Mound Musings: The Trade Winds Are Blowing

This is always a challenging time of year for fantasy owners because several high-profile pitchers – both starting pitchers and key relievers – will end up in different uniforms before the end of the month. The biggest problem (and in some cases the greatest opportunity) will be created by changes in roles. That isn't usually the case with starters; they generally move to a better team, and remain in the rotation. However, for many closers, while they may land with a better team, they may have been acquired to fill a set-up role. That could significantly deplete their value in many league formats, but it also opens the door for someone on their former team to step up and start generating saves. The trade winds have already been blowing, and it's again time to see who went where, what it means, and what other deals might be on the horizon. There's still time on the clock so maybe we can speculate on who might still be in play. Let's start by seeing how changes in latitudes might impact the arms involved so far:

Jeurys Familia to Oakland:

The first closer to move was Familia, going from the Mets to Oakland where he will probably see plenty of high leverage work, but only occasional save chances. When healthy, he has been effective, and he has already vultured a couple of wins with the A's, but Blake Treinen is pretty locked in as the primary end-gamer. Treinen has had a fairly heavy workload so I would expect Familia to get a chance to close now and then as they attempt to keep him fresh, and in holds leagues, Familia will still offer value.

Now for the Mets outlook. With Familia's departure, there is an opportunity for someone to step up and claim the closer's job. It's not completely clear cut, but Robert Gsellman looks like the first in line as the Mets appear to prefer Seth Lugo in a more versatile relief role with the ability to handle a spot start if needed. Anthony Swarzak has also squeezed into the discussion and could be more involved, especially if the team deals any starting pitching which could again force Lugo into the rotation.

Brad Hand and Adam Cimber to Cleveland:

The Indians were somewhat desperate to bolster a bullpen that has been problematic of late, and they landed a proven late-inning guy in Hand, and added a bonus with the inclusion of Cimber. Their best bullpen arm, Andrew Miller, has been out with a knee injury, but they hope to have him back fairly soon and when that happens, he will join Hand, Zach McAllister, and to a lesser extent, Cimber, as the primary high-leverage arms in front of closer, Cody Allen. Just be aware, I'm not completely convinced Allen can maintain his lock on the closer's gig, and Hand likely would be first in line.

The Padres appear to have prepared for Hand moving on at some point and have groomed Kirby Yates to step in as their closer. Yates has a good arm and has performed reasonably well as Hand's primary eighth inning setup man, so he should slide comfortably into the new gig. I like Phil Maton a bit to see more setup duties now and he could see an occasional save chance if Yates needs a breather. I'll be curious to see how this impacts the usage of lefty, Matt Strahm.

Zach Britton to New York (AL):

The Yankees may not be done yet – I'm sure they are still discussing the acquisition of a starting pitcher – but they did jump into the market by landing lefty reliever Britton from the Orioles. Britton joins an already deep pen and, at least initially, figures to drop into a set-up role with Dellin Betances, David Robertson and Chad Green in front of closer Aroldis Chapman. Their bullpen allows them to shorten games, needing just five or six innings from their starter, but I also wonder if this acquisition was somewhat prompted by concerns over Chapman's health. Chapman has a history of injuries, including a knee issue, and last Saturday, he looked bad (16 of 19 pitches for balls) in blowing a save against the Mets. Britton could certainly enter the save mix if Chapman struggles.

With Britton now gone, Brad Brach reclaims the closer's role in Baltimore, at least temporarily. The Orioles are in full sell-mode, and Brach likely is being discussed with other suitors (along with several other key players). If he also moves on, the most likely benefactor would probably be Mychal Givens. While Givens has a strong arm, I'm not sold on his ability to stand out as a closer, but the cupboard is pretty bare in Baltimore. Of note, the return for Britton included a former top prospect arm in Dillon Tate. He has been working at the Double-A level and hasn't lived up to his early billing, but he has the pedigree. He doesn't figure to see the big leagues this year, but if the Orioles peddle many more arms, you never know. Tate does have late-inning reliever stuff.

Nathan Eovaldi to Boston:

Just hours after the Yankees gave their bullpen a boost, their division rival, the Red Sox, brought the former Yankee, Eovaldi on board. He has a huge arm (his fastball averages 97 mph), and his development of better off-speed stuff was delayed a bit after he underwent Tommy John surgery late in 2016 and missed all of last season. Sometimes inconsistent secondary stuff has made him prone to the long ball (hitters will look for a fastball they can hit hard), but his overall control has been pretty good, and he has been helped by not allowing many baserunners. He should slip right into the back of the Boston rotation, and with that offense behind him, he could pile up a lot of wins.

