Fantasy Baseball Winners and Losers from MLB Trade Deadline: Risers and fallers after wave of deals

Yahoo

3 days ago

The 2025 Major League Baseball trade deadline has come and gone, leaving many changes in fantasy values in its wake. This article will focus purely on the players whose fantasy values have taken a major turn in one direction or another.
Players to add
Randy Rodríguez, RP, San Francisco Giants (rostered in 34% of Yahoo leagues)
If there is one player to add right now, especially in roto leagues, it's Rodríguez. With a 1.20 ERA, a 0.84 WHIP and a 62:9 K:BB ratio, the right-hander has been arguably the best reliever in baseball this year. The trade of Camilo Doval to the Yankees opens the closer's role in San Francisco, and even though Ryan Walker is still part of the relief corps, he has already lost the job once this year and can't match Rodríguez in terms of 2025 skills. Rodríguez could be a top-5 reliever down the stretch.
Shane Bieber, SP, Toronto Blue Jays (46% rostered)
Bieber may be the best pitcher to stash right now. The right-hander has looked great in four rehab outings, posting a 21:1 K:BB ratio. His long-awaited return from Tommy John surgery should occur by in the next two weeks, at which point he will join a team that leads their division with a 62-46 record. He will also benefit from working in front of a Toronto defensive group that ranks first in baseball in Fielding Run Value, per Statcast.
Luke Keaschall, 1B/2B/OF, Minnesota Twins (25% rostered)
The departure of Carlos Correa should cause Brooks Lee to slide to shortstop, which opens up second base for Keaschall, who will soon come of the 60-day IL. The prospect has flashed solid plate skills and plus speed, and in this writer's opinion he is more a more appealing option than the other young hitters in this article.
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Tyler Locklear, 1B, Arizona Diamondbacks (5% rostered)
Locklear has mashed in Triple-A this year, hitting .316 with 19 homers and a .943 OPS in 98 games. And with 18 steals, the slugger has shown a speed component to his game that fantasy managers will appreciate. Pavin Smith will soon return from the IL, but he shouldn't impact the playing time of Locklear, who is five years younger and much more likely to be part of the team's future. I would add Lockler in 15-team leagues now and keep an eye on him in 12-team formats.
Jordan Lawlar, SS, Arizona Diamondbacks (8% rostered)
Lawlar is working his way back from a hamstring injury and will likely be Arizona's starting third baseman as soon as he is ready. The 23-year-old had struggled to find a spot within the D-backs effective infield group, but there is now a clear vacancy at third base. And after hitting .319 with a .993 OPS in Triple-A this year, this speedy prospect has clearly shown that he's wasting his time in the minors. Lawlar is a great stash for those fantasy managers who have IL space.
Coby Mayo, 1B/3B, Baltimore Orioles (10% rostered)
Is it finally time for Mayo to emerge as a fantasy asset? He will certainly get an opportunity to make it happen now that Ryan O'Hearn has been traded to the Padres. I wouldn't add Mayo in standard leagues right now, but he's someone to keep an eye on.
Michael Soroka, SP, Chicago Cubs (11% rostered)
Soroka could be an interesting starter to add in deeper formats if he gets a spot in the Cubs rotation. The right-hander owns an ugly 4.87 ERA that has been impacted by one of the lowest strand rates in baseball (68.4%). His 3.32 xERA paints an optimistic picture that Soroka has been victimized by the Nats poor defense group. He joins a Cubs team that plays great defense and scores plenty of runs, which will at least make him a streamer in standard formats.
Kevin Ginkel, RP, Arizona Diamondbacks (9% rostered)
By trading Shelby Miller to the Brewers, the D-backs cemented Ginkel as their stretch run closer. And even though Arizona stripped their roster of a few key players, they still have enough talent to be a respectable team and provide Ginkel with a handful of save chances.
Cole Sands, RP, Minnesota Twins (3% rostered)
Sands is the last man standing after the Twins dealt most of their key relievers. The right-hander hasn't been special this year (4.11 ERA, 1.22 WHIP), but he is the only obvious fit for ninth inning opportunities.
Jose A. Ferrer, RP, Washington Nationals (4% rostered)
In deep leagues, Ferrer is worth a shot for those who need saves. The lefty has 19 holds this year, which is 12 more than any other Washington reliever. Based on his high-leverage usage, Ferrer is the most likely candidate to take over the closer's role from Kyle Finnegan.
Dennis Santana, RP, Pittsburgh Pirates (27% rostered)
