RotoGraphs Fantasy Impact Trade Tracker

by Chad Young

August 3, 2026

With the All Star Break behind us, it is time for MLB teams to commit one way or the other – go all in for the playoff push or start building for the future? The trade deadline is just over two weeks away and you can expect to see a flurry of activity. Someone will get a new closer. Someone will upgrade at shortstop, bumping another bat to the bench. Someone will clear a spot for their top prospect to debut.

And that, of course, will have fantasy implications. While our partners on the green side of this site will go in depth into the whos and whats and whys of all that activity, this is where you can come for thoughts and analysis on the fantasy implications of each trade.

Our goal will be to update this article with new blurbs on each trade relatively quickly after it goes down. Don’t expect to find a bunch of thoughts on whether the Tigers are being foolish to ~~trade~~ ~~no, keep~~ ~~okay, maybe trade~~ do whatever it is they do with Tarik Skubal. But you will get a breakdown of who has become a priority add, who can be safely dropped, and who might suddenly slot in at a new position in your fantasy lineup.

[Note: Multiple RotoGraphs writers have contributed to this article]

Update Log:

You Aren't a FanGraphs Member

It looks like you aren't yet a FanGraphs Member (or aren't logged in). We aren't mad, just disappointed.

We get it. You want to read this article. But before we let you get back to it, we'd like to point out a few of the good reasons why you should become a Member.

1. Ad Free viewing! We won't bug you with this ad, or any other.

2. Unlimited articles! Non-Members only get to read 10 free articles a month. Members never get cut off.

3. Dark mode and Classic mode!

4. Custom player page dashboards! Choose the player cards you want, in the order you want them.

5. One-click data exports! Export our projections and leaderboards for your personal projects.

6. Remove the photos on the home page! (Honestly, this doesn't sound so great to us, but some people wanted it, and we like to give our Members what they want.)

7. Even more Steamer projections! We have handedness, percentile, and context neutral projections available for Members only.

8. Get FanGraphs Walk-Off, a customized year end review! Find out exactly how you used FanGraphs this year, and how that compares to other Members. Don't be a victim of FOMO.

9. A weekly mailbag column, exclusively for Members.

10. Help support FanGraphs and our entire staff! Our Members provide us with critical resources to improve the site and deliver new features!

We hope you'll consider a Membership today, for yourself or as a gift! And we realize this has been an awfully long sales pitch, so we've also removed all the other ads in this article. We didn't want to overdo it.

Click Here To Become a Member

August 3:
- Mize and Workman for Mayfield and Wolf
- Nootbaar for Eagen, Santana and a PTBNL
- Vodnik for Norby and May
- Griffin for Dion, Virguez, Hartle, and Mitchell
- Mayer for Miller and Gutierrez
- Ramos for Kent and Lalane
- Hoffman for Hill, Klein, and Pena
- Yates to Pittsburgh
- Bachar for Bidois, Lee, and Sanchez
- Lowe for Rivera
- Senzatela for Manfredi and Martinez
- Wells for Forret
- Holmes and Taylor for Rojas
- Bart for Davitt
- Smith for Macko
- Varsho for Arrighetti
- Zeferjahn for Ballesteros and McGwire
- Garrett for Beck and Long
- May and Romero for Frias and Ragsdale
- Hicks for Taylor, Kisting, and Santana
- Weaver for Stafura
- Ray for Mendez and Hernandez
- Bubic for Duran
- Doyle for Adams and Vielma
- Ward for Hoppe, Moore, and Kreiling
- Rutschman and Rogers for Eyanson, Witherspoon, Azocar, Narváez, and PTBNL
- Mahle for Molina
- Rortvedt for McDermott
- Adell for Cozart
- Soriano for Nimmala, Micheletti, and Rivero
- Arraez and Kilian for Gair and Marquez
- Raley for Gabrysh and Spikerman
- Brazobán for Davis and Franklin
- Gausman for Southisene and Bateman; Taillon for PTBNL
- Garcia for Cebert, Grable, Bird, and Cruz
August 2:
- Peralta for Gill Hill, Pitre, and Smith
- Skubal for Hope, Ryan, and Smith
- Castillo for Domínguez, Smith and Jones
- Thomas and Falter for Holton and Braun
- Doval for Alfonzo and Cruz
July 31:
- Naylor and Heuer for Yoho and Perkins
- Kremer for Reyes
July 30: Minter for Agbayani and Amick
July 29: Silseth and O’Hoppe for Arredondo
July 26: Early for Mead
July 15: McCullers and Gordon for Fielder

August 3rd: Detroit Trades Casey Mize and Gage Workman to San Diego for Kash Mayfield and Jackson Wolf

The analysis for this trade is pretty straightforward: it is a boon for Casey Mize enthusiasts, as niche as that group might be. He’s moving to a team whose bullpen hasn’t blown 24 saves (and, in fact, features perhaps the best single-inning pitcher on the planet). He is in the middle of a talent breakout with career marks in an alphabet soup of metrics both traditional and newfangled. The one statistical orange flag is a very low HR/FB rate (4.5%), which might regress, but might not, because he’s got great batted ball numbers and is moving to a park that suppresses offense better than his erstwhile home. All signs point to go, right?

Well…

There’s a reason I’ve been precise about saying he’s in a talent breakout, or that there is only one statistical orange flag: he is never consistently healthy. This year, he’s been out twice with a pesky groin. Last year, it was a hamstring. Same in 2024. He had Tommy John in 2022 and missed most of that season and 2023 as a result. It’s always something. All this to say: if you’re rostering Mize, there’s no reason to cut bait now. If you aren’t and have an opportunity to do what the Padres just did (trade a decent but not spectacular package) go for it, but don’t mortgage the farm.

Speaking of that return, Mayfield is an intriguing command and control lefty who, if he keeps up his solid production down the stretch, might crack the back end of the top 100 next year. He seems like someone who might be a valuable real-life player but whose best seasons are only rosterable in deeper or AL-only leagues. With a 2029 ETA per The Board, this isn’t someone who needs to be on your radar unless he finds another velo gear and/or he starts popping up on top-100 lists.

The other two pieces involved in the deal, Wolf (to Detroit) and Workman (to San Diego) are not fantasy relevant. Wolf is 27, hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2023, and with a 7.05 ERA, isn’t making waves in AAA this year. Workman’s ceiling is that of a utility infielder.

August 3rd: The Cardinals trade Lars Nootbaar to the Diamondbacks for Daniel Eagen, Sandro Santana, and a player to be named later

Lars Nootbaar might see his fantasy value increase because of this trade. With the Cardinals, he started only against righties (career .765 OPS vs RHP, .676 OPS vs LHP) and was struggling when in the lineup. On the season, he had a .688 OPS with 3 HR and 1 SB. His power settled at a new low with no signs of a rebound.

He wasn’t forcing the Cardinals to play him.

At least Nootbaar is headed to the Diamondbacks, who have struggled to get decent at-bats from any outfielder not named Corbin Carroll. Right now, Tim Tawa (.620 OPS), Max Kepler (.664 OPS), and Ryan Waldschmidt (.746 OPS) patrol the outfield. Additionally, outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (.541 OPS) is on the IL.

I think Waldschmidt should play more since he is batting .385/.395/.564 since his last promotion to the majors. Instead, he has started in just five of 10 games. If the team can’t find playing time for someone with a near 1.000 OPS, they may not be able to for Nootbaar.

As for the Cardinals, they gave the 28-year-old Bryan Torres the first start in right field in place of Nootbaar. In 94 PA this season, Torres is batting .241/.290/.437 with 4 HR and 1 SB. Torres is not the answer. I suspect we’ll see Joshua Báez (.901 OPS, 32 HR, 17 SB, 30% K%) once he can be promoted and retain his rookie eligibility. The team should have found out if he can hit major league pitching months ago.

As for Sandro Santana (21-year-old reliever in AA) and Daniel Eagen (23-year-old starter in AA), they are at least a year away from contributing in the majors.

August 3rd: Colorado Trades Victor Vodnik to Miami for Connor Norby and Aiden May

We are going to breeze through this one.

Yes, a pitcher with a big fastball leaving Colorado is a good thing. No, Vodnik does not suddenly become fantasy relevant. Maybe if he gets the 9th in Miami, but there is no reason to think that will happen anytime soon.

Yes, a hitter going to Colorado is a good thing. No, Connor Norby does not suddenly become fantasy relevant. He is more interesting than Vodnik, perhaps, but even in Coors it is hard to dream on a guy with a 30% K-rate and a hard-hit rate that isn’t much higher.

No, you never want to invest in a pitching prospect going to Colorado.

Glad we could have this discussion.

August 3rd: Washington Trades Foster Griffin to Cleveland for Will Dion, Josh Hartle, Kendeglys Virguez, and Nick Mitchell

Other than AL- vs. NL-only leagues, I am not sure Griffin’s fantasy value is impacted here. If it is, the impact is positive. He is moving from a bottom third defense to a top third defense and a bottom third pitcher’s park to a top third pitchers park, and that’s all good. I also think there is at least some upside in him landing with an org known for the ability to both identify and develop pitching. Those are all small up arrows this year and might be larger up arrows if Cleveland extends Griffin.

