Deadline Dynamics - A New Landscape
- John Gerbino
- 20 hours ago
- 6 min read
Updated: 16 hours ago
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Editing in real time.
Dylan Beavers
With Laureano, Mullins, and O'Hearn all traded away, Beavers is 100% getting the call. Going into the season, his ETA was right about now - and that was before he started absolutely dominating AAA pitching..
I've written a lot about Beavers, and will write more. Feel free to search the site for more detailed analysis.
Tools: OBP, SB, OPS, BA. He's good.
Heriberto Hernandez
Mentioned in my most recent waiver-wire piece in anticipation of the Marlins moving off one of their outfielders, the scenario has now come to fruition as Jesus Sanchez finds himself going to the Astros. Heriberto has more than pressed the issue, slashing .311 with an .868 OPS across 103 ABs. The Marlins should feel pretty good about what they've done here - arguably upgraded their outfield while acquiring value by moving Sanchez.
This also opens up a nice path for a 2026 sleeper of mine, Griffin Conine, but that comes later.
Tools: BA, OPS. Potential to steal bases with 84th percentile sprint speed, could come with more playing time and development.
Carlos Correa
Also mentioned in my most recent waiver-wire piece, Correa has been trending up significantly over the past month, with his bat speed increasing from the 75th to 79th percentile in a very short period of time.
His 74.4 mph bat speed since the beginning of June actually places his bat speed percentile right around the 83rd percentile over the last two months (Bryce Harper is 84th percentile at 74.5), and with that a very nice increase in power metrics and production on the field. Entering a more productive Astros lineup, Correa is an easy add pending his health.
Luke Keaschall
We've all anticipated Keacshall's return from his rehab assignment, but now the path back to the MLB has grown much more clear with Correa and Bader gone. They can shuffle their infield and find room for Luke by moving Brooks Lee over to SS. They can also just throw Keaschall in the OF.
Tools: OBP, OPS, SB
Kody Clemens
Not a hot name like Keaschall, but Clemens has displayed some excellent power over only 179 ABs. A .783 OPS and 12 dingers is rather impressive for a guy who seldom receives the opportunity to find a rhythmn at the plate. With Correa and Bader being moved, Clemens may find himself on the receiving end of some significant playing time. Also helps that he mashes RHP.
Tools: OPS, RBIs.
Jack Perkins
The A's have promised that Perkins will be receiving a handful of starts down the stretch, but after trading Mason Miller, we can't be so sure. This is actually pretty funny, as I once wrote this about Perkins:
The prophecy is complete, he is Mason Miller now. Or maybe he's Sears. Whether he's starting or closing, Perkins now has more value.
Kohl Drake
The D-backs got Drake as part of the package for Kelly, and he may be promoted almost immediately to fill Kelly's vacant spot in the rotation. Fitting.
Drake has a nice Sinker as his primary pitch, coming in at a psStuff+ of 108, by far his highest graded pitch - always nice to have the primary offering be your best.
Although his other offerings don't come in above 100 psStuff+, they're extremely slow pitches, ranging from 81 to 84 mph, and often have hitters whiffing in 2 strike counts, when it matters most. That's why you see a rather large discrepancy between the whiff and K rates.
Taj Bradley
Bradley's minor league stint may already be over after being acquired in the Jax trade, funny how things work out. He's been a pretty frustrating to roster in 2025, but we can't deny he's been better as of late. Sure, he blew up in his last Rays start - but what about the two consecutive quality starts before that?
Bradley has the potential to dominate any given game, but his volatility makes him a risky proposition.
Cole Sands / Noah Davis These two stand to benefit most from the Twins decimating their bullpen. While Cole Sands may seem like the more obvious choice having pitched 46 mediocre innings for the Twins this year, Noah Davis is a solid dark-horse candidate for the role. Noah Davis hasn't been good in the MLB in 2025, but he's only pitched 8 sporadic innings. Most of his time has been spent at AAA, where he's been absolutely dominant - hitters are slashing .188 against him. Which age 28 reliever will get the job? Find out next time...
