Well, that trade deadline did not disappoint for fans of roster chaos! It mostly involved bullpens, but hey, we got some outfield shakeups thrown in. I promised to focus on some NL outfields if we got some changes in the space. And lo and behold, flux! Let’s hop into the DeLorean and check out a few situations where the changes might provide us with some Fantasy opportunities, so let’s dig in. Stats run through Saturday.
Marlins
The Marlins have put a surprisingly competent team on the field in 2025 and will blow away their Vegas win total of 63. They hit the trade deadline on the fringe of the Wild Card race, and lightly sold at the deadline. Very lightly. Sandy Alcantara stayed in town, as did Edward Cabrera. They did trade Jesus Sanchez to the Astros, which opens up a spot in the outfield. And hey, that’s what we cover here!
Heriberto Hernandez looks like the biggest beneficiary. The 25 year old corner OF has seen his PT trend up already, and deservedly so as he’s hitting .299 with 5 homers in 116 PA’s. That’s good for a sparkling 133 wRC+ There’s a lot to like here under the hood, albeit in a small sample. He’s got a 96.9 Adjusted EV, 85th percentile for guys with at least 100 PA’s, to go with a 12% Barrel% and 45.3% HardHit%. On the flip side, while his K% is a high but livable 28%, his 40.3% Whiff% is astronomical and suggests those K’s may go up from here. The decent power may hang in, and his xBA is .277, but it wouldn’t shock to see his batting average take a hit. Still, he’s worth a deep league flyer.
Jakob Marsee gets the actual call up in the Jesus Sanchez roster spot, and he’s a pretty exciting prospect if you need steals and don’t already roster Chandler Simpson. He has 47 (!) bags in 98 AAA games this year. Unlike Simpson, he has some power as he’s popped 14 homers. He does not have the hit tool however, as he hit .200 across 2 levels in 2024, and .246 this season. Projections peg him in the .210 range. He can play center, where he will likely displace the slumping Dane Myers.
Brewers
The Crew did next to nothing at the deadline, but made this list anyway as Jackson Chourio heads to the IL. Isaac Collins has played pretty regularly already, but he deserves a quick mention as he’s been excellent. The rookie is hitting .277 with 6 homers, 12 steals, and a .348 wOBA. He probably deserves some shallow league attention at this point. His 87 EV and 5.9% Barrel% do not suggest much more hidden pop. But his 92nd percentile Chase% and 81st percentile LA Sweet Spot% demonstrate some really nice plate skills for a rookie.
Christian Yelich worked his way to a shade more OF while Sal Frelick was on the IL. That could trend up even more now as it would let the Brewers DH William Contreras and use new acquisition Danny Jansen behind the plate. Blake Perkins will also benefit. He returned from the IL at the All Star break and had played sparingly, but has started twice (and homered twice) with Chourio out. He’s a switch hitter and played mostly as a weak-side platoon bat in 2024. He didn’t do all that much, though he stole 23 bases and scored 54 runs. At best he’s deep league viable if you need steals, as he may get some run here. There’s also Brandon Lockridge, acquired from the Padres at the trade deadline. He’s a righty and he started for Frelick on Friday then replaced him on Saturday, both vs. lefties. Short-side platoon does not help anyone much in Fantasy, but he’s a huge speed asset if he gets regular run (pun kind of intended) as he stole 9 bases in 109 PA’s in San Diego. He also could eat into Frelick’s appeal.
Padres
Prospects? Who needs prospects? Marsee was a Padres castoff in last year’s Tanner Scott rental trade. This go-around, the Padres emptied the tanks again, including a couple badly needed OF/DH bats in Ramon Laureano and Ryan O’Hearn.
Laureano has had a monster year for the Orioles, hitting .290 in Charm City with 15 homers, 45 runs, and 46 RBI’s in 290 PA’s. Statcast found it all pretty “real” with a .373 xwOBA vs. a .377 actual wOBA. Believe it or not, Petco’s park context is not much worse than Camden Yards for righty power. Over the last 3 seasons, Petco has a 116 HR park factor for righties, whereas Camden this year, with the fences moved in a bit, has played at a 128. That’s a really small sample, but even if it’s a little worse, the Padres have a better lineup than the Orioles. So on paper, this trade should net out pretty neutrally for Laureano. Obviously, time will tell as he’s having his best season since he hit 24 homers and batted .288 for the 2019 A’s in the Happy Fun Ball year.
O’Hearn got off to a hot start and got voted into the AL All-Star as a DH. But for the 2nd season in a row, he cooled down big time over the summer. Since June 1st, he hit .224 with just 4 homers, 20 RBI’s and a .302 wOBA. He probably steps in at DH for Gavin Sheets, a virtually identical 1B and corner OF player who also got off to a hot start and has also trended down. Crazy, but in June and July he’s at a virtually identical .231 with 4 homers, 20 RBI’s and a .287 wOBA. O’Hearn could get dinged more with the park change than Laureano, as Camden has a 156 HR factor for lefties over the last 3 years vs. 87 for Petco.
It’s tough to know exactly how the PT shakes out. But given that they traded for O’Hearn, they likely plan to play him as at least a strong side regular. O’Hearn is a much better OBP guy, .374 on the year vs. .312 for Sheets. Either or both could work their way into some time at 1B as neither Jake Cronenworth nor Luis Arraez are having great seasons. Sheets does look like a big PT loser, though, along with their recent left fielder Bryce Johnson. If you were rostering Johnson though, you’re in a REALLY deep league.
Reds
Cincinnati’s big add was technically a 3rd basman, Ke’Bryan Hayes. OK, he’s actually a 3rd baseman. But it has huge impact on the outfield as it bumps Noelvi Marte to right field and makes an already crowded situation that much worse for the Fantasy value of all involved. Marte has hit well this season with a .279 average and .349 wOBA and figures to play pretty regularly. The same is true for TJ Friedl in CF and Austin Hays as an occasional corner and mostly DH. That leaves one spot for a combo of Jake Fraley, Gavin Lux, and Will Benson. Not even one spot, actually, as the Reds also traded for Miguel Andujar, and he will short side platoon.
In a deep league, Fraley looks like the best bet. He’s got a .336 wOBA with 6 homers and 4 steals in 179 PA’s. He’s always had an interesting power-speed appeal, and he’s added good plate discipline this season with a 13.4% BB%. Fraley has never escaped strong-side platoon-ville and has trouble staying healthy. Stream him in stretches with lots ot RH starters and/or games at his home launching pad, but that’s it.
ROS/Keeper Steer or Happ H2H
I think I’d rather Steer. They both kind of meh but Steer at least might get a few steals