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Pirates trades Brett Lawrie, Athletics Draft Pick 4, to Nationals for Jason Hammel, Rangers Draft Pick 5,

Hammel is a very solid starter who is certainly starting a decline...but it's a pretty slow one. He still gets outs and keeps his WHIP down. He's a very legitimate 3/4 starter on most MLB rosters.

Last year we just weren't deep enough to deal with a slew of injuries that arose across the course of the season...so I'll be damned if that happens again. I've been after Lawrie for a while, and with his abilities versus lefties, and hoping he keeps some positional versatility, he will slot in along with Villar, Segura, and Gyorko to give me some options from a lineup standpoint...with all of them either just before or in their prime. This makes Pearce and Uehara the only players of consequence above 33...which is pretty cool.
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Rangers trades Robinson Chirinos, to Nationals for Rockies Draft Pick 5,

Pretty easy trade here. I needed a backup catcher and I had too many 5th round picks. Chirinos offers decent defense, a modicum of patience (recent addition), and some decent pop. He and Brett Nicholas offer a strong duo behind Realmuto. Makes me feel good about my catching situation heading into 2017.
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Nationals trades Daniel Palka, Giants Draft Pick 5, Nationals Draft Pick 5, to Royals for Orioles Draft Pick 4,

This is what the final trade will look like thanks to the kindness of Jason's heart and my fat fingers. Royals pick up two picks and a really nice prospect. Palka has some real swing and miss issues, but he also just crushed 34 homers at the upper levels of the minors and did collect 56 walks. He would not have been dropped by me...but I also have a role and reason for every player on my roster now.

The 4th pick is a significant jump against the two 5th's I sent over, and puts me in position to better target some of the guys on the fringes of round 3 that I like. Losing Palka hurt...but this finalizes my roster post-draft.
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Nationals trades Steve Pearce, Robbie Grossman, to Pirates for A.J. Reed,

Pearce has a monster SIM in Toronto this year. He's also a bat that has aged well and SIM's well defensively. Grossman is an incredibly usable back up OF who'll play terrible defense but get on base.

While Reed is a pretty big hit from Pearce in 2017, I've been looking for a long-term solution at 1b for a long time now. Reed had a disastrous tryout at the MLB level this past year, but that does not discourage me as much as his complete and utter destruction of A+, AA, AAA encourage me. I believe he's the long-term 1b solution I've been looking for...and he'll do well in the field, but a monster at the plate.
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Nationals trades Starling Marte, Zach Eflin, to WhiteSox for Charlie Blackmon,

Obviously this trade isn't ideal. I'd love to have Marte on my team. He's one of the top outfielders in baseball. I mortgaged a lot to get him. He's still young, he'll get back, and no matter what, he'll get on base and be a top OF. That said, he's out for 70 more games and won't be playoff eligible. My start was too good for that. On top of that, given my situation, Eflin had to go. He won't be a TORP, but he's one of the youngest starting pitchers in the majors and definitely profiles as a starter. He's probably a #4/5 in most years, a #3 in his best years.

Blackmon was the best I was going to get, given my current situation. He's older, but he just keeps getting better. He's a far better offensive player than Marte, but doesn't really compare on the defensive side. He'll fit in better to my overall lineup, but, as pitching and defense were key to my fast start, it's a loss overall.
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Marlins trades Cesar Hernandez, Steven Okert, to Nationals for Jonathan Villar,

Villar hit a homer on opening day last year and I picked him up. He was a former top prospect and certainly fulfilled some of that promise last year. He's off to a tough start this year, but while we all agree he may not be as good as last year...he's definitely a very good player. He'll get on base, steal bases, have pop, and play some decent D.