How the loss of Eovaldi will impact the Rays' rotation is difficult to predict. They did receive a prospect arm in Jalen Beeks, who has enjoyed some success in the upper minors the past couple of seasons, and he's expected to step into the rotation. Beeks is not a blue chip kid, basically relying on a good changeup, and three other middling offerings, but he's moderately capable, and he joins an organization with a reputation for enhancing the development of young pitchers. He was battered in his first MLB start for Boston earlier this year, but if his debut with Tampa Bay comes when expected, he could face a depleted Orioles team. I'm not too confident in his ability to be more than a fifth starter given his pedestrian stuff, but we'll see.

Keeping vigil while teams continue to explore the trade waters:

At deadline for this article, there were still plenty of trade rumors circulating. One of the most prominent names, J.A. Happ, has been mentioned frequently as a possible target for several contenders. Two Orioles starters – Kevin Gausman and Dylan Bundy – keep coming up, with Gausman, a Colorado-native, being linked to the Rockies. He has struggled a bit lately, but there will be teams interested in acquiring Rangers' southpaw Cole Hamels, and I think Cincinnati's Matt Harvey will possibly change uniforms before the deadline. And – in an interesting note – Cardinals prospect Dakota Hudson was removed from his start at Triple-A Memphis Wednesday night and was seen receiving hugs in the dugout. That could indicate a promotion to St. Louis, but it could also mean he is being discussed in trade talks. Stay tuned.

Moving on, bullpen arms are considered more plentiful, and several closers are also being talked about, including Kyle Barraclough (Marlins), Shane Greene (Tigers) and Joakim Soria (White Sox). I would also include Rangers' closer Keone Kela on this list, and I was going to suggest watching Jose Leclerc as Kela's dark horse heir apparent, but he's also reportedly being shopped. Obviously, if any of these arms move there could be significant impact on the saves category.

Some Notable Rotation Ramblings:

• I was again impressed with Toronto southpaw Ryan Borucki in his start against the Twins. He's not overpowering, but he locates his repertoire pretty well. He'll need to adjust as hitters become more familiar, but considering the teams he has faced (Astros, Yankees, Red Sox, etc.) he has shown he can pitch.

• First it was Daniel Poncedeleon, and then it was lefty Austin Gomber, taking no-hitters into the seventh inning of their first MLB starts. They were impressive, but I wouldn't be too quick to pencil them into my rotation for the rest of the year. It sounds like the Cardinals prefer Luke Weaver's considerably higher upside.

• My love for curveballs was on display again watching Jose Berrios of the Twins in his start against the Jays (and Borucki). That filthy breaking ball is virtually unhittable when he locates it well, and he has the hard stuff working as well. I think he's on the cusp of taking a step up on the quality pitching food chain.

• I'm going to give Dodgers' righty Walker Buehler a mulligan for his last start against the Phillies. It was yet another example of the final line not being truly indicative of the pitcher's performance. He made a couple mistakes, but there were extenuating circumstances, and for most of the outing he was very sharp.

• After missing a month when he strained both hamstrings, Masahiro Tanaka has looked sharp in his last couple starts, including a vintage three-hit shutout against Tampa Bay. When he commands the zone like he has lately, the ball stays in the yard, and he cruises. He might be one I would pursue for the stretch run.

• Arizona's Robbie Ray was dominant in his last start against the Cubs, and the outing was very encouraging. It was the first time he has gone more than six innings since returning from an oblique strain suffered in late-April (six starts), so it may be a sign he's coming back to form. He could also be one to target.
  

The discovery that Washington's Sean Doolittle is suffering from a stress reaction in his foot is a blow to the Nats and his fantasy owners. He's likely to be out a few weeks now, and even though Ryan Madson got the first subsequent save chance, I'm somewhat confident Kelvin Herrera will be the primary closer until Doolittle returns. The Cubs have indicated closer Brandon Morrow will not be ready to return when eligible this weekend, but it does sound as if his return might be fairly soon. Pedro Strop will likely continue to fill in until he's healthy. The Astros appear to be leaning more and more toward Hector Rondon over Ken Giles, but that just increases the likelihood they will attempt to bring in a better option to close games. The Rockies acquired Seung Hwan Oh from Toronto in an attempt to rejuvenate a struggling bullpen that includes their closer, Wade Davis. He should help, but he's likely behind Davisand Adam Ottavino in line for saves.