The Moose is again on the loose

As we draw closer to Tuesday’s non-waiver trade deadline, trade talks have intensified around the league. After a wild day of action on Thursday that saw the Yankees pry JA Happ away from the Blue Jays and the Cubs bolster their rotation by picking up Cole Hamels from the Rangers, Friday didn’t disappoint either.

The Diamondbacks struck first, acquiring hard-hitting infielder Eduardo Escobar from the Twins for a package of three prospects. Escobar, a free agent at season’s end, should provide a major boost for the Snakes. He’ll provide coverage at second base, shortstop and third base, though he may spend most of his time in the near-term at the hot corner with Jake Lamb heading to the disabled list with a shoulder injury.

Escobar was having quite the season for the Twins, slashing 274/.338/.514 with 15 home runs, 63 RBI and a league-leading 37 doubles. His fantasy value will only improve moving to a loaded Diamondbacks’ lineup and a home ballpark that is far more hitter-friendly than Target Field.

Escobar should also get mad props for his farewell, posting this touching tribute to the fans in Minnesota to Twitter:

As far as the other side of the deal, the Twins seem to have gotten a decent return for a player who was likely to walk away for nothing but a compensatory pick after the season ended. They acquire three low-level minor leaguers in the trade: Outfielders Gabriel Maciel and Ernie De La Trinidad as well as right-hander Jhoan Duran.

Maciel was ranked as the 11th best prospect in the Diamondbacks’ organization according to MLB.com. The 19-year-old Brazilian outfielder hit .287/.362/.333 with one homer, 16 RBI and 14 stolen bases over 68 games in his first exposure at Class-A Kane County.

Duran, ranked as the 19th best prospect in the Arizona system, is an intriguing young arm with a plus fastball and a power curveball, but like many minor league hurlers has struggled to develop a quality third offering. The 20-year-old compiled a 4.73 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 71/28 K/BB ratio across 64 ⅔ innings in 15 starts at Class-A Kane County this season.

De La Trinidad, 22, wasn’t ranked among the Diamondbacks’ top 30 prospects. While old for the level, he has enjoyed a nice season at Class-A Kane County, batting .311/.403/.442 with eight homers, 56 RBI and six steals in 91 games.

The Diamondbacks weren’t the only National League club upgrading their infield on Friday. The Phillies sent minor league right-hander Franklyn Kilome to the Mets in exchange for Asdrubal Cabrera.

Cabrera, an impending free agent at season's end, is expected to see time at both shortstop and third base for the Phillies. The 32-year-old is having a terrific season, slashing .277/.329/.488 with 18 homers and 58 RBI. His fantasy outlook should only improve moving to a more hitter-friendly home ballpark with a much better and deeper surrounding cast.

In return for a few months of Cabrera, the Phillies were willing to give up Franklyn Kilome. The  22-year-old right-hander, entered the season ranked as the 68th best prospect in all of baseball according to Baseball Prospectus. He has had a rough go of it at Double-A this season though, posting a 4.24 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 83/51 K/BB ratio across 102 innings. He’s still raw, but he’s a very talented young arm with a ton of upside, and a nice return for the Mets given the situation.

The Astros were also buyers on Friday, acquiring right-handed reliever Ryan Pressly from the Twins in exchange for a pair of prospects.

The 29-year-old right-hander has pitched well for the Twins this season, compiling a 3.40 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 69/19 K/BB ratio across 47 2/3 innings. He'll provide manager A.J. Hinch with a nice leverage option in front of closer Hector Rondon. Pressly is also under team control through the 2019 season, as he'll enter his final season of arbitration this winter.

In return, the Twins did very well for themselves, landing a pair of legitimate prospects in the deal. Jorge Alcala, ranked as the 10th best prospect in a stacked Astros' system, owns a 3.29 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 82/35 K/BB ratio over 79 1/3 innings between High-A Buies Creek and Double-A Corpus Christi this season.

