This article is part of our Regan's Rumblings series.
"Bats & Balls" author David Regan is on vacation this week, so I'm pinch hitting for him. With a number of trades, big and small, at this year's non-waiver deadline, let's look at some of the players who have seen their fantasy fortunes improve or nosedive as a result of their team's moves, including some less obvious candidates.
WINNERS
Ken Giles, PHI; Jonathan Papelbon, WAS: Giles gets an obvious boost, as he and his filthy high-90s fastball finally inherit whatever meager handful of save chances the Phillies will see over the rest of the season, but Papelbon also sees his fantasy prospects improve as the Nationals should be able to get him as much ninth-inning work over the final two months as he saw in the first four months with Philadelphia.
Jose Reyes, COL: Any hitter traded to the Rockies sees his fantasy value rise, but the increase for Reyes might not be as great as you'd expect. He's leaving behind the most potent offense in baseball, so while his .285 batting average should rise thanks to Coors Field, that won't necessarily be accompanied by more runs or RBI. In addition, while the team denies it, there's also the possibility that Reyes gets flipped, as a 32-year-old shortstop making $22 million a year for the next two seasons doesn't exactly fit into the plans of a team that just committed to rebuilding.
Trevor Story, COL: With Troy Tulowitzki out of the way, Reyes is all that's
"Bats & Balls" author David Regan is on vacation this week, so I'm pinch hitting for him. With a number of trades, big and small, at this year's non-waiver deadline, let's look at some of the players who have seen their fantasy fortunes improve or nosedive as a result of their team's moves, including some less obvious candidates.
WINNERS
Ken Giles, PHI; Jonathan Papelbon, WAS: Giles gets an obvious boost, as he and his filthy high-90s fastball finally inherit whatever meager handful of save chances the Phillies will see over the rest of the season, but Papelbon also sees his fantasy prospects improve as the Nationals should be able to get him as much ninth-inning work over the final two months as he saw in the first four months with Philadelphia.
Jose Reyes, COL: Any hitter traded to the Rockies sees his fantasy value rise, but the increase for Reyes might not be as great as you'd expect. He's leaving behind the most potent offense in baseball, so while his .285 batting average should rise thanks to Coors Field, that won't necessarily be accompanied by more runs or RBI. In addition, while the team denies it, there's also the possibility that Reyes gets flipped, as a 32-year-old shortstop making $22 million a year for the next two seasons doesn't exactly fit into the plans of a team that just committed to rebuilding.
Trevor Story, COL: With Troy Tulowitzki out of the way, Reyes is all that's standing between Story and the Rockies' starting shortstop gig. He's had an up-and-down journey through the minors, but after hitting .281/.373/.523 with 10 home runs through 69 games at Double-A to start the season he's continued to flash his power at Triple-A Albuquerque, slashing .277/.306/.596 with six home runs in 22 games since his promotion.
Devon Travis, TOR: The hidden winner in the Tulowitzki-Reyes trade, once he recovers from his shoulder injury Travis should move up to the leadoff spot for the Jays after hitting ninth most of the year. Hitting leadoff in front of Tulo, Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion makes Travis a dark-horse candidate to lead the majors in runs scored over the final weeks of the season, and you know he's going to see hittable pitches as the last thing any opposition pitcher will want to do is walk someone ahead of the combine harvester that is the heart of the Jays' lineup.
Mike Fiers, HOU: After an inconsistent start to the season Fiers has found his groove recently, posting a 2.84 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 32:13 K:BB ratio in 38 innings over his last six starts. He only has two wins to show for his efforts over that stretch, however, a situation that should improve in the move from the Brewers to the AL West-leading Astros. He's also moving to a home park that's marginally more favorable to pitchers than Miller Park was, and his baffling off-speed-based repertoire could play up now that he's in a league that doesn't have quite as extensive a scouting report on him. There's a chance he could begin his Houston tenure in the bullpen, but it's hard to see the logic in keeping retread Scott Feldman and his 4.54 ERA in the rotation over Fiers.
Domingo Santana, MIL: The Brewers gutted their outfield at the deadline, sending both Carlos Gomez and Gerardo Parra packing, so Santana has a golden opportunity to seize a starting job in left field. His free-swinging ways prevent him from being much of an asset in batting average, but he's showed some plate discipline in the minors and cranked out 32 home runs in 195 games at Triple-A over the last two seasons. Playing his home games in Miller Park, Santana has a chance to be a needle-moving fantasy pickup down the stretch if you need help in the power categories.
LOSERS
Drew Storen, Was: Poor Drew. Once again, despite doing exemplary work as the Nats' closer this season, Storen gets bumped back to eighth-inning duty after the acquisition of Papelbon. This isn't just a short-term hiccup for him either, as the organization was forced to convert Papelbon's vesting option for 2016 into a guarantee in order for him to waive his no-trade clause, so Storen could well find himself as a set-up man next season too.
Tyler Clippard, NYM: Like Storen, Clippard loses a cushy closing gig in being traded to the Mets, as he'll be used to set up Jeurys Familia. Familia does have two blown saves in his last four appearances, and if he keeps struggling the team could turn to Clippard to handle ninth-inning duties, but the be-goggled one's outlook for saves definitely takes a hit as a result of the move.
Jim Johnson, LAD: The third closer to lose his job so far this deadline, Johnson barely got a chance to get settled in as the Braves' ninth-inning man after Jason Grilli tore his Achilles' tendon before being sent west to set up Kenley Jansen. Johnson's numbers this season have gotten back to where they were when he was a 50-save closer for the Orioles, but even if Jansen were to get hurt there's no guarantee Johnson would get the call to step in.
Joakim Soria, PIT: And the closer dominoes just keep on falling. Soria seemed to have righted the ship in Detroit after being on the verge of losing his closer gig at the end of June, but he now moves into a set-up role for the Pirates and would have to compete with Tony Watson for save chances should Melancon stumble.
Jeff Hoffman, COL: There's no sugar-coating it. When a top pitching prospect gets dealt to the Rockies, it's a near death sentence for their fantasy value. Hoffman is tremendously talented, and he's been impressive between High-A and Double-A (2.93 ERA, 46:17 K:BB ratio in 67.2 innings) in his first pro campaign since undergoing Tommy John surgery, but it's just too difficult to put up consistently useful fantasy numbers when pitching at altitude.
Ben Revere, Tor: If Revere gets a chance to play every day for the Jays and hit leadoff, his value would actually see a big spike, but the more likely scenario is that he becomes the team's fourth outfielder, seeing spot duty in center field and left field and coming on as a late-inning pinch-runner and defensive sub. He'd been having another solid season in Philly, but the loss of playing time that comes with this trade puts a serious damper on his ceiling in runs and steals.
Jake Marisnick, HOU: Marisnick has cooled down significantly after his hot start to the season, hitting just one home run with a .204/.232/.296 slash line since returning from a hamstring injury at the beginning of the month, but the acquisition of Carlos Gomez puts him firmly on the bench for the Astros. He could see semi-regular at-bats in the corners the next week or two, but once George Springer returns from his wrist injury Marisnick's paths to useful fantasy value all but vanish.
