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When MLB trades happen prior to the August 1 deadline, we'll have analysis of all the fantasy implications right here!
Blue Jays acquire SP Francisco Liriano from Pirates for SP Drew Hutchison
Liriano has a 5.46 ERA thanks to horrible control, but he still whiffs plenty of batters. However, the Jays' rotation appears full at the moment. Oh, well.
Tyler Glasnow will get to pitch through his struggles when he comes off the DL, as the Pirates are waving the white flag. Hutchison could join him soon, as pitching coach Ray Searage has been a wizard with many starters. Still, don't expect much from Hutchison this season.
Pirates acquire SP Ivan Nova for two prospects to be named later
Despite a 4.90 ERA (4.41 career), Nova isn't terrible for you NL-only owners. If you miss out on Hill or Moore, Nova could be a low-investment consolation prize. His ground-balling ways will fit well with the Bucs.
Luis Severino returns to the Yankee rotation now, right? RIGHT???!!!
Orioles acquire 1B/2B Steve Pearce from Rays for C prospect Jonah Heim
Maybe Duffy plays second base in Tampa with Pearce out of the way. Pearce is a lefty masher, who could split time at DH with the O's. His fantasy value doesn't really change.
Giants acquire SP Matt Moore from Rays for 3B Matt Duffy, SS prospect Lucius Fox and SP prospect Michael Santos
Moore will replace either Matt Cain or Jake Peavy (probably Cain) in the Giants' rotation. Moore has had quality starts in eight of his last nine outings, and is worth a healthy bid in NL-only leagues this week. He's behind Rich Hill in the pecking order, though.
Duffy won't play third base in Tampa, but he has played second and short in the past. With Pearce traded, the keystone seems more likely for Duffy. He's probably not worthy of consideration beyond AL-only leagues, as he struggled before going on the DL.
Eduardo Nunez just celebrated in San Francisco now that Duffy is out of the way. Nunez is one of the deadline's biggest fantasy winners, and he's available in 25.3 percent of FOXSports.com leagues.
Rangers acquire C Jonathan Lucroy and RP Jeremy Jeffress for OF prospect Lewis Brinson and SP prospect Luis Ortiz
Lucroy becomes the Rangers' regular catcher, and the object of this week's highest AL-only bids. Jeffress figures to set up for Sam Dyson, whose bowling-ball sinker has been solid.
Jeffress leaves a hole at the back end of the Brewers' bullpen, as Will Smith was also traded today. Look for Tyler Thornburg (owned in 1.2 percent of FOXSports.com leagues) to get first crack at the closer job, as he's been outstanding all season. Grab Thornburg ASAP in all formats. Corey Knebel (0.2 percent owned) should be next in line. (Thanks to Rotowire MLB editor/Brewer fan Derek VanRiper for confirming that hypothesis.)
As noted below, Andrew Susac is likely to take over Milwaukee's catching duties. Brinson and Ortiz are top-100 prospects who could be ready by the end of next season.
Mets acquire Jay Bruce from Reds for 2B prospect Dilson Herrera and SP prospect Max Wotell
If Yoenis Cespedes (quad) doesn't go on the DL this week, the Mets will have an outfield of Cespedes, Bruce and Curtis Granderson, with Michael Conforto banished further into baseball purgatory. Will Cespedes play center field? Anyway, Bruce moves to a less-friendly hitter's ballpark, but over two months that won't impact his fantasy value much.
Jose Peraza (owned in 0.3 percent of FOXSports.com leagues) might get more playing time in Cincinnati with Bruce gone. Peraza is speedy enough to be valuable in most formats, as long as he doesn't get benched for his awful bat.
Herrera is batting .276 with 13 homers and six steals at Triple A. He's currently blocked by Brandon Phillips, but maybe the Reds will make room for their underrated new prospect before next season.
Rangers acquire OF Carlos Beltran from Yankees for SP prospects Dillon Tate, Erik Swanson and Nick Green
Beltran could play DH and left field for the Rangers, taking at bats from Jurickson Profar and Ryan Rua. This doesn't change Beltran's fantasy value.
Slugging OF prospect Aaron Judge is on the DL with a knee injury, but when he's ready - which could be soon - he could assume Beltran's time in right field and become an asset in deeper mixed leagues. Until then, Aaron Hicks should get a chance to fix his lost season.
