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We're about 40 hours away from the trade deadline, and the activity is picking up. Let's look at the Saturday that was and the Sunday that could be.

  • The Brewers had a agreed to a deal to send Jonathan Lucroy to the Indians, but Lucroy exercised his no-trade clause Sunday morning, blocking the deal. He wanted the Indians to either guarantee him full-time catching job in 2017 or waive their team option for that year, and they would do neither. He remains the most valuable catcher on the market, with the Mets among those expressing interest.
  • The Nationals have a new closer in Mark Melancon, which is of course bad news for Shawn Kelley. He'll always have that one day when he bumped Jonathan Papelbon from the role. The real story here, though, is who takes over in Pittsburgh, and -- surprise! -- it's Tony Watson, not Neftali Feliz, at least in part because the Pirates acquired another left-hander, Felipe Rivero, in the deal. Al Melchior has the full lowdown here, but for my money, Watson is immediately a top-20 reliever in Fantasy. He has a 1.97 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 8.3 strikeouts over the last 2 1/2 years as a setup man -- sounds like Melancon, no? -- and will be closing for a team that gets no shortage of save opportunities.
  • The Royals may have a new closer soon, but no, it's not because of a trade. In fact, Wade Davis may have just taken himself off the market with another forearm flareup. He's scheduled to have an MRI in the coming days.
    Kelvin Herrera
    RP
    2016 stats
    ERA1.58
    WHIP.88
    BB/91.4
    K/911.2
    But as sad as that is for his owners, it greatly improves Kelvin Herrera's chances of inheriting the closer role. I mean, what were the odds of the Royals actually moving Davis? Their bullpen is the foundation of their team, and relievers that overpowering don't come around every day. Herrera would be even more valuable than Melancon, assuming the worst for Davis.
  • The Royals did make a trade Saturday, though -- one that probably seemed inconsequential for Fantasy owners. Billy Burns and Brett Eibner were both in the minor leagues already and remain there with their new teams, but both captured the imagination of Fantasy owners not too long ago. And now both are with teams with a better appreciation of their skill sets.
    Brett Eibner
    MIA • OF • #52
    2016 minors
    BA0.288
    HR11
    OPS.902
    AB184
    View Profile
    Burns, a burner, was miscast with an organization that has historically viewed stolen bases as an unnecessary risk, but the Royals can't get enough of them. Burns' best is better than Jarrod Dyson's best, even if he hasn't shown it this year, so if you're hurting for steals in a Rotisserie leagues, there's a speculative pickup for you. And for as badly as they need outfield help, the Royals for some reason didn't appreciate the numbers Eibner was putting up at Triple-A Omaha.
  • The strangest deal of the day is easily the one the Braves made. When the Padres put Matt Kemp on the trade block, probably the last team they expected to make a bid was the one with the worst record in baseball, but then the Braves had a contract they were even more desperate to unload in Hector Olivera.
    Matt Kemp
    COL • OF • #25
    2016 season
    BA0.262
    HR23
    BB16
    K100
    View Profile
    Turns out the Padres don't really want him either and will designate him for assignment at first chance, so now they've created two outfield openings in the last four days. General manager A.J. Preller said after trading Melvin Upton that he planned to keep Hunter Renfroe and Manuel Margot down until September, but I'm not holding him to that. I'd at least be stashing Renfroe in five-outfielder leagues for his power potential. You can read Al Melchior's full take here.

Keep an eye out for ...

  • Jay Bruce is getting traded Sunday. All the signs point to it. My guess would be the Dodgers -- they're making the most noise and have the most assets to move -- but the Mets could make a big push if Lucroy is indeed off the table.
  • Joe Musgrove, a pitching prospect with a 2.74 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings between Double- and Triple-A this year, was scratched from Saturday's start, but apparently because he may be needed to fill in for Doug Fister Monday. Still, the momentary excitement was a reminder of the Astros' embarrassment of riches. They rank up there with the Dodgers in ability (and need) to make a big deal.
  • Matt Moore is the most likely of the Rays pitchers to be traded, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports, but it's a losing proposition for any of them. Moore, Jake Odorizzi and Drew Smyly are all fly-ball pitchers whose propensity for home runs will be even more exposed away from Tropicana Field. I'm not sure the improved win potential is worth it.
  • David Dahl owners, take note:


    Honestly, I'm not sure it changes the red-hot rookie's outlook. With his second home run Saturday, he has been as advertised and continues to see regular at-bats even with the Rockies back to playing without a DH. Surely he has more to offer than Gerardo Parra, who may be nearing a return from an ankle injury but could muster only a .698 OPS even playing half his games at Coors Field.