Fantasy Baseball: Will Lucas Duda Be Able To Hit For Power In Tampa?
By Mike Marteny
Fantasy Baseball: Will Lucas Duda Be Able To Hit For Power In Tampa?
The Rays find themselves in an unfamiliar place: they are buyers! Their first order of business was to add more power, which they did by landing Lucas Duda from the Mets. What did it take to get him? Here is the full deal:
Duda hit .246 with 17 homers and 37 RBI in 75 games for the Mets this year. In his eight years with the Mets, Duda hit 125 home runs. The Rays wanted another power bat for the middle of their order. Duda will provide that.
He has the type of power that should translate to Tropicana Field. Many have opined that a change of scenery would be good for Duda. Now we will get to see whether that is the case or not.
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A large percentage of Duda’s home runs are the type that would leave any ballpark. Even though Tropicana Field is a pitcher’s park, Duda could still hit another dozen homers this year. If he is available in your league and you can withstand the hit to your batting average, he is a good pickup. If you target him in a trade just make sure you don’t give up more than he is worth. He wont suddenly become a .280 hitter in Tampa. You are targeting him for homers and a few more RBI chances.
The winner for the Mets in the short term is likely Wilmer Flores. He has played first base at times this year, and he has proven that he can hit well enough to hold down an everyday position. T.J. Rivera could also see more at bats.
Flores is worth a look in most leagues due to his multi-position eligibility. He is eligible at every infield position but shortstop in ESPN leagues.
The Mets likely wont call up Dominic Smith until September even though he is crushing the PCL this year. If he gets a look in September, he could be worth an add for those of you seeking power down the stretch. If nothing else, this opens up the first base job for Smith right out of the gate next season if he can secure it with a strong spring.
Drew Smith ascended all the way from high A ball to AAA with the Rays this season. He is 1-2 with a 1.60 ERA in 31 appearances and saved seven games in 12 tries. With all of the closer issues that the Mets have had lately, don’t be shocked if Smith gets the call sometime in August to see what he can do. If the Mets call him up and try him out as the closer, he is worth a look for those of you desperate for saves.
The White Sox continued their bullpen liquidation by sending Dan Jennings to the Rays. Jennings posted a 3.45 ERA in 48 appearances with the White Sox this year and notching seven holds. Here is the deal that brought him to the Rays:
Jennings wont be a fantasy factor here either. If you are scouring waivers for holds, you can likely do better with a better ERA in all but the deepest of leagues.
Casey Gillaspie was hitting .227 with nine homers and 44 RBI for AAA Durham this year. He may get a shot with the Sox when rosters expand in September, but he likely wont do enough to help your fantasy team this year.
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