Three Up, Three Down: Early Returns From Trades

Each week, BA will take a look at the trends in major league baseball.

THREE 👍

Lucas Duda | 1B | Rays

The Rays jumped the trade deadline by a few days and are reaping the early rewards. Since his acquisition from the Mets on July 28, Duda has three homers in four games for the Rays with as many walks and strikeouts (four). His home runs include a second-deck shot at Yankee Stadium and a 415-foot smash in Houston on Monday, and that level of power is not a fluke. Duda’s 92.2 mph average exit velocity, per Statcast, is 14th-highest in baseball, tied with Paul Goldschmidt and just ahead of Bryce Harper.

J.D. Martinez | OF | Diamondbacks

Speaking of impactful additions, Martinez has added some serious thump to the D’backs lineup. Martinez has five home runs in nine games with Arizona since being acquired from the Tigers on July 18, as well as 12 RBIs and seven runs scored. Martinez has also struck out 12 times, but his power production has made up for it.

Bradley Zimmer | OF | Indians

Zimmer has been a different type of in-season addition, but one every bit as impactful as a major trade acquisition. In 66 games since being called up for his big league debut, Zimmer has hit .284 with 12 doubles, eight home runs, 13 stolen bases and an .813 OPS. That doesn’t even encompass his electrifying defense in center field, where his above-average speed and exceptional instincts have led to numerous highlight-reel catches and his above-average strength arm has resulted in seven assists.

THREE 👎

Sean Doolittle | LHP | Nationals

The Nationals acquired Doolittle to help their bullpen but the early returns have not been great. Doolittle has a 6.00 ERA in his first six appearances with the Nats, even though he is 4-for-4 in save opportunities. Doolittle has allowed five hits and four walks in his first six innings as a Nat, an inauspicious start Washington can only hope is just an early blip.

Jeff Hoffman | RHP | Rockies

July was not a good month for the Rockies’ promising young righthander. Hoffman went 2-2, 8.00 with 13 walks and 14 strikeouts in 27 innings for Colorado and saw his ERA jump from 4.01 to 5.58. Most concerning is how hard opponents are hitting Hoffman. He surrendered 34 hits in the month, including four doubles, three triples and five home runs.

Xander Bogaerts | SS | Red Sox

Boston’s 13-14 showing in July coincided with a major slump from their star shortstop. Bogaerts hit .163 (13-for-80) in the month with a .227 on-base percentage and .225 slugging percentage. He also struck out 21 times in 21 games. It might not get better anytime soon, either. August has historically been Bogaerts’ worst month, with a .240/.291/.313 career slash line in the month.