ROYALS ADD 3 PITCHERS FROM SAN DIEGO
The Kansas City Royals acquired pitchers Trevor Cahill, Brandon Maurer and Ryan Buchter from the San Diego Padres for pitchers Matt Strahm and Travis Wood, plus infielder Esteury Ruiz.
What does it give the Kansas City Royals
The Royals decided to add more arms before the non-waiver trade deadline, and did a nice job of acquiring a potential starter (Cahill), right-handed setup man (Maurer) and situational left-hander (Buchter) all in one trade. After a brutal start to 2017, Kansas City is now just 1.5 games behind Cleveland in the AL Central. Therefore, this deal could help them get back to the postseason.
What does it give the San Diego Padres
For the Padres, this deal is mostly about selling off assets as opposed to acquiring big-time potential. That said, Wood could bounce back as a member of the Padres' rotation as he returns to the National League in a very pitcher-friendly park. Strahm has even more upside as a left-handed starter, but is out for the remainder of 2017 after undergoing knee surgery. As for Ruiz, he is an 18-year-old middle infielder with intriguing talent.
Fantasy impact
Cahill's fantasy value may take a slight dip moving away from both PETCO Park and the NL in general, but he could earn more wins down the stretch with the Royals. Maurer's fantasy stock takes a massive hit after moving away from San Diego's closer role for setup duties in KC. Buchter's potential for holds moves up with the Royals, while Wood's stock improves somewhat with the move to the Padres. Strahm is a nice keeper-league stash because his season-ended injury is not arm-related (knee). Meanwhile, Ruiz should now be on the fantasy radar for several years down the road. The biggest potential winners of this deal are Brad Hand, Phil Maton and Kirby Yates (who might all receive save chances for San Diego down the stretch).