I had Hernandez, I traded Hernandez, and I never stopped liking Hernandez. He's a really good player who's still young, and is getting better every year. His asset value will continue to rise, and I believe he gives me a more stable option to Villar. At the same time, I also picked up Okert. Okert is a strong LH reliever, a position I'm super thin at. The depth will be helpful as we get deeper into the season...and he's still a good, young player.
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Nationals trades Yasel 16-Antuna, Jake 16-Rogers, to Yankees for Adrian Gonzalez, Jordan 16-Balazovic,

That was quick on Antuna. Great write-up in BP and he's out the door. He's a really nice prospect with big upside and potential...but he'll be a real asset in 2021. Rogers is a nice catching prospect who hasn't stopped hitting, but was expendable.

Balazovic is a nice lottery ticket in return. He'll be fun to monitor. The get here was the mummified remains of Adrian Gonzalez' SIM. He wasn't playing for JB, so no real loss there. Gonzalez' SIM against righties will be a big upgrade over AJ Reed, and I can put Huffman in against lefties now. This should be a big upgrade over the production I've been getting from Reed, but allows me to keep a prospect I'm a big fan of for the long run.
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Cubs trades Hanley Ramirez, to Nationals for Alex Dickerson, Ben Lively,
Dickerson, always a good MiLB hitter, had a monster breakout at AAA last year before holding his own at the MLB in the tough hitting environs of Petco. He's not going to give you a ton defensively, but there's definitely some value in his versatility. Lively is a pitcher with $.10 stuff, but just won't stop getting hitters out at every stop across the minors. I think there's a long career ahead of him at the back of the Phillies rotation.

Hanley is having serious shoulder issues, but is still standing upright enough to play a respectable role in the Red Sox lineup. His sim, however, is quite strong. Teaming him with Adrian Gonzalez will give me an outstanding platoon at 1b, while also giving me a guy who can stand in at 3b, ss, & lf as needed. Easy investment for me short term, very good investment for Pat long term.
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Nationals trades Hernan Perez, A.J. Reed, Chris Bassitt, to Rays for Robert Gsellman,

The key for the Rays in this deal was picking up two surefire starters, while not losing a ton from a rotation standpoint. When healthy, Bassitt is a 4/5 starter. AJ Reed has tremendous potential, and is riding a big hot streak at AAA right now. There are some concerns about his ability to hit pro pitching, but I think he'll find his way as, at minimum, to be a league average hitter. Hernan Perez plays literally everywhere with some pop in his bat.

That said, I was absolutely willing to lose that group to fill one of the biggest gaps on my team...quality starting pitching past 2017. Matz, Quintana, and Hendricks will be absolutely fine. LeBlanc and Petit will probably go back to being relievers only...so finding some depth not named 'Justin Nicolino' was a priority. Gsellman has a usable SIM for this season, got off to a rough start in the MLB, but has been very solid lately...and is only 23. There are some who question his ultimate upside (he was the #17 prospect in the game on BP with an OFP of 70...and the #7 prospect for the Mets in BA with a #4 starter realistically), but there's no doubt he's an upgrade on Bassitt long-term from a talent and health standpoint.
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Nationals trades Jean Segura, Jose Quintana, Jakson 14-Reetz, James Reeves, to Pirates for Matt Carpenter, Corbin 16-Burnes, A.J. Minter, Rogelio 0-Armenteros,

Lot going across the aisle here. Reetz is a young C who gets on base and has some developing power. Reeves is a fun RP in the Yankees system who can eat innings. Quintana has been with me for a while. He's an excellently consistent mid-rotation starter, whose elevated both his walk and k-rates this year and has struggled to start. He'll find it. Segura is a wild card. He's off to an excellent start this year off an excellent last year. He's inconsistent, almost yearly, but has a dynamic upside.

