Feature Articles Deadline Deals
|
Fantasy Sports Home Feature Articles Deadline Deals
|
Deadline Deals
August 04, 2004
by Chris Wang and Jim Meyerriecks The July 31st trade deadline brought about a flurry of high profile deals (thanks for all the teams not giving the Yankees much) as teams looked to address their weaknesses to make a push for the playoffs. For an in depth analysis of the prospects involved in the deals, check out Richie Madden's Prospect Alert as today's column will deal with the major league implications from a fantasy angle. Note that minor league players are listed in italics. Saturday July 31st
Red Sox acquired: SS Orlando Cabrera, 1B Doug Mientkiewicz, OF Dave Roberts (from LA) Why the Red Sox did it: A sabermetrics revolution for defense is on the horizon as Theo Epstein brings in two former Gold Glove winners to shore up his infield defense (and Billy Beane wanted to land Mike Cameron in the offseason). Nomar lost his teammates respect by sitting out a key game against the Yanks last month and after suggesting that he would sit out August and part of September, Epstein was forced to deal him. Red Sox nation is up in arms but he would have left in two months anyway. Do you want to know what Ben Affleck had to say about the trade? Neither do we... Red Sox fantasy implications: Orlando Cabrera goes from the majors worst offense to the second best offense in the majors in terms of runs scored. So far Cabrera has hit 3rd in the lineup but he'll have to do better than .246/.298/.336 that he produced in Montreal. Cabrera had a great season last year but his numbers this season are pretty close to his career averages of .267/.315/.406. The Red Sox don't run much so his stolen base total is likely to take a hit. Overall I think this is a slight negative to his fantasy value because so much of it comes from the stolen base. Doug Mientkiewicz has never had much fantasy value and that won't change with his move to Boston. He's a great defensive first baseman and has a career .367 OBP, but he provides only low-teens power from a position that demands huge power. Dave Roberts' fantasy value drops through the floor. He was already being marginalized in Los Angeles but in Boston he'll be a backup outfielder and his stolen base total will take a huge hit. The Red Sox needed some late inning speed on the bases which Roberts will provide but he won't be much of a fantasy factor unless Damon gets hurt. In theory adding two Gold Gloves to the infield should help the Red Sox pitchers, especially sinkerballer Derek Lowe. The Sox still believe that Lowe can turn it around and if you have a spot to spare, Lowe is worth the risk. Why the Cubs did it: The Cubs have the 7th best offense in the NL in terms of runs scored, 4.69 per game. They've struggled in one-run games going 13-20 and they could have used another right-handed set-up man. Instead the Cubs decided to upgrade at shortstop with a marquee player in Nomar. The Cubs shorstops have combined to hit just .221/.267/.327 with 5 homers and 36 RBI - Nomar's numbers are almost better than that in 39 games. Will Nomar help the Cubs to the promised land and devastate the hearts of Red Sox fans? It should be a great October... Cubs fantasy implications: Nomar Garciaparra had soured on the Sox after a turbulent offseason and this should be a positive for Nomar's attitude. He gets a fresh start with a solid lineup around him even though it isn't as potent as the Sox lineup. Nomar is pencilled in the 2 hole which will hurt his RBI total but he should score more runs. The wind tends to blow out of Wrigley in August so he could see his home run total jump as well. Corey Patterson moves to leadoff; while Sammy Sosa and Moises Alou should get a few more RBI opps with Nomar hitting in front of them. The Cubs #2 hitter had a .298 OBP so far vs. Nomar's .364. The Cubs second base tandem of Todd Walker and Mark Grudzielanek will move to the bottom of the order which will mean fewer runs. Matt Clement and the Cubs staff may be hurt by Nomar's deteriorating range which ranks among the worst in baseball this season. If Nomar's heel continues to a problem, this could become a bigger issue. Keep an eye out on it. Why the Expos did it: Cabrera had gone public about three months ago with his displeasure in Montreal. He simply didn't want to play for a team that had such a shaky future. I'm not talking about the fact that they've underachieved this season, but their inability to determine where their home would be next season. With virtually no chance to re-sign him for next season (even though it appears they'll be in Washington D.C.), the Expos made the right move in shipping Cabrera out of town. They get younger and cheaper in the deal, with the only major leaguer they acquired (Gonzalez) being by far the least important player of the three that they acquired. Expos fantasy implications: Alex Gonzalez has had a dreadful season (.217/.241/.364) so I can't imagine it getting any worse. It isn't clear where he will hit in the order but he moves from a solid offense to the majors worst. If he hits in the top half of the order, he's bound to get a few more RBI opportunities. He shouldn't be on any mixed-league rosters. Harris figures to possibly see a late-season callup this season, though he'll really be more of a factor in the future. For those who don't remember Harris, he was the player who many scouts compared to the Cardinals' Albert Pujols after his 2002 minor league campaign. Since the Expos only remaining proven star (Jose Vidro) actually signed an extension with the club earlier this season, you can assume that his future will not be at second base, the primary position he'd been playing in the Cubs' system this season. That would most likely mean a move to third is in his future, but he would most likely have a difficult time getting at bats there late this season. Tony Batista has arguably been the Expos best hitter over the past couple of months. Beltran should find himself back in the majors in the next couple of weeks, as he proved that he can be solid with the Cubs earlier in the season. The Expos need some more depth in the bullpen, though they might benefit from keeping him down in Ottawa for the rest of the season to work on his command. He projects as someone who should at least threaten to take the closer's role from Chad Cordero in the next two years. Why the Twins did it: Minnesota needed to make room for stud prospect Justin Mourneau at first base, and shipping Mientkiewicz off to Boston eliminates the biggest obstacle. Mientky was a fan favorite in Minnesota, and was a fine leader in the clubhouse. That said, after they'd already claimed that they planned to move him for pitching earlier in the month, he didn't seem like he'd be very happy staying with the Twinkies. Twins fantasy implications: The Twins finally realized that they should be playing Justin Morneau on a full time basis. Now fantasy managers know that Morneau will be in the lineup everyday like he should be. So far the sweet swinging lefty is hitting .264/.306/.484 with 5 homers and 16 RBI in 91 at-bats.
Yankees acquired: SP Esteban Loaiza Why the Yankees did it: With a rash of injuries hampering their rotation all season long, the Yankees felt the need to add another top flight starter to their rotation. Who better to get than last year's Cy Young runner-up, right? Loaiza never really had put together any terrific seasons before his amazing 2003 campaign, but the Yanks are banking on Loaiza re-finding 2003's glory now that he's in pinstripes. Yankees fantasy implications: To put it bluntly, the deal will do nothing to affect any of the other Yankees' starters. Esteban Loaiza simply fills the void left in New York's injury-riddled rotation that was left by Jose Contreras. In other words, all five of you Tanyon Sturtze owners don't need to worry much. Loaiza may see a bit of a boost, but it won't have anything to do with a sudden offensive explosion around him. If it's possible to suddenly feel less pressure in New York, Loaiza may have found it. He'll slide back from being the co-ace of the White Sox to being a very solid fourth starter on the Yanks when Mike Mussina returns from the DL. Why the White Sox did it: This is truly a bit of a head-scratcher, as they actually end up accruing just over a half million more in salary with Contreras than they did with Loaiza after the nearly $4 million in cash that the Yankees gave them in the deal. Contreras still has terrific stuff, though he seems to be almost as much of a headcase as Rick Ankiel. While many viewed the White Sox as buyers at the deadline, it's doubtful that Contreras can possibly be the piece they're looking for if they hope to beat the Twins and Indians out for the division title this season. Maybe they think he has a better future ahead of him than Loaiza does, but they didn't get any younger in the deal. Conteras' (listed) age is the same as Loaiza's. White Sox fantasy implications: Getting out of New York can only be a positive thing for Jose Contreras at this point, so it should be interesting to see if he thrives without the media spotlight. He has terrific stuff, and he won't have to worry about being shifted back and forth between the rotation/bullpen/minor leagues in Chicago. He'll be pencilled in as their third starter the rest of the way, and he should get at least as much run support as he did in New York with the high-powered White Sox' offense behind him. Whether he can keep that ERA under 6.00 or not is far more important.
