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The Marlins and Dodgers got a jump on the trade market Thursday when the playoff contenders scooped up depth from two cellar dwellers in trades with the Padres and Braves.
The Marlins' deal is probably the more interesting of the two for Fantasy purposes, as it involves closers -- always a hot topic. Rodney has been an extremely good closer this season, posting an 0.31 ERA in 28 2/3 innings. However, the Marlins have their own very good closer in A.J. Ramos, who has yet to blow a save and sports a 1.74 ERA of his own. And, unlike Rodney, Ramos doesn't really have a history of struggles, so the closer job should remain his as long he continues to pitch well.
That's bad news for Rodney owners, who need to scramble for a replacement, and San Diego is the place they should be looking. The Padres have made a habit of finding top-notch relievers over the last few years, and Ryan Buchter appears to be the latest. The 29-year-old has been terrific in a setup role this season, posting a 2.91 ERA with 50 strikeouts in 34 innings of work. Buchter doesn't have closer experience in the majors, but would seem to be the most obvious option to pick up saves, with Brandon Maurer and Kevin Quackenbush also potentially in line for a look. If you are looking for saves, Buchter is probably the one to speculate on.
As for the Braves, they sent starting pitcher Bud Norris to the Dodgers, in a nice example of selling high on a short-term asset. Norris, coming off a dreadful season with the Orioles and Padres, has done a solid job for the Braves since returning to the rotation in June. Norris got off to a rough start, posting a 8.74 ERA in April, but he seems to have found himself after a move to the bullpen.
The Dodgers are getting a starter riding a nice five-game stretch that has seen him post a 2.15 ERA with 29 strikeouts and only eight walks in 29 1/3 innings. If Norris could keep this up, he'd certainly be someone Fantasy owners would want to scoop up, but I'm not sure it makes much sense to expect that. Norris has posted an ERA below 4.00 for a full season just twice, once in 2011 (3.77) and once in 2014 (3.65). He has been a below average pitcher for most of his career, and is likely to continue being so. The move to Los Angeles boosts his Fantasy appeal slightly, but not enough to make him interesting at all.
Ryan Madson, RP, Athletics (60 percent owned)
If you lost Rodney, maybe look for a replacement in Oakland. Madson has struggled at times this season, and the A's have been willing to give Sean Doolittle chances to close at times, but Madson has consistently stayed in the closer's role. And he should stay there at least a little while longer without much drama because Doolittle was placed on the disabled list Thursday with a shoulder injury. Given Doolittle's history, this could be a l0ng-term issue, which clears up Madson's role moving forward. It's not the best timing because Madson was tagged for three runs in his most recent outing, but he has a 3.00 ERA for the season, with 28 strikeouts in 33 innings, and should be a useful Fantasy option for the time being -- at least until the A's decide to trade him.
Danny Espinosa, SS, Nationals (37 percent owned)
While we were all waiting for Trea Turner to get the call, Espinosa has made Turner look sort of irrelevant. He got off to an awful start to the season, but started to turn things around in late May, when he homered in consecutive games twice in a span of seven games. He has 101 at-bats since May 26, and has absolutely insane numbers; 12 homers, 25 RBI, 26 runs scored in 32 games. He has hit .287/.392/.693 in that span, and has largely put any concerns the Nationals might have had about their middle infield to rest. Espinosa won't keep this kind of pace up, but he has always had solid pop from the middle infield, and is worth owning when he is hot. Especially because, with 28 walks in just 78 games, Espinosa is showing a better eye at the plate than he has since 2011, when he also had his best overall season, finishing with 21 homers. There's still a chance Turner gets the call, but with Espinosa swinging the bat like this, it is looking less and less likely.