One of the only decent things to come out of the lockout is the compressed timeframe for teams to get their rosters ready for Opening Day which will create an NBA/NFL-esque free agent and trade frenzy in the next weeks. I will posting these regularly until the season starts.

Covered in this article: Cruz, Olson, Winker, Suárez, Williamson, and Dunn

Previous editions: March 14th Pt. 1 |

Nelson Cruz to WAS

Was his time with the Rays a BABIP-fueled blip (96 wRC+, .252 BABIP) or the start of legitimate decline? He also struck out in 27% of his 238 PA after being traded over. Maybe he hated the Trop, too, because that’s where he really struggled, posting just a .603 OPS in 101 PA. Even a Cruz who is more his 2021 line (122 wRC+) than the guy who put up a 164 in 735 PA from 2019-20 is totally fine. The top half of that Nationals lineup is coming together with Lane Thomas, César Hernández, Juan Soto, Cruz, and Josh Bell giving them a strong top five while Keibert Ruiz could give it a bit more length in the 6-spot. His bat plays everywhere, and Nationals Park is a bit of an unheralded offensive gem, giving righties a 103 Park Factor (5th in MLB) over the last three seasons. At age-41, it is worth planning for fewer plate appearances, but anywhere north of 450 should be enough to be an impact bat.

Bottom line: Premium slugger aging gracefully at age-41 and all of sudden this Washington lineup isn’t so bad, either.

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8/1/21

The latest episode of “The Sleeper and the Bust” is live. Support the show by subscribing to our Patreon!!

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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.

BOS gets: OF/DH… 1B? Kyle Schwarber

WAS gets: RHP Aldo Ramirez

Schwarber is still on the IL nursing a right hamstring strain he suffered in early July. The latest is that he been jogging a bit but that doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s due back soon. He is expected back before the end of the year, but this is definitely a playoff move for the Red Sox.

It is hard to assess things before Schwarber is ready to return, but I would believe this is bad news for Jarren Duran with Alex Verdugo moving to center and Schwarber in left. Duran has struggled mightily in 37 PA so far with a 29 wRC+ and 32% K rate. The time between now and Schwarber’s return will essentially be his audition to stick around. If he does somehow turn it around, I wonder if the Red Sox could see Schwarber as a first base option.

He apparently stood there once but doesn’t have any formal experience as far as I can tell. And it’s not just as simple as putting someone there and they will automatically get it, but Schwarber is an adept defender and I think he could take to 1B well. But again, that really only becomes an option if Duran turns it around. In Washington, this will keep Gerardo Parra in the outfield even once Schwarber is healthy but that isn’t particularly fantasy relevant.

Ramirez was 14th in Boston’s system and he’s a decent arm who is still young enough to develop. If he continues to improve his command, he can reach a backend starter’s future and he is having a productive season at A-ball, particularly with the command. He has a 6% BB rate and 0.3 HR/9 in 31 IP while also fanning 25% of his batters with a 2.03 ERA/1.13 WHIP.

It might not feel like a huge get for how good Schwarber was playing, but in addition to being hurt, power corner infielders just aren’t going to draw major returns, even in a seller’s market like this. Ramirez instantly becomes a top 10 prospect for the Nats, though that speaks more to their thin system than Ramirez’s upside. It’s a solid trade.

The Toronto Blue Jays added some much-needed starting pitching with the addition of José Berríos

The Twins have traded Jose Berrios to the Blue Jays for prospects Simeon Woods Richardson and Austin Martin.

Berríos was one of the hottest starting pitchers on the trade market. He’s been having a career season with a 3.48 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 9.3 K/9. The ERA and WHIP are career bests because of a .261 BABIP (.289 career BABIP). I could not find anything new in his batted ball profile to support a lower BABIP, so I expect some upward regression. Read the rest of this entry »

The Braves continue to add outfield help with the recent loss of Ronald Acuña Jr. by trading for Eddie Rosario and Adam Duvall.

• The Guardians trade Eddie Rosario and cash considerations to the Braves for Pablo Sandoval.
• The Marlins trade Adam Duvall to the Braves for Alex Jackson.

These two moves could have quite a few fantasy implications, especially in leagues where nearly every player is rostered.

The addition of Adam Duvall (.229/.277/.478 with 22 HR and 5 SB) creates a decent outfielder when he’s paired with Joc Pederson. Pederson has always performed better against right-handed pitching (career .834 OPS vs RHP, .609 OPS vs LHP) even though the numbers this year are similar. On the other hand, Duvall has been balanced (.775 OPS vs .755 OPS) and would be a nice platoon partner. It might not be Duvall who gets paired with Pederson, but Pederson continues to prove he can’t hit left-handed pitching (While the pair don’t completely make up for the loss of Acuna, it’s better than running out 30-year-old Guillermo Heredia and his .709 OPS every night. 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.

NYY gets: 1B Anthony Rizzo

CHC gets: CF Kevin Alcantara, RH P Alexander Vizcaíno

When I heard that Luke Voit was on the block, I thought it was to fit Trevor Story in and put DJ LeMahieu at 1B. Instead, they acquire a second lefty power hitter in the same day as Rizzo joins Joey Gallo in the Bronx. They did add to their GIDP “problem” as Rizzo brings another 10, giving them five guys with at least double digits, but I’m not really sure why that has become such a talking point for Yankees fans. The Yankees are tops in the league with 97, but the Astros have 94 and they are 10 games better than New York so it’s not really a great measure of success.

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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.

SEA gets: RH RP Diego Castillo

TBR gets: RH RP JT Chargois, 3B Austin Shenton

Maybe all the handwringing about the Kendall Graveman trade was misplaced after all. GM Jerry DiPoto made it clear that he wasn’t done and has made a pair of deals since dealing Graveman. At this point, your feelings on this probably depend more on how you feel about Abraham Toro and Shenton.

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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.

TOR gets: LH RP Brad Hand

WAS gets: C Riley Adams

Despite the recent struggles of Hand, the Jays brought the lefty veteran in to solidify their bullpen and perhaps even take over the closer’s role. Hand was dominating through early July with a 2.43 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 16% K-BB, and 19 SVs in 21 tries. An impossibly bad 5-game stretch saw him allow eight runs (seven earned) thanks to 11 base runners in just 4.7 innings. He blew three saves and collected three losses.

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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 »

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:

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