Just starting with the trade as it has been reported:

The Guardians trade Cesar Hernandez to the White Sox for Konnor Pilkington

While the White Sox filled a void at second base that was created when Nick Madrigal was lost for the season, the trade might be a linear move for Hernandez’s fantasy value.

So far this season, Hernandez’s fantasy value has him as the 28th middle infielder boosted by his 18 HR and 60 Runs (T25th in the majors). Hernandez’s biggest valuation gain will come from the other White Sox hitters. They are just better than those in Cleveland and should give him a better chance for at-bats, Runs, and RBI. So far this season, the White Sox have averaged 4.94 R/G while the Guardians are at 4.28 R/G. Also, the White Sox have not been at full strength. They just got Eloy Jiménez back from the IL and Luis Robert could return soon.

While the park is an upgrade on the surface, it shouldn’t make a major difference. The new park would not have allowed just one additional projected home run on the season. His value will hinge on where he gets slotted into the lineup. Read the rest of this entry »

The Astros added some much need bullpen depth with the following trade.

Astros trade outfielder Bryan De La Cruz to Miami for reliever Yimi García

Truthfully, I was hoping for some more closer trades to add to this one, but it’s time to clean the slate and wait for some more trades.

Note: The following players are ranked from most redraft fantasy value added to the most lost.

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The Yankees acquired much-needed outfield by adding Joey Gallo and trading away some better than slap-dick prospects.

• The Rangers trade Joey Gallo and Joely Rodríguez for prospects Ezequiel Duran, Josh Smith, Trevor Hauver, and Glenn Otto

There are some obvious players gaining and losing value, but there is some murkiness that should clear up by the end of the weekend. As of now, here is who I see as the players gaining and losing values in the trade.

Note: The following players are ranked from most redraft fantasy value added to the most lost.

Up

Joey Gallo

The Yankees needed at least one outfield replacement since they’ve been rolling out the likes of Estevan Florial, Greg Allen, Brett Gardner, and Ryan LaMarre. And they have been the replacements in the last two games. For the season, Gallo is hitting .223/.379/.490 with 25 HR and 6 SB. This is what has always been expected from Gallo. His 162 game average is .211/.336/.497 with 41 HR and 7 SB. With the Yankees dealing with several injuries (e.g. Aaron Judge and Luke Voit), Gallo should slot into the top of the lineup dropping down either Gleyber Torres (.678 OPS) or Rougned Odor (.757 OPS). Read the rest of this entry »

“Knocking Down The Door” is a weekly column highlighting minor leaguers who are making a case for a major league promotion. Listed below are the names of this week’s picks and the player’s team, age, level(s), prospect ranking, and last 2-3 weeks of statistics.

The analysis can be viewed in the embedded video of the previous day’s episode of The RosterResource Show, a weekly live stream focused on all things related to rosters, transactions, and RosterResource content at FanGraphs.

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The 2021 version of Bullpen Report includes five different sections, as well as the closer chart, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

1. Notable Workloads: Primary closers or valuable members of a closer committee who have been deemed unavailable or likely unavailable for the current day due to recent workload.
2. Injury News 
3. Outlier Saves: Explanation for a non-closer earning a save during the previous day.
4. Committee Clarity: Notes on a closer committee that clarify a pitcher’s standing in the group.
5. Losing A Grip: Struggling closers who could be on the hot seat.

The “RosterResource” link will take you to the corresponding team’s RosterResource depth chart, which will give you a better picture of the full bullpen and results of the previous six days (pitch count, save, hold, win, loss, blown save.)

Click HERE to view the full Closer Depth Chart.
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Jeff Zimmerman and I will be covering the fantasy relevant deals this week, highlighting the winners and losers and pointing out the actionable items for you in your leagues.

MIL gets: UT Eduardo Escobar

ARI gets: C Cooper Hummel, IF Alberto Ciprian

Escobar seemed like a lock for White Sox before that trade was 86’d by the Nightengale hex:

Read the rest of this entry »

Jeff Zimmerman and I will be covering the fantasy relevant deals this week, highlighting the winners and losers and pointing out the actionable items for you in your leagues.

OAK gets: OF Starling Marte, cash (the rest of Marte’s contract)

MIA gets: P Jesús Luzardo

Now this is a deadline blockbuster!

This is essentially a rightfield upgrade for the A’s as their -0.3 WAR there is 27th in the league. Marte will likely assume center but then Ramón Laureano and his brilliant arm head to right, displacing the Stephen Piscotty/Seth Brown platoon. Piscotty wasn’t viable in any format while Brown has 12 HR and 2 SB but just a .199 AVG, so I can’t imagine he was being used in anything but AL-Only leagues. Speaking of AL-Only leagues, Marte is a total game-changer in those formats.

Read the rest of this entry »

Jeff Zimmerman and I will be covering the fantasy relevant deals this week, highlighting the winners and losers and pointing out the actionable items for you in your leagues.

HOU gets: RP Kendall Graveman, RP Rafael Montero

SEA gets: IF Abraham Toro, RP Joe Smith

On the heels of an amazing comeback win, the optics of trading your closer to team you just beat aren’t great, but optics don’t win games and this move makes a lot of sense. The Mariners have a 6% chance to make the playoffs, sitting behind Houston and Oakland, both of whom are unquestionably better than them at this moment. Keeping a 30-year-old free-agent-to-be with 33 good innings make absolutely no sense. Just because it angered fans and even some players doesn’t mean it was wrong.

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NEW FEATURE ALERT! We have added an upgraded version of RosterResource’s Closer Depth Chart to FanGraphs. Read more about it here.

We will always include a link to the full Closer Depth Chart at the bottom of the Bullpen Report each day. It’s also accessible from the RosterResource drop-down menu and from any RosterResource page. Please let us know what you think.

1. Notable Workloads: Primary closers or valuable members of a closer committee who have been deemed unavailable or likely unavailable for the current day due to recent workload.
2. Injury News
3. Outlier Saves: Explanation for a non-closer earning a save during the previous day.
4. Committee Clarity: Notes on a closer committee that clarify a pitcher’s standing in the group.
5. Losing A Grip: Struggling closers who could be on the hot seat.

The “RosterResource” link will take you to the corresponding team’s RosterResource depth chart, which will give you a better picture of the full bullpen and results of the previous six days (pitch count, save, hold, win, loss, blown save).
Read the rest of this entry »

The force is strong with this one:

For some reason I felt this clip needed this. Thoughts @Padres? #FriarFaithful #Padres pic.twitter.com/0ETo3OCwGh

— Mike Kurland (@Mike_Kurland) July 27, 2021

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