But there is other aftermath here. Cleveland’s rotation is set at the top with Gavin Williams, Parker Messick, and Tanner Bibee, and Griffin figures to slot into that group. Why else would they trade for him? But it is worth noting that, other than ERA, Joey Cantillo’s numbers (FIP, xFIP, xERA, K%-BB%) are not far off Griffin’s (in some cases better, in some worse). This suggests that Slade Cecconi will be the odd man out. But a 6-man rotation is also possible. We’ll have to see what the Guards do, but there is a possibility that all of these guys take a small hit if they are starting every 6th day instead of every 5th. If it were me? I would roll with five and let Cecconi relieve or work on stuff in Columbus.

The prospects leaving the Cleveland org are all varying degrees of interesting, but there is no fantasy impact here. Certainly not redraft and not dynasty either.

August 3rd: The Red Sox trade Marcelo Mayer to the Giants for Erik Miller and Carlos Gutierrez

This trade is the first real head-scratcher of the deadline. Mayer, once a top-20 prospect in the game, gets traded for a reliever I never heard of when the season started. In 339 draft champion leagues on the NFBC, where teams draft 750 players, he was drafted 40 times with an average pick of 742.

From Day 1, the 23-year-old Mayer struggled, ending up with a .594 OPS with 3 HR and 3 SB when he went on the IL at the end of June (forearm). The latest news is that he is hitting off a tee.

SS Marcelo Mayer
Injury: Bone stress reaction, left ulna
IL date: June 26 (10-day IL)
Expected return: August or September
Status: Hitting program is progressing with tee work and soft toss. Mayer is also able to do fielding drills.

He should be back sometime this season, but the timetable is unclear. The Red Sox moved on from him. Fantasy managers have also given up hope of a return since he is only rostered in 5% of leagues (I bet most of those are from dormant managers).

While Mayer is the biggest name in the deal, Miller leaving has the most fantasy impact. He secured the team’s last two Saves and seemed to settle into the closer’s role. And now, he is, at best, Boston’s third-best reliever.

With Miller and Caleb Kilian (to the Phillies) traded away, the Giants’ closer role is up for grabs. After examining past usage, Dylan Smith (2.75 ERA, 4.45 xFIP, 1.22 WHIP, and 10.5 K/9) should get the first crack at Saves. Keaton Winn (3.08 ERA, 4.06 xFIP, 1.13 WHIP, 7.1 K/9) and Sam Hentges (2.66 ERA, 4.77 xFIP, 1.61 WHIP, 10.3 K/9) have also been used in high-leverage situations, so that could also be used for Saves.

Carlos Gutierrez is a 21-year-old outfielder in A-Ball and is fantasy irrelevant this season.

August 3rd: San Francisco Trades Heliot Ramos to the Yankees for Kaeden Kent and Henry Lalane

Is anyone happier than Heliot Ramos today? Traded from a struggling team to a contender nearly locked into the playoffs. From a cavernous park that swallows up long flys balls and deposits them into outfielders’ gloves to a bandbox that turns pop-ups into round-trippers. It’s a good day to be Ramos.

Or a fantasy manager with Ramos on your roster. Oracle Park’s HR park factor for right-handed hitters is -36 (okay, it is actually 82, which is still bad but only the 4th lowest in MLB). Yankee Stadium is better known for the short porch in right, but the HR park factor for right-handed bats is 117, second only to Dodger Stadium. For Ramos, who has a career road wOBA of .327 vs. .311 at home, this is a big, big upgrade. Easily the biggest upgrade for any bat traded at the deadline this year.

And, at least for now, he is going to simply slot into LF and be asked to mash. That “for now” is an important note, though. At some point (we think…), guys like Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, and Giancarlo Stanton will return to the Yankees lineup. That could be good for Ramos (imagine him hitting in the midst of all those guys!) but it will also create a logjam for playing time. At some point, Aaron Boone may need to fit Ramos, Judge, Bellinger, Stanton, Ben Rice, Paul Goldschmidt, Jasson Domínguez, and Luis García Jr. all into four spots — LF, RF, DH, and 1B. Maybe Trent Grisham gives up CF to let a fifth from this list play. Maybe Ryan McMahon gets pushed aside for another.

But that’s a problem for another day. Right now, the Yankees gave up real value to get a bat they badly need, and he is going to get a big boost in his fantasy value as a result.

Kent and Lalane are both interesting — and Lalane was putting up huge K numbers in Low-A before a promotion — but neither jump off the page for fantasy leagues, even dynasty leagues, right now. This does maybe give Lalane a boost, since San Francisco is a much better place to pitch if and when he gets there, but it is a small boost for now.

August 3rd: Toronto Trades Jeff Hoffman to Minnesota for Dasan Hill, John Klein, and Dameury Pena.

The fantasy impact of this trade is almost entirely based on what version of Hoffman the Twins just acquired. Yoendrys Gomez had 14 saves, 6 holds and 0 blown saves with the Twins, but his 4.50 FIP and 5.13 xFIP aren’t inducing much confidence. Even his 3.42 ERA doesn’t scream “closer.” And a K%-BB% under 10% does scream, “uhhh, maybe this guy isn’t that good?” So it is entirely possible there are or will be saves up for grabs. And Hoffman is easily the most experienced option in his new bullpen.

The problem is that Hoffman seems to be allergic to the 9th these days. In the 9th inning or later, he has a 7.90 ERA despite a 2.07 FIP and 1.90 xFIP. In the first eight innings, those three numbers are 2.36/2.66/2.81. What gives? Well, a .613 BABIP and 54.1% LOB% will turn good pitching into bad, bad results. Are those numbers caused by some poor pitch decisions in save situations that will follow him into the future? Or 13.2 innings of noise?

Given all the underlying numbers, I think there is a good chance Hoffman ends up taking over the 9th in Minnesota and serving as the lockdown reliever he once was. It may not happen immediately, but I am going to be adding him in leagues were I need to speculate on saves.

The trio headed north of the border are pretty much non-factors for fantasy right now, though Hill has some real potential, though it sounds like he needs to address his command before he reaches it. He could be a guy who pops up in terms of dynasty interest in the future though.

August 3rd: The Angels Trade Kirby Yates to Pittsburgh

We don’t know the return yet, so we’ll come back here with more if there is anything interesting to discuss, but for now…well, scroll down one trade and read what we wrote about Bachar. Pittsburgh is piling up badly needed pen arms but the fantasy impact is all covered in the Luke Weaver deal.

Leaving the Angels, however, Yates does reduce the competition for saves in Anaheim. It is still at best a guessing game who will get the 9th for the Halos. But it won’t be Yates!

August 3rd: Miami Trades Lake Bachar to Pittsburgh for Brandan Bidois, Hyun Seung Lee, and Brian Sanchez

Pittsburgh is out here collecting relievers and if it weren’t for the Luke Weaver trade, any of them might have had a path to saves. But the Luke Weaver trade happened and Lake Bachar is different from Luke Weaver in more ways than the vowel in the middle of their first name. Weaver is the arm to go get in Pittsburgh, and Bachar is just depth. Given he isn’t leaving any saves behind, either, there isn’t much to see here.

Miami’s return doesn’t seem that exciting for fantasy managers. Bidois is an interesting reliever, good enough to stick in MLB, but probably not a factor for saves and certainly not now. Sanchez is in High-A at 22-years-old and not hitting (94 wRC+) while Lee is a 35 FV.

August 3rd: Cincinnati Trades Nathaniel Lowe to Cleveland for Alejandro Rivera

There was a time, say 2021-2023, when a team trading for Nathaniel Lowe would have felt good about locking down 1B with a solid bat with a solid glove. By the end of 2024, though, the bat was fading and the power was lacking. This year, however, he has been resurgent. His bat speed has made a huge jump (72.7 to 74.6) and he has shown real power (12 HR in 276 PA) to go with a career-best .355 xwOBA.

Unfortunately for fantasy managers, this trade probably doesn’t help much. Lowe was playing against all righties and taking a seat against lefties, and that might still be the case. But there is a chance his playing time takes a hit. With the Jo Adell trade, the Guardians have a bit of a corner logjam to figure out. Steven Kwan and Chase DeLauter are going to play. That leaves two spots. Against RHP, Lowe and Manzardo could take those. Against LHP, Adell will get one and Rhys Hoskins or David Fry could get the other. Or maybe Lowe does, in fact, play against most lefties? Probably not given the -52 (yes negative 52) wRC+ vs. LHP this year.

Meanwhile, getting away from Cincinnati’s offense could have helped (they rank 26th in runs scored and dead last in wRC+) but Cleveland is…ummm…not better (29th in runs, 23rd in wRC+). And he is headed from the 3rd best park for LH power to the 12th best. All in all, I think whatever you thought of Lowe before, you can probably still think of him. He wasn’t a must-roster fantasy 1B and he won’t become one because of this.

Someone is also going to lose out in Cleveland, but that someone will likely be one of Kyle Manzardo or Petey Halpin, at the moment. Neither are big fantasy losses.

Rivera is a 19-year-old striking out more than 32% of hitters in the minors this year, but he’s a long way from fantasy impact.

August 3rd: Colorado Trades Antonio Senzatela to Milwaukee for Mark Manfredi and Juan Martinez.

Stop me if you have heard this one before: non-closer is traded to a team where he won’t be the closer. That’s 99% of the fantasy story with Senzatela. He’s a nice add for any MLB pen, and getting out of Colorado makes him more appealing in leagues that value relievers who aren’t getting saves. But he is still a reliever who isn’t getting saves.

The two gentlemen heading to Colorado are quite possibly great dudes who are going to enjoy the mountain air, but they aren’t fantasy relevant today, regardless of format or depth.

