Growing up near Philly and being a fan of The Roots, I couldn’t help but picture Bobby Evans calling Walt Jocketty to negotiate last week’s trade and it going a little something like this: “The way we do it like this, that for my Mella my man. It’s like that for my Mella my man?” asks Walt. “No, no. We do it like that, this for my Mella my man. It’s like this for my Mella my man,” replies Bobby. And so on and so forth until Mike Leake is a Giant. Anyhoo, Mella was one of the best arms in the Giants’ system, and I actually ranked him #1 on their preseason preview. The 21-year-old had a 2.9 BB/9 and 9.1 K/9 in High-A this year prior to the trade. His value will take a small hit given the Giants’ success with pitching and friendly home park. GABP is less kind to its starters. The Reds will also get corner infielder Adam Duvall in the deal. He goes from being blocked by Matt Duffy, Brandon Belt, and Buster Posey…to being blocked by Joey Votto and Todd Frazier. Words can’t describe his current shizzuation as well as this can. Here are some of the other notable prospects traded at this year’s deadline…
Nick Williams, OF | Jorge Alfaro, C | Jake Thompson, RHP (TEX -> PHI)
Williams has the tools to be an above-average everyday outfielder, but questions about his approach curbed the enthusiasm prior to the season. Big improvements in his strikeout rate this year (a full 10% lower) answered a lot of those doubts and shot him up the rankings. If he maintains with Philly, the ceiling is gorgeous (20+ homers/.280+ AVG/10-15 steals) and he could reach the majors in late 2016. Alfaro has the physical tools to be a star catcher that hits for power, but everything about his game right now is pretty raw. It doesn’t help that he is missing development time this year with an injury, but the fantasy ceiling is probably higher than any other backstop in the minors right now. If he comes out from behind the plate, he’s athletic enough to play a corner outfield position. Thompson was the best arm the Phillies got back for Hamels. He’s basically a #3 starter if things break right. There’s lots of upside in all three of these guys from a fantasy standpoint. I’d say they don’t really gain much value since the parks are both hitter-friendly, although a player like Williams will have a clearer path to playing time in his new digs. STOCK EVEN
Brett Phillips, OF | Domingo Santana, OF (HOU -> MIL)
Carlos Gomez brought the Brewers a pair of toolsy outfielders in Phillips and Santana. Phillips is the best piece, with 20/20 upside if the power continues to develop. He’s got speed, defense, and hitting ability already and was borderline Top 50 for me on the midseason list. Evaluators like him, and I’ve seen him ranked pretty high on traditional lists. If his power hangs around as he tackles Double-A, he’ll make a big jump into my 2016 preseason rankings. We could see the center fielder in the majors next summer if he proves Double-A isn’t much of a challenge. Santana is closer to the bigs than Phillips, but there are more question marks. Despite big power, he’s also a strikeout machine – hovering around 30% in the minors. That could limit him to a part-time role if he can’t figure it out. Both players will benefit from their new park. STOCK UP
Michael Fulmer, RHP (NYM -> DET)
The Mets had pitching depth to deal, but the Tigers did well to get Fulmer. He’s already in Double-A and sports a 2.4 BB/9 and 8.9 K/9 in 86 innings pitched at the level. He’ll probably top out as a mid-rotation starter, and could see some MLB action as soon as next year. Metco and Comerica are both pitcher-friendly, so I don’t see a huge value bump with the trade, but the Tigers’ rotation might be easier to crack than the Mets’. STOCK UP
Alberto Tirado, RHP (TOR -> PHI)
The Phils sent Revere to Toronto in exchange for Tirado and Jimmy Cordero. Tirado is the more interesting piece here since the Phillies have said they’ll try him out as a starter first. He’s got #3 upside if that’s the case, but his control has been so iffy I think his ceiling is more high-leverage reliever. That’ll work in real life, and could end up having some fantasy value in saves/holds leagues as well. Either way, this is filthy. STOCK EVEN
Zach Davies, RHP (BAL -> MIL)
Davies entered the power rankings this Sunday since the Brewers’ rotation could probably afford to give him a look this year. Davies doesn’t have overpowering stuff, but his feel for pitching and the way he commands his arsenal may allow him to outperform his tools. He’s better suited for deeper fantasy formats. Getting out of the American League (and sorry but out of the O’s organization) should be a good thing. STOCK UP
Daniel Norris, LHP | Jairo LaBourt, LHP | Matt Boyd, LHP (TOR -> DET)
ALL THE LEFTIES. Norris has had funky control issues, which hopefully get ironed out with more experience. He could be a good #3, maybe even #2 with solid strikeouts. LaBourt has control problems as well, and the big lefty is more likely than Norris to end up as a reliever down the road. Boyd’s more of a back-end type that eats innings. He’s going to be useful in deeper formats or as a streamer and gets the nod today against the Royals. All three of these players will benefit with the move from Toronto to Detroit in terms of home parks and opportunity. STOCK UP
Jose Peraza, 2B (ATL -> LAD)
Well, outside of a September call-up, this trade kinda kills Peraza this year with Kendrick manning the keystone for the Dodgers. He probably wasn’t going to get a good chance in Atlanta this year either though, considering both Peterson and Maybin have played well. It improves his stock for next year, though, as Kendrick is set to become a free agent and Peraza is pretty much ready. A lazy comp I can make is Jose Altuve light – high average/runs/20+ steals from the top of the lineup. There’s also a chance LA moves Seager to 3B at some point. Peraza was originally a good shortstop and moved off due to Simmons in Atlanta, so if that were to happen we could see a Seager/Peraza left side. The floor is a very good utility type that can play up the middle. STOCK UP
Hector Olivera, 3B (LAD -> ATL)
The downside is that Olivera is already 30 and has some injury history, including hamstring problems that sidelined him this season. The upside is that he’s big league ready with 15-20 homer/.280+ batting average potential. This trades helps his value since there really wasn’t anywhere for him to play in LA. Atlanta, though, should give him a look as soon as he’s healthy this year. They obviously like him, as they were the second-highest bid this offseason. I bought a share in one 12-team keeper for the same reasons the Braves did. He’ll be cheap and controllable for the next few years and doesn’t carry as much risk as typical prospects. He regularly hit .300+ with 15+ homers in Cuba. STOCK UP
Rob Kaminsky, LHP (STL -> CLE)
A little lefty from Jersey? Yes please. Not only do I want to own this guy in fantasy, I think I want to have him come live at my house here in central Ohio. Kaminsky goes from one solid pitching organization to another, so I don’t think his value changes much. He might take a little hit going from the NL to the AL though. He checked in at #8 on my preseason Cards list. STOCK EVEN
I touched on the prospects that I think will have the biggest fantasy impacts. Obviously there were a lot more that changed hands last Friday. Hit me up in the comments on any of them.