Luis Morales
With Mason Miller on the move, one other pitcher that may stand to benefit other than Jack perkins is Luis Morales, who's had both relief and starter work at AAA this year. The stuff is excellent, with several offerings having psStuff+ grades over 100, and he's currently holding hitters to a .221 BA to go with an excellent 2.98 ERA and 1.016 WHIP.
Approaching age 23, the kid with a 97 mph, 97 mph sinker, and .178 xBA slider may just get his shot in the majors.
A.J. Vukovich
Vukovich finds himself a prime position to be promoted to the MLB after the D-backs traded away Eugenio Suarez. At 6'3, Vukovich has the classic high whiff, high power slugger profile. His barrel, hard-hit, and EVs all come in well above average, and he has a knack for swinging at pitches in the zone. But between the 17th percentile whiff rate and 12th percentile zone contact %, there's a lot of risk to assume here. This guy is going to K a whole lot, but there should be a few HRs if he gets hot. He's currently hitting .243 with a .773 OPS and 13 HRs at AAA across 279 ABs - a fairly impressive HR rate.
JoJo Romero/ Riley O'Brien
It seems that the popular assumption is Romero will find himself in the closer role now that Helsley has been shipped out, but it could just as easily wind up being O'Brien, who has been slightly better in 2025 (in my opinion). Both equally deserve the opportunity, and it may as well be left to a coin-flip at this point.
But if the decision were mine, and I absolutely had to choose, I'd probably go with O'brien thanks to a slightly higher K rate, alongside absolutely elite barrel and hard-hit rates. Give me the guy who can get guys out without the ball being put in play, alongside limiting any kind of hard contact when the ball is put in play. I think O'Brien just has the stuff closers are made of. In a saves/holds league, both are well worth rostering.
Dennis Santana/Braxton Ashcraft/Isaac Mattson This one is as straight-forward as they come - Bednar out, Santana in. Santana is nasty. But the more interesting situation involves the setup spot in the bullpen, and this is where Braxton Ashcraft finds himself suddenly having a ton of value in Saves/Holds leagues. While Ashcraft may not have a wipeout profile, he still has a really nice heater that averages 97 mph, and limits any sort of hard contact. Just check out those barrel and hard-hit rates. His 2.17 ERA and 1.24 WHIP are respectable, and he should find himself in hold opportunities.....
is what i'd say, if Isaac Mattson wasn't also having a really nice season. Who knew the Pirates had such a good bullpen, eh? Mattson's 2.13 ERA and .190 xBA, alongside 90th percentile barrel and K rates, makes him a candidate for botht he closer and setup role. He's also been squeaky clean in his last three appearances. I guess we should just keep an eye on this solid bullpen.
Emmet Sheehan
Dustin May is officially out, and Sheehan is in. The Dodgers have confirmed they'll be sticking with a 6-man rotation even as Snell returns, spelling great news for the uber-talented Sheehan. Easy add.
Randy Rodriguez/Ryan Walke
Both of these guys have been owned in my 14-team league for quite some time, so this is a bit more relevant for shallow leagues. Either could easily step into the closer role for a Giants team still vying for a wild-card spot, but because they're in the hunt, it may very well wind up being Ryan Walker, who could be seen as the 'safer' option at age 29. Randy, without a doubt, is the more talented pitcher of the two - but sometimes teams opt for a veteran presence in a high-leverage role, out of fear of ruining a young stud's confidence. Add in the fact that Ryan Walker is much better at limiting hard contact and inducing groundballs, and it's not so clear-cut as simply looking who has nastier stuff.
Johan Oviedo With Bailey Falter out of the picture, the Pirates have two choices: Bubba Chandler or Johan Oviedo. My guess? Oviedo will be back in the rotation after another rehab start, while they continue to let Bubba stew
in anticipation of a 2026 promotion.
Oviedo looked real nice in his first rehab outing of the year, striking out five, giving up zero walks, and allowing only one run. His Prospectsavant metrics also look really sext, albeit for only one start. His 4-seam fastball is sitting at 95.4 mph as he returns from TJ, and his slider looked more lethal than it ever has, even at the MLB level. Oviedo might very well come back a beast with his new cyborg arm.
