SOUZA, DRURY DEALT IN 3-TEAM BLOCKBUSTER
In a three-team trade, the Arizona Diamondbacks acquired outfielder Steven Souza Jr. from the Tampa Bay Rays and pitcher Taylor Widener from the New York Yankees; New York acquired infielder Brandon Drury from the Diamondbacks, and Tampa Bay acquired pitcher Anthony Banda and two players to be named later from the Diamondbacks and infielder Nick Solak from the Yankees.
What does it give the Arizona Diamondbacks
For the D'backs, this deal is mostly about acquiring right-fielder Souza Jr. while moving out Drury. Arizona has depth in terms of infielders but was looking for more of it in the outfield. Look for Souza Jr. to play every day in right field, which suddenly crowds left field (David Peralta, Jarrod Dyson and Yasmany Tomas). Widener was a throw-in for the Snakes but the 23-year-old has some upside.
What does it give the New York Yankees
For the Bronx Bombers, this deal adds another infielder (and power bat) in Drury--who is expected to take over at third base in 2018. This would allow prospect Miguel Andujar to continue his development down on the farm. Drury can also play second base, where New York has top prospect Gleyber Torres set to battle for the job this spring. New manager Aaron Boone has more infield options.
What does it give the
For the perpetually-retooling Rays, trading Souza Jr. is no surprise. His value peaked after slugging 30 home runs last season, so they were able to turn him into pitching prospect Banda, infield prospect Solak and two players to be named later. That is a solid haul for a career .236 batter. Banda should be the jewel of this package as a future left-handed starter, though Solak is also a candidate to win the second base job right away.
Fantasy impact
Souza Jr. should continue to hit home runs in Arizona but there is now added pressure on his shoulders to prove 2017 was no fluke. Buyer beware here. As for Drury, his stock may be on the rise if he plays every day in the Bronx. That said, Andujar's presence keeps his value from skyrocketing. Banda should now be in a much better position to succeed as a starter in MLB and appears to be the big winner after this mega-transaction. Solak's value also spikes in the right direction, while Widener should now be on the long-range keeper radar. D'backs outfielders Peralta, Dyson and Tomas all appear to be the biggest losers in this deal, while Andujar and Torres now have cloudier immediate futures (though both have huge keeper upside).
Player focus
Tampa Bay Rays
player to be named later in 2018 - Colin Poche
player to be named later in 2018 - Sam McWilliams
