The Arizona Diamondbacks added outfield depth at Monday's Aug. 3 trade deadline by acquiring outfielder Lars Nootbaar from the St. Louis Cardinals, according to ESPN's Jorge Castillo and Alden Gonzalez. Nootbaar will head to the National League West after hitting just .234/.333/.354 with a .688 OPS, three home runs, 16 RBI, 22 runs scored, and a stolen base in 48 games and 183 plate appearances this year in his sixth season with the Cardinals. The 28-year-old left-handed-hitting outfielder got a late start to the year after recovering from offseason surgery on both of his heels. Despite not really standing out offensively this year in St. Louis, Nootbaar should have a regular role in the Snakes' outfield because of injuries to all of Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (thigh), Tommy Troy (shoulder), and Jordan Lawlar (hamstring). Nootbaar has always teased power/speed upside, but he has not panned out in the big leagues thanks to injuries. He's hitting only .133 (4-for-30) with one of his three homers against lefty pitchers, and Nootbaar could lose playing time as Arizona's outfield gets healthy. Nootbaar is rostered in just 2% of Yahoo leagues.

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The Houston Astros acquired center fielder Daulton Varsho from the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan. The Athletic's Mitch Bannon reports that the Astros sent right-hander Spencer Arrighetti (foot) to the Blue Jays in return for Varsho. The 30-year-old Varsho has been a disappointment at the plate this year in Toronto, but he will immediately bolster the Astros' defense in the outfield. In 333 at-bats in 2026 in his seventh year in the majors (fourth with the Blue Jays), Varsho hit a very mediocre .243/.307/.375 with a .682 OPS, seven home runs, 26 RBI, 39 runs scored, and nine stolen bases in 99 games across 365 plate appearances. He will be set to reach free agency at the end of the 2026 season, so he might turn out to be just a rental for Houston's playoff run. The former second-rounder by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2017 from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee really struggled in July, going 17-for-83 (.205) with a .482 OPS, zero homers, three doubles, four RBI, eight runs scored, two steals, four walks, and 10 strikeouts in 24 games. Houston will be hoping that Varsho can be better than that at the plate going forward.

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The Chicago Cubs acquired right-hander Clay Holmes (leg) and outfielder Tyrone Taylor from the New York Mets on Monday in exchange for infielder Jefferson Rojas, sources told Jeff Passan of ESPN. Holmes becomes the third starting pitcher that the Cubbies acquired at this year's trade deadline, joining veteran right-hander Kevin Gausman and lefty Braxton Garrett. The 33-year-old Holmes is still on the 60-day injured list after fracturing his fibula earlier this season, but he could help bolster Chicago's rotation down the stretch, and he could make his Cubs debut sooner rather than later after making his third minor-league rehab start with High-A Brooklyn on Sunday. It will be interesting to see if the Cubs feel that Holmes will be better off working in a relief role (he has plenty of experience doing that), with right-hander Edward Cabrera (hamstring) also nearing his return from the IL. It's hard to gauge Holmes' rest-of-season fantasy outlook because we don't know exactly what his role will be upon joining his new club. Before injuring his leg earlier this year, the two-time All-Star had a 2.39 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 45:18 K:BB in just nine starts, but the underlying metrics pointed to eventual regression. Taylor, who will be a free agent after the season, will be a platoon bat in Chicago against lefties after sporting a .900 OPS against southpaws with the Mets in 2026.

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The New York Yankees acquired outfielder Heliot Ramos from the San Francisco Giants on Monday, sources told Jeff Passan of ESPN. It's unclear at this time what the Yankees sent to the Giants in exchange. Ramos will bring a much-needed right-handed bat to the Yankees outfield with all of Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, and Giancarlo Stanton still sidelined with injuries. The 26-year-old Puerto Rican outfielder doesn't exactly bring a strong glove with him to the Bronx, though, and he has hit just .264/.304/.424 with a .728 OPS, nine home runs, 34 RBI, 36 runs scored, and three stolen bases across his 288 at-bats with the Giants this year. Although only two of his nine home runs in 2026 have come against left-handers, he's killed them otherwise, going 19-for-65 (.292) against them with an .835 OPS in 36 games. Another plus for the Yanks is that Ramos is now under team control through the 2029 season. Ramos might not see as much playing time against right-handed pitchers, but he could be more efficient in more of a platoon role against lefties in the Bronx.

