As the trade whirlwinds have settled down and we can all catch our collective breathes after a flurry of trades sent many of our fantasy teams into a tailspin, it's time to now reevaluate a few things. The closers moving teams will grab all the headlines, as they should, and even some bats will make a fantasy impact as we look at the last 8 weeks of the season. But, with all that said we can't forget the players who were traded for the big names and now will have a chance to shine.
Tyler Locklear leads the impressive group, and he is someone you can throw into your lineup immediately. Locklear has already been told he will get the majority of starts at first base for Arizona and since the trade they have put him squarely into the middle of the order. Locklear will be playing in a favorable ballpark and an even more favorable lineup around him, with place setters batting in front of the slugger.
Locklear has been on a tear in Tacoma this season. Entering August he had a slash line of .316/.401/.543. That goes with him power stroke which has been as impressive as any time in his career with 19 HR and he has a great eye with a .944 OPS. Locklear also plays excellent defense and one thing he can give that few 1B can give you is that he will run. He had 18 steals in about 50 games this year in the minors, and he has showcased that throughout his career. Locklear already has two steals in his short time with Arizona and should have had three but slid past the bag.
Locklear is older for some prospects liking at almost 25 years old, but that is also misleading because he plays a position that takes down minor leaguers' rankings because it is not considered a premium defensive position.
If you want more confidence in him just look at the trade market. Suarez was the return to Seattle, who was without question the #1 bat for any team looking to beef up their lineup before the deadline passed. Arizona was able to play teams off of each other to get the best possible prospect back and invested into Locklear. For fantasy purposes that means they will play him right away, he will have a long leash, and unless they want the fans to revolt, those of you in keeper and dynasty leagues can bet he will be manning 1B for the snakes next year as well.