With just a few days left before the July 31 trade deadline, there have been many deals made, and some more yet to be made so let’s dive into the trade and other MLB related news, which includes some injury news for some fantasy studs.
Trade Deadline Deals
The Kansas City Royals have traded Mike Moustakas to the Milwaukee Brewers for a couple of minor leaguers. Travis Shaw is the Brewers’ regular third baseman but he could move to second to make room for Moustakas. Shaw has been taking grounders at second, although he’s never played the position professionally.
The Minnesota Twins have traded infielder Eduardo Escobar to the Arizona Diamondbacks for three minor leaguers. Escobar has a .274/.338/.514 slash line this season and leads the majors with 37 doubles. He should see plenty of FAAB action in NL-only leagues.
The New York Mets traded Asdrubal Cabrera to the Philadelphia Phillies. Cabrera has been one of the Mets’ lone bright spots on offense this year, leading the team in batting average, home runs, hits, and RBI.
The Cubs pick up Cole Hamels in exchange for righties Eddie Butler and Rollie Lacy and a player to be named later. Hamels could be re-energized by going to a contender with a strong supporting offense. Tyler Chatwood has been the pitcher selected to head to the bullpen.
After acquiring Zach Britton from Baltimore, The Yankees acquired Blue Jays starter J.A. Happ in exchange for infielder Brandon Drury and outfield prospect Billy McKinney. Happ will get a slight upgrade and Drury could see more playing time and could be an interesting cheap waiver wire pickup. Happ was solid in his Yankee debut Sunday giving up a run and three hits in six IP. Britton’s value will take a hit as the opportunity for saves drops a bit in the crowded Yankee bullpen.
The Brewers have bolstered their bullpen depth by acquiring righty reliever Joakim Soria from the White Sox for lefty Kodi Medeiros and righty Wilber Perez. This is a bit of a downgrade for Soria as he will not close for the Brewers. Jace Fry is expected to close for the White Sox.
The Tampa Bay Rays have traded starter Nathan Eovaldi to the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox will send lefty Jalen Beeks to Tampa Bay. Eovaldi is still throwing in the mid-to-upper 90s, is showing better control than he did before his surgeries and has had a couple of super dominant outings. Given that Boston’s rotation depth has been hurt with Steven Wright and Eduardo Rodriguez going on the DL, there is certainly a need for him. Eovaldi had a nice outing in his Red Sox debut on Sunday giving up no runs in seven IP.
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Latest MLB Injuries
Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers was officially placed on the 10-day disabled list due to a pulled hamstring. Devers strained his hamstring on his bunt single in the first inning of the Red Sox’s 10-4 win over the Minnesota Twins last Saturday. The Red Sox recalled infielder Tzu-Wei Lin from Triple-A Pawtucket to fill Devers’ roster spot.
Jose Altuve is headed to the 10-day disabled list with right knee discomfort. The move is retroactive to July 26, so the second baseman could return as soon as August 5 if he makes a quick recovery. This is Altuve’s first DL assignment in eight major league seasons.
Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge was hit on the right wrist with a Jakob Junis fastball in the first inning of Thursday night’s game against the Royals. He later left the game and the Yankees later announced that Judge suffered a chip fracture in his right wrist. He will be held out of games for at least three weeks.
The Cubs have placed Kris Bryant on the 10-day disabled list, retroactive to July 24, with left shoulder inflammation. The Cubs have called up David Bote from Triple-A Iowa to help out at third base. Tommy La Stella and Ian Happ will likely see most of the time there.
Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez is not expected back until late August or early September after re-injuring his groin last Monday. The current tag-team of Austin Romine and Kyle Higashioka will handle the catching duties in his absence.
The Washington Nationals have placed Stephen Strasburg on the disabled list retroactive to July 22. The first DL stint was due to right shoulder inflammation. The Nats did not give a reason for this move but it is widely believed that the shoulder is still the issue. He is eligible to come off the DL on August 2, so monitor this situation.
The Cleveland Indians placed outfielder Tyler Naquin on the 10-day disabled list with a right hip strain. Rajai Davis has played center field in his place. Naquin is hitting .263 with three homers and 23 RBI in 61 games.
The Padres placed right-hander Luis Perdomo on the 10-day disabled list with a right shoulder strain. He lasted just 2 1/3 innings during Friday’s 6-2 loss to the Diamondbacks and stated that he felt soreness in his shoulder. A replacement for Perdomo in the Padres’ rotation has not been announced.
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Miguel Sano returns to Twins
The Minnesota Twins have recalled third baseman Miguel Sano from Triple-A Rochester. Sano has been in the minor leagues for more than six weeks as he was sent down to work on his conditioning. Sano is an interesting cheap pickup possibility.
Holliday signs with the Rockies
Four months after signing on with MLB Network Radio as an analyst, Matt Holliday is heading back to the Rockies on a minor league deal. It’s not clear exactly how the club intends to utilize Holliday this year but he is someone to keep an eye on in case he plays and produces in Colorado.