More Late MLB Trade Deadline Move Breakdowns: Cedric Mullins, Ryan O'Hearn and More

We could talk for days about all the moves made near the MLB trade deadline. Some teams added; others subtracted. There was even a group that toed the line, both bringing veterans in and sending them out.

Let's look at some of the impactful moves that happened closer to deadline that could help push teams toward the postseason and/or World Series. You won't see every trade (we've covered others in several other articles), but these are some of the most notable transactions that we haven't talked about yet here on FantasySP.

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The Mets get Cedric Mullins

A pending free agent, Mullins was one of the most likely players to be moved by the Orioles, who have fallen out of the race. Mullins had his best season in 2021, when he hit .291 with 37 doubles, 30 home runs, and 30 stolen bases. He hasn't had another year close to that really, but he has remained a 30-stolen-base guy while showing a little pop and playing great defense in center field.

New York has rated out slightly below average in center field by WAR (according to Baseball-Reference), with most of the at-bats going to Tyrone Taylor. Taylor is batting .201 with just two home runs and 13 doubles. Taylor is a very good fielder, but he fits much better as a fourth outfielder and defensive replacement while Mullins takes over every day.

After beefing up their bullpen, the Mets helped themselves offensively with this move.

Fantasy Impact

Mullins is owned in less than half of fantasy leagues, and while he will top out as an average offensive player, he can steal some bases, and there should be more chances to both score and drive in runs in this Mets lineup, so he's an interesting flyer or a streaming fill-in if nothing else.

San Diego Keeps Adding

The rumors kept flying that the Padres were going to trade starter Dylan Cease and/or closer Robert Suarez, but even after adding Mason Miller and JP Sears from the Athletics, San Diego kept their guys and added to a lineup that needed reinforcements.

Catcher Freddy Fermin, first baseman/DH Ryan O'Hearn, and outfielder Ramon Laureano will all be starters or at least rotation players. The same Baseball-Reference WAR numbers linked above rated the Padres last among catchers, 29th in left field, 28th at DH, and last among pinch hitters. These moves not only strengthen those specific positions but also make the bench a better unit, hopefully pumping up those pinch-hitter numbers.

A few teams could make a claim, but San Diego might be THE winners of the trade deadline.

Fantasy Impact

O'Hearn mashes against righties but struggles against lefties, so he's likely to be the stronger side of a platoon while filling a few different spots. He is available in over 75% of fantasy leagues and could be a great pickup as part of a better lineup than he had with Baltimore.

Laureano made the same move from the floundering Orioles (who have been better lately), and he's batting .290 with 17 doubles and 15 home runs. He should be a nice streamer the rest of the way.

Fermin is hitting .255, which is about 50 points better than San Diego's other catchers. He doesn't hit for power, but Fermin is an upgrade over Elias Diaz and Martin Maldonado offensively. He's not a fantasy option except for in the best circumstances, though.

NL Central Leaders Add Around the Edges

The Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers are in a fight for first place, and neither made a major move, instead grabbing a few smaller reinforcements. Chicago's biggest move was probably utility player Willi Castro from Minnesota. He can play pretty much everywhere on the infield and outfield and might end up taking playoff at-bats at third base, maybe Chicago's weakest position.

Michael Soroka, Andrew Kittredge, and Taylor Rogers will help solidify the bullpen and maybe back of the rotation (Soroka), but they are more depth and fringe moves. Castro is the guy who can possibly make a difference every day.

The Brewers traded for Arizona closer Shelby Miller, who is currently injured but has pitched well this season and could work the late innings and even close if necessary. Catcher Danny Jansen (acquired prior to deadline day) upgrades the backup spot and could take a little pressure off William Contreras, who could probably use some days off before the playoffs.

Like Chicago's moves, Milwaukee did more configuring than they did big-game hunting, and their moves will help stabilize the team rather than drive it forward. This race didn't change much based on any of these additions.

Fantasy Implications

None. Each player will continue to be who they were, though Miller loses some fantasy value by moving out of the closing role he had in Arizona. These moves are more about real-life baseball.

Kansas City Adds for the Wild Card Push

It wasn't much, but a small-market team like the Royals isn't always adding, even when they do have success, so it's nice to see for KC fans. After previously acquiring infielder Adam Frazier (Pirates) and outfielder/DH Randal Grichuk (Diamondbacks), the Royals traded for Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski and Pirates starting pitcher Bailey Falter.

Yastrzemski is generally worth about 2.0 WAR per season; that's a fringe player on a playoff team, a guy more suited for a bench/platoon role. Kansas City ranks last by both right field and left field WAR by Baseball-Reference's numbers, though, so Yaz represents a marked improvement over the incumbent performers.

Falter does well limiting walks, but he's a below-average strikeout pitcher and settles in close to average overall (maybe slightly below). That's a valuable player and a guy who can help both at the back of the rotation and as a left-handed reliever. He has done well limiting hits this season (95 in 113 1/3 innings), and the Royals are surely happy to have him aboard.

Fantasy Impact

Nothing to see here. While Yastrzemski is a valuable upgrade for his team, he's not impactful enough to be a real fantasy option other than as an odd streamer. Same goes for Falter, who could be an option for a day if he starts against a weak team but will otherwise offer more real-life help than fantasy impact.

Tampa Bay Toes the Line

The Rays are always a threat to sell given their low-budget ways, giving up anyone from odd relievers to impact bats any time of year. They traded away a few players, like catcher Jansen (Milwaukee), starting pitcher Zack Littell (Reds), and utility man Jose Caballero (Yankees), making it seem like they were sellers.

Tampa also added guys who can help this year, though, like starting pitcher Adrian Houser (White Sox), reliever Griffin Jax (Twins), and catcher Nick Fortes (Marlins). They moved sideways (or maybe even backward) with those moves rather than making a real splash, but the Rays didn't sell off every spare piece the way some thought they would, especially when veterans started heading out the door.

That leaves a team that is only 3.5 games back in the wild card race with a fighting chance to make the postseason, especially with top pitcher Shane McClanahan hopefully set to return before season's end. Keep an eye on Tampa Bay in what's sure to be a dogfight for the AL playoffs.

Fantasy Impact

No one here is going to change your fantasy team, and they all have similar outlooks to what they did before the trades. Houser and Jax will likely benefit from better defense, as Tampa Bay is an above-average defensive team while the Twins and White Sox are both in the bottom six by defensive runs saved. Fortes is better defensively than offensively, fitting Tampa Bay's catcher type.