Regan’s Rumblings: Trade Deadline Fallout

One of the more enjoyable days, July 31, is behind us, and now we're left analyzing the trades and the associated fantasy fallout. I'll focus primarily here on the deals that went down on or around deadline day, but if there's anyone else on whom you want me to opine, let me know in the comments section below.

Tyler Glasnow (SP – TB)

Glasnow of course came over in the deal involving Chris Archer, and it appears the Rays are going to give him every chance to develop as a starting pitcher. He's been a one-to-two inning pitcher so far this year, hence the three-inning start on Wednesday against the Angels in which he allowed one run (a Kole Calhoun HR, but he seems to homer off everyone now) while walking just one and fanning five. His control issues are well-documented and reflected in a 5.8 career BB/9, but he also throws in the mid-to-upper 90s, and control can be fixed (just looks at some early Clayton Kershaw years). Normally we'd say that he could benefit from a change of scenery, but moving to the AL East won't help. Glasnow is still just 24, so there's time for him to develop into an ace, and maybe he will just click better with his new club. They can certainly use the help.

Austin Meadows (OF – TB)

Meadows has been sent to Triple-A after being acquired by the Rays, but don't expect that to last long. He hit a respectable .292/.327/.468 with five homers and four steals in 165 plate appearances with the Pirates earlier this year, but he was also in a four for 24 skid before being sent down by the Pirates. Additionally, Meadows comes into a situation in which the Rays also acquired Tommy Pham at the deadline to go with Kevin Kiermaier, Mallex Smith and Carlos Gomez. Not exactly murderer's row, so expect Meadows to get his shot soon enough. He has just a .712 OPS in Triple-A this year, but the potential was very evident in his big league stint this year.

Brian Dozier (2B – LAD)

This certainly wasn't a deal I saw coming, as the Dodgers seemed content to roll with some combination of Logan Forsythe, Enrique Hernandez, Max Muncy and Chase Utley at second this year. Then they pull the trigger and deal Forsythe and a couple lower-level prospects for Dozier. L.A. manager Dave Roberts has already come out and said that Dozier won't play every day, but that seems hard to believe. They have to wonder whether they are getting the guy who has hit .224/.305/.402 so far this year or the slugger who hit .314/.411/.605 after August 1 last year. He'll certainly play against southpaws and some right-handers, but once Justin Turner is healthy, what do the Dodgers do with Muncy and Hernandez?

Kevin Gausman (SP – ATL)

A former No. 4 overall pick who has tantalized us with his stuff in small stretches, Gausman has a 4.22 ERA and 1.35 WHIP for his career, but one has to think getting out of the AL East will help. His best year was in 2016 at the age of 25 (3.61 ERA, 8.7 K/9, 2.4 BB/9), but Gausman has yet to build upon that and take the next step many were hoping he would. He's set to make his first NL start Friday against the Mets, and it's tough to imagine a better opponent for getting his feet wet against NL hitters. This could be one of those classic change of scenery bargains, but I wouldn't blame you for waiting to see how he looks before jumping in. You're not alone if you've been burned by this guy.

Jonathan Schoop (2B – MIL)

It remains to be seen how the Brewers will divvy up the infield at-bats, but expect Schoop to be in there pretty much every day. He could see time at 2B, 3B, and even SS, the position at which he could wind up seeming the most time. Current shortstop Orlando Arcia is back with the Brewers after spending a good portion of July in Triple-A where he posted a .911 OPS, so yes, we know he has conquered that level. So how will these at-bats be divvied up? We'd expect Eric Thames (RF) and Jesus Aguilar (1B) to play pretty much every day, leaving four guys (Schoop, Arcia, Travis Shaw and Mike Moustakas) to hold down the other three infield slots. Arcia would seem to be the odd man out when you see that he's hitting .196/.233/.249, but after he fared well in Triple-A, he'll get some looks considering he's their best defender at short. Ultimately, I think Arcia will be the most impacted by this acquisition unless he hits and quickly.

Chris Archer (SP – PIT)

Going from the AL East to the NL Central would seem to help, but Archer also has a 3.14 career ERA against the Yankees and 3.01 against Toronto, though he's over 5.00 against both the Yankees and, somehow, the Orioles. Archer has pitched to just a 4.31 ERA and 1.39 WHIP this season, but his velocity has been stable and he has put up his usual excellent ratios (9.6 K/9, 2.9 BB/9). The strikeouts should go up a bit in the league change, and if he sees his .350 BABIP start to normalize, pitching to a 3.50 ERA the rest of the way is possible. Archer isn't the ace that some have made him out to be in the past, but as a No. 2, a team could do much worse. It was pretty surprising to see him go to a team like the Pirates, but they are just four back in the Wild Card chase, so really anything can happen.

