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PT TODAY: Price, Lester and a flurry of deadline deals

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BaseballHQ

Jul 31 2014 11:06pm

PT TODAY: Price, Lester and a flurry of deadline deals

BaseballHQ

Jul 31 2014

Team-by-team playing time allocation charts can be found in our Teamview pages.

American League \| National League

Athletics \| Jon Lester acquired
The Oakland Athletics acquired SP Jon Lester and OF Jonny Gomes from the Boston Red Sox for OF Yoenis Céspedes and a competitive balance pick, according to a source. Source: WEEI.com - Alex Speier

BHQ take: In one of the biggest July 31 trades, OAK gears its rotation up for a playoff push by adding Lester. Lester has been terrific for BOS, with a 2.52 ERA (3.15 xERA) and stellar 135 BPV. He should do nothing but benefit from OAK's league-leading offense and more favorable home park (-7% Runs factor at O.co Coliseum, compared to +10% at Fenway Park). Jason Hammel goes to afterthought for now, although its possible he may still be traded via the waiver process. Gomes numbers likely take a hit moving to O.co, and he's been a disappointment already, especially in the power department (95 PX). The big winner for playing time has been surprising erstwhile catcher Stephen Vogt, who simply continues to batter the ball. While Vogt's BA exceeded his xBA significantly immediately after his call-up, he's actually been showing the skills to support a plus-.300 BA over the last month. He's still likely due for a correction (after all, he's hitting .351), but now that he's assured at least the strong half of a platoon, Vogt makes one of three excellent OAK catcher options. —Rod Truesdell

Impact: High
Burns, Billy	PT Loss: -10%
Vogt, Stephen	PT Gain: 25%
Gentry, Craig	PT Loss: -10%
Gomes, Jonny
Hammel, Jason A	PT Loss: -11%
Lester, Jon T



Tigers \| Front-runners for David Price
Tampa Bay Rays SP David Price could land with the Detroit Tigers, as sources say they are the front-runners to trade for him. Source: New York Daily News - Mark Feinsand

BHQ take: Price upgrades the DET rotation. He replaces Drew Smyly, involved in the trade. Price is displaying career best skills, with his Dom surging from his typical 8.0+ level to 10.0, while sustaining the pinpoint Ctl he developed in 2013. His 8.2 Cmd, 166 BPV and sub-3.00 xERA clearly mark him as an elite SP. The trade also makes fourth OF Rajai Davis the new CF starter, with Austin Jackson going to SEA in the three-team Price trade. Davis' 105 Spd shows slippage from previous seasons, though his 44% SBO% and 25 SB mean he continues to be a baserunning threat. His resurgent 82% ct% is his highest since 2010. —Tom Kephart

Impact: High
Jackson, Austin
Price, David	PT Gain: 2%
Davis, Rajai	PT Gain: 45%



Yankees \| Stephen Drew, Martín Prado updates
New York Yankees INF Stephen Drew will play second base, and 3B/OF Martín Prado will see time in the outfield. Source: WFAN - Sweeny Murti

BHQ take: Drew replaces the designated-for-assignement Brian Roberts, who had the misfortune of missing a few games with general soreness and going one for 14 over the last week. the LH-hitting Drew will take over at 2B and take aim at the short porch in Yankee Stadium (a net +54% park effect for LH batter home runs). Prado is expected to play primarily RF, pushing Ichiro Suzuki to the bench and likely Zoilo Almonte to the minors. Prado's power (65 PX in 2014) is at a seven-year low, but his speed (126 Spd) has bounced back. He will hope to continue his career elite 88% contact rate in his new surroundings. —Matt Dodge

Impact: High
Wheeler, Zelous	PT Loss: -20%
Almonte, Zoilo	PT Loss: -15%
Drew, Stephen
Prado, Martin M	PT Loss: -5%
Roberts, Brian	PT Loss: -70%
Suzuki, Ichiro	PT Loss: -35%



Mariners \| Acquire Austin Jackson
The Seattle Mariners acquired OF Austin Jackson from the Detroit Tigers, as part of a three-way deal involving SP David Price and SP Drew Smyly. The Mariners are sending SS Nick Franklin to the Tampa Bay Rays in the deal. Source: The Tacoma News Tribune - Bob Dutton

