Matt Kemp (OF - BOS) - Gordon Estes of ESPN Boston reported that the Red Sox have interest in acquiring Matt Kemp from the Los Angeles Dodgers. Estes went on to speculate that Jon Lester, a free agent at the end of the year, could be sent to the Dodgers if a deal happened. This wouldn't be the first time the Red Sox and Dodgers pulled off a blockbuster deal. In 2012, it was the Dodgers who acquired Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez, and Carl Crawford from the Red Sox after the trade deadline had passed. For Matt Kemp, a move to Boston could be just what he needs to restart his career. The move would take him from the 25th most hitter friendly ballpark to the 4th most. In the AL East, he would play in 3 of the other top 12 hitter-friendly stadiums. Kemp has struggled to get into a rhythm this year and has openly criticized the Dodgers for how they have managed their 5 outfielders, while demanding regular playing time in centerfield. Kemp has never been much of a contact hitter (career average is 72.7%) but he has been making great contact when he has hit the ball this season, hitting line drives 27.8% of the time, the highest of his career. The Dodgers are likely to move at least one of their outfielders and Kemp is the most likely to go, at least if they can find a suitor willing to take on his massive contract (or if the team decides to just cut their losses and take on the majority of the financial burden).
Javier Baez (CHC - SS) - Much has been written about the struggles Javier Baez has faced in Triple-A this season. There have been reports that Kris Bryant has surpassed Baez in terms of prospect status and rumors that Bryant would be called up to Chicago sooner than Baez. Once the Cubs acquired Addison Russell from the Athletics, Baez began drawing starts at second base, stirring up questions about his future in the Cubs infield. Baez has responded to those questions by hitting .351/.390/.676 over the last 10 days while starting the majority of those games at second base. He also hit 3 HR and added 12 RBI during that time span. Player-coach Manny Ramirez has been working with Baez and his presence at triple-A has coincided with the resurgence of Baez, whose is now hitting .258/.318/.493 with 19 HR and 73 RBI on the season. Arismendy Alcantara has demonstrated that he can handle centerfield, opening the possibility for Baez to see time at second base in August or September. If you've happened to hang on to him in single-season leagues for this long, don't give up on him now. A 2014 call-up is still a distinct possibility.
Jake Peavy (SF - SP) - Jake Peavy made his first start in a Giants uniform and had a tough first assignment. Facing the Dodgers on Sunday night, Peavy cruised through the first 3 innings before getting into some trouble in the 4th and 5th innings. Peavy struggled with his control for a lot of the night, throwing multiple wild pitches, yet managed to walk just 2 Dodgers. After 6 innings, Peavy yielded 4 runs (3 earned) on 6 hits with 5 strikeouts. I'm expecting better things to come for Jake Peavy moving forward, especially getting a big home ballpark boost in San Francisco. His 1-10 record is ugly but he needs to be owned in any league where he was dropped.
David Peralta (ARI - OF) - A former pitcher in the Cardinals minor league system, David Peralta battled through injuries and was released in 2008. He jumped around to a few different Independent League teams before being signed by the Diamondbacks in 2013 as an outfielder. Peralta has hit well in limited time this season for Arizona and got two more singles on Sunday. On the year, Peralta is now hitting .321/.349/.467 with 3 HR and 22 RBI with just a 15% strikeout rate. Peralta's BABIP is .358 so he has been a little lucky considering his 21% line drive rate. Even without the luck, Peralta is worth consideration as an outfield option in deeper leagues, particularly when he faces right-handers.
Josh Harrison (UT - PIT) - Josh Harrison refuses to slow down. Harrison had another big day at the plate on Sunday, hitting 4-for-6 with a homerun, double, 2 RBI and 2 stolen bases. On the season, he's now slashing .294/.330/.447 with a 14% strikeout and 5% walk rate to a go along with 6 HR and 13 SBs. For a player that was picked up off waiver wires in most leagues, Harrison has returned fantastic fantasy value, especially when you take into account his multiple position eligibility across the diamond. His breakout hasn't been significantly driven by luck, either. His .328 BABIP is fully supported by his 21% line drive rate and his HR/FB ratio and ISO are both directionally in line with his career averages. He's just finally getting the opportunity to play every day so the Pirates will continue to find him playing time down the stretch.
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