With the MLB trade deadline looming, here are a few players whose fantasy values have been (or could be in the future) affected by trades:
Troy Tulowitzki, SS, COL
Tulowitzki was traded from the Rockies to the Blue Jays late Monday night, and will now join a lineup that features fellow sluggers Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista, and Edwin Encarnacion. We all knew that Tulo's fantasy value would take a hit if he were traded from Colorado, but this is probably as good a scenario as Tulowitzki owners could have hoped for assuming he was traded. While the Rogers Centre is not Coors Field, it is still one of the best hitters' parks in baseball, especially for right-handed hitters. Additionally, hitting in the middle of a lineup that already leads baseball in runs by a wide margin should help Tulo's counting stats and make up for a good chunk of the loss that comes from no longer playing in Coors. If you're in a league where Tulo's owner is freaking out about the trade, he may be worth pursuing as he is still the top SS in fantasy.
Carlos Gonzalez, OF, COL
The Rockies are likely to trade Gonzalez before the trading deadline, and if he's on your fantasy team, you should consider doing the same. CarGo has been scorching hot recently, hitting .459 with a 1.525 OPS over his last 15 games entering Tuesday. That includes a 5 game stretch in which he had 7 HR and 15 RBI. His trade value is probably very high right now, but he may not be as lucky as his teammate Troy Tulowitzki to end up in another hitter's environment. His 2015 road slash line of .256/.305/.463 is not overly impressive, so if you can get good value for him in a trade before the Rockies do, that might be a good idea.
Ken Giles, RP, PHI
As expected, Giles will take over the closing duties for the Phillies now that Jonathon Papelbon has been traded to the Nationals. His closing career got off a to a good start on Tuesday, as he pitched a scoreless ninth to pick up his first save of the season. Those who picked up Giles in anticipation of a Papelbon trade should finally get rewarded, as Giles' career 11.89 K/9 bodes well for him succeeding in his new role. His 4.03 BB/9 is a bit of a concern, but a lot that damage came in April when his BB/9 was 5.79. If you're looking for saves off the wire and Giles is still available, he's an obvious choice to help out in that category.
Drew Storen, RP, WAS
Storen's fantasy value took a huge hit on Tuesday, as the Nationals added Jonathon Papelbon to their bullpen which presumably will leave Storen in a set-up role. Storen had been a top-tier closer so far this year, with a 1.73 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 29 saves, and a 44:9 K:BB ratio in 36.1 IP. His excellent ratios still give him some value in fantasy, but he is now worth a shell of what he was just 24 hours ago. Expect Storen's ownership% to plummet in the coming days.
As far as DFS is concerned, did I call it or did I call it. My pick for July 28 was:
Chris Young, NYY: 4 R, 2 2B, HR, BB, 5 RBI (including a grand slam)
Can't stop now though...
Kolten Wong, 2B, STL
Wong went 1-4 on Tuesday, giving him a six game hitting streak in which he's gone 9-24 with only 1 K. He will have an excellent chance to keep his streak going on Wednesday when he faces Reds' RHP Anthony DeSclafani, who has allowed an .814 OPS and .352 wOBA against LH hitters in his short career. Wong, meanwhile, has a .291 BA and .841 OPS against righties this season (compared to .238 and .590 against southpaws). Value Play DraftKings Salary: $4,100.
This is just a small sample of our daily analysis, join our member area for more premium content: http://www.fantistics.com/