BHQ take: The addition of Jackson, along with Chris Denorfia in a separate trade, all but extinguishes playing time for struggling rookies James Jones and Stefen Romero, and the luck has finally run out for veteran Endy Chavez as well. Jackson began to heat up offensively in July (.286 xBA, 128 PX), but the move to Safeco won't help his power numbers (-12% HR factor for RH batters). New Mgr Lloyd McClendon doesn't appreciably give the green light more than Jackson's former skipper Brad Ausmus (~8% team SBO each), and he's moving to a weaker lineup, so Jackson's counting stats will likely take a small hit. —Rod Truesdell

Impact: High
Jones, James	PT Loss: -70%
Romero, Stefen	PT Loss: -20%
Jackson, Austin
Chavez, Endy	PT Loss: -40%



Indians \| Acquire Zach Walters
The Cleveland Indians have received 2B Zach Walters from the Washington Nationals as part of the SS Asdrúbal Cabrera deal. Source: The Cleveland Plain Dealer - Paul Hoynes

BHQ take: With Walters initially reporting to Triple-A, veteran Mike Aviles and rookie José Ramírez are likely to split SS PT. Ramirez is 8-for-44 while shuttling between the minor leagues and CLE. Aviles typically manages to contribute in most categories despite below-average power and speed. His mid-80s contact rate is Aviles' best skill. —Tom Kephart

Impact: High
Walters, Zachary	PT Loss: -5%
Ramirez, Jose	PT Gain: 40%
Aviles, Mike	PT Gain: 20%



Astros \| Acquire Marisnick, prospects
The Miami Marlins acquired SP Jarred Cosart, INF/OF Enrique Hernandez and OF Austin Wates from the Houston Astros. Houston received OF Jake Marisnick, INF Colin Moran, P Francis Martes and a compensatory pick for the 2015 MLB Draft. Source: FOX Sports Florida - Christina De Nicola

BHQ take: Marisnick will move quickly into the HOU OF, taking Hernandez's AB, and could win more playing time depending on his immediate production. He's an athlete who still needs to develop his baseball skills, with his best current asset visible in his MLB 5/0 SB/CS through 48 AB (24/6 SB/CS at Triple-A). His biggest problem is contact, as seen in 19 Ks over 48 AB with MIA. Marisnick has power potential, but not without improving his pitch selection. Brad Peacock will reportedly return to the Astros rotation to take Cosart's spot at least in the interim. —Jock Thompson

Impact: Med
Marisnick, Jake	PT Gain: 35%
Peacock, Brad	PT Gain: 2%



Red Sox \| Anthony Ranaudo starting Friday
Boston Red Sox SP Anthony Ranaudo will start Friday, August 1, against the New York Yankees. Source: The Boston Globe - Peter Abraham

BHQ take: And so the new look of the BOS rotation begins, with Ranuado and new acquisition Joe Kelly replacing Jon Lester and John Lackey, while Allen Webster and Brandon Workman get more regular starts in the near term. Ranaudo, Workman and Webster were all recently profiled, and will essentially be competing for the 4th and 5th spots in the rotation. Park effects changes are a mixed bag for the right-handed Kelly, as he can expect to give up more runs (+10% in Fenway Park, -8% in Busch Stadium), but yield fewer Home Runs (-21% for LH batters in BOS, -10% in STL), which should help him improve his 1.4 HR/9 and 19% HR/F over the last 31 days (but he also won't have pitchers batting against him any more). —Matt Dodge

Impact: High
Ranaudo, Anthony	PT Gain: 5%
Workman, Brandon	PT Gain: 3%
Webster, Allen	PT Gain: 3%
Kelly, Joe	PT Gain: 1%



Twins \| Tommy Milone to join Twins soon
Minnesota Twins SP Tommy Milone is expected to join the big-league club soon despite being sent to Triple-A Rochester. He started Tuesday, July 29, for the Oakland Athletics' Triple-A Sacramento. Source: 1500ESPN.com - Darren Wolfson

