In Some Depth: Trade Deadline Fallout

You know what's difficult? Trying to track the league's depth charts and lineup transitions in the midst of one of the crazier trade deadline periods in recent memories. I lack Ken Rosenthal's connections, so I can not foretell what will happen over the next 72 hours or so. But below are some interesting playing time situations that should persevere through this tumultuous time.

Without any further ado (and while the Angels continue to add ALL of the outfielders)...

Red Sox RF
In the mix: Rusney Castillo, Alejandro De Aza
Next: Brock Holt, Daniel Nava
In the minors: Jackie Bradley, Jr.

With Shane Victorino out of town, the Red Sox may finally have a major league spot that Rusney Castillo may occupy on a full-time basis. Victorino had been splitting time in right field with Alejandro De Aza for the past several weeks, but there is little need to keep De Aza in the lineup on a regular basis when it is possible to evaluate Castillo's muster in the major leagues. Plus, De Aza has cooled considerably in recent weeks (4-for-24 since the break). Castillo has not been the power/speed combo talent we expected when he came stateside, but there is still enough of an "unknown" factor here to keep us interested. Jackie Bradley, Jr., may earn yet another promotion to the majors soon, but he presumably would not get a shot at a starting role until after Castillo gets his chance.

Indians 3B
Starter: Giovanny Urshela
Next: Mike Aviles
In the minors: Lonnie Chisenhall

Two-ish months into Giovanny Urshela's major league career, and the 23-year-old first baseman looks only a little better at the plate than he did when he arrived. He does havea five-game hit streak running as of Tuesday morning, but he owns a measley .610 OPS for July, and he has yet to attempt a steal through 40 games. Mike Aviles has begun to make a handful of starts at third base for the Indians, but he is probably not a long-term threat to Urshela's hold on the position (he might not even be on the roster past the trade deadline). Lonnie Chisenhall is not forcing anything from Triple-A Columbus, where he is slashing .288/.337/.431 in 39 games since his demotion.

A's LF
In the mix: Mark Canha,Jake Smolinski, Sam Fuld
On the DL: Coco Crisp

From July 8 to July 12, Mark Canha started four straight games in left field for the A's. That marked the first time an A had started more than two consecutive games in left since Ben Zobrist had done so five weeks earlier. And no member of the Athletics has done so since Canha did earlier in July. The lesson of this piece of trivia is that left field is largely a mess for this particular team, and Zobrist's departure should do little to quell the situation. Canha has been the most frequent face out there, but he has a sub-.600 OPS for the month of July. Coco Crisp is set to return from the disabled list in August, but he might need some time to get back to speed after spending all but 13 games on the DL.

Astros 1B
In the mix: Jonathan Singleton, Chris Carter
Next: Marwin Gonzalez

For much of 2015, the Astros have relied on Chris Carter to be their everyday first baseman. That continual employment has been based on his ability to go deep on any given pitch. Unfortunately, those pitches have been far and few between, and Carter has not seen the right side of .200 since late-June. Accordingly, the Astros have thrown more playing time to Jon Singleton of late. Singleton sat on the bench for much of his first month back in the big leagues, but he has started at first base against four right handed starters since the All-Star break (there have been five/six of them). Singleton's struggles to make contact have continued, so manager A.J. Hinch may be selective about the pitching matchups Singleton engages.

Mets 2B
Starter: Kelly Johnson
Next: Wilmer Flores, Daniel Murphy

Everyone keeps calling last week's Braves-Mets transaction the "Juan Uribe" deal, but it has been Kelly Johnson who has had the biggest impact on the Mets' lineup. Johnson started right out of the chute for the Mets, immediately displacing Wilmer Flores against right-handed pitchers. Uribe's presence could force Daniel Murphy back around the diamond to second, where he has played in 40 games this season.

Braves 3B
Starter: Adonis Garcia
Next: Chris Johnson, Pedro Ciriaco

Speaking of Juan Uribe, his departure has left a vacancy on the left side of the Braves' infield. Into that void, the Mets have placed Adonis Garcia, a 30-year-old rookie who played just as much outfield as third base in recent years. He enjoyed a career .353 OBP prior to his call-up, but much of that was earned during his time in the Cuban League, where he starred from ages 18 to 24. Stateside, his numbers have been somewhat less impressive, and he has always been significantly older than his competition. The first few days in the majors have gone well, but it may not be long until he cedes time to Chris Johnson.

Cubs C
In the mix: Kyle Schwarber, David Ross
On the DL: Miguel Montero

Miguel Montero sprained his thumb slightly before the All-Star break, which opened the door for Kyle Schwarber to join the active roster. The latter has remained in a timeshare with David Ross (with Ross catching Jon Lester and Jake Arrieta), but he has gone 11-for-29 with two home runs, two steal attempts, and five walks in those 11 games. He also played an inning of left field during the team's blowout loss to Philadelphia over the weekend, which opens the door for him to remain on the team if/when Montero returns. The club carried three catchers earlier in the season, and there is no reason they would not again in August, especially if they need Schwarber's bat in the lineup.

Orioles No. 1
Manager Buck Showalter has shuffled around the upper 4/9ths of his batting order, in the past week moving normal leadoff man Manny Machado into the three spot after 72 games in leadoff. In his stead - a mix of David Lough, Nolan Reimold, and Jimmy Paredes. None of those guys are desireable leadoff men, but the O's don't have many other options to place up there.

Mariners No. 3
Nelson Cruz and Robinson Cano have finally swapped lineup spots, with Cruz moving to three and Cano sliding to four. The impact should be minimal, but it should result in a few more at-bats per week for Cruz. The move could also pay off for the suddenly-powerful Cano, who has hit .311/.364/.598 with nine home runs since June 22 en route to salvaging his season.

Blue Jays No. 1
When Jose Reyes was on the disabled list earlier this season, the Jays turned to Devon Travis to serve as their leadoff man. They will presumably do the same now that Reyes calls Colorado home. The lineup move would be a big one for Travis, who had been batting ninth since his own return from the DL June 26. He has a .400 OBP over the past month, and getting on base in front of the Jays' current lineup could be a very good thing for his run total.

Rockies No. 3 and 1
The Rockies' surprise shortstop trade leaves two big questions in the top third of their order. Tulowitzki had been their primary No. 3 batter for the better part of the past decade, while Jose Reyes has been the No. 1 man wherever he has gone. Charlie Blackmon has done an admirable job atop the Rockies' lineup this season, but his time in that position is probably done. Meanwhile, either Nolan Arenado or Carlos Gonzalez (assuming he stays in Denver) should man the No. 3 spot.