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With less than a week to go before MLB's always exciting trade deadline, it's time to start constructing a roster out of the players who have changed teams during the season. Obviously, this list will look a little threadbare until next Monday, but starting this process now will give some insight into which teams had the foresight to get their midseason shopping done early. So here's a position-by-position look at all the players who were either traded, claimed off waivers, or released/signed by new teams as of the start of the 2017 season, with fantasy point totals listed as of the All-Star Break.
Yu Darvish - 1,085 (57.1) TEX --> LAD
Jose Quintana - 682 (37.9) CHW --> CHC
Sonny Gray - 637 (49.0) OAK --> NYY
Trevor Cahill - 494 (54.9) SDP --> KCR
Jeremy Hellickson - 624 (34.7) PHI --> BAL
Jaime Garcia - 492 (30.8) ATL --> MIN --> NYY
Erasmo Ramirez - 448 (19.5) TBR --> SEA
Francisco Liriano - 326 (23.3) TOR --> HOU
Parker Bridwell - 277 (46.2) bal --> LAA
Mike Pelfrey - 283 (17.7) DET // CHW
UPDATE: While I stand by my earlier evaluation of Jose Quintana as the most valuable pitcher to change teams during the deadline season (due to his future team control), Yu Darvish takes the cake when you consider pure stuff and talent in the present. Traded at the 11th hour by a Texas team that hadn't committed to selling until moments before the deadline, Darvish didn't even cost the Dodgers one of their "untouchable" top two prospects (Alex Verdugo and Walker Buehler) although a package of three prospects headlined by near-MLB ready infielder Willie Calhoun is a steep price to pay for a pure rental. But regardless of the cost, he gives Los Angeles a bona fide second ace to slot in behind Clayton Kershaw, and in front of arguably their THIRD ace Alex Wood. I don't like to use terms like "World Series Favorites" in August, because the playoffs are such a crapshoot, but the boys in blue look pretty stacked this year.
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Regardless of what happens with Yu Darvish and Sonny Gray, Jose Quintana could very well end up being the most valuable pitcher moved before this year's deadline. While his numbers haven't been overpowering this year, he not only has a long track record of excellence, but he also comes with affordable club options through 2020. With the Cubs stumbling out of the gates following their dramatic World Series win, a move of this caliber could have been the boost they needed to make up ground against the first place Brewers in a very unsettled NL Central race. Kansas City made a move for a resurgent Trevor Cahill for much the same reasons - they are within spitting distance of first place in the AL Central and are hoping to make one last playoff push before their core hitters all become free agents after the season. I will always root for Jaime Garcia, as he's the only major leaguer who shares my birth day and date, and while he's been more solid than great lately, he should provide the Twins with some rotation stability as they try to catch both the Royals and the Indians in the their division.Now for the players who will undoubtedly fall off this list in a week's time, if not sooner. Mike Pelfrey signed an ill-fated two-year deal with Detroit prior to last season, was released earlier this year, and was given a chance to eat some innings for the out-of-contention White Sox by way of a minor league deal. While underperforming veterans like Bartolo Colon (-119 fantasy points on the year) and Doug Fister (7 total points) have more name recognition, if I were filling out an all-acquired rotation at this time, the fifth spot would have to go to rookie Parker Bridwell. The Orioles traded the unheralded 25-year-old to the Angels out of DFA limbo, after which he has turned in 7 starts (and a relief appearance) while maintaining an ERA just above 3.
AJ Ramos - 811 (23.9) MIA --> NYM
UPDATE: I've expanded the categories for relief pitchers based on the roles they occupied with their former teams compared to the roles they are slated to play with their new teams. The distinction is important because most contending teams already have established closers, and any relievers acquired by those teams, even if they finished games for their previous teams, are more likely than not to slide into setup roles. In fact, the only traded closer who should remain in that role is new Mets reliever AJ Ramos (if the Mets are ever on the right end of a save situation again), and that's only the case because New York sent its old closer to Boston to set up Craig Kimbrel.
Sean Doolittle - 362 (16.5) OAK --> WAS
UPDATE: The Washington Nationals are the exception to the above mentioned rule, as their bullpen troubles have been a major focus leading up to the trade deadline season, prompting them to make not one, but three significant additions to their pen. While former Twins groundball machine Brandon Kintzler was putting up the best fantasy numbers of any traded reliever, it's been former A's closer-turned-setup-man Sean Doolittle who has been getting the bulk of the save opportunities since his acquisition, even after Kintzler's arrival. I'm hoping Doolittle's arm holds up for a deep playoff run with Washington, since he has a reputation as a class act and deserves some time in the spotlight.
