgment. He is already in AAA, so he should be up sometime next season. Cabrera is a hard throwing lefty that lacks command. His future will likely be in the bullpen if he can’t figure out how to harness his stuff. Roe is likely nothing more than a middle infielder.

The Tampa Bay Rays also traded Chris Archer to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Austin Meadows , Tyler Glasnow , and a player to be named later. The Rays picked up two former top prospects in Glasnow and Meadows that have years of control and a ton of upside. Meadows has already been demoted to AAA in order to give him full time at bats, but he has already proven he belongs in the big leagues. His value takes a dip for the rest of this season, but long term, he should be a stud and faces less competition with the Rays than with the Pirates. Archer should benefit from the move to the NL and getting to pitch in PNC Park, but his value will continue to not match his name value until he can gain a third pitch.

The Cleveland Indians acquired Leonys Martín and Kyle Dowdy from the Detroit Tigers for Willi Castro . The Indians finally got their replacement for injured Bradley Zimmer in Martin and the Tigers get their eventual replacement for José Iglesias , who is a free agent after this season. Castro is a light hitting shortstop with some speed. He has 13 stolen bases already this season in 97 games at AA, but is only hitting .245/.303/.350 with five home runs. 

The Philadelphia Phillies have acquired Wilson Ramos from the Tampa Bay Rays for a player to be named later or cash. Ramos is still on the disabled list recovering from a groin strain, but should be a nice get for nothing for the Phillies. He is in the last year of his deal and hitting .297/.346/.488 with 14 home runs in 315 plate appearances. The move to Philly should help a little with the power and he will also benefit from the order around him.

The Dodgers have acquired Brian Dozier from the Minnesota Twins for Logan Forsythe , Devin Smeltzer, and Luke Raley. Dozier should gain some value moving to a more potent lineup in Los Angeles, but also will add to a roster crunch that features too many talented players for the Dodgers to run out there on an everyday basis. Joc Pederson may be the odd man out, but they will likely rotate a lot with Chris Taylor , Cody Bellinger , Justin Turner , Max Muncy , and Manny Machado all able to play different positions. On the Twins side, Forsythe should play everyday, which gives him AL Only appeal. Smeltzer is a lefty specialist that has no value outside of holds formats. Raley is a power hitting first baseman that could be an everyday DH or a AAAA player.

The Baltimore Orioles traded Kevin Gausman to the Atlanta Braves for Jean Carlos Encarnacion, Bruce Zimmerman, and Brett Cumberland. Gausman should benefit from pitching in the NL even though the park isn’t well suited to his long ball tendencies. The defense behind him will be better which helps and leaving Camden makes Suntrust more of a lateral move in terms of parks. Encarnacion is a pop up prospect that has gained some pop this year and could be the future everyday third baseman for the Orioles. Zimmerman is left-handed starter that has struggled mightily with command in AA this year. He has a limited upside and could end up in the pen where his stuff plays up better. Cumberland is an offensive first catcher with pop and a great hit tool and if he can stay behind the plate, he could be a really nice fantasy option, but there are conflicting beliefs on whether his defense can improve enough for him to catch long term.

The Milwaukee Brewers have acquired Jonathan Schoop for Jonathan Villar , Luis Ortiz, and Jean Carmona. Schoop will to move to shortstop for Milwaukee since the addition of Mike Moustakas has moved Travis Shaw to second base. This will be nice for his fantasy value as he will likely gain dual eligibility very quick. However, for the pitchers in Milwaukee, this could be disastrous. Milwaukee starters have enjoyed the lowest BABIP in the Majors this year and having two player playing out of their natural positions. Villar is currently on the DL, but he should garner more playing time in Baltimore, but the Orioles once again are among the least aggressive teams on the base paths this year. Ortiz is a nice get for the Orioles, but he needs to stay healthy to continue developing. High upside with a low floor as a starter. Carmona is a long ways away being only 19-years-old, but should stick at short and could be a 20/20 threat once he grows into his power.

That Happened?

Zack Godley threw seven scoreless innings versus the Rangers, striking out 10 and only allowing one walk. Godley has looked better as of late and only walked two batters in as many starts. This was Godley’s best start and his curveball was filthy which is what made him an interesting sleeper coming into the season. If he can continue the gains, he could be a second half savior for a lot of teams that grabbed him off the wire.

Jake Lamb may need season ending surgery after the Diamondbacks announced he has fraying in his injured shoulder. Lamb’s season never got off the ground as he was injured off and on much of the year. This may be an indication of why they traded for Eduardo Escobar recently.

Jon Gray threw 7.1 innings versus the Cardinals on Tuesday, allowing two earned runs and striking out five. It is his third straight quality start since returning from the minors and he has only allowed only five walks and one home run in that span. Gray had an elite FIP and xFIP prior to being demoted, so he was likely the victim of some bad luck, but that also happens in Colorado. There will be ups and downs with Gray, but he is showing why many thought he could thrive in the thin Rocky Mountain air.

Daniel Murphy went yard twice yesterday versus the Mets in the 25-4 drubbing of the Mets. Murphy started slow after missing much of the season following offseason knee surgery, but this is a sign he is starting to heat up. Murphy is in the final year of his deal and last time that happened, he went crazy, if you’re looking for a narrative to believe in.

What We’ll Be Watching Today

Noah Syndergaard versus the Nationals. As mentioned above, the Nats went off on the Mets yesterday, but Thor return from dealing with hand, foot, and mouth disease.

Tyler Glasnow returns to the rotation. Glasnow draws the Angels in his first start with the Rays. The former top prospect is an interesting buy in fantasy leagues given his pedigree. If he can learn to repeat his mechanics regularly, he will be dangerous.

Cole Hamels makes his debut for the Cubs since being traded by the Rangers. Hamels has been awful as of late but will have a better defense behind him and get to face pitchers in the National League where he was extremely successful with the Phillies.

Schoop versus Machado. Former teammates face off after the Orioles traded both of them away this month.

Baseball. Lots of baseball.