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The Cleveland Guardians acquired left-hander Foster Griffin from the Washington Nationals on Monday, a source told Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. The Athletic's Spencer Nusbaum reports that the Guardians are sending minor-league pitchers Will Dion, Josh Hartle, and Kendeglys Virguez, and outfielder Nick Mitchell to the Nationals. The 31-year-old veteran southpaw will head to the American League Central to bolster Cleveland's starting rotation alongside Gavin Williams, Parker Messick, Joey Cantillo, and Tanner Bibee. Griffin will become a free agent after the 2026 season, so he could end up just being a rental for the rest of this year. The former first-rounder by the Kansas City Royals in 2014 has gone 12-3 this year with a 3.06 ERA (4.09 FIP) and 1.07 WHIP with 116 strikeouts and 30 walks in 22 starts and 129 1/3 innings pitched in his first big-league season since 2022 after spending the last three years playing in Japan. Griffin is currently tied for fourth in baseball with his 12 wins, and he will definitely bolster the Guards' rotation down the stretch. The lefty allowed six earned runs in 5 1/3 innings in a loss to the Atlanta Braves his last time out last Friday, but Griffin had a strong stretch from June 5 through July 19 where he didn't allow more than an earned run in any of his eight starts for the Nats.

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St. Louis Cardinals top outfield prospect Joshua Baez could now find himself on the fast track to the big leagues for the remainder of the 2026 season after the team traded outfielder Lars Nootbaar to the Arizona Diamondbacks at the Aug. 3 deadline on Monday. Baez is considered St. Louis' No. 3 prospect and the No. 44 overall prospect in baseball, per MLB Pipeline. The 23-year-old former second-rounder in 2021 has hit .251/.324/.577 with a .901 OPS, 32 home runs, 83 RBI, 17 stolen bases, and 73 runs scored in 95 games and 426 plate appearances at Triple-A Memphis this year. Baez can play center field and right field, which will give the Cardinals more options when they decide to bring him up, but with Nootbaar now out of the picture in center, it would not be a surprise if Baez is called up from the farm sooner rather than later. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound right-handed hitter's raw power and speed upside make him worth stashing in even single-year formats if you have room on your bench. Baez is an obvious candidate for 30 homers and 20 steals at the big-league level.

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The Milwaukee Brewers made a move at Monday's Aug. 3 trade deadline to acquire right-hander Dustin May and left-handed reliever JoJo Romero (abdomen) from the division-rival St. Louis Cardinals, a source told The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon. May, 28, was in his first year in St. Louis in 2026 and went 5-7 with a 4.38 ERA (3.14 FIP) and 1.28 WHIP with 106 strikeouts and 35 walks in 109 innings pitched across 21 starts for the Red Birds. The former third-rounder by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2016 will give the first-place Brewers more rotation depth and also has experience working in a relief role, which would be invaluable for the Brew Crew as they look to get over the hump. May is expected to slot into Milwaukee's starting rotation after allowing just an earned run with three walks and 11 strikeouts in 11 innings in his last two starts against the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs. The move to Milwaukee should be considered a boost for his rest-of-season fantasy outlook. Romero has been out since mid-July after having an appendectomy, but he should be ready to make his Brewers debut in mid-August after posting a 3.53 ERA with 43 strikeouts and 16 walks in his 43 relief innings for St. Louis. He's currently tied for sixth in baseball with 20 saves, making him attractive in leagues that count that statistic.