Brandon Kintzler - 1,117 (28.6) MIN --> WAS
David Robertson - 828 (28.6) CHW --> NYY
Addison Reed - 839 (20.5) NYM --> BOS
Justin Wilson - 757 (21.0) DET --> CHC
Brandon Maurer - 720 (18.9) SDP --> KCR
UPDATE: I had David Robertson as the closer in my earlier version of this post, but not only has he dropped down a layer thanks to my new category system, but he's now not even the top dog in his category. I actually left Brandon Maurer off my list of relievers in the old version of this post, because despite his inflated fantasy points due to his 20 saves with the Padres, I didn't think he would play a big role on this All-Acquired bullpen. But now that I'm dividing the list by role, this is a perfect place to stash him.
It seems to be a trend that impact relievers are usually the most well represented class of player moved during the trade deadline, possibly because a good one can easily fit on any roster. David Robertson may not continue to rack up the saves in his new (and also former) home, setting up for last year's all-acquired closer Aroldis Chapman in New York, the same role he had when he used to set up for the great Mariano Rivera. But the Team USA Veteran is the only one on this list so far who has "qualified" as a closer with the White Sox, so he gets the nod in the prestige position.
Tony Watson - 597 (14.9) PIT --> LAD
Anthony Swarzak - 519 (14.8) CHW --> MIL
Pat Neshek - 488 (12.8) PHI --> COL
Joe Smith - 406 (11.9) TOR --> CLE
Tommy Kahnle - 401 (11.5) CHW --> NYY
Ryan Buchter - 386 (10.4) SDP --> KCR
Kirby Yates - 369 (11.9) LAA --> SDP
+David Phelps - 344 (8.4) MIA --> SEA
UPDATE: Speaking of inflated stats due to saves, Tony Watson has that in spades, as he was the Pirates' closer before losing his job to the younger and harder-throwing Felipe Rivero. Considering that, it's all the more impressive that Anthony Swarzak could put up a nearly identical points-per-game total, even without pitching in a ninth-inning role, but I already have the Watson screenshot, so there you go.
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Speaking of White Sox relievers, they've been on the bargain bin lately, with a duo of well-performing, low profile setup men also leaving with their team's former closer (Tommy Kahnle literally went to the Yankees in the same deal his team's former closer, while Swarzak is still technically en route to the Brewers, as of this writing). But the more dynamic of the two relief pitcher duos to get traded could be the duo of former closers who have been traded by the Athletics. Both are controllable - Ryan Madson via a free agent deal, Sean Doolittle from a contract extension - and they went to fulfill the most satisfying need of any club in the majors so far: strengthening Washington's relief corps. Pat Neshek's name was so hot off the presses that it just showed up on MLB.com's transaction page. David Phelps was well-discussed, and went for a big prospect package, but in terms of fantasy points, he hasn't been dominant at all.
Alex Avila - 694 (10.8) DET --> CHC
Jonathan Lucroy - 520 (8.0) TEX --> COL
Miguel Montero - 260 (5.5) CHC // TOR
Raise your hand if at the beginning of this season you thought that Alex Avila, signed to a one-year deal to be a backup catcher, would have statistically outperformed Jonathan Lucroy, two-time member of Team USA in the WBC. Anyone with their hand up should immediately buy a ticket to Vegas and make some bets, all while keeping your hand in the air. Avila's history of making hard contact earned him a one way ticket to play for the defending world champions, where he'll back up hot hitting Willson Contreras. But for platoon purposes on this All-Acquired team, Avila makes for an ideal starter, while Lucroy would fill in against lefties.
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I... I believe... I believe that Stephen Vogt... Is the Best Acquired Catcher... Of the current baseball season... Picked up by Milwaukee via a waiver claim, the longtime clubhouse favorite of the A's won't be able to suit up behind the plate for the foreseeable future, due to a basepath collision with a pitcher. Now the sad part about this injury is that it likely could have been avoided if there were a trained runner (i.e., a non-pitcher) trying to abide by the new-ish slide rule. #DesignatedHitter #UniversalDH #FreeTheDH
Matt Adams - 823 (11.0) STL --> ATL
Lucas Duda - 693 (11.2) NYM --> TBR
UPDATE: I can see a world where Lucas Duda would supplant Matt Adams as the starter here, especially given their respective performances over the last month or so. But since it's likely that whoever lost out on the first base job would slot in as the DH, it's really a moo point.
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When you're hitting so well for your new team that you've got one of the league's top hitters considering a position change to accommodate you, you know you're doing something right. Of course a lot of the reasoning behind that move is that Freddie Freeman could conceivably handle third base, whereas Matt Adams is exclusively a first baseman, and a platoon first baseman at that. But lefty power is always a fun part of the game, so it's nice that the Braves can conceivably get a double dose.