August 3rd: Baltimore Trades Tyler Wells to Tampa Bay for Michael Forret

Wells had some limited fantasy value in Baltimore, as the absence of Ryan Helsley left a vacuum in the 9th inning that Wells had helped to fill. This value was boosted by his history as a starter, making him an SP/RP with occasional saves up his sleeve. That’s a useful piece in a lot of formats. Now, unfortunately for those who roster him, Wells is merely a very good reliever who is probably at least a couple of spots removed from the 9th. If you have him and don’t have an obvious replacement or need to cut, you could wait and see if the Rays surprise us, but more than likely, his time on your roster should come to an end.

Left behind in Baltimore is Andrew Kittredge, who is presumably now the man for the O’s. Ryan Helsley is throwing again, but “throwing” is a long way from “sitting in the bullpen waiting to lock down the 9th inning,” so Kittredge becomes a priority add in saves leagues, where available.

Forret looks like a legit “guy to watch” in keeper and dynasty formats. He popped up on the FanGraphs pre-deadline top 100 and while his walk rate may raise some eyebrows, his command grades suggest better days are coming. Baltimore always seems to need arms and this one could be ready next year.

August 3rd: The Mets Trade Clay Holmes and Tyrone Taylor to the Cubs for Jefferson Rojas

The Cubs are revamping their rotation by trading for three new starters, including Clay Holmes. The 33-year-old Holmes is nearing the end of his rehab assignment (leg). He’s thrown a combined 11 IP, with his last start being 5.1 IP. In AAA, StatCast is set up, so we know he is using the same pitch mix, with all his pitch velocities down 0.5 mph to 1 mph.

Before going on the IL, he posted a 2.39 ERA (3.69 xFIP), 1.10 WHIP, and 7.7 K/9. When he went on the IL, his 12.8% K-BB% ranked 61st among 91 pitchers (min 40 IP). That puts him as a low-end #2 or high-end #3 starter.

With the additions of Kevin Gausman and Braxton Garrett, I’m not sure how much of a rush the team will be to get Holmes into the crowded rotation. I could see David Peterson, Javier Assad, and/or Colin Rea lose their rotation spot once all the new arms arrive.

Any pitcher going to the Cubs will get a boost with the league’s best defense behind them. Holmes will be a must-roster once healthy.

I’m not sure how Taylor (.241 AVG, 10 HR, 0 SB) fits on the Cubs, who have three solid outfielders (Crow-Armstrong, Suzuki, and Happ) with Michael Conforto, Justin Dean, and Matt Shaw as additional subs. Taylor will need every-day at-bats to be relevant.

With Taylor no longer on the Mets, playing time has opened up for Luis Robert Jr. (.610 OPS with 4 HR and 2 SB), who has struggled since coming off the IL (.497 OPS, 40% K%). In his current state, Robert shouldn’t be started on fantasy teams.

Jefferson Rojas, a 21-year-old shortstop, is having a solid season in AA, batting .270/.339/.461 with 15 HR and 17 SB. I don’t see the Mets promoting him this year, but he could be in play next season.

August 3rd: Atlanta Trades Joey Bart to the White Sox for Duncan Davitt

What are you doing here? You don’t need me (us?) to understand this trade. Duncan Davitt has a 10.10 FIP. Roland Joey Bart has a .303 wOBA and barely more R+RBIs than he does fingers and toes, presumably. You, reader, determine what Joey Bart The Concept is. Is he literally a player employed to play professional baseball for the Chicago White Sox? Technically. Is one of his infinite digital facsimiles on your fantasy roster? Hopefully not. In 50 years, what will Joey Bart mean to us? Will we remember the version who in August of 2026 hit ninth for a bad but surprisingly competitive American baseball team? Or will we remember the man who weathered a fall from the highest amateur ranks to ply a respectable vocation? I (we?) would like to think the latter, because that’s as much as any of us can reasonably hope to achieve. But what do I (we?) know? We’re already dead.

August 3rd: Texas Trades Josh Smith to Toronto for Adam Macko

You shouldn’t have been rostering Josh Smith before this trade and you still shouldn’t be rostering him after it. The Blue Jays don’t have an immediately apparent roster gap he can fill, with an infield arrangement that doesn’t look likely to change, and an outfield over which, short of Myles Straw’s offense, Smith does not offer material improvement even at his best. After struggling to the tune of 65 wRC+ this year, he seems headed for AAA to begin his tenure with Toronto. He could be a good change-of-scenery candidate, but even if the Blue Jays can coax him back to his old form, the upside is still just that of a multi-eligible bench bat in fantasy.

On the other side of the swap, Macko was projected as a 40 FV middle relief role in our pre-season lists. He hasn’t been atrocious in 22 innings with Toronto, but certainly hasn’t been good either. He will head to AAA and is not worth considering for your rosters.

August 3rd: Toronto Trades Daulton Varsho to Houston for Spencer Arrighetti

The Astros have used seven different players to man center field this year, and that’s not even counting two innings from Cam Smith. Leading the division by just a couple of games was a perfect reason to plug one of their most glaring holes.

This season, Varsho has reduced both his SwStr% and strikeout rate to career bests, but it’s come at a steep price. He has seemingly traded power for contact, as his HR/FB rate has dropped into single digits for the first time, while his ISO sits at a career low. His Statcast metrics aren’t that much different than where they stood pre-2025, before his clear outlier power half-season, so he probably deserves a bit better output than what we’ve seen.

That said, his BatSpd is down a significant 2.7 MPH and his xwOBA is lower than his actual mark, so there’s seemingly no poor fortune situation here. The good news is that he moves to a park that ranked second in left-handed HR park factor over the past three years, which is a meaningful upgrade from his former home in Toronto. That could help push his HR/FB rate back into double digits the rest of the way.

It’s anyone’s guess how the Blue Jays fill center field now. Surely they aren’t going to run with Myles Straw, so perhaps they move George Springer back to the outfield to free up the DH spot, or bring back Yohendrick Piñango for the millionth time.

Arrighetti, meanwhile, is tough to judge in this one. He has flashed some interesting skills and it is no surprise another MLB team wanted to take a shot with him. But he doesn’t strike out enough hitters and he walks far, FAR too many. Can Toronto help him reach the level some have dreamed of? Maybe, but as a fantasy manager, I am not going to buy him to find out.

August 3rd: The Angels Trade Ryan Zeferjahn to the Cubs for Moisés Ballesteros and Mason McGwire

The Angels closer of the day joins another committee situation in Chicago. Zeferjahn has killer stuff — his botStf has jumped to a career best 60, while his Stuff+ has rebounded to 116 to match his 2024 debut, after a small dip last year. It has resulted in a 12.6% SwStr% and 30.6% CSW%, fueling a 33.5% strikeout rate. Unfortunately, he has battled control issues over his short career, walking mid-teen batters last season and this one. His strikeout rate has been high enough to mostly offset the free passes, but the lack of control makes him a frustrating watch when it’s on full display.

He now leaves one committee and joins a different one. With incumbent closer Daniel Palencia on the IL, the Cubs have really spread around their save chances. Incredibly, they actually have 13 pitchers with at least one save, with the top total sitting at just five. That doesn’t really bode well for Zeferjahn being handed the sole job, but certainly makes current leader Jacob Webb slightly less attractive as he’ll have to compete with yet another option.

Overall, it’s tough to determine how this affects Zeferjahn’s value. He has recorded four saves on the season, but he wasn’t ever confirmed to be at the top of the heap in Anaheim, so that might not change much in Chicago. Though there’s also the slight possibility that he becomes the go-to option for the Cubs, and the better team could also provide him with more opportunities.

On the Angels side, that leaves veteran Kirby Yates and Sam Bachman at the top of the food chain according to our closer depth chart. Yates has shown diminished velocity, but the skills have been good anyway. Of course, he may end up traded himself in the final hour. Bachman has struggled with his control, but doesn’t have the strikeout rate to make up for it. He’s a groundball guy, which helps, but could also result in lots of baserunners, which is the opposite of what you want from a closer. Samy Natera Jr.’s skills are strong with a near-40% strikeout rate, but he’s a lefty, which puts him at a disadvantage. Will the Angels even win enough games the rest of the way to matter?

As for the return, Ballesteros feels like a winner from a fantasy perspective. He had clearly fallen out of favor (and out of the MLB roster) in Chicago. Digging into why that is requires more time and space than we have here, but with Logan O’Hoppe already shipped out of SoCal, Ballesteros should have a clear path to proving himself in Anaheim. While he wasn’t great with the Cubs, he was far from awful and he’s still just 22.

Just a few days back, Dan Szymborski described McGwire as a “real prospect” and he is – just not a fantasy prospect at this point.

August 3rd: Miami Trades Braxton Garrett to the Cubs for Jonathon Long and Jace Beck

This should be a quick one. Garrett has been a fantasy darling at times, and with good reason, but he has thrown just 41.1 MLB innings since the start of 2024 and they have not been good innings. He;s still trying to work his way back to the performance level we know he is capable of, but there is just no reason to think a move to Chicago will suddenly unlock that.

The prospects heading back are similarly not worth fantasy attention. Long is a 1B who has a big raw power grade (60!) from our prospect team, but has just 32 Triple-A HR in more than 1,000 PA. For a 24-year-old 1B prospect, that just isn’t the kind of power production we need to see. Beck is an organizational depth arm.

