Dodgers Add Pitching
The Los Angeles Dodgers, flush with the best record in baseball, added two solid left-handed arms in the lead up to the 4 PM ET trade deadline on Monday, acquiring Tony Watson from the Pittsburgh Pirates and Tony Cingrani from the Cincinnati Reds.
But that's not the story here. Los Angeles then picked up Texas Rangers ace and All-Star Yu Darvish in a trade that was first reported immediately after the deadline itself passed. That's three arms for a 74-31 team as the Dodgers look to earn their first World Series title in 30 years.
Watson, a former All-Star with the Pirates, was pitching to a 3.66 ERA and 1.52 WHIP at the time of the deal. After putting up two sonsecutive sub-2.00 ERA seasons in 2014-15, Watson has taken a step back. He's also yielding a .308 average with a .355 BABip to fellow lefties on the season. Maybe a change of scenery will help him get back on track.
Meanwhile, Cingrani's splits are pretty darn bad on the year. He's yielding a 5.40 ERA with a 7.01 FIP. Again, maybe a change of scenery will help. But we do know the Dodgers needed help from the left side of the mount in the bullpen. They got that with these two serviceable veterans.
Though, it's the additon of Darvish that changes the landscape in Los Angeles. Now that Clayton Kershaw is out with a back injury, Darvish will take over as the team's ace until the NL Cy Young frontrunner returns. Darvish's splits aren't great this season (4.01 ERA, 3.98 FIP), but he has posted a 2.49 ERA with a 1.05 WHIP on the road this season. Going to a hitter-friendly Dodger Stadium should act as a boon for the four-time All-Star.
Yankees Go Big
Fresh off acquiring Todd Frazier, David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle from the Chicago White Sox, the Yankees turned their attention to the starting rotation. It started on Sunday when the team picked up Jaime Garcia from the Minnesota Twins. Garcia, 31, has been serviceable this season — pitching to a 4.29 ERA with a 1.34 WHIP between Atlanta and Minnesota. He will likely slide into the No. 5 spot in the team's rotation.
Linked to Sonny Gray for seemingly months now, the Yankees finally landed their man as the deadline approached Monday afternoon. They did so without giving up any of their top-three prospects. Though, the haul sent to Oakland in the deal represents a tremendous amount of upside.
For Gray's part, he's had a bounce back season after dealing with a plethora of injuries in 2016. The former All-Star posted a posted a 3.43 ERA and carried an excellent 3.24 FIP with Oakland prior to the trade. With better defense behind him, it would not be a surprise to see Gray's ERA inch to under 3.00 for the remainder of the seaosn. He's also under team control through the 2019 season, which was an absolutely big deal for the Yankees when looking at starting rotation help. Gray's fantasy value should also be on the uptick with a dominant late-inning bullpen behind him in the form of Aroldis Chapman and the aforementioned Roberts. That's most definitely something to keep an eye on down the stretch.
Nationals Solve Bullpen Issues
Washington added both Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson to the mix in a trade with the Oakland Athletics earlier in July. But the team was still in need of a closer. That changed on Monday, when the Nationals acquired All-Star closer Brandon Kintzler from the Minnesota Twins.
Kintzler, 32, has been tremendous for Minnesota this season, pitching to a 2.78 ERA with a 1.15 WHIP while saving 28 games in the process. There is some concern over contact hitters make, and Kintzler isn't your typically dominating closer. But team him up with the likes of Doolittle, Madson, and Albers, and there's a lot to like here.
More than anything, Washington added the necessary back-end bullpen help for starters Max Scherzer, Gio Gonzalez and Stephen Strasburg. The three have combined for 19 no decisions despite posting a combined 2.74 ERA on the season. This should definintely help their fantasy values throughout the remainder of the regular season.
Defending Champs Get More Pitching Help
It started earlier in July when the Chicago Cubs added former All-Star Jose Quintana from the White Sox. As a front-line starter, Quintana joins the likes of Jon Lester and Jake Arrieta to form a tremendous 1-3 punch in the rotation. Heck, he's pitched to a 2.37 ERA with a 0.90 WHIP and 2.68 FIP in three starts with the team since the trade. That's some pretty awesome stuff.
Linked to relievers throughout the entire trade process, Chicago then added veteran Justin Wilson from the Detroit Tigers. The 29-year-old lefty has been dominant this season, putting up a 2.68 ERA to go with a 0.94 WHIP and 3.22 FIP in 42 appearances. He will certainly fortify Chicago's pen with closer Wade Davis. Add in the presences of Carl Edwards, Brian Duensing and Pedro Strop, and this should act as a fantasy boon for Chicago's top-three starters.
More notes
Royals Bring Back Melky Cabrera: Kansas City was able to buy at the deadline, adding this veteran to the mix. Cabrera, who posted a .295 average with a .771 OPS with the White Sox prior to this weekend's trade, will split time between designated hitter and the outfield in Kansas City. He's batting No. 3 in his Royals debut against the Baltimore Orioles on Monday.
Jonathan Lucroy Could Stand Out in Colorado: Lucroy was moved from the Texans Rangers to the Colorado Rockies over the weekend. This comes with him mired in a horrible slump during the 2017 season, posting a .242 average with just four homers and 27 RBI. Remember, Lucroy hit 24 homers and drove in 81 runs en route to an All-Star appearance last season. Going to Coors Field in a league he's seemingly more comfortable hitting in, Lucroy could be a boon for fantasy owners moving forward.
Don't Sleep on Eduardo Nunez: The veteran was hitting at a .308 clip with a .752 OPS in San Francisco prior to being moved to Boston earlier this month. In three games with Boston, Nunez is hitting .417 with a 1.417 OPS. Obviously, that's not sustainable. But he will continue to get starts at third after Boston released Pablo Sandoval (now of the Giants). Keep an eye on Nunez in DFS contests, as he's posted a .327-plus BABip against both righties and lefties on the season.