Howie Kendrick - 433 (13.1) PHI --> WAS
Danny Espinosa - 375 (4.9) LAA --> SEA
UPDATE: Howie Kendrick has spent the majority of his career playing second base for the Angels, before he took on more of a utility role with the REAL Los Angeles team in 2016. While he has mostly manned left field since then, and while the presence of Daniel Murphy on his new team will likely keep him from playing the keystone much in the foreseeable future, he still definitely has the capability, if not the eligibility, to contribute in the infield.
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(formerly Eduardo Nunez) This pick is a stretch: it's a huge lean on a player's Capability to play a position as opposed to his Qualifications at that position. In terms of fantasy eligibility, Eduardo Nunez is on his way to an impressive three positions - SS, 3B, and OF. And while he's almost certain to spend most of his time in his new home at the hot corner, given Boston's well documented third base woes, if Nunez can handle the keystone (where he has just 29 career games), this current hypothetical team goes from discouraging to passable.
Todd Frazier - 908 (11.6) CHW --> NYY
Trevor Plouffe - 402 (5.7) OAK --> TBR
Need a right handed power hitter to complement Adams (and, Gods willing, Vogt) from the left side? Look no further than Todd Frazier, who has the added benefit that he can be a solution to both the third base AND first base woes for HIS new team, the Yankees. Maybe this trade will be the domino that makes a Yonder Alonso trade less likely, which will in turn push the A's towards an extension, which are is a good way of KEEPING THE GOOD PLAYERS YOU HAVE, BILLY! Wasn't that exactly a part of your missive to yourself last week? Speaking of Billy Beane, Trevor Plouffe was lost for nothing via waivers to the Rays, and isn't hitting great, but at this point he's probably on course to be this team's DH in a slow market for position players.
SHORTSTOP
Eduardo Nunez - 799 (12.5) SFG --> BOS
Tim Beckham - 709 (9.5) TBR --> BAL
Adam Rosales - 361 (5.5) OAK --> ARI
Adeiny Hechavarria - 180 (5.8) MIA --> TBR
UPDATE: I assumed that Eduardo Nunez would move to the All-Acquired shortstop when the A's shipped Jed Lowrie to a playoff contender. But even though that deal never materialized, circumstances still allowed Nunez to move back to where he's spent the plurality of his career (although it's close: 2,067 innings at short vs. 1,809 at third). In fact, shortstop is now a fairly deep All-Acquired position, thanks to another head-scratching move of Tim Beckham to the Orioles and the eminently sensible acquisition of Adam Rosales by the Diamondbacks.
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Say what you like about his lack of offensive production, he's got a pretty mean glove, and there's a lot of different ways you can contribute to a team. Just not in terms of fantasy... Eduardo Nunez moves here in the event of a Jed Lowrie trade. We need to get Tom Sawyer played as a walk up song in more stadiums.
J.D. Martinez - 818 (15.4) DET --> ARI
Melky Cabrera - 983 (11.7) CHW --> KCR
Nori Aoki - 386 (6.2) HOU --> TOR
Hyun Soo Kim - 179 (3.5) BAL --> PHI
UPDATE: The presence of Melky Cabrera in the All-Acquired corner outfield mix is what allowed Kendrick to move to his former position of second base. We'll see if his presence on the Royals' corner outfield mix improves their odds of making the 2017 playoffs for the last time before the core of their lineup is scheduled to hit free agency. If there's one glaring weakness on this team, it has to be outfield depth, as the two prospective backups, Aoki and Kim, were included in their trades mostly as ways to offset salary rather than as trade targets themselves.
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If I were to name a player who is most likely to be the crown jewel of this year's entire all-acquired class, it would be J.D. Martinez. He's bounced back nicely from a preseason injury, so he has the added bonus of essentially just hitting midseason form down the stretch. He complements what is already a good offensive lineup, which is what is SUPPOSED to happen to a good offensive lineup; it's not supposed to be GUTTED like when Yoenis Cespedes was shipped out of Oakland for a slight pitching upgrade to a staff that had already been upgraded. But no... you just CAN'T RESIST THE DEAL, can you, Billy? Just like you CAN'T STOP WATERING YOUR LAWN!CENTER FIELD
Danny Santana - 335 (6.1) MIN --> ATL
Matt Sczcur - 211 (3.5) CHC --> SDP
UPDATE: In another case of capability vs. eligibility (see Howie Kendrick above), Danny Santana hasn't played much center in 2017, but that's where he's spent the plurality of his career (905 innings there vs. 864 at shortstop). While he hasn't turned in a very memorable 2017 season so far, he's perfectly capable of playing up the middle and batting ninth for this... mostly impressive team.
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I don't know how this post turned into a hatefest against the A's president of baseball operations, but I'd just like to take this opportunity to say that I can't abide fantasy leagues that don't distinguish between CF and OF (i.e. corner outfield) eligibility. HOWEVER, I would also be extremely annoyed if a league distinguished between LF and RF. It's a fine line, one that my fantasy astrology league walks quite nicely. But that's a story for a different feature.
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