August 3rd: St. Louis Trades Dustin May and JoJo Romero to Milwaukee for Alexander Frias and Josiah Ragsdale

Like all small market teams, the Brewers wish they could be the Dodgers. They can’t get that TV deal, so they are doing the next best thing: making a deep pitching staff even deeper. The Brewers add May to a rotation that should also get Kyle Harrison back soon, and that is bad news for…someone. From a results standpoint, it would seem Brandon Sproat is the one destined for a visit to the minors, but I could see a case for Shane Drohan or Robert Gasser being the odd-man out. In the immediate aftermath of the deadline, May could easily slot in as a 6th starter, so we may need to wait for the Harrison activation to see how this all plays out. All of these guys are fringe fantasy options, so if you are counting on one or more of them, be ready to act when the time comes.

As for May, the move north is a decent one, given he had to move. He is going from a pretty good pitchers park to another pretty good pitchers park. He is going from a fringe playoff team (and that’s being a little generous) to the best record in baseball. The only downside is that he is going from one of the best defensive teams in baseball to a team that sits more middle of the pack.

May has had some bad luck in the BABIP department, sitting at .322 and driving his ERA up over 4 despite ERA estimators universally below 4. The Brewers defense won’t help the cause, but the regression gods just might. The biggest reason to be intrigued by this for May is just that the Brewers went out and got him. There are few, if any, teams that I trust more to help a pitcher take a step forward. I wouldn’t rush out to buy May on pure Milwaukee-fueled speculation, but I do think this is a small up arrow for him.

Heading north with May is JoJo Romero, but injured relievers are rarely fantasy relevant, and that is even more true when they don’t have an obvious path to saves.

Headed back to St. Louis are some legitimately interesting names, though probably more wait-and-see types than go-out-and-get types. Frias is just in A-ball but there is some power projection there and he has the hit tool to make that stand up. Ragsdale is much closer — he is 22 and in Double-A — and while he isn’t as intriguing an MLB prospect as Frias, anyone with 31 steals and 19 HR in 86 MiLB games is going to warrant fantasy attention. Just not until he has a clearer path to the show.

August 3rd: Miami Trades Liam Hicks to Tampa Bay for Brayden Taylor, Jacob Kisting, and Adrian Santana

In a somewhat surprising move, one of the season’s least expected breakouts will cross the south Florida swamp and take over catching duties for the first-place Rays. The fit here is straightforward: Tampa’s catching platoon of Nick Fortes (RHB) and Hunter Feduccia (LHB) has been serviceable but uninspiring. Swapping Hicks into the strong side of that arrangement represents a clear upgrade. Hicks is controllable for four more seasons after 2026 concludes, so this is more than just slapping duct tape on a leak and hoping for the best.

The fantasy implication is murky but seems to lean negative for Hicks. If you were looking for a reason to sell, now might be the time. He is already running over his wOBA skis with a 40-point gap between his real and expected numbers, and now moves to a park which has played demonstrably worse for left-handed bats this year. That said, he does still figure to hit in the top half of a Rays lineup that is a touch better than the one he’s departing in Miami (104 wRC+ versus 101, respectively) and makes a ton of contact. Likewise, the Rays (at risk of perpetuating a tired baseball trope) clearly see something they liked which is itself reason to perk your ears.

As one might expect given Hicks’ production to date and amount of team control, the prospect cost is real. Taylor is an arrow-up 50 FV who slotted in at 76th on our midseason list. He’s not without his warts; at 24, he is a bit old for AA and has historically demonstrated enough swing-and-miss to keep him from profiling as an obvious regular. But he seems ready for a challenge at AAA and isn’t meaningfully blocked at third base for the Marlins. He’s worth an add to your watchlist, especially if he hits his way into a callup later in the year.

As for the other prospects, unless Santana (40 FV on the midseason list) finds his way into meaningful power, he does not appear likely to be worth putting on your fantasy radar. After being sprinkled with Magic Rays Pitching Dust™, the former 14th-round pick Kisting seems on track to become a viable starting pitcher. With mediocre pitch grades, including a 40 on his fastball, it’s tough to see him being worthwhile on your dynasty watchlist, though YMMV. Guys with 60 command (as he’s projected to have) will occasionally surprise.

August 3rd: The Mets Trade Luke Weaver to the Pirates for Sammy Stafura

Of all the moves made so far this trade deadline, this one probably has the most fantasy impact, with one closer out of a job and a non-closer arm taking it.

Weaver being traded to the Pirates was one of the most obvious trades this season. The Mets had a surplus arm, and the Pirates desperately needed a bullpen arm. As a team, the Pirates have a 4.57 ERA in Save situations. On the season, the team has blown 19 Saves while converting just 22 of them.

Weaver comes in with a 1.84 ERA (3.50 xFIP), 0.82 WHIP, and 9.2 K/9. On the season, he has 2 Wins, 15 Holds, 1 Save, and just 2 Blown Saves. I see no reason he won’t immediately move into the closer’s job. That’s why the Pirates traded for him.

Gregory Soto (3.69 ERA, 1.06 WHIP) and Mason Montgomery (3.80 ERA, 1.20 WHIP) are the big losers here. Combined, the pair has the team’s last five Saves. In leagues that only count Saves, they can be dropped.

Weaver was the setup man with the Mets, so someone will need to move up and take his spot, but they would be unrosterable in Saves-only leagues.

As a shortstop in A-ball, Sammy Stafura is a non-factor in leagues this season.

August 3rd: San Francisco Trades Robbie Ray to San Diego for Miguel Mendez and Joniel Hernandez

While Oracle Park has a big reputation for boosting pitchers, it has played more “bottom 10” for offense than “bottom one” per Savant’s park factors, with the caveat that it suppresses home runs in a major way. Petco is actually slightly worse for offense overall, so this feels like a nice soft landing spot for Robbie Ray.

But that home run park factor. That matters. Ray has a 3.08 ERA on the year, but that is 2.22 at home and 4.06 on the road. This despite the fact that his K% and BB% are both better on the road. His ground ball rate is slightly higher on the road, as well. The difference? His home HR/FB rate is 6.1%; it is more than twice as high (13.0%) on the road.

When you dig deeper than that shiny ERA, even including his home performances, he has a 4.36 FIP, 4.75 xFIP, and 4.76 SIERA overall this year. The Giants are 10th in Statcast Fielding Run Value, but Padres are 6th, so he’ll keep getting help from his defense. Plus, he has a history of low BABIPs, so maybe he can maintain that .259 mark, or at least not regress too much higher.

But when you add the regression expected by those ERA estimators to the home-run pain inflicted by his new home, I get pretty nervous. Ray isn’t a guy I want to be invested in right now.

The prospects heading to the Giants organization are both interesting but neither look like must-act fantasy pieces right now. Mendez is a 45 FV pitcher, but he is struggling in Double-A at the moment. A change of scenery could help help achieve more — who knows what a different coach and different org might see. Hernandez is a 40+ FV shortstop, and you can squint and see a future power/speed combo, but he is 17-years-old. There is no format where I am willing to squint that hard unless there is a lot more upside.

August 3rd: Kansas City Trades Kris Bubic to the Dodgers for Carlos Duran

What gift do you get for that one friend who already has more pitching than they can possibly use? More pitching. Bubic, who has been on the IL with shoulder soreness, is rehabbing and could be ready to be activated soon. Where does that leave his fantasy value? I have absolutely no idea. Bubic is a solid MLB starting pitcher, but he’s not Tarik Skubal or Yoshinobu Yamamoto or a healthy Blake Snell or a healthy Tyler Glasnow. I am not sure he is Justin Wrobleski and I don’t think he has the upside of Emmet Sheehan or Roki Sasaki.

None of that matters to the Dodgers — pitching depth is like gold down the stretch — but for fantasy managers, I think this hurts Bubic’s value. The park is worse for pitchers and as the Dodgers get healthy, it isn’t clear to me that Bubic will stay in the rotation. He could pitch from the pen, or could end up piggybacking with someone like Sheehan or Wrobleski. At this moment, I am in wait-and-see mode on all Dodger starters other than Skubal, Yamamoto, Glasnow, and Snell. Those four are locked in when they are all healthy. Everyone else? Who knows.

Duran is a high-K, high-BB reliever with some real upside if the Royals can unlock command, but that’s not a guy you are looking at for fantasy today.

August 3rd: Colorado Trades Brenton Doyle to the White Sox for Mason Adams and Carlos Vielma

If you want to really squint, the good news for Doyle might be playing time, that getting out of Coors can sometimes help. The context switching from high altitude home games to boring old regular altitude road games can be a challenge and Doyle wouldn’t be the first to leave Denver and thrive. But that feels like a reach. We have seen players succeed in Coors and then maintain that when they leave, but Doyle hasn’t really been succeeding for a couple of years. He looks destined to be a small-side platoon bat on the South Side. If you weren’t rostering Doyle as a Rockie, you really don’t need to roster him as a Sock.

The two prospects headed to the mountains aren’t worth your fantasy resources either. Adams is a low-K reliever who might be a solid middle-innings arm; Vielma is not-yet 17 and we can worry about his fantasy impact closer to 2030.

August 3rd: Orioles trade Taylor Ward to the Mariners for Alex Hoppe, Brock Moore, and Harrison Kreiling

I’m not sure how Taylor Ward (.730 OPS) fits into the Mariners since they already have three solid outfielders in Randy Arozarena (.834 OPS), Julio Rodríguez (.731 OPS), and Dominic Canzone (.848 OPS). The team has cycled players into the DH spot with little success (.679 OPS), so maybe Ward, or one of the other outfielders, likely Canzone, could get most of the DH at-bats.