Santana has been great this year (1.36 ERA, 0.82 WHIP) and leads the Pirates in holds. He should take over the closer's role from David Bednar, and I would add him over the three relievers who precede him on this list.
Players to drop
Ryan Helsley, RP, New York Mets
Helsley will likely help the Mets in the postseason, but his chances of getting more than a couple stretch run saves are slim now that he is the setup man for established closer Edwin Díaz. Helsley hasn't helped fantasy teams with their ratios this year (3.00 ERA, 1.39 WHIP) and his 10.3 K/9 rate is not special for a reliever. He can be dropped in virtually all mixed leagues.
Kyle Finnegan, RP, Detroit Tigers
Although he may get some ninth inning opportunities, Finnegan is unlikely to be a full-time closer in a Detroit bullpen that has better relievers. Managers can find a better potential saves source than Finnegan, who poor ratios (4.38 ERA, 1.28 WHIP) this year.
Camilo Doval, RP, New York Yankees
Doval is yet another closer who lost his ninth inning role by being traded to a contending team. The right-hander has not shown special skills this year (3.09 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 50:24 K:BB ratio) and could be as low as fourth on the Yankees relief depth chart.
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David Bednar, RP, New York Yankees
Bednar may get save chances before Doval, but he's still waiver wire fodder in most leagues now that he is the setup man for Devin Williams. It's worth noting that Williams blew his last save chance and allowed runs in four of his past six appearances, but he was given a vote of support by manager Aaron Boone. Even if Williams falters, Boone could turn to Luke Weaver or Doval before Bednar.
Robert Suárez, RP, San Diego Padres
The arrival of Mason Miller to the Padres should push Suárez to a setup role, which takes away most of his fantasy value. It wouldn't be shocking for the Padres to sometimes use Miller in a high-leverage eighth inning role against the heart of a lineup, but the odds are high that Suárez will get fewer than five more saves this season.
Value up
Jhoan Duran, RP, Philadelphia Phillies
Any uptick for Duran will be a small one, but it's worth noting that he switched to a superior team when traded from the Twins to the Phillies. The hard-throwing righty could pick up more stretch run saves thanks to being involved in yesterday's trade, which cements his status as a top-10 reliever.
Mason Miller, RP, San Diego Padres
Miller is in a similar situation as Duran, as he was already an elite closer but should have more games to save down the stretch now that he is part of a contending team.
Carlos Correa, SS, Houston Astros
Being traded to Houston isn't a big upgrade for Correa, as the Astros have outscored the Twins by just 22 runs this year. But it's always better for a player to spend the stretch run on a team that is heading to the postseason rather than one that's rebuilding.
Value down
Eugenio Suárez, 3B, Seatle Mariners
I don't want to get carried away with the one, as Suárez will likely be fine at T-Mobile Park. But we know that the venue doesn't always play well for power hitters and didn't bring out the best in Suárez when he was a member of the Mariners in 2023. Still, the Mariners have amassed a potentially excellent lineup with Julio Rodríguez, Cal Raleigh, Suárez and Josh Naylor. I wouldn't panic on Suárez, even though I wish he had been traded to a team that plays their home games in a bandbox.
Zack Littell, SP, Cincinnati Reds
I wouldn't drop Littell right away, but I'm worried about the combination of his propensity for allowing homers and the hitter-friendly nature of Great American Ball Park. The righty has allowed more long balls (26) than any other pitcher, and just eight of those round-trippers were hit when he was working at home. He has made one career start in Cincinnati and the Reds took him deep three times in that game. It's not a great fit for someone who was already a fringe option in standard leagues.
Will Vest, RP, Detroit Tigers
I wouldn't drop Vest just yet, as he could maintain a primary saves role over Finnegan. Still, the arrival of someone with ninth inning experience is bad news for Vest, who was already sharing some save chances with Tommy Kahnle. I would keep Vest for now with an eye toward sending him to waivers in 12-team leagues if Finnegan receives save chances.
Cedric Mullins, OF, New York Mets
Mullins will likely still matter in leagues where he already mattered. But the Mets have more outfield options than the Orioles, which could reduce Mullins playing time down the stretch. Even if Mullins plays regularly, there is no advantage of this trade for him, as the Mets have been outscored by the Orioles this year and call home to a pitcher-friendly venue.