BHQ take: There was speculation Milone may be asked to spend time at AAA-Rochester because he had a 6.43 ERA in his four outings at AAA-Sacramento. However, 12 of his 15 ER came in two games 10 days apart against AAA-Albuquerque. He also allowed five HR in 21 IP overall against Pacific Coast League hitters, but his career MLB 1.2 hr/9 shows he's prone to the long ball outside of a hitters league. Milone sees almost no difference in the change of parks, with the exception of O.co Coliseum depressing runs by 7% while Target Field is neutral. Ricky Nolasco is throwing bullpen sessions, and BaseballHQ.com speculates Nolasco will get a full 30 days on a rehab assignment before being activated when MLB rosters expand September 1, especially if Trevor May and Alex Meyer get callups in August. —Mike Shears

Impact: High
Deduno, Samuel	PT Loss: -1%
Milone, Tommy	PT Gain: 5%
Nolasco, Ricky	PT Loss: -4%



Red Sox \| Shane Victorino back to DL?
Boston Red Sox OF Shane Victorino (undisclosed) could be headed back to the disabled list soon. He will 'miss a little time,' according to general manager Ben Cherington. OF Yoenis Céspedes will play right field and OF Allen Craig will be in left. Source: Boston Herald - Scott Lauber

BHQ take: Marquee acquisitions Cespedes (for Jon Lester) and Craig (for John Lackey) are expected to retain their playing time allocations with their new team, but are swapping sides of the outfield as Cespedes will be playing LF and Craig will be in RF. Both of these right-handed batters will be taking aim at the Green Monster, and enjoying the relative net park effects improvement (+23% for Craig, +9% for Cespedes). Their playing time will come primarily at the expense of Victorino, who will be placed on the DL on August 1 with a recurrence of back pain, and Daniel Nava, who has enjoyed a renaissance since being recalled from the minors, slashing .331/.403/.378 since June 1. —Matt Dodge

Impact: High
Bradley, Jackie	PT Loss: -10%
Cespedes, Yoenis
Nava, Daniel	PT Loss: -25%
Craig, Allen
Victorino, Shane	PT Loss: -30%



Twins \| Send Sam Fuld to Oakland
Updating a previous report, the Minnesota Twins sent OF Sam Fuld to the Oakland Athletics for SP Tommy Milone. Source: FOXSports.com - Jon Paul Morosi

BHQ take: MIN may have preferred to have Danny Santana be their starting SS, but Fuld's departure makes Santana the only true CF on the roster with Aaron Hicks getting a reboot at AA-New Britain. Santana's PT shifts from CF-SS-DH to CF-only. Eduardo Escobar gets more time at SS, and Eduardo Núñez continues to move around the diamond. Escobar continues his cool streak after his hot, 41% h% April and May. Since he was analyzed in the June 15 PT Today, he's batted .213 (122 AB) with a 0.25 Eye, 80% ct%, 13 R, one HR and no SB. Nunez has a .200 BA (55 AB) in July on a 22% h% and 59% GB, but MIN has put him in the lineup as a part-time DH after the Kendrys Morales deal. —Mike Shears

Impact: Med
Santana, Daniel
Escobar, Eduardo	PT Gain: 30%
Nunez, Eduardo

BHQ take: OAK made a flurry of OF moves, but they won't affect Fuld much. He moves from one good pitcher's park to another, and his playing time likely won't change appreciably. He gives OAK another CF option with Coco Crisp ailing and Craig Gentry on the DL. Fuld's walk rate has taken a big jump this year at 13%, giving him enough SBO to net 13 steals in only 194 AB. He should continue to be a decent SB source and won't hurt you otherwise, but as always with Fuld, don't expect any power. —Rod Truesdell

Impact: Low
Fuld, Sam	PT Loss: -5%



Red Sox \| Eduardo Rodriguez acquired
The Boston Red Sox acquired SP Eduardo Rodriguez from the Baltimore Orioles Thursday, July 31, in exchange for RP Andrew Miller. Source: WEEI.com - Alex Speier

