Roto Riteup: July 28, 2018

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July 28, 2018

The Roto Riteup hopes you remember the good times.

On the Agenda:
1. Trades and Rumors
2. Various News and Notes
3. Streaming Pitchers

 

Trades and Rumors
Right before the clock struck midnight, the Royals and Brewers made a significant trade. Milwaukee sends Brett Phillips and Jorge Lopez to Kansas City for Mike Moustakas.


Moustakas has been a top-12 option at third base despite only hitting .249. His move from Kauffman Stadium to Miller Park – in addition to the improved lineup — will no doubt provide benefits to his value. He still has a mutual option for next season that can be picked up for $15 million, so this could be more than a one-year rental for the Brewers. Travis Shaw will be moving to second base in this scenario, as Milwaukee will be using a plethora of bench options to help give themselves an advantage in platoon splits consistently. The Royals get back the 12th and 23rd ranked prospects in the Brewers system according to Eric Longenhagen’s preseason list. Phillips will quickly receive solid playing time I’d presume, with Lopez also slotting into the bullpen. Lopez has command issues and posted a 2.75 ERA and 1.48 WHIP over 15 IP in the majors this season. Phillips is no doubt the more interesting fantasy commodity, but at 24 he’s going to have to demonstrate some solid skills fairly soon. He’s an AL-Only option right now, with Lopez being a “watch list” candidate if he indeed finds himself in the closer role – which isn’t great to begin with.

NL East foes – the Phillies and Mets – made a swap yesterday as well, with the Mets sending Asdrubal Cabrera in exchange for minor league starter Franklyn Kilome.


Cabrera is only a rental, but with the Phillies trying to compete he’ll be a nice boost to the lineup. He’s hitting .285 with 14 HR against RHP this season and has already been told that he’ll play 2B, 3B, and SS for the club. This move will be a slight hit to the value of all the current infielders – Kingery, Hernandez, and Franco – and will have him seeing slightly less playing time as well more than likely. With that said, Cabrera will continue to be a mixed league asset going forward. In regards to the Mets return, Kilome was ranked fifth on Eric Longenhagen’s preseason list for the Phillies, and has compiled a 4.24 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, and an 83/51 K:BB ratio over 102 IP. Per Longenhagen, Kilome boasts a mid-90’s fastball with a strong curve and fringe command. He could be making starts in the big leagues as early as September.

Eduardo Escobar tweeted out a nice farewell to all the Twins fans after he was traded yesterday.


Escobar was traded to the Diamondbacks in exchange for Jhoan Duran, Gabriel Maciel, Ernie De La Trinidad.


With Jake Lamb hitting the disabled list, Escobar will begin his Diamondbacks tenure manning third base for them. Ketel Marte will hit the bench, at least according to roster resource as of now. Once Lamb returns we’ll likely see limited at-bats for Descalso and Ahmed as well. Either way, this is a lateral move for him and we should expect more of the same. On the other end, Jhoan Duran and Gabriel Maciel were both ranked in the top-15 on Eric Longenhagen’s preseason list for the Diamondbacks. Duran is a RHP with a smooth delivery and strong fastball. His two secondary offerings each flash plus, but he’s still a few years away. Maciel, is a switch-hitting, speedy outfielder who will also take a few years to make an impact. Trinidad is a lefty outfielder who was a 19th round pick in the 2017 draft. He’s currently in A-ball hitting .311/.403/.442 with 8 HR, 6 SB, and 56 RBI in 379 PA.

Ken Rosenthal reported on Friday that Ryan Pressly was traded to the Astros.


There’s been no definitive word on whether Pressly will be considered for save chances as of now, but regardless Houston adds a stable option to their bullpen. The return for the Twins included a pair of top-14 prospects according to Eric Longenhagen’s preseason list, RHP Jorge Alcala and OF Gilberto Celestino. Both are premier talents, with Alcala being the more polished overall prospect of the two. He’s made it to Double-A Corpus Christi and has compiled a 3.29 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 82/35 K:BB ratio over 79 IP between two levels this season. Celestino was hitting .317/.383/.476 with 4 HR and 14 SB in A-ball prior to the trade.

Another Ken Rosenthal report talked about Kyle Gibson and the interest he’s been able to generate.

Pete Abraham of Boston Globe reported that the Red Sox have been watching Cardinals relievers.

After only allowing 2 ER over his last 2 GS (15 IP) with 15 K and 5 BB, White Sox LHP Carlos Rodon has been looked at by potential trade candidates.

The Mariners acquired Sam Tuivailala in exchange for RHP Seth Elledge on Friday.


This doesn’t carry much weight in terms of fantasy, but Tuivailala is a decent back-end relief arm for the contending Mariners. He also gives them an option to use in the scenario that Edwin Diaz goes down.

According to Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports, the Cubs, Rockies, and Indians all “retain interest” in Orioles reliever Brad Brach. This once again makes Mychal Givens a player that at least needs to be on speed dial in deeper formats. He could end up being the lead candidate for saves in the Baltimore pen when the trade deadline is said and done.

Royals GM Dayton Moore expressed that the club will not trade Whitt Merrifield.

Ken Rosenthal reports that the Orioles and Brewers are engaged in serious trade discussions.

 

Various News and Notes
According to Jorge Castillo, Sean Doolittle is expected to undergo another MRI on his foot on Monday. It’ll be the second time he’ll have had to do this. The hope is he doesn’t have a stress fracture. In the mean time Kelvin Herrera and Ryan Madson are the best bets for saves in Washington.

Miguel Sano was promoted from Triple-A Rochester after the departure of Eduardo Escobar. He should be owned in all formats based on his upside alone.

An MRI performed on Kris Bryant’s shoulder resulted in good news as it confirmed that there was no structural damage. He was given a cortisone shot, but there’s currently no timetable for his return.

Strassy update:

There were conflicting reports on the possible signing of Cuban prospect Victor Victor Mesa, but here’s the latest:


Mesa would be a top-100 prospect immediately and would likely rise through any minor league system fairly quickly. Stay tuned.

 

Streaming Pitchers
A Pitcher for Today: Trevor Williams vs NYM

A Pitcher for Tomorrow: Andrew Suarez vs MIL
The Brewers are 23rd in wRC+ in July (90) and Suarez owns a 3.35 ERA at home.

Hail Mary Option: Felix Pena vs SEA
Still expanding his pitch count, but has only allowed more than two runs in an outing once in six starts. Like Milwaukee, Seattle is also towards the bottom in wRC+ this month and Pena has strong skills (49% GB, 9.5 K/9, 3.3 BB/9, 65% F-Strike, 13% SwStr, 3.34 ERA, 1.30 WHIP).





 

Fantasy Baseball and Tampa Bay Rays enthusiast. Restaurant manager by day, fantasy analyst by night. Contributor to Rotographs, Baseball HQ, Fantasy Pros, and co-owner of Friends with Fantasy Benefits. Follow me @MikeWernerFWFB.

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