Tate is an A-ball prospect who was picked fourth overall out of college in 2015, but hasn't panned out this season (5.12 ERA).
Indians acquire OF Brandon Guyer from Rays for OF prospect Nathan Lukes and SP prospect Johnlieder Salinas
Guyer will probably platoon with Lonnie Chisenhall in right field for the Tribe, but they DFA's Juan Uribe today, meaning that Jose Ramirez should move to third base, and another move might be coming.
The Rays get Desmond Jennings off the DL this week, so their outfield won't see much notable change.
Giants acquire RP Will Smith from Brewers for C Andrew Susac and SP prospect Phil Bickford
Smith remains a setup man in San Francisco. Nothing to see on that front.
Here's a good article on Bickford, the Giants' top prospect who's more of a command guy than a stuff guy. Susac is a decent-hitting catcher who could start for the Brewers immediately if Jonathan Lucroy gets traded. Susac is batting .265 with eight homers and a .789 OPS at Triple A this season.
Dodgers acquire OF Josh Reddick and SP Rich Hill from A's for SP prospects Frankie Montas, Grant Holmes and Jharel Cotton
NL-only owners should obviously jump on Reddick and Hill. Hill is on the DL, but he could be back later this week to slide into a currently unoccupied slot in the Dodger rotation. Hill has been really good this season, and his minor injury issues have probably alleviated any workload concerns.
The Dodger outfield is crowded, and you have to wonder if this deal is a precursor to Yasiel Puig's departure. Reddick wasn't acquired to sit on the bench.
Montas has pitched only 16 innings this season due to injuries, but he's the best prospect of the group, and could help the A's (possibly as a reliever) by next season. My guess is that the outfielder-less A's will call up OF Brett Eibner, who was acquired in the Billy Burns deal over the weekend. Eibner has 14 homers between the minors and majors this season, and could be a warm body for AL-only owners.
Orioles acquire SP Wade Miley from Mariners for SP prospect Ariel Miranda
Look for Miley to replace either Ubaldo Jimenez or Yovani Gallardo in the O's rotation. Miley has allowed 18 home runs in 112 innings this season, and the move to Camden Yards won't help. For fantasy purposes, this trade is useless.
The back end of the Mariners' rotation is a mess, with Wade LeBlanc scheduled to start on Tuesday. Taijuan Walker might come off the DL soon, though.
Indians acquire RP Andrew Miller from Yankees for OF prospect Clint Frazier, SP prospect Justus Sheffield, and minor-league RPs Ben Heller and J.P. Feyereisen
In real life ... nice job, Brian Cashman. Again. Frazier is a power-speed prospect (ranked No. 21 midseason by Baseball America) who could be in the Bronx next season, while Sheffield is a hard-throwing A-ball lefty with a bright future.
In Cleveland, it's not yet clear if Miller will replace Cody Allen as the team's closer. Both are almost universally owned, with Miller available in just 10.9 percent of FOXSports.com fantasy leagues, and Allen available in 12.8. On the odd chance that either one is on your league's wire, pounce.
Dellin Betances (58.1 percent owned) is in line to become the Yankees' new closer. He's a fire-breathing monster with baseball's highest strikeout rate (89 K in 50 1/3 IP), and should be a top-five closer over the season's final two months.
Padres trade OF Matt Kemp to Braves for IF/OF Hector Olivera
In real life, the Padres did this to save some money. When Olivera is reinstated from his suspension for a domestic violence incident, he is expected to be DFA'd by the Padres. It's conceivable that we might never hear from Olivera again, and he'll have made $62 million for 108 big-league plate appearances. Amazing.
The Padres are expected to call up slugger Jabari Blash to replace Kemp, leaving prospects Manuel Margot and Hunter Renfroe in the minors. Blash has 11 homers in 229 plate appearances at Triple A this season, but he whiffs a lot. Beyond NL-only leagues, you probably don't need to bother with him. Renfroe will probably be up soon.
Look for Kemp to replace Jeff Francoeur in left field for the Braves. Kemp's fantasy value won't change much, except for maybe fewer RBI opportunities.
Nationals acquire RP Mark Melancon from Pirates for RP Felipe Rivero and RP Taylor Hearn
The Nationals have their new closer, with Melancon's arrival in D.C. pretty much closing out the Jonathan Papelbon Era. If you still own Papelbon, there's no reason to keep him any more.