BHQ take: As of this writing, the BOS roster only contains nine pitchers, as Miller and Felix Doubront have been moved in addition to the Lester and Lackey deals, so further innings allocations will be forthcoming. For now, we expect that Craig Breslow becomes the primary LH setup man in the BOS pen, and he will need to cut his 2014 walk rate (5.4 Ctl) in half, in order to return to the effectiveness he showed in 2013 (1.81 ERA and 1.12 WHIP when he had a 2.7 Ctl). Alex Wilson has been used very sparingly thus far in 2014 but could see some more time. Rodriguez could get a look in the BOS rotation as the season progresses. —Matt Dodge

Impact: Med
Rodriguez, Eduardo	PT Gain: 3%
Layne, Tom	PT Gain: 1%
Wilson, Alex	PT Gain: 2%
Breslow, Craig	PT Gain: 1%



Mariners \| Acquire Chris Denorfia
The San Diego Padres have traded OF Chris Denorfia to the Seattle Mariners for OF Abraham Almonte and P Stephen Kohlscheen. Source: MLB.com - Corey Brock

BHQ take: With SEA also acquiring Austin Jackson at the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, Denorfia will likely see his playing time reduced with SEA. Denorfia's skills have continue to slide from their 2012 peak, and he's posted a negative RAR to show for it. He may be helped a bit moving away from hitter's nightmare Petco Park, but Safeco Field isn't exactly a bandbox either. Denorfia likely will slide into a platoon role once Michael Saunders recovers from his injury, so his PT may decrease further as we move into August. In short, a barely-rosterable player is now even less desirable overall. —Rod Truesdell

Impact: Med
Denorfia, Chris	PT Loss: -20%



Red Sox \| Kelly Johnson acquired
The Boston Red Sox acquired 3B Kelly Johnson from the New York Yankees Thursday, July 31, in exchange for SS Stephen Drew. Source: ESPN.com

BHQ take: With Drew's departure, Bogaerts slides back to shortstop and Will Middlebrooks will be recalled on August 1 to share time at 3B with Brock Holt (who will be giving up a lot of outfield time to the other new BOS acquisitions). Middlebrooks was showing some improvement during his rehab assignment at AAA-Pawtucket, slashing .254/.299/.465 with four HR in 71 AB; that would be a welcome improvement on his .197/.305/.324 in (coincidentally) 71 AB with the big club earlier in the 2014 season. —Matt Dodge

Impact: High
Bogaerts, Xander	PT Gain: 5%
Middlebrooks, Will	PT Gain: 15%
Holt, Brock	PT Loss: -5%
Johnson, Kelly A	PT Loss: -15%



Rays \| Acquire Drew Smyly and Nick Franklin
The Tampa Bay Rays acquired SP Drew Smyly and SS Nick Franklin from the Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners, respectively, as part of a three-way deal involving SP David Price and OF Austin Jackson. Source: The Tacoma News Tribune - Bob Dutton

BHQ take: Smyly steps into some very large shoes in the TAM rotation, shoes so large that he cannot possibly cover all of the innings that David Price had. He will see some minor improvement in park effects for home runs and runs scored, and will certainly be effective if he can keep up his 8.0 Dom and 4.4 Ctl over the past 31 days, but will probably suffer in the run support department (DET 4th in AL runs scored, TAM 11th). Franklin has been sent to AAA-Durham for now to continue to hone his utility skills, where he will have a first hand look at the TAM rotation candidates (Alex Colomé, Nathan Karns, and Michael Montgomery) competing for the next opening. —Matt Dodge

Impact: High
Karns, Nathan	PT Gain: 1%
Colome, Alexander	PT Gain: 1%
Franklin, Nick
Smyly, Drew	PT Gain: 1%
Montgomery, Michael	PT Gain: 1%
Hellickson, Jeremy	PT Gain: 1%



Orioles \| Landing Andrew Miller
The Baltimore Orioles acquired RP Andrew Miller from the Boston Red Sox Thursday, July 31, according to a source. It's unknown what the Red Sox received in return. Source: ESPN.com - Jerry Crasnick

BHQ take: BAL gave up promising pitching prospect Eduardo Rodriguez, in order to further strengthen their bullpen with Miller. A 14.7 Dom and 5.3 Cmd puts him at a 220 BPV for 2014, and he will take over from Brian Matusz (no slouch with a 168 BPV over the past 31 days) as the primary LH setup man, and those two strong lefty relievers will further cement lefty Zach Britton in the BAL closer role. —Matt Dodge

