Deadline Coverage: OAK Gets a Premium OF; MIA Reels in Another Big Arm

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.

Marte gets a little boost offensively here, but there could be a hit to his most fantasy-relevant statistic. Miami Stadium is the worst park in the league for right-hander home runs and while Oakland Coliseum is only five points better, it is still an improvement. More importantly, just entering a better lineup bodes well for his runs and RBIs as he leaves the 27th team in runs (398) for the 15th (445). The SBs could be some danger, though.

The Marlins have the second-most stolen bases in the league with 73 while the A’s are tied for the 11th-most at 41. Part of it could be that they just don’t have a lot of guys worth sending on the bases, though. Their last 20-base stealer was Billy Burns (26) in 2015. Laureano and Marcus Semien are the closest thing they have had to base stealers since then.

I won’t rule out the idea that they let Marte continue to run as he is the best runner they’ve had in a long time, but I understand those who are concerned about his SBs after this trade. Projections had him for 11-12 more the rest of the way and he could certainly do that. I would probably put him down for 8-10, but I doubt the A’s just completely slow him down.

Luzardo is a perfect buy low for the Marlins. The 23-year-old lefty had a ton of hype coming into the season but nothing has gone right for him, either in the majors (6.87 ERA/1.63 WHIP) or minors (6.52 ERA/1.66 WHIP). A change of scenery where he is heading home (born in Peru, but grew up in Florida and actually went to high school in Parkland, FL where the awful tragedy happened) could be perfect for him.

He still has a quality slider, throws 96 from the left side, and is absolutely young enough to rebound. After all, he has just 109 major league innings under his belt. There is still a very good chance that this ends up being but a blip on the radar of a strong career. The current crop of arms produced by the Marlins has earned them a solid reputation and it isn’t hard to envision Luzardo rebounding with them.

Marte’s departure will earn the likes of Magneuris Sierra and Lewis Brinson more playing time, but neither shown anything close to fantasy relevance in their careers.