Ward (.246/.383/.346, 7 HR, 3 SB) started every game since May 5th, so what little fantasy value he had came from being a volume player. Until everyone’s playing time clears up, I’m not sure if Ward is startable.

None of the players that the Mariners added are fantasy relevant at the moment. Hoppe is in the majors, but has not been used in leverage situations (1 Hold in 24 appearances).

A hole opens up in Baltimore’s outfield with no obvious replacement. There are several candidates for more at-bats: Tyler O’Neill (.662 OPS), Dylan Beavers (.684 OPS), Colton Cowser (.639 OPS), Leody Taveras (.637 OPS), and Heston Kjerstad (.740 OPS in AAA), with Blaze Alexander (.807 OPS) on the IL. I’d move all their playing time up a bit (someone has to play) and add Alexander once he’s off the IL. As for players to target, the horrible but correct answer is to wait and see who gets into the lineup more.

August 3rd: Baltimore Trades Adley Rutschman and Jake Rogers to Boston for Anthony Eyanson, Carlos Narváez, Enddy Azocar, Kyson Witherspoon, and a PTBNL

Now this is an interesting one! The fantasy news here is mostly around Rutschman and, as a manager waiting on a Rutschman return, I see a couple pieces of good news:

Obviously the Red Sox believe he is going to be back soon. Reports were that Rutschman was set to start a rehab assignment soon, but how often do we hear a report like that just for a player to have a setback. That could still happen, but Boston doesn’t make this deal without looking at the medicals and feeling good that they will have a new starting catcher soon.
Baltimore is a good offensive park, tied for the 3rd highest overall offensive park factor (103). Adley leaving was almost for sure going to lead to a park downgrade. But Fenway has a 102 overall park factor. That’s not a change that moves the needle.

The parks are not the same. Fenway is more singles and doubles, with fewer HR. Fenway is also a bit better than OPACY for right-handed bats and worse for left-handed bats. Overall, you can probably pencil in Rutschman for slight a improvement in a average and on-base percentage, with fewer homers, and slightly better splits vs. LHP with slightly worse splits vs. RHP. But over a two-month sample, none of that is something that moves his value.

Team context looks like a downgrade, at first glance, as the Sox have scored less than the Orioles this year, but I think it is fair to prefer the Red Sox offense rest of season. At least it is close enough that, like the parks, there is no major change here to Rutschman’s overall value.

As for all the other parts in this deal, I don’t think there is much to see with Rogers or Narváez, but Azocar, Eyanson, and Witherspoon are all intriguing prospects that should be on your radar in dynasty leagues. They all might have some juice in keeper and Ottoneu leagues, as well, though Eyanson is the only one who really stands out in that context. I don’t think there is a big value shift for any, but I wouldn’t blame you for moving Witherspoon and Eyanson — the two pitchers — down a notch. I have a more faith in Boston’s ability to develop pitching, and that organizational context can and does matter in fantasy. Azocar is an intriguing OF prospect, but at just 19 in high-A, he is likely at least a couple years away. Maybe getting out of Boston’s crowded OF helps, but it’s too soon to be thinking about that.

August 2nd: Atlanta Trades Anthony Molina to San Francisco for Tyler Mahle

Atlanta needs innings and Mahle will provide innings, but even for innings-starved fantasy managers, this is likely not the path you want to travel. Mahle’s overall line is pretty ugly, but he has been better since the start of July, posting a 3.86 ERA and 3.31 FIP over five starts. It’s still a risky, inconsistent, low-K profile and now in a much worse park for power suppression. Mahle’s 1.33 HR/9 this year is concerning and the new home won’t make it better. Mahle is worth watching if only to see if Atlanta has a plan in mind for how to lock in some of the July gains, but he is at best a watchlist add at this time.

Molina is a journeyman reliever without fantasy relevance.

August 3rd: Atlanta Trades Nacho Alvarez Jr. to the Angels for Brent Suter

Move along, dear reader. Once a 45 FV prospect, Alvarez Jr. has struggled to catch on with Atlanta. He moves to Anaheim and could compete for big league playing time once (or if) he returns from the IL, though prior to his injury (the specifics of which are heretofore undisclosed), he was struggling in AAA with a .236/.337/.326 slash line. That seems to be his likely starting point in the Angels organization, health willing. Suter is a soft-tossing southpaw who is perfectly serviceable on a big-league roster but has never been particularly close to fantasy viability. He figures to eat low-leverage relief innings in an otherwise decent Braves bullpen.

August 3rd: The Dodgers Trade Chayce McDermott to the Mets for Ben Rortvedt

If you are rostering either of these players, why?

Stay away. Rortvedt will be, at best, a backup catcher to Dalton Rushing and will most likely be squeezed if/when Will Smith comes back from the I.L. McDermott was recently DFA’d and has a career ERA of 12.00. Yes, 12.00. He is striking out oodles of hitters in AAA this year (35.6 K%), but walking half as many (17.8 BB%). Even if he suits up in the majors for the Mets, there is virtually no chance he finds his way toward fantasy relevance this year.

August 3rd: The Angels Trade Jo Adell to the Guardians for Jacob Cozart

This trade might kill Adell’s fantasy value. With the Angels, the 27-year-old was batting .239/.287/.395 with 16 HR and 3 SB in 456 PA. He has been a steady contributor, having started in 17 straight games. By moving to Cleveland, the surrounding cast will remain suspect. He’ll go from the 23rd-ranked offense (4.2 R/G) to the 29th-ranked one (4.0 R/G).

The Adell problem is that, starting in 2024, he began struggling against right-handed pitchers. Here are his OPS against each handedness over the last three seasons.

Jo Adell’s Handedness Splits

Year	OPS vs LHP	OPS vs RHP
2024	.877	.621
2025	.931	.744
2026	.910	.593

Adell will definitely face lefties. Now comes down to whether the Guardians want to start a .600 OPS bat against righties. They don’t have any obvious options, so the team could go several routes. The team has today off and faces a lefty on Tuesday, so it won’t be until Wednesday that everyone’s playing time starts to clarify.

As for other Cleveland players, I’m guessing David Fry’s (.639 OPS) time in the outfield will be over, but Fry and Rhys Hoskins (.695 OPS) could have a pillow fight over who plays first base vs. lefties.

Against righties, Steven Kwan could move back to center with Chase DeLauter and Adell in the corners. With this alignment, Petey Halpin can get back to representing the eighth district in Minnesota. And then, where/if does Angel Martínez (.673 OPS) play?

With the Angels, one or all of Wade Meckler (.780 OPS), Josh Lowe (.595 OPS), and Jose Siri (.764 OPS) will see more playing time. I’m unable to guess how the team will handle the trio. Additionally, every manager’s favorite gritty utility man, Adam Frazier (.630 OPS), is on a rehab assignment and could play some outfield also. None of the guys mentioned would be major fantasy contributors, so deep-league managers can monitor playing time to see who to roster.

Jacob Cozart is a catcher with a .714 OPS and 10 HR in AA. For now, he can be ignored.

August 3rd: The Angels Trade José Soriano to the Blue Jays for Arjun Nimmala, Eddie Micheletti Jr. and Angel Rivero

Soriano’s value for this season changes very little, with perhaps slight boosts for team defense and win chances. The Angels rank 29th in OAA and 30th in FRV, compared to 14th and 4th for the Blue Jays, respectively.

In dynasty though, two years with Soriano on the Jays could help him enhance and improve his arsenal, particularly when it comes to his secondaries. As covered by Jack Martin for Rotographs, Soriano’s average fastball velocity has declined precipitously this season, but more importantly, has been steadily decreasing since 2024.

The Jays have developed a track record of late for working with pitchers on offspeed offerings, and particularly splitters, which Soriano features frequently with his four-seam and sinker. The pitch already is having its best season for Soriano by run value. Time tinkering with the pitch under the guidance of the Jays, with tips from Trey Yesavage and Dylan Cease, can’t hurt.

Nimmala is the only prospect in this deal who’s of interest this season. The 20-year-old shortstop has 33 games at Double-A this season, posting a .279/.355/.451 slash with four homers since the call up from High-A, where had an .845 OPS and 15.2% walk rate.

Now with the Angels, Nimmala will naturally draw comparisons to shortstop Zach Neto, who the Angels called up at 22 years old. Nimmala may get a year of seasoning in the upper minors if the Angels push him as aggressively as they have Neto, Nolan Schanuel, and Christian Moore. Famously, before Neto’s call up in 2023, he played just 11 games across Double-A and Triple-A.

In Dynasty leagues, and perhaps even AL-only or deep keeper leagues, Nimmala should be moved up boards. It’s worth noting that Nimmala will likely make a different fantasy impact than Neto. While the latter has emerged as a consistent 20 HR/20 SB threat while hitting around .240, Nimmala is an all fields line drive hitter who can homer to all fields as well, though his pull rate has increased above 40% this season. He did go 17-20 stealing bases last season in A-ball, but is just 6-9 this year.

August 3: San Francisco Trades Luis Arraez and Caleb Kilian to Philadelphia for Ramon Marquez and Marty Gair

The Phillies saw the Yankees acquire a defensively questionable second/first baseman without an immediately obvious positional home and said “bet.” Luis Arraez on this Philadelphia team is an even odder defensive fit than Luis García Jr. is for New York, and as a result, the impact to other players will be the most important fantasy factor of this trade.

