No doubt about it, this year's MLB trade deadline was the flashiest in recent memory. A record ten All-Stars were traded at the deadline. We saw the Cubs burn it all down, sending superstars Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Javier Báez, and Craig Kimbrel to 2021 contenders. The Washington Nationals followed suit, dealing Trea Turner, Max Scherzer, Kyle Schwarber, and Brad Hand. The Yankees made meaningful acquisitions, as did the Dodgers, White Sox, Blue Jays, A's, Braves, Mets, Giants, and Phillies. Meanwhile, Trevor Story and Jon Grey quizzically stayed put. So, who won the trade deadline? It looks like the Dodgers, Yankees, Giants, and Blue Jays have put themselves in the best positions to succeed moving forward, with the Giants, Padres, White Sox, and Braves not too far behind.   

But this is a fantasy article, so let's get to the heart of who won and lost this trade deadline for fantasy purposes! Let's start with some winners that may be a little surprising. 

Winners

David Bednar - The Pirates traded Richard Rodríguez to Atlanta, opening the door for Bednar to step into the closer role. Sure, he blew the save on Saturday, but it was the first time he had surrendered a run since June 30th. Bednar has been excellent all year, limiting hard contact with a 30.5% strikeout rate. If you're in a saves league, put some FAAB on Bednar, who is only 12% rostered in Yahoo leagues. 

Abraham Toro - In six games since joining the Seattle club, Toro has homered twice, and he is slashing .429/.500/.857 with a 1.357 OPS. Ok, sure. Small sample size, but Toro was starting to heat up before the trade, too. Toro was blocked by Alex Bregman in Houston, but now he will see every day playing time. He becomes a good corner infield option in deeper leagues and is also a good value for your DFS lineups. Toro is available in more than 80% of Yahoo leagues. 

Adam Duvall - Adam Duvall goes home to Atlanta and should be hitting fifth for a team that's 4.75 runs per game scored is the 10th best in the league. That's a pretty big bump from the Marlins, whose 3.92 runs scored per game is the fourth lowest in the league. Duvall's 69 RBI on the season is tied with Ozzie Albies for the 8th best in MLB, and with a much better team OBP, Duvall should continue to bat runs in, even though he swings and misses a lot more than I would like. He's available in more than 40% of Yahoo leagues. 

Kyle Schwarber - Remember that tear Schwarber went on before going to the IL on July 3rd? He hit 16 home runs just in the month of June, for a total of 25 home runs across only 73 games. He did this batting leadoff for a Washington Nationals team, which led Howard Bender and me to ask "who is the best leadoff hitter in baseball" on the Fantasy Alarm show back in June. We had some arguments from listeners when Schwarber was not an option in our poll. Our reason being, Schwarber is one of the best hitters, but not what defines a "leadoff" hitter in our minds with a low OBP and not much speed. Still, he was successful with power batting atop the Washington order. Now, imagine we put that lefty bat in Fenway, middle of the order, on a team with the fourth-most runs scored on the year. If you picked up Schwarber from the waiver wire back in May, you should be feeling pretty pleased with yourself. If you didn't, he's still available in 20% of Yahoo leagues. 

Other winners:

  • I love Anthony Rizzo and that leftie bat in the Bronx. Rizzo to the moon.
  • Joey Gallo's leftie bat should also play well in the Bronx. Yankees need the upgrade at CF, so he will see plenty of playing time and not get blocked.
  • Starling Marte has already stolen four bases and is batting .313 since joining Oakland. Much like Duvall, he gets a bump simply for being in a more successful offense.
  • Trevor Story stays at Coors, which is excellent news for Story managers, as his away splits are much less impressive.

Ok, now- the Losers.

If you follow my Twitter, you know who takes #1 on this list.

Losers

Andrew Heaney - I have zero idea what the Yankees were thinking with this one. Oh, wait. Yes, I do. The Yankees were planning to try to win every game 18-14. But, seriously. A flyball pitcher who allows more hard-hit balls than 75% of the league moving to the AL East is a recipe for disaster. Baltimore went yard four times off Heaney in his Yankees debut, raising his season ERA to 5.42. The Red Sox, Rays, and Jays should have a field day. If you're the Heaney manager, I don't see a reason to hold on.

Kendall Graveman - As an Astros fan, I LOVE THIS. As a fantasy manager, this stinks. Graveman will most likely be used to set up for Ryan Pressley in the struggling Houston pen. As a former starter, he could also be used for long relief or even as an opener in tandem with Odorizzi or Javier. Houston can do some pretty fantastic things with pitchers, but Graveman probably isn't going to be your saves guy anymore. The good news is, he should still log you an occasional save - such as this week while Pressly is on paternity leave. He'll probably also log you a W here and there, and he will certainly grab you holds if you are on a S+Holds league. I am not dropping Graveman, since he inevitably will be good for ratios.

Liam Hendriks and Craig Kimbrel - I have to lump these two guys together because WHAT THE HECK, CHICAGO?! Fantasy managers are tearing their hair out over this one. Who will close? Well, I thought it would be Kimbrel, but last night Kimbrel worked an easy eighth, and then Hendriks came in to close. This could change, so monitor it closely.

And finally, Kris Bryant - I love that Kris Bryant is playing for a contender again, but as far as fantasy value, this drops him a tier. Bryant has struggled since the end of May, and now he moves to power-suppressing Oracle Park. Bryant will still be good, but don't expect an offensive bump.

Other losers:

  • I am concerned for José Berríos moving to the AL East for many of the same reasons I didn't like it for Andrew Heaney. I prefer Berrios as a pitcher, though, and I'm hopeful he will be OK. He got off to a good start vs. the Royals on Sunday. But again, it was the Royals.
  • Luke Voit has had injury issues all year, and now that Rizzo and Gallo are in town, the best we can probably hope for is DH. Maybe that's the safest path to longevity for the power-hitting first baseman.
  • Brad Hand. Again, the Rogers center is not a pitcher-friendly ballpark, and Hand is going to have to get it together quickly if he wants to claim the closer role. In just two appearances and two innings pitched since joining the Jays, Hand has given up two runs and logged a Loss.