The Twins also get 19-year-old outfielder Gilberto Celestino, ranked as the 15th best prospect in the Astros’ system. He had raked to the tune of .317/.383/.476 with four homers, 21 RBI and 14 stolen bases in 33 games at Low-A Tri City before a recent promotion to Double-A Corpus Christi.

And just when you thought the day was done, the Brewers dropped the hammer. Jeffrey Flanagan reported late Friday night that the Brewers had agreed to a deal with the Royals to acquire third baseman Mike Moustakas in exchange for Brett Phillips and Jorge Lopez.

The Brewers had been in the market for an offensive upgrade in the middle infield, but after watching Manny Machado, Eduardo Escobar and Asdrubal Cabrera head elsewhere they decided to pivot to Moustakas. In doing so, he’ll take over as the team’s everyday third baseman while Travis Shaw will slide over to cover second base.

Shaw has taken reps at the position recently, and the team must feel confident in how well he has handled them in order to pull the trigger on this deal, because Shaw has never logged a professional inning at the position.

Moustakas does lengthen an already deep and powerful Brewers' lineup though and gets to be reunited with longtime former teammate Lorenzo Cain. His fantasy value gets a huge boost with this deal, as the Brewers' lineup and the offensive environment of his new home ballpark trump what he has been dealing with in Kansas City.

It’s also a tremendous uptick to the fantasy value of Brett Phillips. Buried on the depth chart behind an extremely crowded and talented outfield in Milwaukee, the 24-year-old should get an opportunity to shine in Kansas City. He has a bit of power and a bit of speed and should be a worthwhile addition in AL-only and deeper mixed leagues, provided the Royals actually bring hi up right away and let him take his lumps at the big league level.

The Royals also add a nice potential bullpen arm in the deal in Jorge Lopez. The 25-year-old right-hander did a nice job in 10 appearances out of the Brewers' bullpen this season, posting a 2.75 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 15/13 K/BB ratio over 19 2/3 innings. He could immediately join the Royals' bullpen and has the type of arm that could ascend to a high-leverage role if he pitches well.

We’re Going Streaking

Eugenio Suarez accomplished something mighty impressive on Friday, homering for the fifth consecutive game as the Reds topped the Phillies 6-3.

That mark ties the Reds' franchise record for consecutive games with a home run, joining seven others. It was most recently accomplished by Jay Bruce during the 2016 season.

Suarez has been one of the biggest surprises of the 2018 season thus far, slashing a monstrous .305/.389/.588 with 24 homers and a National League-leading 79 RBI. Not bad for a guy who was drafted around pick 185 on average in fantasy drafts this past spring.

Suarez wasn’t the only player in the league accomplishing the same thing on Friday night though. In Baltimore, Jonathan Schoop did the exact same thing, leaving the yard for the fifth straight game as the Orioles walloped the Rays 15-5.

Schoop entered the month of July hitting a ghastly 197/.242/.345 with just eight homers and 21 RBI in his first 61 games. Since the calendar flipped though, he has hit .378 (34-for-90) with eight homers and 16 RBI in 21 games.

If he was cut loose by any fantasy owners after his miserable start to the season and is still hanging around on the waiver wire, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t pounce immediately.

As impressive as the five-game homer streaks that Suarez and Schoop have compiled, i believe they pale in comparison to what Nationals’ rookie Juan Soto is doing.

The 19-year-old phenom crushed his 13th home run of the season in the Nationals’ victory over the Marlins. It’s the third straight game that Soto has homered in. That’s the longest such streak by any teenager in the history of Major League Baseball.

He’s pretty good.

Here’s a few other names to put what he’s doing in historical context: Tony Conigliaro (24), Bryce Harper (22), Mel Ott (19), Phil Cavarretta (17), Ken Griffey Jr. (16). That’s the entire list of players in MLB history who have hit more home runs as a teenager than Soto has in his 241 plate appearances.

With another two months to go, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him wind up on top of that list. Soto also tripled and singled on Friday, raising his season slash to an absurd .315/.423/.581 to go with 13 homers, 36 RBI and a pair of stolen bases. This from a guy who played eight games at Double-A before springboarding to the show.