Impact: Med
Hunter, Tommy	PT Loss: -1% SV Loss: -5%
Guilmet, Preston	PT Loss: -1%
Britton, Zach	SV Gain: 5%
Matusz, Brian	PT Loss: -1%
Miller, Andrew M



Tigers \| Acquire David Price
The Detroit Tigers have acquired SP David Price from the Tampa Bay Rays for SP Drew Smyly, as part of a three-way deal involving the Seattle Mariners. Source: The Tacoma News Tribune - Bob Dutton

BHQ take: Price upgrades the DET rotation. He replaces Drew Smyly, involved in the trade. Price is displaying career best skills, with his Dom surging from his typical 8.0+ level to 10.0, while sustaining the pinpoint Ctl he developed in 2013. His 8.2 Cmd, 166 BPV and sub-3.00 xERA clearly mark him as an elite SP. —Tom Kephart

Impact: High
Price, David





National League \| American League

Nationals \| Acquire Asdrúbal Cabrera
The Washington Nationals have acquired SS Asdrúbal Cabrera from the Cleveland Indians. Source: MLB.com - Jordan Bastian

BHQ take: In a July 31 PTT item, we indicated that Ryan Zimmerman's hamstring injury would likely lead to an uptick in Danny Espinosa's playing time unless Washington entered the trading market. Later in the day, they did exactly that, acquiring former All-Star shortstop Asdrubel Cabrera to play second. Cabrera played there when he first joined the Indians. So far this year, Cabrera has a .243 xBA with a 100 PX. His career xBA is .261 and his career PX is 100. —Phil Hertz

Impact: High
Rendon, Anthony	PT Gain: 5%
Espinosa, Danny	PT Loss: -40%
Cabrera, Asdrubal	PT Loss: -5%



Brewers \| Gerardo Parra added
The Milwaukee Brewers have acquired OF Gerardo Parra from the Arizona Diamondbacks for OF Mitch Haniger and P Anthony Banda. Source: MLB.com

BHQ take: Parra goes from starting regular to fourth OFer in this trade. LF regular Khris Davis could lose some PT to Parra vs. RHP, though the primary PT losers here are reserves Logan Schafer and Elian Herrera, as Parra provides a better bat than either. In fact, Schafer was demoted to the minor leagues in the trade's aftermath. Parra's .271 xBA is significantly higher than Schafer's .234 xBA and Herrera's .208 xBA, in limited PT. —Tom Kephart

Impact: Med
Davis, Khristopher	PT Loss: -10%
Herrera, Elian	PT Loss: -10%
Parra, Gerardo	PT Gain: 35%
Schafer, Logan	PT Loss: -15%



Cardinals \| Oscar Taveras sitting
St. Louis Cardinals OF Oscar Taveras is not in the lineup Tuesday, July 29, after two straight starts. OF Allen Craig returns to the lineup and is batting seventh. Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch - Derrick Goold

BHQ take: And with the trade of Allen Craig to BOS, Tuesday's game will be the last time Taveras sits for a while. The 22-year-old is having troubles adjusting to major league pitching (.205 xBA), but he's not being helped out by a 24% h% for the year and a 65% GB% in July. Despite the struggles and his fairly free-swinging ways (4% bb%), he's been able to maintain a 84% ct% that follows well from his minor league career 86% and 2014 87% with AAA-Memphis. And he responded with a home run on Thursday. —Mike Shears

Impact: Med
Taveras, Oscar	PT Gain: 35%



Cardinals \| Acquire John Lackey
The St. Louis Cardinals have acquired SP John Lackey from the Boston Red Sox. It is not known what the Red Sox will receive in return. Source: CBSSports.com - Jon Heyman

BHQ take: Prior to yesterday's deal, Matt Gelfand did a thorough analysis of Lackey in the July 28 Facts / Flukes column. The RHP moves from a park that decreases LHB HRs by 21%, is neutral for RHB HRs, and inflates runs overall by 10%, to a stadium that depresses LHB HRs by 10%, lowers RHB HRs by 23%, and deflates runs by 8%. STL hoped to get Michael Wacha back in the rotation in September, and GM John Mozeliak felt he would do so prior to the Lackey deal. His last outing was June 16, and he was used as an RP as recently as August 2013, so if Shelby Miller and Justin Masterson hold their own, Wacha would serve the team well in the pen. —Mike Shears