Roster Resource currently has a musical chairs arrangement leaving right fielder Bryan De La Cruz as the odd man out, with Arraez slated as the primary second baseman bumping Bryson Stott to third, Alec Bohm from third to first, and Bryce Harper to the outfield replacing De La Cruz. Absent another trade involving Bohm or Stott, this might not be the most ideal defensive arrangement, so it remains to be seen if it will stick. It is also possible Harper would move to the outfield with Arraez replacing him directly at first and leaving the rest of the infield unchanged. A counterclockwise rotation sending Stott to short and Trea Turner to third base is theoretically feasible, but unlikely. So while the Phillies will undoubtedly find playing time for the good player they just acquired, the largest fantasy impact from this trade will be for another player – either Stott, Harper, or both – gaining an additional position of eligibility for this season and next. This would be a meaningful bump to either of their values.

The park and overall lineup context for Arraez seems mostly neutral. While Citizen’s Bank Park is the second-best overall home for lefties this year, Oracle Park has actually played better to Arraez’s strengths, with higher single (104 versus 98) and double (108 to 95) park factors. Likewise, the Phils have run a lower wRC+ than the Giants this year (92 vs. 100) but have better top-end producers in Schwarber and Harper. Bohm has looked better since the All-Star Break (101 wRC+), with Stott (98), Brandon Marsh (107), and Turner (91) hovering close to that mark for the full year.

And we don’t know how the lineup will play out. Arraez has hit first or second for San Francisco this year and if he continues to do the same for Philadelphia the shape of his production will likely be similar. If he moves down the lineup, hitting behind the likes of Harper and/or Kyle Schwarber would most likely cost him runs while affording him RBI opportunities he didn’t have in the Bay. But how much longer will Don Mattingly tolerate middling offensive production out of Turner hitting leadoff with Arraez in tow? If Arraez continues to hit like he has this season, it will be tempting to slot him in the top of the lineup to get on base in front of the team’s boppers. This might shift Turner to third, or even to the lower half of the order. Dropping to third behind Schwarber and ahead of Harper would be fine, but a fall to the lower half of the lineup would only hasten the ongoing decline of his fantasy value.

Regarding the other pieces of this deal, Kilian doesn’t seem poised to garner much additional fantasy value, especially in the context of the Phils’ subsequent acquisition of fellow mid-to-late-ish inning reliever Brooks Raley. There might be an outside chance Kilian could work his way into a clearer late-inning role piling up holds, but it is probably wisest to look elsewhere for relief help, especially in saves-only leagues.

The prospect cost going back to San Fran is not insignificant. Already pitching in relief in High-A, Glair seems unlikely to register as viable in even the deepest of NL-only leagues, but Marquez is a 50 FV prospect and was ranked 67th in our mid-season list. He seems to be at least two years away but with three projected average-or-better pitches (including a future 80 changeup), he could be a genuinely valuable dynasty stash.

August 3rd: The Mets Trade Brooks Raley for Luke Gabrysh and and John Spikerman

Another that won’t move the fantasy needle much. Raley immediately becomes the best lefty in a Phillies pen that badly needed reinforcements. That could be enough to get him some holds — something to watch for if you play in a holds league — but there is no path to saves if you are need those. Gabrysh and Spikerman are both 35+ FV prospects who would need to show something they haven’t yet shown to even be added to dynasty league watchlists, let alone rosters.

August 3rd: The Mets Trade Huascar Brazobán for Gabe Davis and Zach Franklin

Not all deals require a ton of fantasy analysis. Brazobán is a perfectly cromulent reliever. He strikes out some; but just enough. He walks a lot; but not too many. He keeps the ball on the ground; but not at an elite rate. Chicago’s pen has been fine, but they have traded away one RP already this deadline, and a little additional depth doesn’t hurt. But Brazobán is probably the 4th or 5th best RH in this pen, so high leverage is not in his future.

Davis and Franklin are both minor league arms that don’t have any fantasy impact, even in the deepest of dynasty leagues.

August 3rd: The Blue Jays Trade Kevin Gausman to the Cubs for Ty Southisene and Brett Bateman
August 3rd: The Cubs Trade Jameson Taillon to the Blue Jays for cash or a player to be named later

For Gausman’s fantasy value, this move is a huge boost. This season, he performed almost the same as last season, except for a higher BABIP, which has led to a higher ERA.

Kevin Gausman’s 2025 and 2026 Stats

Stat	2025	2026
K/9	8.8	9.0
BB/9	2.3	2.5
GB%	37%	38%
xFIP	3.77	3.82
SIERA	3.79	3.85
BABIP	.262	.313
ERA	3.59	4.38

While the Blue Jays have the 4th-rated defense with 23 Runs Saved, the Cubs are on another level with 55 Runs Saved this season. That’s 26 runs better than the second-place team. The Blue Jays defense (and pitchers) have allowed a .292 BABIP, while the Cubs have allowed a .272 BABIP.

The addition of Gausman either means the Cubs will go with a six-man rotation or one of Colin Rea (4.59 ERA, 4.64 xFIP) or Javier Assad (3.75 ERA, 4.35 xFIP) will head to the bullpen. I don’t have an inclination on which way they will go.

The Blue Jays, they have an open spot in their rotation that they seem to want to fill with Jameson Taillon [Editor’s Note: Now we know they have made another trade to add an SP] . There is nothing in Taillon’s profile to grasp onto in the hope of a turnaround. On the season, he had a 5.92 ERA (4.80 xFIP), 1.36 WHIP (3.2 BB/9), and 8.1 K/9. With his average fastball velocity under 92 mph, he got hit like a piñata with a 3.0 HR/9 and a career-high 16% Barrel%.

I suspect the Blue Jays will run Taillon out for the next two months instead of promoting an arm from the bullpen or the minors. Ideally, I would have liked to see Spencer Miles (3.13 ERA, 3.14 xFIP) get another shot at the rotation, but his innings are limited since he has blown past any previous season total. Also, he’ll need to suck up some slop innings if Taillon and Max Scherzer (7.92 ERA, 5.60 xFIP) remain in the rotation and can’t get out of the third inning.

No AAA pitchers are forcing a promotion, but the 26-year-old Chad Dallas could be called up again (2 G for 4 IP in the majors). In AAA, he has a 3.16 ERA (4.35 xFIP), 1.25 WHIP, and 8.8 K/9.

As for the players the Blue Jays got. Brett Bateman made it to AAA, where he was batting .312/.431/.422 with 3 HR (53% GB%) and 20 SB. While the 24-year-old could be promoted, the team is loaded with quad-A outfielders, and I don’t see him making an impact.

August 2: The Nationals trade Luis García Jr. to the Yankees for Jack Cebert, Ben Grable, Jake Bird, and Yovanny Cruz

The Luis García Jr. trade is a bit of a weird one, at first glance. It’s easy to see why the Yankees, with more than a thousand career home runs sitting on the injured list, felt like they needed to make a move, but there isn’t a clear defensive fit. Dan Szymborski breaks down the ins and outs of the deal, but the big take-away for fantasy managers is that García seems set to have a regular role against RHSP, playing 1B, but will likely often sit vs. LHSP in favor of Paul Goldschmidt. The one interesting wrinkle is that the Yankees have a big offensive need at 3B, given Ryan McMahon’s 77 wRC+, and — especially as they get healthy and need to open up DH — moving Ben Rice back to 1B and Jazz Chisholm Jr. to 3B would allow García to play 2B. García’s history at second base makes that possible, as tortured as that infield would be as a result.

Beyond that, for as much García’s specific profile has been suited to D.C., it might be even better in the Bronx. Yankee Stadium is arguably one of the few places running hotter for left-handed hitters than Nationals Park, with higher (139 versus 135) home run and double (118 to 91) park factors for lefties. García is pulling the ball more (44.4% versus a career 37.9% rate) and running a career-high hard-hit rate (37.7%); a perfect match for a right field porch that is 21 feet closer to home. To the extent that his production so far has been real, there’s no reason to believe it won’t continue. As Dan Szymborski noted nextdoor, ZiPS thinks he’ll hold onto a good chunk of these gains in large part due to his new home park. Since he has another year of team control, those rostering García in keeper or dynasty leagues should be excited at the prospect of running it back in 2027.

The big caveat, beyond the previously mentioned platoon risk, is that without Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger, his lineup context is probably worse than it was when hitting behind James Wood and CJ Abrams. This will matter less in leagues like Ottoneu which tend to down-weight context-dependent stats, but in roto and points formats he might take a slight hit. That said, Rice is no slouch, and García could be the spark needed for a moribund offense. With such a small sample of season left, no outcome would be truly surprising.

Regarding the return haul traveling down I-95, there is not too much to write home (or here) about. Per The Board, Jack Cebert is an arrow-up FV 40+ starting pitcher who seems a few years away. Ben Grable’s minor league stats are enticing but there isn’t much point getting excited about the fantasy prospects of a reliever in AA. Jake Bird is a 30-year-old RP with nothing in his MLB track record to get excited about. Yovanny Cruz throws hard and seems likely to slot into a bullpen role right away. Given there isn’t a stalwart ahead of him in the Nats’ depth chart, he could be a decent speculative add for saves, or potentially a guy to earmark for next year if he pitches well down the stretch.

