JAYS PICK UP UTILITY MAN PENNINGTON
The Toronto Blue Jays acquired infielder Cliff Pennington and cash from the Arizona Diamondbacks for infielder Dawel Lugo.
What does it give the Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays have the most stacked offensive lineup in baseball but second base continues to be a problem (with Devon Travis out due to a shoulder injury). Enter Pennington, who can provide solid veteran depth at second, shortstop, third base, and in left field. He's not much of a hitter overall but Pennington does have a little pop and his positional versatility will help Toronto mix and match lineups the rest of the way. He also has an affordable expiring contract, adding to the appeal.
What does it give the Arizona Diamondbacks
Lugo is a solid shortstop prospect who's currently at the Single-A level, so he won't likely be debuting in the majors anytime soon. That said, he has a fairly promising bat and the D-backs also get the savings of moving the rest of Pennington's salary (minus the cash they send to Toronto) for this season.
Fantasy impact
There isn't much fantasy fallout from this trade, unless Pennington pushes Ryan Goins for starts with Toronto filling in for Travis. On the Arizona side of things Nick Ahmed is already locked in as the D-backs' starting shortstop this season, so all this deal does is further solidify his starting status.