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The Chicago Cubs are acquiring left-hander Braxton Garrett from the Miami Marlins on Monday, sources tell Jeff Passan of ESPN.com. It is unclear what the Cubs are sending to the Marlins in return. The Cubs have made another move to bolster their pitching staff for the stretch run after acquiring right-hander Kevin Gausman from the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday evening. The 28-year-old Garrett was called up from the minors earlier this year by the Marlins, but he allowed seven earned runs with eight walks and five strikeouts in just 4 1/3 innings over his two starts before being demoted back to Triple-A Jacksonville. Garrett will most likely begin his tenure with the Cubs at Triple-A Iowa before potentially becoming an option for their starting rotation if he shows them enough in the minors. Remember, Garrett is in his first year removed from an internal-brace surgery on his left elbow. In 16 outings (15 starts) with the Jumbo Shrimp on the farm this year, he went 4-4 with a 2.90 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and 83:29 K:BB in 77 2/3 frames, giving hope to Cubs fans that he can eventually reach his ceiling in Chicago as a former first-round selection (seventh overall) in 2016.

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The Pittsburgh Pirates are acquiring right-handed reliever Luke Weaver from the New York Mets on Monday, a source told Jorge Castillo of ESPN. Weaver was one of the few bright spots for the Mets in 2026, going 2-1 with a stingy 1.84 ERA (0.82 WHIP), one save, 45 strikeouts and 11 walks in 44 innings pitched out of the bullpen. Left-hander Gregory Soto has been Pittsburgh's primary source of saves so far in 2026, but he's been pretty volatile, so it seems likely that Weaver is going to get a huge fantasy boost and jump into save opportunities in his new digs. The 32-year-old Weaver will remain under contract with Pittsburgh through the 2027 season and will be paid $12.5 million. He's currently only rostered in 17% of Yahoo leagues, but with the trade to the Pirates, Weaver's fantasy stock should improve drastically in the coming days. Weaver is in his 11th season in the majors, with all 13 of his career saves coming in the last three years.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers are adding another left-handed starting pitcher at the trade deadline by acquiring left-hander Kris Bubic (elbow, shoulder) from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for right-hander Carlos Duran on Monday, sources told Jeff Passan of ESPN. It pales in comparison to L.A.'s blockbuster deal to land two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers on Saturday night, but the addition of the 28-year-old Bubic will give their rotation even more depth for the stretch run if he can bounce back from elbow and shoulder injuries that have kept him sidelined since all the way back on May 18. Even if Bubic makes it back at the tail end of the second half of the season, he probably won't have a spot in the Dodgers' suddenly crowded starting rotation once lefty Blake Snell (elbow) and right-hander Tyler Glasnow (back) return. Bubic, a former first-rounder, was a first-time All-Star in 2025 with a career-best 2.55 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 116:39 K:BB in 20 starts. He wasn't fully healthy, though, and he's made only nine starts in 2026 while dealing with more arm injuries, which has tanked his fantasy value. Currently, Bubic is only rostered in 34% of Yahoo leagues.

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The Boston Red Sox are acquiring three-time All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman (wrist) in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles on Monday, sources told Jeff Passan of ESPN. It's unknown what the Red Sox are sending to the division-rival Orioles in return for the former first overall pick. Most likely, the O's will receive some young, controllable pitching from the BoSox. Rutschman is currently on the 10-day injured list, but the 28-year-old switch-hitter is making progress towards a return and will be Boston's primary backstop over both Carlos Narvaez and Connor Wong when he returns. Rutschman has struggled to get going in 2026 in his fifth year in the majors, slashing just .251/.331/.433 with a .764 OPS, eight home runs, 47 RBI, and 30 runs scored in just 67 games and 284 plate appearances. Injuries have gotten in his way for sure, and the Red Sox are banking on the talented catcher bouncing back after he was an All-Star in back-to-back seasons in Baltimore in 2023 and 2024. In Baltimore, it's now clear that Samuel Basallo (shoulder) is the team's catcher of the future.

