Trade Deadline Fantasy Impact: Hitters

Jul 24, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (2) leans away from a pitch in the fifth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

The trade deadline is just days away, and some teams are already making improvements to their offenses. Two teams swapped shortstops. One team added every available outfielder and the fourth traded for infield flexibility. Here are the four most impactful trades over the last couple of days.

Troy Tulowitzki to the Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays had a good shortstop. Granted, he was a little older but good nonetheless. However, management felt like they needed to upgrade the position. The Colorado Rockies needed, or wanted, to unload Tulo’s big contract. Thus, we have a match.

Tulo has been very injury prone throughout his career. He’s played in at least 140 games just three times in his career. He has missed 10 games this season. Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos said, “When you have a chance to get the best player at a respective position and a guy that also brings some intangibles as well, it’s a rare opportunity and we wanted to take advantage of it.”

We will have to wait and see if Tulo can put up the same numbers he has throughout his career outside of Coors Field. He has a .276 batting average on the road. Maybe the poor AL East pitching can help improve that average.

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Jose Reyes to the Rockies

Reyes was on the other side of the shortstop trade. He should benefit from the hitter-friendly ballpark. The spacious outfield should give Reyes the opportunity to rack up the extra base hits and steal a few more bases. He has 21 extra base hits and 16 steals this season.

His new teammates also get a boost in value. Charlie Blackmon will move down in the lineup, likely to the No. 3 spot, where he could drive in a few more runs. The owners who play in AL- and NL-only leagues will be spending all of their FAAB to pick up the new shortstops.

Ben Zobrist to the Kansas City Royals

The Royals added a versatile veteran to the team right before the trade deadline. He had 20 doubles, two triples and six home runs, 33 RBI and a .268 batting average. While he could play any infield position, Zobrist will spend most of the time in the outfield. He could see some time at second base in favor over Omar Infante.

As an outfielder, Zobrist can fill in for the injured Alex Gordon and the non-productive Alex Rios. However, the move to Kauffman Stadium and lack of guaranteed playing time does not help Zobrist’s fantasy value.