While we’ve already seen some major players be traded, the trade deadline isn’t until tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. ET. There are sure to be some more trades that will change fantasy values. Many of the trades that have happened are already going to be covered in this week’s 10 Burning Questions. Also covered are three long-awaited pitching debuts that finally happened and updated bullpen usages.

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Fantasy Baseball 10 Burning Questions

How was the debut of Robbie Ray?

Robbie Ray made his San Francisco Giants debut last Wednesday. It was also his season debut as he finished his recovery from Tommy John surgery. The start itself was a microcosm of what the Robbie Ray experience can be.

In the first inning, he allowed a run without giving up a hit because he walked two batters, hit two batters and threw two wild pitches. Then, he settled down and looked dominant. He didn’t allow another baserunner in the next four innings. His final line shows the upside with 5 innings, no hits, one earned run and eight strikeouts. If you waited for him, you may be rewarded with a top-40 starting pitcher the rest of the way.

What about the debut of Clayton Kershaw?

Clayton Kershaw was the second former Cy Young winner to make his season debut. On Thursday, he returned versus the San Francisco Giants. He was a bit more erratic than usual, but still showed the talent that will make him a Hall of Famer someday.

Kershaw only made it four innings, but he threw 72 pitches which was encouraging. He put a few more baserunners on than we’re used to with a 2.00 WHIP for the game. He still found a way to strike out six batters. What was most encouraging was that he reported no injury setbacks or concerns. With the Dodgers offense backing him, he should be a strong option the rest of the way for wins, strikeouts and ratio help.

And the last season-long debut by Kodai Senga?

The third, and final long-awaited starting pitcher debut was for New York Mets’ Kodai Senga. Senga looked great in his return from a shoulder injury going 5.1 innings with nine strikeouts and only two earned runs allowed. Unfortunately, the excitement for his return was short-lived.

Senga suffered a calf strain as he cleared for Pete Alonso to field a popup. Mets’ manager Carlos Mendoza indicated that MRI results had deemed the injury severe. So severe that we are unlikely to see Senga pitch again in the regular season. It’s a tough blow for fantasy managers who waited for his return. He should be dropped in any redraft league.

What happened to Mike Trout this time?

Mike Trout was sent out on a rehab assignment with the Angels’ Triple-A affiliate early last week. He made it one at-bat (a strikeout) before he was removed from the game with an injury.

It wasn’t a new injury. Rather, it was renewed soreness in his surgically repaired knee. It will further delay his return from the injury. It’s the next in a long line of injuries that have prevented Trout from playing 130 games in a season since 2019. When he does play, the talent is still there to be a top-20 outfielder, but you can’t trust it with his history. Hopefully, this is a temporary setback and he can return still in early August.

What is the saves situation with the Dodgers bullpen?

Evan Phillips appeared to be secured in the closer role for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Even with missing most of May with an injury, Phillips still leads the team with 15 saves. Yet, it seems that over the last month or so the team has gone to a committee approach.

In July, the Dodgers have had eight save opportunities. Evan Phillips has had two saves. Daniel Hudson leads the way in July with four saves. Alex Vesia has pitched fantastically all season and has one save this month. Finally, former top-prospect and screwball extraordinaire Brent Honeywell earned the most recent save. Barring a trade for a new reliever, Phillips is still the likeliest pitcher to earn the most saves going forward but there will be games where others are used instead.

Do we have more clarity about the Philadelphia Phillies’ bullpen situation?

A similar question came up earlier in the year in a 10 Burning Questions article. At the time, it was a two-person closing committee between Jeff Hoffman and Jose Alvarado. After a trade with the Los Angeles Angels for Carlos Estevez, we have a new favorite for saves.

Estevez has been in the major leagues for eight seasons, but this season’s performance has been at a new level. While his strikeout per nine innings is a career-low, his walks are way down to 1.32 per nine innings. That has helped him improve his strikeout-walk% to an easily career-best 21.8%. He will take over closing duties for the Phillies.

How will Randy Arozarena do with the Seattle Mariners?

While most people slept last Thursday, the Tampa Bay Rays and Seattle Mariners extended their long trading history. Randy Arozarena was traded to Seattle with a pair of minor leaguers going to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange.

The counting statistics have been there all season, but the batting average has lagged. He had 45 runs, 15 home runs, 37 RBI and 16 stolen bases with the Rays. The seasonal batting average looks bad at .211, but has risen substantially recently. Since the start of June, he has batted .284. Arozarena has slotted into the top half of the Mariners’ lineup, but it’s a tough park to be successful as a batter.

Where does Christopher Morel play in Tampa Bay?

Christopher Morel was traded with two prospects to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Isaac Paredes. It’s been a disappointing season for Morel, but the Rays tend to extract hidden value.

Morel has the power and speed combination that fantasy owners look for, with 18 home runs and seven stolen bases. That comes with a mediocre .199 batting average. It is comparable production to what the Rays received from Randy Arozarena before his trade. Ultimately, that’s whose spot he likely fills. Arozarena was playing mostly left field. While Morel has played third base this season, he grades out awful defensively at the position. Designated hitter and left field are where Morel should play most days.

Does Isaac Paredes’s fantasy value change with the Chicago Cubs?

Isaac Paredes has optimized his swing to hit for power, as he has 47 home runs over the last two seasons with Tampa Bay. He has now been traded to the Chicago Cubs. Will he still have as much success with his new team?

I hope that Paredes is more successful than ever with the Cubs, but the data isn’t encouraging. He doesn’t hit the ball hard at all with bottom-fifth-percentile average exit velocities and hard-hit rates. He can hit home runs by pulling the ball in the air with the second-highest launch angle in all of baseball at 24.3 degrees. That’s going to be difficult at Wrigley Field. Statcast has their expected home runs by park statistics which shows Paredes with 50 expected home runs at Tropicana and only 36 at Wrigley the last two years. That’s a big difference.

Can Zach Eflin recapture his glory from last season?

In his first season with Tampa Bay, Zach Eflin delivered the breakout season that many fantasy managers expected. He set new career bests in wins, strikeouts, ERA and WHIP. It’s been a step back this season, but now he gets a chance to pitch for a different AL East team for the remainder of the season.

In their quest to find more starting pitching, the Baltimore Orioles started by acquiring Zach Eflin. The strikeouts that spiked last season have fallen back to his career norms this season. He is still one of the best control pitchers in the game, with only George Kirby having a lower walk % than Eflin. One of his issues this season has been a trade-off of groundballs to fly balls (he has a career-high fly ball % of 28.3%). The good news is that moving to Camden Yards should help in that regard. Expecting a full return to last season’s production for Eflin is unlikely, but there is no reason to not start him in every matchup, especially with a better team for win potential.

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