The trade deadline dance continues, first with a few deep cuts and then an unexpected swap between rising teams when Washington sent IF Curtis Mead to Boston for LHP Connelly Early. Gray gave you his thoughts on day trading in I Am Serious And Stop Trading Mead/Early:
“So, this trade is a no-brainer. It changes, depending on how you look at it. On the one hand, you can look at Early’s high hopes three months ago, and Mead has had three decent months of hitting with the Red Sox’s Breslow saying, “We’ve won all these games lately…What can I do to screw it up?” Call him Craig “Weird Flex” Breslow. On the other hand, you can look at Early’s elbow and there’s just what they get from him. Also, Mead was hoping for a breed not too long ago, and it looks like he’s coming out.”
I agree with his opinion. If Early can get/stay healthy, this trade is great for Washington, who can test a string of corner bats much more easily than they can find a middle and top rotation starter. They turned to Homes in Brady first at cold corner, which is kind of a team role anyway because Luis Garcia has covered a roster spot. Next on the call page are Andres Chaparro, Abimelec Ortiz and Yohandy Morales. Any of these guys can hit enough to help us down.
Like Gray, I wonder if Breslow was willing to rock the boat. He doesn’t have to know that Midnight Star song because the message is crystal clear: “Don’t rock the boat. Don’t rock the boat, baby. Don’t ask for a ship. Those two points overlap, both are repeated twice, yet Breslow has never heard the song or is somehow immune to its musical power. As a result, he risks capsizing Sawx’s wonderful summer sailboat by introducing Curtis Mead to an inside mix that could use bat. It’s the next day, and Mead’s already injured his left wrist. Wow. Think about the boat moving.
Another Washington-related surprise in my life this week: I added Nations BY Dylan Crews in the Razzball Experts league one day. It sent a cold shiver down my spine when I clicked the “submit” button. I certainly felt like that’s what I was doing: sending my first season into the hands of a guy I’d always put down. I’d definitely throw him out, but he’s been hitting, slashing .370/.528/.778 with three home runs in his last eight games. These Nats can coach, it seems, so while I’m not sure this heater marks a new chapter for Crews, I can’t ignore him any longer.
Here is what I wrote about the burn Tigers C Eduardo Valencia (26) in December on Detroit’s Top 10 Prospects for 2026 Fantasy Baseball:
“I must be missing something here because I don’t see Valencia being considered a fantasy anywhere I look, unless I look at the real world, where Detroit just put him on the 40-man roster out of fear of losing him to another organization that might justify giving him a big league roster spot after slashing .319 / .405 / . look at the Triple-A pitching I see it was 50 games, and you could argue that most that talent was gone at that point, but he was just as effective in 53 Double-A games (148 wRC+) where he was still eligible, especially for catcher 2025 Output of 24 players in just 103 games.”
Welp, he finally got his chance to hit the big leagues and made the most of it. It’s only been seven games so far, but he’s hitting .529 with four home runs and a 397 wRC+. With Dillon Dingler carrying the offense, they need him more in the everyday lineup, which paves the way for some unusual playing time for Valencia, who should be listed in almost every two-hander format.
Scan your waiver wire to find out Pirates 3B Murf Gray (22, AA), who looks like a Pittsburgh steal at pick 73 overall in the 2025 draft. He has already reached Double-A after completing two levels this year and has three home runs in ten games at the new level.
I would also recommend taking a moment to look around your leagues Rays 3B Brayden Taylor (24, AA), who struggled so badly in Double-A the past few years that he might be on the fence. In his third stint at the level, he made better swing decisions and excelled as a pro, slashing .342/.429/.631 with seven homers and seven steals in his last 29 games. He’s also kind of a trade target where he’s signed because I don’t think his current team will feel too comfortable with this hot life. Another factor here is that Taylor may be on the way with Tampa talking about making major changes at the deadline.
Pirates SS Sammy Stafura (21, A+) came from Cincinnati in the Ke’Bryan Hayes trade at the 2025 deadline and looks like one of the best prospects to change shirts that month. He hit 19 home runs and 16 stolen bases in just 46 High-A games. We can sing him a little by playing in a comfortable percussion position, but that’s a combination of power speed in any setting.
Thanks for reading!
