Reacting to MLB Trades from Fantasy Baseball Perspective: Michael Lorenzen, Isaac Paredes, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Zach Eflin, Austin Hays and More
Reacting to some of the bigger MLB trades that have happened over the past several days.
The MLB trade deadline is approaching quickly, but several trades have already been completed.
Let’s go over some of the trades that will have the biggest impact on fantasy baseball teams and players.
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Michael Lorenzen Dealt to Royals
Lorenzen was moved from Texas to Kansas City in a trade that finalized Monday.
Lorenzen made 19 appearances (18 starts) for the Rangers this season. He struck out 75 batters over 101 2/3 innings and has a 5-6 record and 3.81 earned run average.
The parks in Texas and Kansas City are pretty similar to pitch in, but now Lorenzen has a bit better offense backing him up. Both defenses are pretty strong, with the Rangers holding just a slight edge, so overall, I’d say Lorenzen gets a slight bump from a fantasy baseball perspective because of the trade.
Isaac Paredes and Christopher Morel Swap Teams
The Chicago Cubs and Tampa Bay Rays made a deal on Sunday involving four players. The Cubs sent three players, including Morel, to Tampa Bay in exchange for Paredes.
This season, Paredes has a .245 average and .357 OBP. He has 19 doubles, 16 homers and a triple among his 89 total hits. Paredes also has 55 RBIs, 41 runs scored, 52 walks and 68 strikeouts this season.
He moves to a park that’s just a touch easier to hit in, so that benefits Paredes a bit. The offenses are pretty similar, so there isn’t likely a big boost there for the slugging infielder.
Morel has played in 103 games this season, posting a .199 average and .302 OBP along the way. He has 18 homers, seven doubles and a triple among his 72 total knocks. Morel also has 51 RBIs, 43 runs scored, seven stolen bases, 47 walks and 103 strikeouts.
Morel is the typical boom or bust fantasy hitter, and things get a bit tougher now that he’s in Tampa Bay and on a team that is looking toward the future. He still should play plenty, but his fantasy value still probably goes down a little bit.
Between the two big players in the deal, Paredes is the player that should see the bigger fantasy boost. But because guys at the same position were swapped, their playing time should remain high and their overall fantasy values won’t be changed all that much.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. Heads to Yankees
The biggest deal of the weekend was the New York Yankees landing Chisholm from the Marlins for three prospects.
In 101 games with Miami this season, Chisholm had a .249 average and .323 OBP. He had 14 doubles, 13 home runs and four triples among his 96 total hits, along with 50 RBIs, 46 runs scored, 22 stolen bases, 39 walks and 107 strikeouts.
In his first game with New York, Chisholm batted fifth and went 1-for-5 with a stolen base and run scored.
Chisholm actually is hitting in a worse park now, but is certainly part of a better offense, so his fantasy value definitely is higher than it was. If he continues to bat fifth, he’s going to have the chance to drive in a bunch of runs, and will still be able to steal bases and score plenty of runs.
Danny Jansen Joins the Red Sox
This isn’t a massive trade by any means, but the Boston Red Sox landed another catcher in Jansen from the Toronto Blue Jays for three players.
In 61 games with the Blue Jays this season, Jansen had a .212 average and .303 OBP. He had 13 doubles and six homers among his 42 total knocks, along with 18 RBIs, 27 runs scored, 25 walks and 42 strikeouts.
In his first game in Boston, Jansen hit seventh and was the designated hitter. He went 2-for-3 with a walk.
Jansen being the DH shows that the team might start both him and regular catcher Connor Wong often. That would definitely be a fantasy boost for Jansen, who only played in 58 games with the Blue Jays this season. And even though he’s hitting in the bottom half of the lineup, there’s going to be chances for Jansen to both drive in runs and score plenty once the lineup flips over.
Jansen is rostered in just 5% of fantasy leagues, but that could definitely get a bump if he starts playing more.
Carlos Estevez Moved to Phillies
Estevez was moved from one of the worst teams in the league (Los Angeles Angels) to one of the best (Philadelphia Phillies).
Estevez was closing for the Angels, but now is likely part of a closer committee (at best) with Philly.
He’s worth tracking as a fantasy option, but I think his fantasy value is going to dry up in Philly.
Zach Eflin Traded to Orioles
The Rays moved Eflin to the Orioles for three players.
Eflin made 19 starts for the Rays this season, going 5-7 with a 4.09 ERA. He has 87 strikeouts over 110 innings pitched.
Eflin goes from a really pitcher-friendly park to a little bit more average ballpark. That decrease in value helps get offset by joining a team with a really good offense, which should help Eflin be a better fantasy option in the last stretch of the season.
He was already an above-average streaming option for fantasy teams, and now is probably worth adding and rostering for the rest of the season.
I was already a fan of adding Eflin for the second half of the season and now think it’s a no brainer. Check to see if Eflin is available on the waiver wire in your league, and if he’s not, maybe you can swing a trade for him (which should not cost too much).
Austin Hays Heads to Another Contender
The Orioles sent Hays away, trading him to the Phillies for Seranthony Dominguez and Cristian Pache. None of these guys are major fantasy assets this season, but I want to talk about Hays for just a second.
Hays enjoyed some solid seasons in Baltimore, but hasn’t played a ton this season.
In 63 total games with the Orioles this season, Hays had a .255 average and .316 OBP. He has 13 doubles and three homers among his 40 total hits, along with 14 RBIs, 18 runs scored, nine walks and 40 strikeouts.
In his first couple games with the Phillies, Hays is 1-for-8, with a stolen base, run scored, no walks and three strikeouts. Hays hit ninth in his first game with the team and then sixth in game two.
Unless the Phils make another trade before the deadline, Hays looks to be headed toward a pretty regular starting role with the team, which is definitely a positive thing for his fantasy value. It doesn’t really matter where he hits in the lineup either, because the Phillies have a stacked group of hitters, so as long as Hays hits a little, he can be a good fantasy asset.
Hays is only owned in 6% of leagues right now, so keep a very close eye on him. I think he might immediately be worth a roster spot in a deeper league, especially if you need some outfield depth. Just keep an eye on Hays.
