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.

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.

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.

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.