Knowing the backbone of my team is defense, I'm going to stick with Nick Ahmed at ss going forward. Matt Carpenter gives me a top tier bat and versatile glove back. This combo, above Segura/Hernandez, makes my team better offensively and defensively. AJ Minter is a dynamic young lefty relief prospect. Armenteros and Burnes have both found their way to AA early in their careers with a ton of success. They both flash back-end of the rotation upside...but will be fun to monitor.
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Nationals trades Charlie Blackmon, Steven Okert, Brett Nicholas, to Yankees for Rich Hill, Alex Meyer, Yasiel Puig,

Loved getting Blackmon, hate giving him up...and don't usually like a deal where I give up the top player. He's a top tier MLB player, no doubt. Okert and Nicholas are both very usable and will fill some holes for JB, no doubt.

This deal was all about the present. Puig is every bit the SIM player that Blackmon is and will fill in at LF for me. Hill is a top SIM pitcher who will sit atop my rotation alongside Matz and Hendricks come playoff time...and, with my defense, that'll be tough to blow up against. Meyer has a good SIM and will be usable this year if there are injuries, but he's also in the process of making good on his incredible potential, and will fill the void that Hill will leave in my rotation next year.
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Nationals trades Justin Nicolino, Chasen Shreve, to Rays for Asdrubal Cabrera,

Always nice to put together deals that help both sides...and this is one. Rays have very little need for Cabrera, but can use two, young, MLB capable pitchers. Shreve has always had the stuff, but has been inconsistent as a reliever. He's been very consistent for the Yanks this year as one of the top lh relievers in the league. Nicolino will never pitch at the top of a rotation, but he will continue to find opportunities to be a starter through his ability to be left-handed and throw strikes with three average pitches.

Cabrera will stand at a few positions, get on-base, hit a few home runs, and has a profile that should see him be an active contributor for at least a few years. With Lawrie remaining unsigned and Hernandez hurt, I needed some depth in the middle of the field alongside a struggling-in-real-life Jace Peterson.
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Athletics trades Mark Melancon, Lucas Duda, Leonys Martin, to Nationals for Yasiel Puig,

I'm going to need to find an OF, there's no doubt about that...but I'm not all that high on Puig. He's absolutely an intriguing prospect with a roller coaster career, but I'm not sure we aren't seeing what he is...a decent RF...at the moment. We're on 3 similar years of OPS'...but he's also only 26 and clearly the talent is there. He's a good risk for sure.

I've long been a Duda fan, going back to going to get him myself. He's a decent fielder who has consistently posted ops+'s in the 130's when he's been healthy, while being able to be in the lineup against both lefties and righties. Martin will give me a VG glove in the OF to move Betts back to right and pass the time until Kier comes back. Melancon has one of the top SIM's in the game, and will allow my already good bullpen to become even more dominant down the stretch
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Nationals trades Adrian Gonzalez, Nick Wittgren, Nationals Draft Pick 3, to Cardinals for Colin Moran, Cardinals Draft Pick 4,

Adrian can hit right handed pitching in the SIM. Really, really well. When he finds the field this year, he'll immediately given Aaron help in the middle of the lineup. Nick Wittgren is a heck of a 7th inning arm who'll help Aaron this year and going forward.

The biggest complaint about Colin Moran was that he wasn't going to hit for power. 18 homers in 284 ab's so far this year has quite a few people second-guessing that. He's a 3b by trade, but so far in '17 he's played 1b, 3b, ss, and LF. Whatever it is..the bat will play. I look forward to seeing what he can do next year...all over the field.
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Pirates trades Mark Reynolds, to Nationals for Rogelio 0-Armenteros,

Armenteros is really good. He's crushing it at AAA after crushing it at AA.

Reynolds will stand appropriately in LF and his OPS+ is once again very strong, even in Colorado. If he's not my starting LF next year, he'll at least be a excellent bat off the bench and, more importantly, depth.
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Astros trades Yangervis Solarte, Astros Draft Pick 5, to Nationals for Nationals Draft Pick 2,

It's a 2nd round draft pick. It's pretty darn good.

