Big Money is headed to Texas!
As we approach the All Star Break, more and more teams are finally making that decision as to whether they are buyers or sellers on the MLB trade market. Some of them, like the Red Sox, the Rangers, and the Dodgers are obvious buyers while your Pirates, your Astros, and your Orioles are your obvious sellers. However, there are still plenty of teams that could go either way and you could end up seeing a little of both from some ball clubs. You could get a few moves right now to see if they can tweak their lineups and improve their place in the standings, but if it doesn’t work, then they could be selling it all off by the time the July 31st non-waiver deadline arrives — The White Sox and Nationals come to mind here. But for us, what it all comes down to is how the wheeling and dealing will affect our fantasy baseball teams. Will there be too much league crossover, thus screwing AL and NL only leaguers? Will your big bat end up in a pitchers park and reduce his power production? Will your pitcher be sent to a hitters park and kill his ratios? All this, and more, will be discussed in the ongoing trade series here. I’ll be analyzing all MLB trades from a fantasy baseball perspective and hopefully we’ll keep you all at the top of your standings by year’s end. Here’s a look at some deals that have gone down recently and a few rumors you should probably follow…
MLB Trades
San Francisco Giants trade C Bengie Molina to the Texas Rangers for RP Chris Ray and a player to be named later (PTBNL for the duration of the article series)
Everybody and anybody who has been following the Giants saw this one coming a mile away. Not that “Big Money” Bengie Molina was going to Texas, but that he was atleast headed out the door. For the Rangers, they finally get that reliable veteran catcher that they have so desperately coveted, what with the failings of Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Taylor Teagarden, Max Ramirez, et al. Molina will immediately slot in as the primary backstop in Texas and the move could be strong for his fantasy owners. While Molina has failed to live up to his usual numbers in San Francisco, the switch to Texas and that delicious hitters park could be the jump start he needs. He’s in a powerful lineup and should fit in nicely somewhere in the second half of the lineup. No pressure, no Buster Posey nipping at his heels, and plenty of RBI opportunities. Look for Molina’s fantasy value to take a nice increase. AL only leaguers in need of a catcher should go after him. NL only leaguers, it’s time to find someone else.
As for the Giants side of the deal, Chris Ray should add some decent depth to a beleaguered bullpen, but as for fantasy value, it’s pretty limited. It’s not like you’re ever going to get a strong fantasy impact from a middle reliever unless he’s a lights-out eighth inning guy and you count holds as a stat. Still, Ray is not that guy. As for the PTBNL, the only thing I’ve heard is that it is most definitely not Chris Davis or Saltalamacchia. A shame really, as Davis could have been a nice fit. What this trade does do for the Giants is that it helps the value of Posey. Now, I’m sure that Bruce Bochy, who I still think resents this kid for whatever reason, will continue to find excuses to keep him out of the lineup every so often, but the Giants catcher of the future should get a lot more time behind the dish now. He’ll probably still get some time at first base as Bochy likes Eli Whiteside, but you have to atleast expect that Posey’s bat should be in the lineup much more regularly.
Cleveland Indians trade 1B Russell Branyan to the Seattle Mariners for OF Ezequiel Carrera, SS Juan Diaz and a PTBNL
An interesting one here as AL West cellar dwelling Seattle picks up Russell Branyan to replace the inept Casey Kotchman at first base. Whether Branyan stays with Seattle is still up in the air as they could possibly deal him to another club at the deadline with the hopes of picking up better prospects than they gave to the Indians. As for right now, you have to think that his fantasy value takes a small increase as Branyan enjoyed one of his best seasons with the M’s last year. I’m not saying he’s going to start tearing the cover off the ball, but he’s currently on a 9 game hitting streak and hit his first HR as a Mariner in last night’s game against the Yankees. There are obviously bigger bats out there, but if you’re in need of a quick power fix, then you might want to give him a try.
For the Indians, the deal does two things. Number one is the Tribe get a couple of extra prospects in Ezequiel Carrera and Juan Diaz. Neither will have any fantasy impact this season and I’m hard-pressed to see either of them really step up their games in the near future. Neither have shown anything spectacular that I could rave about. They’ve both got bench duty written all over them. But the one good thing this trade does is force the Tribe to bring back Matt LaPorta who had been raking down in the minors during his demotion. In 69 minor league at bats, LaPorta was hitting .362 with 5 HR and 16 RBI. He’ll be getting full time work at first base for the Indians now and should eb worth a pick up for the remainder fo the season. He’s got a HR in each of his last 2 games and is hitting .308 since he was called back up.
