My first thought about the Dee Gordon trade to Seattle really didn't actually have all that much to do with Gordon. We know he's a stolen base guy, and that's pretty much all he offers. What's really changed is how much more valuable Trea Turner will be in National League-only leagues, and that those in American League-only formats finally have a guy to pile on the steals. There already aren't enough stolen bases to go around no matter the format, and now one of the three players to swipe more than 34 bases this season has switched leagues. There's huge impact in those leagues, but in a mixed format, eh, no big deal.
After all, Gordon is what he is at this point, and it's extremely valuable. I'm actually not a fan of Gordon-types for the purposes of fantasy drafts or auctions because investing in players lacking power handicaps a team, but at the same time, it's nice to have a guy provide 50-plus stolen bases per season. Gordon should do this for the Seattle Mariners as their new leadoff hitter. Shortstop Jean Segura likely moves to the No. 2 spot, which is bad news for intriguing yet still-developing outfielder Mitch Haniger, but he wasn't a lock to keep that lineup spot anyway.
The Mariners say Gordon will play center field for them, and while it initially seems a tad odd for a guy that has never played that position to learn it, he should be just fine. Others have done it. It's not like the Mariners have a center fielder. For fantasy purposes, Gordon won't lose the second-base eligibility until 2019, and who knows, the Mariners could give Robinson Cano -- no great defender anymore -- a day off at designated hitter on occasion and Gordon could keep the eligibility. Fantasy managers love dual-eligibility.
The ultimate point? Gordon's impact on the stolen base category nets him top-10 finishes on the Player Rater for mixed leagues, but you can likely secure him in the fourth or fifth round. In an AL-only format, he's top 10 because of category scarcity, just like Turner is probably top three in NL-only, if not first overall. Perhaps Gordon knocks in a few more runs and scores a few more with a better lineup behind him, but all that really matters are the stolen bases.
As for the Miami Marlins, we haven't even hit baseball's winter meetings yet, and things will continue to change for this sad-sack franchise. Perhaps Derek Dietrich or Martin Prado handle second base, but there isn't going to be interest there for mixed leaguers. The second-base position in NL-only formats is kinda weak, as Washington's Daniel Murphy isn't so healthy and Colorado's DJ LeMahieu hits for average and not much else. But perhaps there will be more trades. The Marlins certainly aren't done yet.