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The Tampa Bay Rays acquired catcher/first baseman Liam Hicks from the Miami Marlins on Monday in exchange for third base prospect Brayden Taylor, High-A shortstop Adrian Santana, and High-A pitcher Jacob Kisting, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Hicks will give the Rays an immediate upgrade at the catching position over both Hunter Feduccia and Nick Fortes for the remainder of the year, but he can also spend time at first base and designated hitter if Tampa wants to get creative with their lineup. The 27-year-old Canadian left-handed hitter will continue to be a lineup regular with his new squad after breaking out in 2026 with the Fish to the tune of a .282/.363/.432 slash line, a .795 OPS, 14 home runs, 62 RBI, 54 runs scored, and three stolen bases in his 354 at-bats in just his second year in the big leagues. Hicks stayed hot in July, batting .280 (26-for-93), although he had only one homer and a .692 OPS in 25 games. The move to Tampa should be at least a slight boost for Hicks' run-production opportunities.

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Kansas City Royals prospect Gavin Cross had a stretch in late July when he hit a home run in six straight games for Triple-A Omaha. Altogether, he finished the month of July with seven homers and 23 RBI while hitting .337. It was a big month for the former first round pick out of Virginia Tech. The left-handed hitting outfield prospect is the No. 26 ranked prospect in the Royals' system and has 11 homers and 42 RBI this season at Omaha in 337 at bats. He's added 22 stolen bases and 50 runs scored while hitting .243 overall. The 25-year-old could be looking at a shot to man the outfield for the Royals this season and is worth a look in fantasy leagues. His 50-grade power and 50-grade speed make him an intriguing stash as someone who could produce given an opportunity this season.

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The San Diego Padres are finalizing a deal to acquire veteran left-hander Robbie Ray from the division-rival San Francisco Giants on Monday, sources told Jeff Passan of ESPN. It's unclear at this time what the Padres are shipping to the Giants in exchange. Ray will be an immediate upgrade for the Friars' starting rotation alongside right-hander Michael King while the team waits for the returns of both right-handers Nick Pivetta (forearm) and Joe Musgrove (elbow). The 34-year-old Ray has gone 10-6 with a 3.08 ERA (4.36 FIP) and 1.29 WHIP with 107 strikeouts and 57 walks in 122 2/3 innings pitched in his 22 appearances (21 starts) for the Giants this year. Ray has been much better since the start of June, going 7-0 with a 1.65 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. The 13-year-old veteran won't gain much of a boost fantasy-wise with the move to San Diego, and fantasy managers shouldn't expect his strong run of form to continue through the rest of the season, especially with a walk rate over 10% and a strikeout rate that has fallen from 33.3% in 2024 to 20.9% this year. Ray will definitely give SD a better shot at sneaking into the postseason in a wild-card spot, though.

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Colorado Rockies prospect Zac Veen is coming off a game in which he homered and added three hits to raise his batting average for the season with Triple-A Albuquerque to .317 and his homer total to 20. Altogether he has 77 RBI, 73 runs scored, and 16 stolen bases this season at Albuquerque in 369 at bats. Veen has demonstrated his five-category ability in the Pacific Coast League this year making him an intriguing prospect for a shot with the big-league club. He's the No. 7 overall prospect in the Rockies' system and is a former first round pick in 2020. The 24-year-old looks like a likely big-league call-up candidate and is therefore worth stashing in pretty much all fantasy leagues. His 55-grade speed makes him a five-tool-candidate worth taking a chance on now. When called up he will reward the chance taken on him.

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Cincinnati Reds outfield prospect Hector Rodriguez is coming off a four-hit performance at Triple-A Louisville, complete with a home run and three RBI. It was the latest power surge in a season-long display of power hitting for the outfielder. Rodriguez has turned in a season of 27 homers and 69 RBI with 72 runs scored in 405 at-bats with Louisville to go with a .274 batting average. At 22 years old, Rodriguez is the No. 3 prospect in the Reds' organization. Rodriguez has a 55-grade hit tool with a 55-grade run tool. He has become a consistent power source in Louisville, although he only has 45-grade power. The Reds could use a bat like his in the big league lineup, so it might be worth stashing Rodriguez and waiting for a call-up. If given an opportunity in Cincinnati, he could easily produce fantasy-relevant numbers.

