Rays land Lucas Duda: Fantasy Fallout

Lucas Duda is headed to the Rays, as the team dealt for the slugger to bolster their lineup. But, what is the fantasy fallout from the deal?

The Rays are battling for a playoff spot but knew they needed to make a move to help to solidify their lineup. They did just that this week, by acquiring Lucas Duda from the Mets. What is the fantasy fallout from the deal?

Lucas Duda has actually been in the league for eight years now, and his time with the Mets was up and down. Injuries plagued him for most of his tenure, yet the raw power was also prominent as well.

He did miss some time again this season but currently holds a .246/17 HR/37 RBI/.879 OPS line over 75 games. His 21% HR/FB, 24%, LD, and 44% Hard contact rates are all career bests.

Now with the Rays, Corey Dickerson will see more time in left field, allowing Duda to get at-bats at first and the DH spot. He will also see at-bats in the middle of a lineup that offers plenty of counting stat opportunities.

The move to the Trop does him a huge favor as well compared to Citi Field, as lefties fair much better in Tampa. Duda is also hot right now at the dish, posting a .283/3 HR/7 RBI/.892 OPS line over his last 46 at-bats. Not too shabby for a guy that is still available in most leagues.

On the Mets side of things, they did receive reliever Drew Smith from the Rays. Like Duda, Smith is a tantalizing talent. He can touch the upper-90s with his fastball and has developed a solid curveball as well. But, some scouts note that the pitch can begin to get flat at times, a troublesome problem.

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Lucas Duda is the clear winner here in term of fantasy value. He joins a deeper lineup, heads to a better home ballpark, and is making a ton of hard contact this season. All things to target off the waiver wire.