Hey All,
I’ve been procrastinating writing this article this week, hoping to see how this season’s Trade Deadline unfolds even further before this article is due, and also before the August 2nd, 6 P.M. EST Trade Deadline. While most of the focus (rightfully so) has been on where Juan Soto will land, and if the Angels will trade Shohei Ohtani, there has been some activity, but not so much with regards to fantasy-relevant middle infielders. As of this writing, Edmundo Sosa (0% owned in Yahoo) has been shipped to the Phillies, Dixon Machado (also 0% owned in Yahoo) has just been sent packing to the Giants, and Zack McKinstry (o% owned in Yahoo) is now a Cub…so there’s that. The impending big-name shortstop free agents Trea Turner and Dansby Swanson have no reason to be traded by their respective ballclubs in playoff contention, and the Red Sox have informed Xander Bogearts he will not be traded. On the second base side, pending free agents, Kolten Wong and Adam Frazier are not likely to be dealt. Here’s some news and notes around the league along with some trade rumor discussion:
As you know, the Mariners acquired pitcher Luis Castillo from the Reds earlier this weekend. The Reds acquired a bundle of prospects, one of the headlining prospects being Noelvi Marte. Marte has been comped to Manny Machado at times and should be an exciting fantasy player who possesses a great power and speed combo. However, Marte isn’t relevant for redraft purposes, as he looks to make his big league debut in late 2023. More on the Mariners: they have placed Julio Rodriguez and Dylan Moore on the IL, and it’s looking like Ty France will join them on the IL, freeing up some at-bats for the 1% Yahoo-owned Abraham Toro.
The Padres are considered to be a frontrunner to acquire Juan Soto. Infielders CJ Abrams and Esteury Ruiz have been rumored to be part of the package among others going the other way to the Nats. If Abrams and Ruiz become Nationals, their values don’t seem to change too much as speed is their main fantasy tool and their hit tool should develop in the years to come.
Brandon Drury will surely be moved from the Reds. He’s enjoying a nice breakout season and although his new home ballpark may be less favorable than Great American Ballpark, his counting stats are sure to receive a pleasant boost as he’s likely to be shipped to a contender.
Trevor Story has been diagnosed with a hairline fracture in his wrist and looks to return to the Red Sox in late August. Now we know why infielders Danny Santana and Jose Peraza have been signed. As the Red Sox look to be sellers and potentially ship out J.D. Martinez and Christian Vazquez, players such as Christian Arroyo and Jeter Downs could see more playing time, but there’s not much to see here from a fantasy perspective. Jeter Downs has not looked like the player the Red Sox thought they were getting as part of the Mookie Betts deal a few years back, as Downs has been striking out over 50% of the time.
Living in New York, there are always rumors swirling around the Yankees and Mets. Since the Yanks missed out on Luis Castillo, they’ve turned their attention to Frankie Montas and also have been linked to pitchers German Marquez, Noah Syndergaard, and Jose Quintana to fortify their rotation. The Yankees have made it clear they are willing to trade middle infield prospect Oswald Peraza, but are reluctant to trade Anthony Volpe (allegedly why the Yanks lost out on Castillo). Both Peraza and Volpe seem to be a year away from making their MLB debuts. I’m thinking the Yankees only trade Volpe in a deal for Soto, and I’d have to imagine the Yankees are tiring of playing Isiah Kiner-Falefa at shortstop although the Yanks aren’t desperate for offense.
As Jazz Chisholm Jr. remains out with a stress fracture in his back, infielder Joey Wendle has been a leadoff catalyst for the Marlins, hitting .386 over the last couple of weeks.
As the Trade Deadline looms, middle infielders Whit Merrifield, Brandon Drury, Jonathan Schoop, Brad Miller, and Kyle Farmer are the most likely players to be traded, and so far it’s not looking like an exciting or impactful trade deadline for middle infield values. Hopefully, a huge Juan Soto and/or Shohei Ohtani blockbuster trade can make up for a relatively slow deadline and set off a chain reaction for further moves!
Have a great week.