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Detroit Tigers prospect Max Anderson started off the month of August with two straight multi-hit efforts, bringing his batting average this season to .314. Anderson racked up five combined hits and raised his totals between Low-A Lakeland and Triple-A Toledo to .314 with 13 homers and 43 RBI to go with 50 runs scored over 283 at bats as he missed some game time due to a left quad strain in April and May. Anderson, the No. 8 prospect in the Tigers' organization has been back healthy for some time and thriving with the Toledo Mud Hens. Given a 50-grade hit tool with 50-grade power, Anderson is a former second round pick out of Nebraska. The Tigers direction as of now is up in the air, so it is hard to say how they will use Anderson to close out this season. However, with the ability to play second or third base, Anderson could give the Tigers a versatility boost as a utility infielder depending how the trade deadline plays out. He's a name to monitor for a stash the rest of the way as the Tigers direction becomes more apparent.

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Cleveland Guardians prospect Angel Genao started the month of August with two multi-hit games and added three combined RBI to his total. Genao put together a 2-for-4 effort followed up by a 3-for-4 effort, raising his batting average to .308 with Triple-A Columbus. Overall, the talented middle infielder is hitting .299 between Double-A Akron and Columbus on the season. The No. 2 overall prospect in the Guardians system, Genao has been consistent all season and is seeking a late season look at MLB action. Genao has a 60-grade hit tool and a 55-grade run tool and could be a valuable piece for fantasy lineups should he get a shot in Cleveland. With the ability to play multiple infield spots, he has some versatility, but Cleveland is pretty set with Jose Ramirez at third, Brayan Rocchio at shortstop, and Travis Bazzana at second base. Nonetheless, Genao could be worth a late-season stash and could make an impact on fantasy rosters.

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The Seattle Mariners are acquiring outfielder Taylor Ward from the Baltimore Orioles on Monday in exchange for right-handers Alex Hoppe, Harrison Kreiling, and Brock Moore, a source told Jake Rill of MLB.com. Ward will return to the American League West and give the Mariners some much-needed pop from the right side of the plate as they seek a return to the postseason in 2026. The 32-year-old veteran outfielder hit .246/.383/.346 with a .730 OPS, only seven home runs, 30 RBI, 64 runs scored, four stolen bases, and a league-high 87 walks in 111 games and a league-high 506 plate appearances in his lone season in Baltimore before being dealt. Ward is as patient as they come at the dish (perhaps too patient), and he's been a massive bust for fantasy managers this year after clubbing a career-high 36 home runs and driving in 103 runs in 157 games with the Los Angeles Angels in 2025. The M's are banking on positive regression in the slugging department for Ward in his return to the AL West. Ward's fantasy baseball value shouldn't change all that much with the move to Seattle and pitcher-friendly T-Mobile Park.

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Even though catcher Adley Rutschman (wrist) is currently on the 10-day injured list with a wrist injury, the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles are discussing him in a trade, sources tell Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Feinsand writes that "there is a feeling that a deal could be completed at some point" at the deadline on Monday, Aug. 3. With the Red Sox now in the thick of the playoff hunt in the American League, they have become buyers at the deadline and are looking to upgrade their catching situation from Carlos Narvaez and Connor Wong. The 28-year-old switch-hitting Rutschman has had an injury-plagued and disappointing 2026 season, but the former first overall pick in 2019 from Oregon State University would still be an upgrade over both Narvaez and Wong. Rutschman is currently hitting .251/.331/.433 with a .764 OPS, eight home runs, 47 RBI, and 30 runs scored in his 247 at-bats. If Rutschman is traded, Samuel Basallo (shoulder), who is also on the IL, would become Baltimore's clear catcher of the future.

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