Roto Roundup:Is Jonathan Lucroy Still A Brewer at the End of the Day?

A day after vetoing a trade that would have sent him to Cleveland, Jonathan Lucroy remains with the Brewers as of 11 PM EST on Sunday night. It seems like there’s a reasonably good chance though that he is still dealt before the deadline today, with the Rangers looking like the most likely fit. I think that after the failed trade yesterday, the Brewers almost have to move him, or open themselves up to a huge amount of risk going into the offseason.

The rumored package would be headlined by 3B/OF Joey Gallo, and while he wouldn’t likely be the only player headed to Milwaukee, he might be the one who sees consistent playing time down the stretch. The Brewers have been starting Hernan Perez at the hot corner, and while he has been hitting well of late, Gallo would likely get a long look for the rest of the season.

Carlos Beltran on the Move Today?

With the Yankees opting to trade Andrew Miller yesterday, it makes a lot of sense that they could trade potential free agent Carlos Beltran before today’s trade deadline. Beltran helped their negotiating position yesterday, going 2 for 4 with his 22nd home run against Tampa Bay. He’s hitting .304 and slugging .546 on the year, so his bat could definitely help a contender down the stretch. He has played some right field this year, but realistically should probably be at DH a majority of the time.

Roto Roundup

Brian Dozier owners have to be pleased with his performance yesterday: 2 home runs, a double, and three runs scored in the Twins’ win over the White Sox. He’s been great since the All-Star break, hitting .322 with 5 home runs, 11 RBI, and 11 runs scored in 16 games so far. There’s an outside shot he could reach 30 home runs this season, as he’s up to 19 already.

Tyler Skaggs made his second start since returning from the disabled list on Sunday, and was excellent against the Red Sox. He struck out 8 in 5 1/3 shutout innings, and has allowed just seven hits in 12 innings since returning. If he’s still available in your league, he sure looks like the pitcher he was before the injury, and should be picked up in all formats.

Andrew Benintendi went 4-5 with 2 home runs and 2 doubles, 5 runs scored and 5 RBI at AA on Sunday. There has been speculation that he could be called up to take over in left field, or also could be headlining a blockbuster trade. He’s hitting .295/.357/.515 with 8 home runs and 8 stolen bases in 63 games at AA, and sure looks like he’s ready for the next challenge.

I had my doubts when it was announced that the Mariners were moving one of their top prospects, Edwin Diaz, to relief and calling him up immediately. Diaz had shown potential as a starting pitcher at the AA level this year, and I could have seen him debuting as a starter at some point in 2017. The theory in my mind was that the move to the bullpen would kill his fantasy value. So much for that. Diaz struck out three more batters in 1 1/3 innings, and is now up to 49 strikeouts in 25 innings pitched. Whether he ends up as a closer or not may not even be relevant to his fantasy value, as he looks like another elite reliever in the mold of Dellin Betances. If he does end up getting saves, he could be the top option in fantasy.