Less than four days. Three days, 22 hours, 10 minutes and 20 seconds, at the time of this writing, to be precise. That's how much time is left until the non-waiver trade deadline, which hits Friday at 4:00 PM. Whether it hits with a landscape-changing slam or an underwhelming dud is yet to be seen, but our Baseball Insider Jon Heyman has been reporting all of the freshest rumors out there, and will continue to do so all week.
Sorting through all those rumors can be exhausting, so allow us to do that for you. Every afternoon at this time on this blog, I will be catching up on the latest rumors Heyman has dug up over the previous 24 hours, along with quick-hitting analysis of what it might mean for Fantasy owners -- if they come true.
Nationals, Blue Jays looking at Kimbrel; Trea Turner sought by SD
At various points this season, the Nationals have been linked to Kimbrel and Aroldis Chapman, arguably the two best closers in baseball. They are also reportedly interested in Jonathan Papelbon, giving them three big name -- and big dollar -- closers on their radar. Which is fine, because those are all very good pitchers, but… what about Drew Storen? That guy is pretty good, what with a 1.73 ERA on the season coming off a 1.12 mark a year ago. Storen is second in baseball in ERA over the last two years among pitchers with at least 90 innings thrown, so it would be pretty disappointing to see him lose his role in the ninth. If you own Storen, you need to keep a very close eye on this.
Yanks talking about starters and relievers; is CC's spot in jeopardy?
Well, right-handed American League batters would certainly be sad to see CC go -- opposing handed-hitters have a ridiculous .325/.366/.551 line against him on the season. Most pitchers would be harmed by the move to Yankees Stadium, with its short right field porch that is very conducive to cheap homers. However, Mike Leake has a ton of experience pitching in a park that specializes in cheap homers, so he probably wouldn't fair any worse than he has so far. Of course, a big part of why anyone should be excited about Leake at this deadline is that he might move on from Great American Ballpark, however Yankees Stadium is probably just a lateral move.
Jays, Astros, Dodgers, Rangers among teams looking at Tyson Ross
Ross is an advanced stats darling, with a 2.75 FIP and 3.06 xFIP that suggest even better things than what he has managed so far. He racks up huge strikeout numbers with a slider that might be one of the best pitches in baseball, and also ranks third in baseball in groundball rate. Moving on from Petco Park would be a bad thing for him, obviously, but getting a different defense wouldn't hurt; the Padres rank 24th in the majors in defensive runs saved. The Dodgers have the best mixture of defense, home park and offense to maximize Ross's value.
Zobrist draws huge interest; Pirates, Royals in, Angels, Yanks, Cubs also
Zobrist doesn't seem like a player whose value is going to be impacted much by the park he plays in, but his on-base abilities would certainly play up more in a lineup that could bring him around more, so any move should be a positive. He would have the best chance to play everyday in Pittsburgh or Kansas City, but would likely see tons of playing time anywhere he goes.
Mets and Nats are in on Tyler Clippard; report says Mets may lead
Any Fantasy appeal Clippard has had this season has been as a result of his role as the A's closer, and even that hasn't brought him much. He would be waiver-wire fodder whenever he moves back to middle relief.
Cardinals had talks about Adam Lind; Brewers could still keep him
Lind has been a picture of consistency, posting gthe following OPS in each of the last three years:
2013: .854
2014: .860
2015: .865
He's not an everyday player, however, and would be moving on from one of the best parks in the majors for left-handed power, so any move would probably be a net negative for the 31-year-old who has enjoyed a very fine season.
Cole Hamels update: Rangers seen as slight leader, Dodgers second
Among the 24 pitchers who currently qualify for the ERA title, Hamels has the 24th largest gap between his FIP and his ERA; he has the 19th largest gap between his xFIP and his ERA. And that is after a majestic no-hitter Saturday that lowered his ERA more than a quarter of a run. It's hard not to think that the Phillies defense, which rates out as one of the worst in the league by both DRS and defensive efficiency -- they rank dead last in the latter. As with Ross, the Dodgers provide the best combination of defense and offense, though the Rangers would also improve his value, obviously.
Dombrowski: Tigers not sellers at trade deadline, trying for playoffs
Realistically, there aren't a lot of pieces the Tigers could move that would change the Fantasy landscape. Maybe Joakim Soria moves on and opens up the closer's role, or gets moved to Toronto and becomes the closer there. Maybe Yoenis Cespedes moves to a park more conducive to power hitting? There isn't much that could change here. Except David Price, who would obviously be as big a name as any on the block. Of course, that doesn't look likely to happen, so don't worry too much about this one.