August 1st: Mets Trade Freddy Peralta to the Rays for Gary Gill Hill, Émilien Pitre, and Aidan Smith

Fastball Freddy has not been himself this season and most of the peripherals say he’s earned those results. His 4.99 ERA and 1.48 WHIP are backed by a 22.1% K%, .313 BABIP, and 68.4% LOB%. All of these career worsts have stacked up and made it clear to many — if not most — of his fantasy managers that he isn’t worth starting right now. At Yahoo, his roster rate is down to 82% roster rate in Yahoo but only a 58% start rate. At CBS, it’s even more glaring — 85% roster rate with a 35% start rate.

Is a change of scenery reason enough to give him the benefit of the doubt? Or to make a buy-low trade for him yourself?

So far this season, Peralta has been much worse on the road (6.31 ERA, 4.59 xFIP) than at home (4.10 ERA, 4.05 xFIP), so getting out of Citi Field isn’t a magic cure. But his team hasn’t helped. The Mets are 25th in the majors in Outs Above Average and 23rd in Fielding Run Value. Peralta is typically a flyball pitcher, and the Mets ranking 21st in outfield OAA and 13th (though still negative) in FRV. The Rays outfield ranks third in both OAA and FRV this season, and 19th in OAA and 15th in FRV as a team, respectively.

Better defense, plus the reported uptick in predictably of a pitcher’s arsenal while pitching in Tampa can only help Peralta. And that is true even if the Rays well respected coaching staff can’t unlock a fix for Peralta’s mechanical changes. This season, his arm angle is flatter for all of his pitches. And he’s just throwing less strikes, with a first pitch strike rate down below 60% for the first time since 2020.

If there was one team that wasn’t the Dodgers that fantasy managers would have wanted Peralta to go to at the deadline, it may have been the Rays. Just don’t feel rushed to start him again for his first time back out.

As far as the prospects, none should make any impact in the majors this season, and all three have only limited dynasty value. Pitre, a 40 future value prospect at FanGraphs, is a 23-year-old college hitter batting over .300 with a stellar 18.2% BB% and 10.4% K% across High-A and Double-A this season, playing mostly second base. The 21-year-old Gill Hill has the best name of the bunch and is a 45 future value prospect with 81.1 innings at Double-A this season, though an ERA north of 4. Smith is a 21-year-old outfielder at High-A with 10 homers, 14 steals, and a .215 AVG across 49 games there.

August 1st: Detroit Trades Tarik Skubal to the Dodgers for Zyhir Hope, River Ryan, and Brady Smith

Fantasy managers were starting Skubal every game when he was with Detroit. They’ll do the same now that he’s on the Dodgers. The Dodgers will try to stick with a six-man rotation. Since Shohei Ohtani is dealing with a knee injury and not pitching, there was an open spot for Skubal to slide into. When/if Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell return, and IF everyone in the rotation stays healthy, there will need to be some harder roster decisions. For now, no fantasy impact here.

There are more unknowns for Detroit. For now, the Tigers have at least one open rotation spot (possibly more, if Casey Mize is traded). I think Ty Madden (long reliever) or Sawyer Gipson-Long could move into that rotation spot. The pair have been rosterable at times in the past, but neither is a must-add until they for sure have a rotation spot and their opponents are known. Of the pair, I’d prefer to roster Madden.

As for the prospects, I expect River Ryan (4.46 ERA, 3.49 xFIP, 1.29 WHIP, and 10.7 K/9) to throw in the majors at some point this season, but maybe not right away. He’s been dealing with a hamstring injury, and I’m sure the Tigers will determine his health before promoting him to the big leagues.

Zyhir Hope (.293/.369/.530, 23 HR, 18 SB in AA) should go to AAA after dominating AA. The Dodgers were stacked with outfield prospects in AAA, so Hope was stuck in AA. As a top prospect, he could be a major difference-maker once promoted.

I think there is a chance (10%) he gets promoted to the majors late in the season, but I think he’ll stay in AAA and be ready to contribute next season.

Brady Smith is still in A-ball and ignorable for this season.

August 1: Seattle Trades Luis Castillo to the Chicago White Sox for Seranthony Domínguez, Nolan Jones, and Boston Smith

Fantasy managers involved in this trade are probably none-too-pleased, no matter how they are involved. Castillo is having a rough season and after looking like he had found his way in June, July has been a disaster. All season long there had been a variety of reasons to keep Castillo around. “He’s always a slow starter,” you could tell yourself about the veteran whose ERA, FIP, and xFIP have consistently been better in the second half than the first. “You can at least use him as a home streamer,” one might say about the pitcher who, even this year, has a 3.59 FIP at home vs. 5.37 on the road.

Except now it is the second half, and he doesn’t look better, and this trade kills the home-streamer dream. Rate Field in Chicago isn’t exactly a hitter’s haven, having just a 98 park factor for overall offense, but compared to T-Mobile (91 overall offense park factor) it’s a big step down for Castillo. And while Seattle boosts K’s (117 park factor), in Chicago they are (slightly) suppressed (98 park factor). If your league is deep enough that you need to hold Castillo, you can hope that maybe the uncertainty in Seattle – piggy-backing and 6-man rotations and whatnot – were a distraction and now Castillo can just pitch. But you are merely holding onto hope.

Other rotation impacts will be limited – for now. The Sox will replace one of their back-end starters, but none of those guys were back fantasy values anyway. And the Mariners, who had been running a 6-man rotation, will likely just go back to five. But there are rumors the Mariners are still shopping George Kirby or Emerson Hancock, and that could move us closer to a Kade Anderson debut. It remains to be seen if Castillo is the first domino to fall or if this was the only move.

For the others involved, there isn’t much to see here. Domínguez has been inconsistent throughout his career. He’s a walk machine who also piles up strikeouts and whose ERA can stay low when he isn’t following the walks with HR. After earning 11 saves through the end of May, he has just one since (and none in six weeks). While there was maybe a chance for him to reclaim the 9th in Chicago, he is going to be buried behind better arms in Seattle.

Jones has been decent in Triple-A this year (107 wRC+), but there is nothing to suggest he is banging down the door for another MLB opportunity. That said, with Luke Raley on the IL, the Mariners have just one LH-hitting OF (Dominic Canzone, who might be more of a DH) and no LH-hitting bench bats. Even in Triple-A, they don’t really have much LH depth, unless they are ready for a Lazaro Montes debut. The return of Brendan Donovan will help, but there could be room for Jones short-term. Not sure that matters except in the deepest of leagues.

Smith is an intriguing catching prospect but not an elite one and – down 2026 or no – there isn’t exactly room for a catcher in Seattle anytime soon.

August 1st: Kansas City Trades Lane Thomas and Bailey Falter to Atlanta for Carter Holton and Lucas Braun

This small trade has some relevant fantasy impact.

Lane Thomas is the “centerpiece” of the trade. He was hitting (.717 OPS, 10 HR, 7 SB) and starting with Kansas City, but his playing time could take a huge hit. Thomas has always hit lefties better than righties (.850 OPS vs .669 OPS), and that trend continues this season (.800 OPS vs .660 OPS). He slides right into the short side of a platoon, with Mike Yastrzemski on the strong side. Maybe he’ll split time with Dominic Smith as the part-time DH. Again, just partial playing time.

We’ll find out immediately if Thomas is in a platoon with the Braves facing a righty starter on Sunday. Most likely, he’s a drop in all leagues he was rostered in.

In Kansas City, an outfield spot opens up with John Rave (1.037 OPS, 1 HR, 1 SB in 27 PA) and/or Nick Loftin (.740 OPS, 5 HR, 1 SB in 255 PA) the beneficiaries. While Loftin is a nice volume play, the 28-year-old Rave could make a fantasy difference. In AAA this season, he hit .285/.396/.481 with 13 HR and 18 SB with no obvious weakness. Here are his Steamer600 comps.

The Parker Meadows and Blaze Alexander comps point to his possible usefulness in deeper leagues. Rave needs those full-time at-bats.

Lucas Braun could be promoted to the majors since he has advanced to AAA. Over two minor league levels this season, the 24-year-old righty has a 3.53 ERA (4.62 xFIP), 1.27 WHIP (2.6 BB/9), and 7.8 K/9 in 94 IP. Here are his AAA pitch stats:

He’s got some nice swing-and-miss with his secondaries, but his fastballs are lacking. He might get a chance to start this year and would be worth a second look.

The other two names are fantasy irrelevant. If Bailey Falter (13.97 ERA, 5.93 xFIP, 3.10 WHIP, 5.6 K/9) pitches an inning for Atlanta, I’d be shocked. I suspect he’ll be dropped just as Lance McCullers Jr. was.

Carter Holton is a starting pitcher in A-ball and won’t be up this season.

August 1: The Yankees trade Camilo Doval to Pittsburgh for Omar Alfonzo and Luis Cruz

There was a time that a Doval trade would have seemed like big fantasy news. Once an up-and-coming young closer with a bright future, Doval became a change-of-scenery candidate for whom the scenery change didn’t work. While his 4.54 ERA with the Yankees this year isn’t fully representative of his talent (3.60 xERA, 3.88 xFIP), it isn’t far off (4.61 FIP). For a Yankees team that has an impressive pen (2nd in MLB in team bullpen ERA, 5th in FIP), Doval was expendable. For a Pirates team that does not have an impressive pen (21st in ERA, 17th in FIP), Doval represents a useful arm.

For fantasy managers, there is not much to see. Maybe the change of change of scenery and a new coaching staff will help him rediscover his early-career form. If they do unlock something, there are saves up for grabs in that pen. But until we see him a) pitching well or b) earning saves, he isn’t worth much attention.