Impact: Med
Wacha, Michael	PT Loss: -2%
Martinez, Carlos	PT Loss: -5%
Lackey, John	PT Gain: 1%



Diamondbacks \| Call up Andy Marte
The Arizona Diamondbacks will call up 3B Andy Marte from Triple-A Reno. Source: FOXSportsArizona.com - Jack Magruder

BHQ take: After trading away 3B Martín Prado, the Diamondbacks recalled Andy Marte, who was labeled can’t-miss a decade ago with Atlanta. Last seen in the majors in 2010 hitting .229 in 170 AB with Cleveland, the 30-year old Marte has fashioned a .330/.384/.513 line as the 3B for AAA-Reno. Another possibility later in the season is Tulsa Driller 3B Jake Lamb, who is having a breakout season at Double-A (.318 BA, .551 Slg) while leading the Southern League with 35 doubles. Other in-house options include Didi Gregorius (who started one game at 3B so far this season) and Nick Ahmed. —Rob Carroll

Impact: High
Marte, Andy M	PT Gain: 25%



Marlins \| Roster update
Miami Marlins SP Jarred Cosart and INF/OF Enrique Hernandez will join the team. OF Austin Wates will fill the first-outfielder-recalled role of departed OF Jake Marisnick, according to the Marlins front office. Source: FOX Sports Florida - Christina De Nicola

BHQ take: Jarred Cosart is likely to move into the Marlins' rotation although it's still not clear who he will displace in the rotation. A rather high Ctl of 3.9 and rather low Dom of 5.8 have led to a 1.5 Cmd and an uninspiring 4.26 xERA. Unless he improves his Ctl and Dom numbers, it's not clear whether he's a better option than what Miami already has. Enrique Hernandez is likely to continue playing all over the diamond. So far this year he has a .260 xBA and an 84 PX. He also has a 150 Spd, but that's yet to lead to a stolen base this year. —Phil Hertz

Impact: High
Valdespin, Jordany	PT Gain: 15%
Hand, Brad	PT Loss: -2%
Hernandez, Enrique	PT Loss: -5%
Wates, Austin	PT Loss: -5%
Dietrich, Derek	PT Loss: -10%
Cosart, Jarred
Solano, Donovan	PT Loss: -5%
Furcal, Rafael	PT Loss: -20%
Johnson, Reed	PT Loss: -10%



Braves \| Acquire Emilio Bonafacio and James Russell
The Atlanta Braves have acquired INF/OF Emilio Bonifácio and RP James Russell from the Chicago Cubs. Source: MLB.com - Mark Bowman

BHQ take: The Braves are hoping they addressed two needs - a bullpen lefty and their bench strength - by acquiring James Russell and Emilio Bonifácio from the Cubs. Russell has a 3.51 ERA, but his skills so far this year don't support that level of effectiveness. He has a poor 4.3 Ctl and an average 7.0 Dom. Over the last month, those two numbers are converging -- his Ctl is 5.2 and his Dom is 6.1. Atlanta will probably use him more judiciously than the Cubs did, but that still doesn't warrant fantasy owners rostering him. Bonifacio has been playing mostly second and the outfield with the Cubs this year and that's likely to continue. It would not be surprising for him to steal a significant number of at bats from B.J. Upton. Bonifacio's offensive strength is his speed, he has 14 steals and a 122 Spd. His OBP so far this year is .318. Not outstanding, but considerably better than Upton's. —Phil Hertz

Impact: High
Simmons, Shae	PT Loss: -1%
Jaime, Juan Jose	PT Loss: -1%
Pastornicky, Tyler	PT Loss: -5%
Russell, James	PT Loss: -1% SV Loss: -5%
Bonifacio, Emilio	PT Loss: -20%
Upton, B.J.	PT Loss: -10%



Padres \| Chris Denorfia traded
The San Diego Padres have traded OF Chris Denorfia to the Seattle Mariners for OF Abraham Almonte and P Stephen Kohlscheen. Source: MLB.com - Corey Brock