Dodgers acquired: OF Steve Finley, C Brent Mayne, OF Henri Stanley (from Boston) Why the Dodgers did it: The Dodgers clearly needed another bat to help them with the stretch run, which Finley should fill quite nicely. They gave up nothing as far as major league talent is concerned, and ended up acquiring an adequate backup catcher as well. Dodgers fantasy implications: Steve Finley will hit in the 2-hole for the Dodgers and gives them some more power; but Finley's numbers will likely be hurt a bit by the move to Dodger Stadium. Is he an upgrade in the 2-hole? The Dodgers produced a .350 OBP from that spot vs. Finley's .338. His power could take away a few RBI opps from Milton Bradley. With Lo Duca moved to Florida, DePodesta was forced to acquire a catcher. After Charles Johnson invoked his no trade clause to stay in Colorado (where he'll ride the bench), the Dodgers acquired light hitting Brent Mayne. Whoever is in the lineup shouldn't be in yours. David Ross is hitting just .169/.252/.303 with 3 homers and 9 RBI; while Mayne is hitting .253/.339/.337 with 0 homers and 10 RBI. Don't be suprised to see the Dodgers acquire another catcher through waiver deals. Why the Diamondbacks did it: Though San Diego possibly could have given the Diamondbacks a bit more, Arizona shipped Finley off to Los Angeles in the hopes that they might have a shot at re-acquiring his services when he becomes a free agent in the offseason. This was a lot less likely if he went to San Diego, where he makes his home. The Diamondbacks picked up their catcher of the future in Hill, which was the primary thing they were looking for in any deal they would have made near the deadline, and they pick up a solid outfield prospect in Terrero. Murphy, who the Dodgers had acquired in their deal with the Marlins, could eventually turn into a solid middle-to-back end starter. Diamondbacks fantasy implications: 24-year-old Luis Terrero is slated to play CF. At Triple-A, Terrero was hitting .315/.376/.537 with 9 homers, 35 RBI and 15 steals. He strikes out far too much (47 in 216 at-bats) for a guy with great speed and a bit of pop. He's worth a look in NL-only leagues. Koyie Hill will get his first chance at the starting catcher job in Arizona. At Triple-A Las Vegas, Hill was hitting .287/.344/.474 with 27 doubles, 13 homers and 54 RBI in 92 games. Keep in mind that Las Vegas is a great hitters park so those numbers are a bit inflated. Friday July 30th
Marlins acquired: C Paul Lo Duca, RP Guillermo Mota, OF Juan Encarnacion Why the Dodgers did it: Half of the reason that the Dodgers made this deal was so that they could make a push for both Randy Johnson and Steve Finley from the Diamondbacks. Penny was a major play in their attempts to get Johnson, which fell short. Murphy was later shipped as part of the package for Finley. While they were unable to get Johnson, Penny will still add an inning-eating starter who will provide depth towards the front of Los Angeles' rotation. With injuries to (and poor play from) Hideo Nomo and Edwin Jackson, the Dodgers needed someone who could step in and be a legitimate number one or two starter for their team. Penny certainly has the talent to fit the bill. Hee-Seop Choi's addition could be huge to the Dodgers' playoff push in two ways. Choi, along with Steve Finley, gives the Dodgers quite a bit of lefthanded punch that they've been lacking all year long. More importantly, though, it may ease the burden on another lefty. Shawn Green moves back to Right Field with the deal, as Choi covers the position he's been learning on the job all year long. This should make Green's job in the field a bit easier and hopefully help him to relax a bit more at the plate. Dodgers fantasy implications: Hee Seop Choi puts up similar numbers to Lo Duca but with more power and more strikeouts. He'll probably hit 6th in the order. Overall there isn't much fantasy impact for Choi as he moves from a pitchers park to a pitchers park and will likely hit in the same spot in the batting order. Choi's acquisition allows Shawn Green to move back to his natural position of right field. Green hated playing first base and this should be a positive for him the rest of the way. Green owners hope that this move will spark his bat which is actually weaker than it was last season across the board, even though he's supposed to be healthy this season. Even if he doesn't improve, he'll produce more than Encarnacion did in as the Dodger right fielder. Why the Marlins did it: The Marlins add a terrific signal caller who will help provide a little more leadership with the team. At the same time, they eliminate the platoon that their biggest leader (Jeff Conine) has had to deal with all season by shipping Choi off in the deal. Encarnacion returns to move Miggy Cabrera across the outfield to left field, where Cabrera, a natural 3B, should feel a little more comfortable. Mota could be the key to the deal, though. Not only did they bring him in to bridge the gap between the starters and Armando Benitez, but he'll now most likely fill Benitez' role while big Armando's on the disabled list. Marlins fantasy implications: The Marlins believe that they made a great acquisition in Lo Duca who will provide leadership that was lacking from Pudge's departure. The Marlins' catchers have been a disaster this season hitting just .217/.287/.304 with 5 homers and 32 RBI. Lo Duca will hit in the 3-hole and should get plenty of RBI opps with Pierre and Castillo hitting in front of him. Encarnacion rejoins the Marlins who traded him over the offseason. He's expected to hit in the 7th spot. He's had a poor season hitting just .234/.288/.415 with 13 homers and 43 RBI. His stolen base total could improve with the move to the Marlins which would be a nice kicker for his fantasy value. With Encarnacion in RF, Miguel Cabrera moves to left and Jeff Conine will step in a first for Choi. Conine is finally showing signs of life hitting .277 with 3 homers and 18 RBI in July. He's worth a look in NL-only leagues and deep mixed-leagues. For the most part, Mota fills the same role he did in Los Angeles, and will be the primary setup man to Armando Benitez. With Benitez hitting the disabled list just three days after the completion of the deal, though, Mota should take over the ninth on a temporary basis. He may have to split time with Billy Koch as the temporary closer (assuming Koch gets his head out of his rectum), but Mota should see most of the save opportunities for the next few weeks.