Arizona Diamondbacks trade OF Conor Jackson to the Oakland A’s for RHP Sam Demel
Already old news right now, but still worth mentioning as Conor Jackson could be worth a flier in AL only leagues if you’re in need of some outfield depth. He was dealing with a sore hamstring for a little bit, but it hasn’t caused him to miss more than a game so far. As a member of the A’s, Jackson is hitting .267 with 4 RBI, and while that’s not very good, he is prone to some streaks, both good and bad. There’s also the chance that the A’s flip him for prospects when they realize that they suck and they’re not going to contend for a playoff spot at all.
The D-bags D-backs actually get themselves an ok reliever in SamDemel and someone who could fare well in th ebigs if given the opportunity. Arizona’s bullpen has been incredibly shakey, and with Aaron Heilman as their closer, they coul ddefinitely stand to shore things up a bit. In the Pacific Coast League, Demel is 2-0 with a 1.26 ERA in 28.2 innings of work. He also has 28 Ks and 6 saves for the Reno Aces, so if he continues this pace, we could see him in the second half getting saves chances. I mean, it’s not like Chad Qualls is doing anything to get his job back, is he?
MLB Rumors
Nationals Both Buying and Selling?
While contending for this season seems highly unlikely, the Nats seem to be a team on the move in both directions. Both the Angels and the White Sox have expressed strong interest in 1B Adam Dunn and it doesn’t look like the Nats are adverse to trading one of their biggest power threats. The Angels have the better pitching prospects which is what the Nats are looking for, but with Mike Napoli playing well as a fill in first baseman, it doesn’t look like the Halos are in too much of a rush. The same goes for the Sox as they’re suddenly performing better and know that Dunn has little interest in being a full time DH. Not to mention, they blew their better pitching prospects on Jake Peavy and Juan Pierre already. While neither deal seems imminent, it’s worth noting, especially if you’re in an NL only league and could be forced to find a different slugger.
As for the buying end, it appears that the Nats are looking at Arizona’s Dan Haren and Edwin Jackson, and also at White Sox OF Carlos Quentin. I think Quentin is more of a longshot, but the Diamondbacks could part with either hurler for a bunch of prospects. The Nats are hoping to surround Stephen Strasburg with better pitchers while maintaining a decent level of pitching prospects, so keep your ear to the ground. They had been linked to Roy Oswalt earlier, so it looks like they could be searching for an ace to help keep the pressure off their true ace of the future in Strasburg. Also keep an eye on the Phillies as they have shown interest in Haren as well, which could throw a monkey wrench into the Nationals plans.
Mariners Looking to Deal Cliff Lee
Easy come, easy go for the M’s who are now expected to shore up their minor leagues with a big trade of Cliff Lee. The Dodgers, Cardinals, Mets, Rangers, and even the Yankees have all been linked to the standout lefty, and recently the Phillies seemed to have jumped into the mix to reacquire him as well. At this point, based on the way he’s pitching, it doesn’t really matter where he ends up. AL and NL only leaguers may have to sweat things a little, but mixed leaguers probably just don’t want him to end up in a hitters park. Not that pitching in Philly was so bad for him, but if he stays in a pitcher’s park, then you can expect a continuation of this year’s (and the last 2 year’s) success.
Mike Aviles on the Move?
There’s really been nothing concrete, but with the Kansas City Royals likely to be sellers in today’s market, there are plenty of teams that could use some middle infield help from Mike Aviles. The Rockies have lost Troy Tulowitzki for an extended period of time and have been going with Clint Barmes at short and rookie Jonathan Hererra at second for the time being, but could be interested in Aviles’ power potential. You’ve go the Mets in need of a better second baseman with Luis Castillo’s injuries, and the Phillies, who just learned that Chase Utley needed surgery on his thumb, are going to be in need of some serious infield help as they’ve lost Placido Polanco as well. Again, pure speculation on my part, but I could see it happening. Any move to a contender that will grant him full time ABs woul dbe a huge fantasy boost for Aviles.
Other Names Potentially on the Move:
Prince Fielder, 1B MIL — rumors linked to the Giants
Jake Westbrook, SP CLE — rumors linked to the Cardinals
Kevin Millwood, SP BAL — rumors linked to the Cardinals
Lance Berkman, 1B HOU — rumors linked to the White Sox
Paul Konerko, 1B CHW — rumors linked to the Angels
Jose Guillen, OF, KC — rumors linked to the Yankees
David DeJesus, OF KC — rumors linked to several teams
For the best in free fantasy baseball advice, tips, strategies, free agent waiver wire suggestions, and analysis, stick with The Fantasy Baseball Buzz and I’ll have you at the top of your standings in no time. And, as always, for all questions, thoughts and/or comments related to the baseball fantasy world or not, you can reach me through the comments section below or at rotobuzzguy@gmail.com.
Good luck and I’ll see you all in the money this year!
Loading ...