BHQ take: Between Will Venable, Seth Smith and Alexi Amarista, there's no shortage of competitors for Denorfia's vacated playing time. Of these names, only Smith has been a solid performer to-date, as seen in his .295/.296 BA/xBA, 11 HR, 144 PX and 13% bb%. Venable is playing a little better lately, but has much to prove. The Padre OF looks very fluid over these final two months; stay tuned. —Jock Thompson

Impact: Med
Almonte, Abraham
Amarista, Alexi	PT Gain: 10%
Smith, Seth	PT Gain: 5%
Venable, Will	PT Gain: 10%



Diamondbacks \| Gerardo Parra traded
Updating a previous report, the Arizona Diamondbacks have traded OF Gerardo Parra to the Milwaukee Brewers for OF Mitch Haniger and P Anthony Banda. Source: The Arizona Republic - Nick Piecoro

BHQ take: Parra’s departure leaves a lot of ARI OF playing time up for grabs, as Parra was second on the team with 440 plate appearances, 225 more than any other outfielder. For now, with both AJ Pollock and Cody Ross on the DL, the Diamondbacks’ OF is aligned as Mark Trumbo, Ender Inciarte, and David Peralta. Since being activated from the DL on July 11, Trumbo has been horrid (.157 BA/.152 xBA with zero HR and 18 strikeouts in 51 AB) dropping his 2014 line to .189/.239/.379. Inciarte continues to make good contact (87%) and his 119 Spd has produced a half-dozen steals, but his 40 PX has produced only nine RBI in close to 200 AB. Rookie Peralta has wielded the best stick in the group—his .313 BA leads the team—but most of his damage has been inflicted on RHP (.857 OPS), and it remains to be seen how his .253 BA against LHP will trend after increased exposure. Both Alfredo Marte and Roger Kieschnick should anticipate recalls from AAA-Reno, while Haniger, whom BaseballHQ.com rates a 7C prospect, is thought to be at least a year away. Pollock (right hand surgery) and Ross (left calf strain) are both on target for early- to mid-August returns, but until then—and possibly after—expect lots of moving parts in the Arizona outfield. —Rob Carroll

Impact: Med
Peralta, David	PT Gain: 20%
Marte, Alfredo	PT Gain: 20%
Inciarte, Ender David	PT Gain: 15%
Kieschnick, Roger	PT Gain: 15%



Cubs \| Get Victor Caratini from Braves
The Chicago Cubs received C Victor Caratini from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for RP James Russell and INF/OF Emilio Bonifácio. Source: MLB.com

BHQ take: LHP Felix Doubront, acquired from BOS, figures to absorb the bulk of Russell's innings, despite going on the 15-day DL with a calf strain. Bonifacio's departure clears the way for recently recalled Arismendy Alcántara to assume the bulk of 2B PT, while still seeing occasional action in CF. It is possible highly touted prospect Javier Báez, now at Triple-A, eventually could be recalled to play 2B with Alcantara shifting to CF. CHC PT figures to be in flux for the remainder of the season, though regular PT looms for Alcantara. Alcantara entered July 31 action 18-for-72, with two HR and four SB, flashing both speed and power. His underlying skills suggest the speed is more bankable than the power, though he is likely to continue displaying moderate pop. His bat plays better in the middle IF than the OF. —Tom Kephart

Impact: High
Alcantara, Arismendy	PT Gain: 10%
Baez, Javier	PT Gain: 5%
Doubront, Felix
Russell, James
Bonifacio, Emilio	PT Loss: -15%

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Playing Time Key

The playing time percentage changes at the bottom of most news items correspond to BaseballHQ.com's Teamview pages. The percentages approximate changes in AB, IP and Saves in the following manner:

For batters, each 5% of PT% ~ 31 AB (100% total for each position = 618 AB)
For pitchers, each 3% of PT% ~ 44 IP (100% total for a team's entire pitching staff)
For relievers, each 5% of Svs ~ 2 saves (100% of a team's total = about40 saves)

A complete explanation of BaseballHQ.com's playing time allocations can be found in the article "How the Projections are Created."