Mets acquired: SP Kris Benson, INF Jeff Keppinger Why the Pirates did it: Everyone knew the Pirates were dealing Benson. It was just a question of who would give the most up in the deal. With a major league ready corner infielder (Wigginton), a potential middle of the rotation starter down the road (Peterson), and a young middle infield prospect with loads of potential (Bautista). Pirates fantasy implications: In his first game with the Bucs, Wiggy hit 7th in the order (and Randall Simon inexplicably was hitting cleanup despite a .196 average). Wigginton should benefit from the move out of Shea and should see himself batting in the middle of the order in due time. Wigginton allows Rob Mackowiak to move to right field and Craig Wilson to start at first base. Simon will likely be released in the next week or two after Daryle Ward is ready to come off the DL. The question then will be where will Ward fit into the Pirates lineup. He could end up taking some at-bats away from both Wilson and Mackowiak depending on who carries the hottest bat. Chris Stynes ends up where he should... the bench. Why the Mets did it: As a Mets fan you learn to deal with the fact that the management is bound to make bonehead trades - Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, Lenny Dykstra, Jason Isringhausen, etc. So we should be used to idiotic trades right? Hell no. This trade isn't the most offensive even though the Mets dealt a top pitching prospect in Peterson (#3 Mets prospect rated by Baseball America), their top catching prospect (#5 Mets prospect) and a major league third baseman for Benson who will be a free agent at the end of the year. If I could make any sense of this trade I would gladly do it, but it doesn't really exist with the Mets sinking in the standings and three months of patience could have netted Benson for a couple of draft picks. Excuse me while I hit my head against the wall. Mets fantasy implications: Wigginton was moved to give David Wright the permanent job at the hot corner. If you haven't heard about Wright, then you need to start paying closer attention to the great prospects coming through the system - they can play an important part of a winning fantasy team. Piazza may see more time at catcher with Eric Valent, Todd Zeile and Jason Phillips playing first. The only conventional logic here with Benson is that the Mets thought that having him for the rest of the season would help them lock up the free-agent-to-be. They would currently have to leapfrog three teams to catch the Atlanta Braves, who lead them by nine games entering play on Tuesday. Benson still has the potential to turn into a big league ace, but it's been years since he's flaunted his stuff for more than a month-long stretch. Why the Royals did it: It's possible that they're not too impressed with John Buck (the Astros' top catching prospect who they'd gotten in the Beltran deal) so far, though they do have a history of converting catchers into position players with some success (see Mike Sweeney). Most of what I've heard about Huber is that he's suspect defensively, so it's possible that they plan to try him somewhere else on the diamond at some point. Honestly, Bautista wasn't much to them for the rest of this season anyway, as he's a Rule V draft pick who had to stay in the majors and (primarily) ride the pine. They get a little younger and, at the very least, add some depth at catcher in their system. Royals fantasy implications: For this season, there won't be any.