I get to stay at 5 picks for this draft. Solarte is even better than I thought when looking at him. He'll play multiple positions decently and has an ops+ over 100 every single year he's been in the majors. It's really impressive, actually. He's still only 29, so if I get 2-4 more years of that, I'd gladly take that return from a 2nd round pick.
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Nationals trades Hanley Ramirez, Matthew Bowman, to Twins for Ryder Jones, Twins Draft Pick 2,

Hanley is still a pretty good baseball player. He'll get on-base, he'll be positionally available, and he'll pop a home run every now and then. Bowman is a solid reliever with a good SIM.

This gets me very real assets. The pick should fall in the late 40's to early 50's in what's a halfway decent draft. Jones has had a hell of a season in AAA, before struggling in his first go at the MLB level...but he's still young.
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Astros trades Ben Gamel, Andrew Triggs, to Nationals for Nationals Draft Pick 1,

Pretty sure Jake owns the first round of the IBC draft at this point. This pick should be early-mid 20's in a pretty good draft. Definitely value there.

Both Gamel and Triggs are solid flier bets. Outside of some struggles in his first crack at the MLB level last year, Gamel has always hit and got on base. The ideal will be to platoon he and Reynolds in left next year. Triggs would be even better if I could have got his 3.70 sim era into the rotation this season, but the injury is not arm related, and he was pitching excellent until he tried to pitch through his hip pain. He'll figure to be a mid-rotation starter, which I desperately needed to add behind Hendricks/Hill/Matz and in front of Meyer/Gsellman/Williams going into next year. It's not the sexiest trade of my #1 I've ever done, but I'm definitely a more complete team because of it.
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Royals trades Royals Draft Pick 1, to Nationals for Mark Melancon, Nationals Draft Pick 4,

Melancon has a 2.35 sim era, and despite some struggles this year, he'll be good in the sim again next year. The big challenge is if either the lack of success this year is just the start, or if the injuries will continue to bother him going forward.

For that, I was able to pick up a 1st round pick. I'll take it.
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Indians trades Kyle McGrath, to Nationals for Akil 16-Baddoo,

Baddoo is a really fun, dynamic, young talent who's a ways away, but has made clear strides from being drafted in 2016 to 2017...which has already included a promotion.

I cut McGrath when he was hurt due to a roster crunch...and I'm paying for it now. He's a lefty reliever who has a 1.61 CAREER era with a 0.84 CAREER WHIP in the minors. He's also got a 10.1 k/9 rate, too. He was recently promoted to the big club and started his MLB career with 2 k's in one perfect inning. He also has a very good SIM that should only get better in 2018.
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Nationals trades Ben Gamel, Twins Draft Pick 2, to Mariners for Kyle Crick, Mariners Draft Pick 1, Mariners Draft Pick 4,

Nationals trades Robert Gsellman, Mariners Draft Pick 1, Royals Draft Pick 1, to Marlins for Joc Pederson,


Normally these are trade breakdowns, but I'll eschew that one for the moment for a more general philosophy of all my moves.

When I had my strongest possible defense on the field, alongside my pitching, we were dominant. Since injuries have taken over, the team has suffered a lot alongside it. Going into this deadline I wanted to find an at-least-VG in LF and another starter that would SIM well for 2018, as well as getting support for a bullpen that has been riddled with injuries (my whole team has been riddled with injuries). The caveat to all of this was that my window is right now through a few years, so I didn't necessarily need anyone who wouldn't be helpful immediately, but didn't want anyone in the retirement or serious decline camp.

As I get a little healthier over the next few weeks, I'll be able to sport a lineup that includes 2 EX's, 2 VG's, and 4 AV's (1b, 2b, 3b, c). That's where we were when we made our run, and on top of all that, the additions of Pederson and Carpenter has made the lineup far deeper than it was before, with all of the players on my team continuing to play at or up in 2017 for sim 2018.

Meyer, Triggs, and Hill will all significantly upgrade my rotation in 2017, alongside SIM god Petit getting his 2017 start, and Matz and Hendricks. My bullpen will be strong with Uehara, Barraclough, Crick, Baez, Dull and Hatcher from the right, with Buchter, Cedeno, McGrath, and Minter all dealing from the left.