Wilson Ramos (C – PHI)

This one was a bit curious as well, as the Phillies have been using the highly touted Jorge Alfaro as their starting catcher. Alfaro though is more of a glove guy, as he's hitting just .235/.284/.380, while Ramos is one of the top five hitting catchers in the league. Currently hitting .297/.346/.488, Ramos has another week or two to go as he recovers from a hamstring injury, but when he's healthy, expect something like a 60/40 split in favor of Ramos. The Phillies rank 20th in the league in runs scored, so that offense needs all the help it can get as the Phillies look to hold off the Braves in what is shaping up to be an exciting NL East race.

Jose Leclerc (RP – TEX) / Keone Kela (RP – PIT)

Deadline reliever trades tend to have a ripple effect, and that's the case here. With Kela being traded to the Pirates, his fantasy value drops dramatically, while it raises Leclerc to the status of being worth a double-digit FAAB bid this week. Kela heads to the Pirates to set up Felipe Vazquez, thus opening up the Texas closer job. Leclerc would seem to be in line to be "the guy," but GM Jon Daniels stopped short of saying that the club was ready to make it official. Leclerc has pitched to a 2.27 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in 39.2 innings with a mid-90s fastball and a 12.7 K/9. Considering his career BB/9 is an unhealthy 6.5, Leclerc's 4.3 mark this year represents improvement, but it's still short of where it needs to be. That said, in his last 6.2 innings, Leclerc has just one free pass and 13 strikeouts, so the upside is there. Alternatives would seem to include Alex Claudio (4.53 ERA and 1.66 WHIP, but 2.50 ERA and 11 saves in 2017), Cory Gearrin (4.05 ERA, 1.38 WHIP), and dark horse Chris Martin (4.32 ERA, but a 3.53 FIP and a 94.9 mph average fastball). Leclerc should be grabbed in all leagues, but if you have a deep roster in AL-only/deep mixed, speculate on one of these other options.

Joakim Soria (RP – MIL) / Jace Fry (RP – CHW)

Soria goes from Chicago closer to a 6th/7th inning role in Milwaukee, so he can be safely dropped in 12-team mixed leagues. With a 2.38 ERA, 11.0 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9, Soria has value in holds leagues, but he's a long way from the Milwaukee closer role. Over in Chicago, Fry received the first save opportunity after the Soria deal, and he went on to blow it in spectacular fashion (0 IP, 3 ER) against the Blue Jays. He did recover a couple days later to strike out the side in a non-save situation against the Royals. He did get the vote of confidence from manager Rick Renteria, so Fry will continue to try to improve upon his 4.36 ERA, which given his 2.62 FIP, should improve quickly. Should Fry flame out, the backup options aren't pretty: Luis Avilan, Xavier Cedeno and Juan Minaya among others. Minaya has the best stuff of the bunch, but he also has 20 walks in 20.2 innings, evoking memories of ex-Cub Carlos Marmol. I'd grab Fry in all leagues and speculate on Avilan in deeper formats.

Roberto Osuna (RP – HOU)

Jeff Passan wrote a great piece on Osuna and the Astros, so not a lot to add here other than the Astros are understandably taking a lot of heat for acquiring someone with domestic violence issues surrounding him. Yes, I believe in the fact that everyone is innocent until proven guilty, but the fact that Osuna had no interest in appealing a 75-game suspension would seem to point to there being some substance to the allegations. Anyway, let's talk baseball. Osuna is eligible to return this weekend from his suspension and he'll likely return in a setup role to Hector Rondon. Rondon has performed well, posting a 2.35 ERA, 11.0 K/9, and 2.6 BB/9 while averaging a career-high 97.2 mph with his fastball. Osuna would seem to be next in line, so if you're desperate for saves in deeper leagues and can stomach having him on your team, have at it.

Cameron Maybin (OF – SEA)

Ben Gamel has just one home run in 222 plate appearances, but he was hitting a stolid .290/.360/.395 with six steals, so seeing him lose his roster spot for a guy hitting .253/.344/.344 was surprising. I guess Jerry DiPoto couldn't help himself. Maybin joins his ninth big league team, and while he should provide a little power and speed, will he play every day? Mitch Haniger will play every day in RF, while Denard Span should play against RHP, and Guillermo Heredia against LHP. Maybin should get most of the CF at-bats, meaning Heredia is most impacted here. He's hitting just .232/.334/.339, so most owners probably weren't using him anyway.