Roto Roundup: MLB Trade Deadline Edition

I am back from vacation and back at the daily Roto Roundups. Yesterday's MLB news was dominated by the July 31st trade deadline so I am going to post a few thoughts on some of the deals made yesterday along with highlighting some of the top performers from yesterday's action.

I was reading through some of the Buster Olney's tweets last night and came across this very interesting tweet:

Buster_ESPN Buster Olney 

The fact that the NYY didn't make a deal increases likelihood that both Jesus Montero and Manny Banuelos get opportunities in bigs this year

59 minutes ago 

For those of you in AL-only and mixed leagues, go out and grab these two if they are still available on the waiver wire, that is, if you can pick up minor leaguers.

It appears the Diamondbacks may be bringing up AA power hitting first baseman Paul Goldschmidt after dealing Brandon Allen to the A's in the Brad Zeigler deal. Here is a tweet from Nick Piecoro from the Arizona Republic:

@nickpiecoro

Nick Piecoro

Just heard from someone in Mobile who tells me Goldschmidt is getting promoted.

8 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone Favorite Retweet Reply

Goldschmidt should be picked up in all keeper leagues and NL-only leagues as he could be the Dbacks everyday first baseman going forward. I couldn't find anything on the Dbacks MLB site to confirm this move though.

More Roundup after the jump:

The Astros have sent first baseman Brett Wallace and third baseman Chris Johnson to AAA, and called up AA third baseman Jimmy Paredes and Brian Bogusevic. Can we officially call Wallace a bust now? 

The Pirates traded a PTBNL for Padres outfielder Ryan Ludwick yesterday. I am not sure what the Pirates are thinking with this deal as Ludwick is hitting .238-.301-.373 with 11 HRs and 64 RBIs. Is he better than Garret Jones? What this deal does tell me is that Jose Tabata may not be back for a long time.

Tigers starter Justin Verlander out-dueled Angels ace Jered Weaver and almost threw another no-hitter in the process. He gave up 2 runs, both unearned, on 1 hit, 2 walks and 9 strikeouts. He has given up just 12 runs on 50 hits in his last 10 starts, covering 78.1 innings. He is now 15-5 with a 2.24 ERA and 0.87 WHIP and is my choice for AL Cy Young this season.

Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis went 1-5 with his first major league HR yesterday, but has struggled since his call up to the big leagues. He is hitting just .136-.208-.318 with a HR and 2 RBIs in his 22 at bats.

Royals outfielder Alex Gordon is proving that teams should hold onto struggling prospects as he is having a breakthrough season this year and not getting much press. He went 2-4 with a HR, a walk and 2 runs scored yesterday, and is now hitting .302-.376-.495 with 14 HRs, 58 RBIs, 9 SBs and a 92-46 K/BB rate.

Dodgers right fielder Andre Ethier went 4-5 yesterday and all were singles. It will be interesting what the Dodgers do with him in the offseason, as his power has dropped this season, and he is healthy. He is hitting .305-.376-.448 with 10 HRs and 48 RBIs this season. He has just 35 extra base hits thus far, and is a trade candidate in the offseason in my opinion.

Rangers super utility hitter Michael Young went 2-4 with a run and and RBI yesterday, and is hitting .336-.373-.495 with 9 HRs and 73 RBIs thus far. And to think the Rangers were going to deal him last offseason. There are some GMs out there kicking themselves almost everyday for not trading for him. 

Reds first baseman Joey Votto went 2-4 with a HR and 4 RBIs yesterday and is now hitting .319-.428-.515 with 17 HRs, 68 RBIs and 6 SBs this season. I was trading emails with another owner recently saying Votto is having  down year, but his performance is very similar to his 2010 performance with a drop in HRs.

Nationals starter Jordan Zimmerman shut out the Mets for 6 innings yesterday, giving up 7 hits, a walk and striking out 6. Closer Drew Storen blew the save so he didn't get the win, but he is 6-9 with a 3.12 ERA and 1.10 WHIP and will be getting plenty of love this offseason by fantasy writers.

I think there will be some trade activity in August with guys like Ramon Hernandez and Wandy Rodriguez getting dealt. If the Red fall out of the wildcard or division race, the drum beats for calling up catcher Devin Mesoraco will get pretty loud. And with the Astros trading Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn, you would think they would have dealt Wandy already.

Speaking of the Astros, you have to consider picking up starters when they start against the Astros. That lineup is pretty horrific.

Padres outfielder Cameron Maybin went 1-5 with his 25 SB yesterday. He is hitting .279-.332-.408 with 6 HRs, 27 RBIs and 25 SBs. I traded him in the offseason for the 12th pick in the league's minor league draft and that pick turned into Jerry Sands. I wish I had not traded him at this point, but some trades work, others do not. But, I was able to deal Sands in a package for Tim Lincecum, so the deal doesn't look that bad. 

For more on the trade deadline deals, check out MLB Daily Dish.