The Pirates' website suggests that Tony Watson (owned in 3.2 percent of FOXSports.com leagues) and Neftali Feliz (2.1 percent owned) could compete for saves, but the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes that the trade "paves the way" for Watson to take over in the ninth inning. Still, I wouldn't mind taking a shot at Feliz if it didn't cost much and I could stash him on a bench. He's been really good this season (2.97 ERA, 45 K in 39 1/3 IP).
Rivero is a fireballing lefty who is regarded by many as a future closer. That could happen in 2017 if things break right, so consider him in keeper leagues if the setup dictates.
Padres trade SP Andrew Cashner and SP prospect Tayron Guerrero to Marlins for SP Jarred Cosart, RP Carter Capps and 1B prospect Josh Naylor
This deal is boring for fantasy purposes. Cashner and Rea figure to replace Jose Urena and Cosart in the Marlins' rotation. When Wei-Yin Chen comes off the DL, Rea could be in trouble. Nobody's fantasy value changes much on the Marlins' end.
The always-disappointing Cosart will join the Padres' rotation, and the San Diego Union-Tribune projects that swingman Paul Clemens will join him. Neither is even worthy of your excitement in NL-only leagues. When playing DFS, you might want to focus more on targeting the San Diego starters.
Looking ahead, if Capps' recovery from Tommy John surgery goes well, he could be a sleeper for 2017 saves in San Diego.
(Note: This deal originally had SP Colin Rea going to the Marlins and SP prospect Luis Castillo heading to the Padres, but the players were swapped back due to medical issues with Rea.)
Giants acquire 3B/SS Eduardo Nunez from Twins for SP prospect Adalberto Mejia
Nunez is having a terrific season, batting .300 with 12 home runs and 26 stolen bases. However, his fantasy owners should be worried. Per SFGate.com, Matt Duffy (who will begin a rehab assignment this weekend) has been told that he's still the third baseman. Brandon Crawford and Joe Panik occupy the middle infield, so Nunez is probably looking at a part-time role. Don't waive him yet in mixed leagues, but start looking for replacements. This is a disappointing turn of events for a pleasant fantasy surprise.
The Twins recalled SS Jorge Polanco (.271, 9 HR, 5 SB at Triple A) after completing the trade, and hopefully they'll let him play. Polanco's speed and decent bat make him playable in deeper mixed leagues. Eduardo Escobar is the other option at SS, and he's not going to help anyone (including the Twins).
Blue Jays acquire OF Melvin Upton Jr. from Padres for SP prospect Hansel Rodriguez
It's unclear how Upton will fit with the Blue Jays, but the team's website suggests that Upton's arrival could shift Jose Bautista to DH, Edwin Encarnacion to 1B and Justin Smoak to the bench. Stay tuned.
The Padres' website reports that OF prospect Hunter Renfroe (.331 BA, 25 HR, .963 OPS at Triple A) is the "most likely candidate" to replace Upton. If promoted, Renfroe can be a power source in any format where you have a need, but a puny walk rate (16 BB in 418 PA) suggests that he might struggle. Don't get too excited and cut an established hitter for Renfroe - think of him more as a guy that can fill an opening. He's probably not a top-50 fantasy outfielder.
Rodriguez is a decent Class-A pitching prospect. At 19, we won't see him in San Diego for a few years.
Yankees trade RP Aroldis Chapman to Cubs for RP Adam Warren, SS Gleyber Torres, OF Billy McKinney and OF Rashad Crawford
The Yankees got quite a haul in terms of prospects, with Torres being the headliner. Nice job, Brian Cashman.
For 2016 fantasy purposes, Chapman replaces Hector Rondon as the Cubs' closer. Sorry, Rondon owners. If you need a replacement for saves, some widely available options are Minnesota's Brandon Kintzler (owned in 10.2 percent of FOXSports.com leagues), Colorado's Carlos Estevez (10.1 percent owned) and San Diego's Brandon Maurer (5.6 percent owned).
In the Bronx, we have to assume that Andrew Miller (85.1 percent owned) will get the lion's share of saves instead of Dellin Betances (56.6 percent owned), since Miller had 36 saves last season to Betances' nine. However, the hedging Yankees might be in fire-sale mode before the end of the week, so Betances might be worth grabbing in case Miller also gets traded.
