Fantasy Baseball 2018: Red Sox trade for Steve Pearce

The Red Sox traded for utility player Steve Pearce. How does his arrival affect his new teammates’ fantasy baseball value?

Not much after the Boston Red Sox signed Brandon Phillips, the front office made another move to bolster the infield. They made a trade to acquire utility player Steve Pearce from the Toronto Blue Jays. With his ability to play multiple positions, his arrival will affect the fantasy baseball value of his new teammates.

Pearce is primarily a first baseman. He will likely split time with Mitch Moreland. If you own Moreland, he may play in four games rather than six games per week. Pearce has also played some left field, which will give Andrew Benintendi a day off.

With the acquisition of Phillips, it is unsure that Pearce will play at second base. Pearce has spent some time at third base, and with Rafael Devers hitting .242, he may play some hot corner, too.

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Pearce is .291 with four home runs, 16 RBIs, 16 runs and a 14:7 K:BB ratio. However, he’s played in just 26 games. That is surprising considering the injuries the Blue Jays have accrued throughout the season.

Pearce has never played more than 102 games in a single season. He’s been a bench player or off-day fill in for most of the teams he’s played for. This makes him more of a DFS play than a season-long option. It’s hard to activate him for a week of play when he may start in just one game.

His best season came in 2014 when he hit 21 home runs and .293 in 338 at-bats for the Baltimore Orioles.

Pearce does have familiarity with the American League East, spending the majority of the last seven seasons within the division. Once he gets an at-bat with the Red Sox, he will have played for all five AL East teams.

Pearce is not owned in many leagues, just 1.6 percent ESPN leagues and four percent of CBS Sports leagues. If there is a good matchup for the Red Sox, he may get more playing time. But it’s hard to justify a waiver wire add.

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Pearce is worth a cheap roster spot in DFS. With the right pitching matchup, he can score a few points to help your team. This is more beneficial for the Red Sox than it is more fantasy baseball owners. Though, he may receive more playing time as a result.