Fallout from the David DeJesus trade

The Nationals made a move that could leave fantasy owners mildly perturbed, acquiring David DeJesus from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for a player to be named later. DeJesus was batting .250 with a .330 OBP while playing a well-regarded centerfield before being traded.

When you boil it down, this is a deal involving a newly minted fourth outfielder, but there are many players whose values could be altered with this simple deal. Let’s examine each and every one of them, shall we?

David DeJesus
DeJesus will be losing a great deal of playing time by going to Washington, but he should still play in most games, even if it just be a single plate appearance. DeJesus should be a solid pinch-hitter against right-handed pitchers, but the Nationals outfield is good enough defensively that the former Royal and Athletic shouldn’t see a whole lot of time as a defensive replacement. DeJesus has lost some roto value since leaving Kansas City, but his numbers have still be respectable as a plug-n-play platoon bat. Unless one of the Nationals’ outfielders get hurt, DeJesus should be dropped in all formats. Looking forward to next season, the Nats have a team option for DeJesus’ services, though he wouldn’t come cheap for a fourth outfielder.

Brian Bogusevic
The former hurler stands to inherit the Cubs’ job in center, and he was called up as soon as DeJesus was moved. Bogusevic has managed to hit .261 this year, but he’s yet to show any real power in his 13 big league games. The left-hander has dominated in Triple-A Iowa, though, and there’s some hope that his skills could transfer over to the majors. Owners should expect him to hit a couple of homers, steal a couple bases, and hit about .240 for the remainder of the 2013 season. Bogusevic could be a fourth outfielder if everything comes together, but he may just settle in as a Quad-A performer.

Junior Lake
DDJ’s departure means Lake has an immediate opening next season with no internal competition. Lake has been as advertised in his debut, showing off his toolsy nature while struggling to refine his plate approach. If the Cubs decide that Lake is the centerfielder of the future, Bogusevic can easily slide to left for the remainder of the season.

The Cubs Lineup
Losing DeJesus in favor of Bogusevic will hurt, but let’s be honest, there’s about 2.5 big league hitters in the lineup. Slight downticks could result, but odds are you won’t notice a difference in your game logs.

The Nationals Lineup
Adding DeJesus as a bench bat puts pressure on Denard Span to perform up to the organization’s liking, and he’s sort of been able to do that thus far. A good pinch-hitting option can mean more runs scored from hitters in the bottom of the Nationals’ order.





Zach is the creator and co-author of RotoGraphs' Roto Riteup series, and RotoGraphs' second-longest tenured writer. You can follow him on twitter.

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EmptyTheBench
10 years ago

Annnnd … he’s been waived. Wonder who they were trying to prevent from securing his services so badly that they were willing to give up a PTBNL and potentially take on his salary for this season.