As for the prospects headed to New York, there is even less to see. Neither is particularly highly regarded. There’s no fantasy value for either, even in dynasty or keeper leagues.

July 31: Cleveland Trades Bo Naylor and Codi Heuer to Milwaukee for Craig Yoho and Blake Perkins

It’s not everyday that you see four at least semi-established MLB players swapped and walk away with no fantasy impact from the deal, but today is that day and this is that deal. The two pen arms in this deal are pretty different – Yoho is a 26-year-old who has looked impressive in the minors and never done much of note in MLB, but clearly has talent in his arm. Heuer is a 30-year-old journeyman who is a useful guy to have on your 40-man to fill innings as needed. But, for those differences, neither is getting saves. Yoho looks an awful lot like a “we can unlock him” pick up from Cleveland and, if they are right, Yoho might factor in with some holds at some point. But neither is a particularly interesting fantasy pickup today.

The bats have a little more going on, but not much. Naylor is the interesting buy-low here, as he has some good prospect pedigree and has looked good back in the minors this year (though, given his age and experience, “looked good” is the bare minimum we should expect). But with Milwaukee, he looks like he might just be depth. He’s obviously not replacing William Contreras. And while Contreras ($15.5MM option for 2027, and then a free agent) might be on borrowed time in Milwaukee, presumably Jeferson Quero is still the heir apparent. Regardless, Naylor doesn’t become a pick up today.

Perkins might be worth a watchlist add, though, if you need steals. He doesn’t provide much else (.223/.307/.330 career line with 14 HR and 38 SB in 874 PA) but Cleveland is still trying to figure out their OF and if Perkins gets a shot, he will run. The problem is, he is already on his way to Triple-A Columbus so who knows if/when he will get that shot. Despite all the moving pieces in this trade, for fantasy managers, there is nothing to be done.

July 31: Baltimore Trades Dean Kremer to the Minnesota for Jhomnardo Reyes

The Minnesota Twins continue to be aggressive and followed up their bullpen addition with a move to bolster their rotation, bringing in Dean Kremer from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for 18-year-old prospect Jhomnardo Reyes.

With an ERA of 6.00, Kremer is having his worst statistical season since 2021, so a trade might come as somewhat of a surprise. From a fantasy perspective, I do not expect this to have significant impact, as I hope no one is relying on Kremer in their fantasy rosters. Still, it does give us an interesting read on how the Twins front office sees their rotation. Maybe this is just a depth option, but with two unproven youngsters (Connor Prielipp, and Zebby Matthews) and a struggling vet with some injury issues this year (Ober) in the rotation, there are places Kremer could fit in. Whether this trade impacts on of those arms or just takes innings from all of them, only time will tell. There’s a chance this is simply about managing Prielipp’s workload as a rookie.

While Kremer’s strikeout numbers have been okay, with a 25% strikeout rate, his problem has been the long ball. He has a 3 HR/9 ratio and a ground-ball rate in the bottom 10th percentile. With a Hard-Hit% close to 40%, paired with a pull rate of 47%, he will have to bring both down to have any fantasy relevance in 2026. The Twins will be hoping a change of scenery for Kremer will provide them with some value as they push for a Wild Card spot, having gotten above .500 for the first time since April.

The prospect going the other way, Reyes, is an 18-year-old who just reached A-ball, is just the #10 prospect in Twins system, but if you go read the write up on him at that link, you can see why the Orioles would be interested and start to see a hint of dynasty-league relevance coming in the not too distant future.

July 30: Minnesota Trades Bruin Agbayani and Billy Amick to the New York Mets for A.J. Minter.

The 32-year-old Minter has taken a step back this season, with his fastball velocity down from 94.5 mph to 93.1 mph. With the velocity loss, his strikeout rate dropped from 11.5 K/9 to 7.8 K/9. His overall stats haven’t taken much of a hit, with his walk rate down from 4.1 BB/9 to 0.8 BB/9. On the season, Minter has a 2.35 ERA (4.07 xFIP) and 1.00 WHIP.

Minter wasn’t an option for saves in New York with zero on the season. With the Twins, the lefty will be used in high-leverage spots, but I don’t see him getting regular saves over Yoendrys Gómez.

As for the two bats coming back to the Mets, both are too far away from the majors to be in play this season.

July 29: Los Angeles Angels Trades Chase Silseth and Logan O’Hoppe to Texas for Angel Arredondo.

There seems like there should be more of a fantasy impact from this trade, but not really. Arredondo is a 19-year-old third baseman in A-ball. While Silseth is a solid bullpen arm, he wasn’t the Angels’ closer and won’t be the one for the Rangers. Maybe the starters in Texas get a minimal upgrade.

As for the catchers on both teams, it was a mess before and is a mess now. The “big” name moving is Logan O’Hoppe (.565 OPS), but his talent has been on a slow decline with his OPS dropping each of the past three seasons (.796 OPS to .712 OPS to .629 OPS to .565 OPS). The Angels were basically starting him against lefties (.642 OPS vs LHP, .536 OPS vs RHP). Elias Díaz, Texas’ main catcher, also hits lefties better (.904 OPS vs LHP, .537 OPS vs RHP). The trade might make each irrelevant. I could see a scenario where O’Hoppe gets demoted if/when Kyle Higashioka or Danny Jansen come off the IL.

There is a ton of hair-splitting to know if O’Hoppe per plate appearance fantasy production goes up or down in Texas. The key to what little value he has will be based on his playing time.

In Anaheim, Tyler Heineman (.474 OPS) and Travis d’Arnaud (.614 OPS) will have a pillow fight over who gets the most playing time. If I had to pick one, based on them getting equal starts, I’d lean d’Arnaud for his power potential. In a small sample, d’Arnaud’s Bat Speed is over 5 mph faster than Heineman’s.

July 26: Boston Trades Connelly Early to Washington for Curtis Mead

The Early for Mead trade is one of the more interesting MLB-for-MLB trades we are likely to get, and Michael Baumann does a great job explaining the deal from both teams’ perspectives. For fantasy managers, this is a tale of two players.

Early’s tale is about timing — he is on the shelf with an elbow injury, though it looks like he is set for a rehab assignment as soon as next week, giving him a chance to be back in the majors for the last 6 weeks or so of the season. He has a shiny 3.44 ERA so far this year, but the ERA estimators are all less exciting. Given the depth in the Red Sox rotation, the move is probably a short-term boost for Early’s fantasy managers – the Nats will be more inclined to get him back in the rotation and he won’t have anyone pressing him for innings.

Longer term, Nationals Park seems to be a neutral place to pitch or hit, whether you’re righty or lefty. Early is still well, early in his career, but this season he’s had a little trouble keeping the ball in the yard, with a 15.2% HR/FB this season. He allows plenty of hard contact, with a 4.33 xERA and 4.14 xFIP, despite striking out more than a batter per inning. If the Nationals can help him find better locations for his four-seam and sinker, it could help the changeup and slider play up even further. The Nats have done well with Cade Cavalli’s command this season, and could certainly help Early hone in his own.

Mead’s tale is about a new home and Jack Dorfman has done a nice job breaking down the impact of this move. The short version: Fenway is a great fit for Mead and there should be room for him to hit early in a lineup that has looked much stronger of late. Dorfman tells us to expect a little less power and a little more average, and that seems about right.

The potential gem in this deal for those who roster Mead, especially in dynasty or keeper formats, is that the Red Sox seem inclined to play him at 2B. Mead has six appearances and one start at second this year after 17 and 12 last year, respectively. That means Mead has 2B eligibility carrying over from 2025 in some formats, but not others, and stood to lose 2B eligibility in all formats for 2027. If Mead does, in fact, stick at 2B in Boston, with Caleb Durbin continuing to hold down third, he’ll end up universally eligible at 2B sometime later in August and that will hold through next season. Given how weak the keystone is, particularly compared to first and third, that would be a nice little boost to Mead’s long-term value.

July 15: Houston trades Lance McCullers Jr. and Colton Gordon to Milwaukee for Jadyn Fielder

We didn’t exactly start with a blockbuster here. The most popular trade piece – cash – is headed to Milwaukee, as well, as this was basically a salary dump for the Astros, as detailed by Ryan Blake. And, as is often the case with these types of deals, the fantasy implications are limited. Neither of the two pitchers moving to Milwaukee have much fantasy juice. And it isn’t totally clear what either will be doing in Milwaukee. Even with some injury issues, that rotation is pretty strong, so maybe they are bullpen help? If there is any reason to raise the stock on either of these two arms, it is because Milwaukee picked them up. They don’t look valuable to me, but if the Brewers are interest? Maybe we should at least keep an eye out for any changes the Milwaukee coaching staff implements.

Left behind in Houston is a pitching staff that wasn’t really reliant on these two and needs to make room for a couple of injured pitchers likely to return soon. But the reality is McCullers and Gordon weren’t really standing in anyone’s way.

Fielder isn’t really on fantasy radars, either. While we may want to believe he is destined for 319 career MLB HR, as is his birthright, there is a reason he signed as an undrafted free agent and has yet to even get a write up from our prospect team. That said, he hasn’t been half bad as a pro, so maybe there is something there? But nothing for us to worry about yet.

Trade season has started, but there is nothing to see here.

BAL	CHW	ATH
BOS	CLE	HOU
NYY	DET	LAA
TBR	KCR	SEA
TOR	MIN	TEX

ATL	CHC	ARI
MIA	CIN	COL
NYM	MIL	LAD
PHI	PIT	SDP
WSN	STL	SFG