Every week, I’ll address 10 burning questions that I’m looking for answers to during the week or questions that may help fantasy managers navigate the week-to-week grind of their team.
This week, I’m going to do a post-trade deadline reaction piece.
Let’s get to it.
Thoughts on the Juan Soto deal?
I thought it was a really solid deal. I mentioned last week that the Padres were my pick to land Soto, though I still wish it ended up being the Mariners.
At first, when the trade details were leaking out, James Wood and MacKenzie Gore weren’t mentioned in them, but Josh Bell was. I was shocked.
But the final deal looked good, but with a player like Soto, it won’t ever seem like enough value was going back the other way for a generational player like him.
The Padres are going to be a must-watch every single night now.
Who is your biggest winner?
I have a couple, but since you asked for my singular winner, I will go with Trey Mancini. Look, the numbers haven’t been great from Mancini this year, but no player has lost more home runs than him, given the dimension changes in Baltimore.
Now that he’s in Houston, he gets a huge ballpark upgrade with the Crawford Boxes in left field, as we saw Wednesday afternoon with his home run.
Mancini has sneaky great value, and I’d look to acquire him while I can.
OK, what about the second biggest?
I’m going to go with Felix Bautista with the Orioles. It’s a tough call, but we’ve been sitting back, patiently waiting for the Orioles to move Jorge Lopez at the deadline so that Bautista could assume the ninth-inning role.
It’s his time, even though the Orioles are worse than they were before the deadline.
Bautista has filthy stuff, led by a four-seamer and a splitter with an absurd Whiff rate.
Who is the biggest loser?
There are a few candidates, but I’ll go with Raisel Iglesias. Iglesias was one of the key targets for fantasy managers who wanted saves during draft season, but he was shipped off in a salary dump to Atlanta.
While it’s nice to see him play for a winning team finally, he will likely slot into Atlanta’s setup role, drastically changing his value.
Who else lost value?
There are a few others. The one I’ll save for later, but we can talk about a new Yankee and a new Phillie if you wish.
Frankie Montas is absurdly talented, but he’s going from a huge ballpark that suppresses offense in Oakland to a small ballpark that makes Matt Carpenter look like Babe Ruth. I worry about how this will impact the numbers.
Then you have Noah Syndergaard, whose numbers are down across the board. This was a great move by the Angels in trading him a higher perceived value than he actually has.
Any sneaky adds from the fallout of the deadline?
The one I’m keeping an eye on is in Arizona. They were relatively quiet during the deadline, with the most significant move they made was trading David Peralta to Tampa Bay.
That may not have an immediate impact, but it could mean that Arizona calls up top prospect Corbin Carroll in the coming months.
There’s a big opening in the outfield now, and Carroll has handled every level successfully, although he’s slightly struggling at Triple-A.
If we see him turn it around, expect a glimpse into the Arizona outfield’s future and a chance to get some late-season fantasy help.
What are the Cubs doing?
A lot of dramatics for nothing, right? Willson Contreras will either leave for nothing or sign an extension, which leaves the Cubs stuck with a 30-year-old catcher on a long-term deal.
Moreover, Ian Happ seemed like a lock to get moved with one year of control left, but the Cubs retained him, too.
If you’re sad about what your team did, just look at the Cubs, and you’ll feel better.
Is Whit Merrifield Kyrie Irving?
So, apparently, it isn’t a lock that Whit Merrifield gets the vaccination, which allows him to play in Canada.
It wasn’t a big deal when he missed the Kansas City trip there last month, but it’s a bigger deal now … since Toronto traded for him.
He wishes he had an ounce of Kyrie Irving’s overall talent, but from the standpoint of whether or not he will be allowed to play at his home venue, I would think that the Blue Jays feel pretty comfortable that he’s going to get it, right?
Having a player who can only play in road games in the United States and not Canada is a fireable offense.
Who are Some Players Rostered in 50 Percent of Leagues or Fewer I Should Target?
Here are 10 hitters and pitchers you should add to your watchlist available in 21-50 percent of leagues (using Yahoo rostership numbers).
Hitters:
Pitchers:
Felix Bautista (RP – BAL)
What About 20 Percent?
Like above, here are 10 hitters and pitchers rostered in 20 percent of Yahoo leagues or fewer who should be on your deep-league radar.
Hitters:
Ezequiel Duran (2B, SS, 3B – TEX)
Pitchers:
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Michael Waterloo is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Michael, check out his archive and follow him @MichaelWaterloo.
