After all of the anticipation and clock-watching, the 2024 MLB trade deadline has at long last come and gone. While there were certainly a fair share of minor deals involving players who are not likely to have much impact on the rest of the fantasy baseball season, some of the moves that were made are worthy of a closer look, now that all the dust has settled.
With a bevy of clubhouse managers hurriedly sewing new names on the backs of jerseys, fantasy experts Tristan H. Cockcroft and Eric Karabell offer up their analysis as to who were this year's deadline winners and losers.
Fantasy winners
Jack Flaherty, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers: Of all possible destinations, the Dodgers are both one of the best organizations at finding what works best with pitchers' repertoires, as well as a meticulous one with workload management -- which matters for someone with Flaherty's track record. He rebounded in a big way in Detroit, thanks largely to ditching his cutter and refining his slider, things with which the Dodgers are unlikely to tinker. The boost in run support and bullpen assistance is substantial and should help him keep up the pace. In other words, this will not be a 2023-in-Baltimore redux. -- Cockcroft
Jazz Chisholm Jr, OF, New York Yankees: By moving to New York, Chisholm stands an excellent chance at quickly capturing eligibility at third base (and perhaps also second base), which would be a heck of a handy trio in fantasy leagues. The dramatic difference in park factors between Marlins Park and Yankee Stadium also provides a boost, as Statcast notes he would have been expected to have already hit 19 homers (six more than his current total) if he had played the entirety of his season in the Bronx.
Chisholm's injury history isn't about to improve in pinstripes, and he's much more valuable hitter in rotisserie leagues than in points formats. Still, he has landed in almost the best possible place to enhance his upside. -- Cockcroft
Randy Arozarena, OF, Seattle Mariners: The full-season numbers from this established veteran may not excite anyone, but Arozarena has performed considerably better of late, hitting and running to career norms since the start of June. Is hitting in Seattle easier than doing so in Tampa Bay? Analytic minds can disagree, but perhaps Arozarena -- a noted postseason performer -- just needs a pennant race and the eventual presence of a healthy Julio Rodriguez to really get him going. -- Karabell
Austin Hays, OF, Philadelphia Phillies: Hays, a 2023 All-Star in his sixth season with the Orioles, saw a major decrease in playing time in 2024, as Baltimore debuted several young, left-handed-hitting outfielders with more upside. As a result, Hays was reduced to a platoon role. The Phillies covet this skill set, but they also believe Hays can handle regular playing time, as he has hit competently versus right-handed pitching in recent seasons (.763 OPS vs. RHP in 2023). More playing time means more cumulative numbers. -- Karabell
Yusei Kikuchi, LHP, Houston Astros: Kikuchi's 4.75 ERA with the Blue Jays may have scared fantasy managers off, but that did come along with a promising 3.64 FIP. Missing bats is no problem for him, and chances are good the Astros will extract better results than Toronto did. Now feels like the perfect time to invest. -- Karabell
Jorge Soler, OF, Atlanta Braves: We have seen this story before. The well-traveled Soler now returns to the Braves after helping lead them to a World Series title in 2021. He produced a .882 OPS over 55 games with Atlanta the first time around, hitting 14 home runs. Soler had fairly even home/road splits this season, but hitting in Atlanta should work better for him than staying in San Francisco. We could see a top-50 outfielder over the next two months. -- Karabell
Lane Thomas, OF, Cleveland Guardians: It's hard to believe the Guardians have averaged more than a quarter of a run per game than Thomas' former team (the Nationals) this season, but here we are. Thomas' advantage here is his new role, slotting into the No. 2 spot in a Guardians lineup between leadoff man Steven Kwan, No. 3 hitter Jose Ramirez and cleanup man Josh Naylor, who rank 35th, fifth and 20th among all hitters in fantasy points. Thomas' plate discipline has been elite this season, his chase rate in the 91st percentile, and he'll do better in terms of both runs and RBI in Cleveland. -- Cockcroft
Trevor Rogers, SP, Baltimore Orioles: He has pitched better recently, with a 3.17 ERA over his past nine starts, fits at least the description of a matchups type, and now lands with an Orioles team with a remaining schedule that looks pretty cut-and-dried as far as picking his start/sit matchups. (September looks especially attractive). The current Camden Yards dimensions are plenty favorable for left-handed pitchers, and Rogers should get much better team support in Baltimore than in Miami. To that end, the Marlins' offense had averaged just 2.7 runs across his 21 starts, and their bullpen had a 4.74 ERA in those games. -- Cockcroft
Miguel Vargas, 2B/OF, Chicago White Sox: The White Sox are dreadful, perhaps historically so. That said, Vargas is about to emerge as a fantasy-relevant option -- finally. The Dodgers didn't play him regularly. The White Sox will. Look at his minor league numbers. Vargas has both power and plate discipline. Plus, he can steal a base or two, or maybe even 10. He could well bat third or fourth in the Chicago lineup. That's a good thing in fantasy. -- Karabell
Fantasy losers
Tanner Scott, RP, San Diego Padres ... or, should that read Robert Suarez? The Padres have built a monster back end of their bullpen, also acquiring Jason Adam from the Rays, but Suarez has been the No. 3 overall pure RP in terms of fantasy points scored thus far. Suarez will probably retain the closer role, as Scott's past control issues might make him a wiser matchups/setup option, but there's now some heavy competition for saves in San Diego. Remember, saves are worth five points and holds two in ESPN's standard game, which isn't devastating for Scott, but he's likely to occupy a less-prominent role with his new team. -- Cockcroft
Christian Walker, 1B, Arizona Diamondbacks: The worst part of the Josh Bell trade in fantasy terms was that it signaled Walker's oblique injury being more serious than initially indicated. If you know anything about obliques, you know these kinds of injuries can often last a minimum of three weeks. It's a frustrating sign that fantasy managers might need to slide Walker into their IL slot soon. Meanwhile, Bell was exceptional for the Marlins as a 2023 deadline acquisition, but terrible after a 2022 deal to the Padres. He's the kind of hot/cold player who, in a part time fill-in role might do just enough to demand a chunk of Walker's at-bats even after the latter's return. -- Cockcroft
Jose Alvarado/Jeff Hoffman, LHP/RHP, Phillies: Philadelphia wants you to believe that adding former Angels closer Carlos Estevez doesn't mean the successful "committee approach" they have utilized is over. Well, it is over. Estevez is enjoying a dominating season. Hoffman and LHP Matt Strahm will set him up, greatly influencing their fantasy value, and Alvarado moves even further away from a leverage role. Estevez, however, should add value. -- Karabell
Garrett Crochet, SP/RP, White Sox: Crochet could have been a Dodger or a Yankee or a Padre or ... any team but this one! Ultimately, he did not get traded anywhere. Now, he may have had something to do with that after having made controversial comments about his usage. At this point, the White Sox have no motivation to keep sending him to the mound, and an early shutdown seems likely. Trade this strikeout monster quickly in fantasy. -- Karabell
Jesse Winker, OF, New York Mets: A top-25 scoring outfielder at the time of his trade, underscoring his beneath-the-radar value, Winker probably won't enjoy as prominent or as regular a role in New York as he did with the Nationals. After being a No. 2, 3 or 4 hitter for each of Washington's final 31 games against right-handed starters, he'll probably settle in the bottom half of the Mets' order and in a more platoon-oriented role. His on-base ability might not result in quite as many at-bats or as plentiful runs-scored totals in this new setup. -- Cockcroft