While not all the deals have been great for me, the overall objective was achieved with trade pieces still to go.
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Nationals trades Steven Matz, Joc Pederson, Corbin 16-Burnes, to Pirates for Marcell Ozuna,

This is a clear upgrade for JP for this season, all while returning a very good prospect Burnes alongside it. Pederson has a VG in left and a sim every bit as good as Ozuna's this year. Matz is a legit 2/3 in the sim this year...and he's still young enough and talented enough to bounce back from this season. Burnes prospect status is skyrocketing right now, and he looks every bit of at least a back-end MLB starter.

While this deal stings me a little in '17, Ozuna is a clear upgrade over what I had been running out in left. I had also been down either Matz and Hendricks over most of the season, so having Hendricks back as Matz leaves is still workable. Now, that's a lot of lip service. The reason for this deal is 2018 and beyond. Ozuna is 26 and absolutely entering 'superstar' range. While he could k a little less and bb a little more, he's a good outfielder who's made the leap with the bat, getting to the power he was regularly showing in the minors. He's a legitimate middle of the order bat, who'll pair with Betts/Carpenter/Duda to form a devastating top of the order. If only I could get healthy...
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Nationals trades Colin Moran, Mariners Draft Pick 4, to Cardinals for Austin 15-Riley, Will 16-Smith,

Moran was always a good minor league hitter who seemed to figure out how to tap into some pop this year. He was off to a halfway decent start in his call up when he fractured his face on a foul ball. There's an assumption he'll make a full recovery, but it's one you can never be sure on. He's a good player, but with Ozuna and Carpenter, he's not seeing the IBC Nats field any time soon.

I look at this trade as giving up Moran and getting two first round picks back. Both Riley and Smith were first rounders, and both, despite flaws, have a lot going for them. Riley was ranked as the Braves' 11th best prospect in the MLB.com's mid-season ranking...and the Braves are a stacked system. He's a legitimate 3b with some very real pop in the bat. He'd do well taking a few more walks, but he's only 20 and already reached AA. Smith ranked 8th in another loaded system in the Dodgers. He is an excellent athlete as a C and has reached AA in his first full season. He has good pop and patience, and the hope is the hit tool will come over time. His milb.com picture makes him looking like a gigantic tool, but I'll deal with it if he keeps along this developmental path.
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Nationals trades Kyle Crick, to Twins for Drew Storen,

Nationals trades Brett Lawrie, to Yankees for Justin Grimm,


Hate losing Crick and Lawrie. Think Crick's stuff will play way up in shorter bursts, and Lawrie wil be back next year...and he's fun as hell to follow on social media.

That said, I have 6 relievers on the DL right now, and having to give innings to Trevor Williams and Crick is not ideal at all in a playoff chase. Both Grimm and Storen are hedged bets, as both have a chance to be useful again next year...though I'm certainly not counting too much on either.
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Pirates trades Alex Colome, to Nationals for A.J. Minter,

Nationals trades Yangervis Solarte, to Royals for Nate Jones, Wei-Yin Chen, Nationals Draft Pick 3,


A couple moves made to shore up some open spots on the squad. Minter is going to be a beast. He's a terrific young lefty reliever. Solarte has been nothing but a good pro since he's been called up. He'll be constantly underrated as long as he's in San Diego. That said, I've got a ton of lefty relievers and middle infielders.

Colome was a middling swingman with good stuff before he got propelled into the closer role in Tampa. Two excellent seasons later, he'll probably grab the mantle of my closer, over the more erratic Barraclough. Solarte left to bring back a pick in the 80's, to start. Nate Jones was turning into a phenomenal reliever before his arm failed him, but he should be back for pitchers and catchers. Chen opted back into his contract, and wasn't a waste when pitching for the Marlins, so there's hope that I can find a 4th/5th starter out of him for the upcoming season...which I desperately needed.
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