Mets acquired: SP Victor Zambrano, RHP Bartolome Fortunato Why the Mets did it: Excuse me but I wasn't finished banging my head yet. You want to know about this trade too? The Mets traded their #1 prospect, Kazmir, for a control-challenged, sore-armed pitcher from the Devil Rays?!?!?! Before the season started, the Mets refused to deal Kazmir for Alfonso Soriano and instead they trade him for Zambrano?!?! Pitching genius Rick Peterson says that he can correct Zambrano's delivery in 10 minutes but once again, why not wait until the offseason and sign him as a free agent and keep our #1 prospect? If you want an explanation, I'm sorry but there's a wall waiting for my head... Mets fantasy implications: Zambrano fits right in towards the back of the Mets' rotation, most likely pitching out of the number five spot. If Rick Peterson truly can fix his mechanics, then he's likely to start bringing his god-awful WHIP down as he starts to learn to throw the ball over the plate every once in a while. Zambrano has terrific stuff when it's on, but no command of the strike zone. He'll have virtually the same support in New York that he had in Tampa Bay, so there shouldn't be too much of a jump in his statistics aside from (hopefully) his WHIP. Fortunato may end up adding some bullpen depth at some point this season or next, but he's certainly not a hot prospect... or a prospect at all. In fact, he's a 29-year-old middle reliever who you probably won't hear much from in his career. Why the Devil Rays did it: While I can certainly empathize with Chris (and all the other Mets' fans) complaints about dealing their top prospect, the word around the league is that the Mets didn't really think that Kazmir would ever be where Zambrano is now. That's not to say that they didn't envision him as a big leaguer, or that he'd never be dominant. They just looked at him as someone who would eventually fit towards the back of the bullpen rather than a front-line starter. The trade still doesn't make much sense to me either, though. From Tampa's perspective, the deal makes perfect sense. They're clearly still not in the playoff hunt this season, but they've definitely shown that they've got a solid nucleus for the future with their improved play. Whether they plan to convert Kazmir into a closer or stick him into the rotation down the road, a chance to nab a player of his caliber for a pitcher who has slightly overachieved this season is something that you have to take advantage of. Devil Rays fantasy implications: Maybe Kazmir gets a late-season call-up in Tampa Bay, but it's more likely that they'll hold off until midseason next year. While he has a smallish build for a power pitcher in today's game, it would be less than shocking for the Devil Rays to at least try to work him in as a member of the rotation when he first comes up, but don't be shocked if he ends up as a closer down the line. If he starts, he could be a legitimate #1/#2 starter somewhere down the road, while he definitely has the potential to develop into an elite closer at some point. Diaz is a solid power pitching righthanded bullpen arm. He's probably still a year or so away, but the Devil Rays certainly have quite a bit of quality depth in their system for him to work his way through. Entering 2004, Diaz had a modest 152-76 strikeout to walk ratio in 126+ minor league innings, though he's regressed in an awful manner this season. Through 83+ innings in 2004, he had a 5.18 ERA and a pretty disgusting 90-70 strikeout to walk ratio... or roughly the equivalent of Victor Zambrano. Maybe the Mets thought they were getting Carlos Zambrano or something?
Phillies acquired: RP Felix Rodriguez, RP Todd Jones, OF Brad Correll Why the Phillies did it: The Phillies wanted to add a centerfielder but settled on two bullpen arms, which may signal their concern for closer Billy Wagner on the DL. The bullpen has been a strength for the Phillies this season but Wagner is on the DL for the second time this season and rookie Ryan Madsen landed on the DL with a sprained right pinkie finger (suffered while shagging fly balls). While these deals should help the Phils, their playoff hopes rely on their starting pitching to do better than their 4.95 ERA. Phillies fantasy implications: With Wagner on the DL, Tim Worrell is the Phillies closer with Rodriguez and Jones as his primary set-up men. Unless your league counts holds, this deal essentially means nothing to you. Because the Phillies weren't able to acquire a centerfielder, Marlon Byrd will get another crack at the job. Byrd's been one of fantasy's biggest disappointments this season hitting just .227-2-19 with 2 steals. After being demoted to Triple-A, he hit .263/.323/.388 with 2 homers and 17 RBI in 37 games. Unless you're in an NL-only league, he's not worth a roster spot. Why the Giants did it: The deal doesn't make much sense for the Giants who needed more bullpen help, but instead they dealt arguably their best bullpen arm to the Phillies. GM Brian Sabaen indicated that the Giants needed more production against right-handed pitching so this deal may cost Grissom and Tucker some at-bats. Giants fantasy implications: Ledee probably won't see many more at-bats than when he had with the Phillies. The Giants have Bonds, Grissom and Tucker in the outfield and they've all produced good numbers. Ledee gives the Giants another left-handed bat off the bench and a good outfielder to play when Bonds needs a day off. Since the Giants didn't add a bullpen arm, they have decided to move Dustin Hermanson to the closer role and Matt Herges will now set-up. This experiment will last as long as Hermanson pitches well in the new role as well as Noah Lowry pitching effectively in the starting rotation. Why the Reds did it: The Reds are out of the race and looking to add some younger players. Josh Hancock is a solid right-hander that went 8-7 with a 3.98 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP in 18 Triple-A starts this season. Hancock is a finesse pitcher that realizes on his command. Anderson Machado could be a possible replacement for Barry Larkin after this season. Machado has solid plate discipline and good speed; but his batting average and power is very weak. At Triple-A, he was hitting .227/.342/.363 with 6 homers, 26 RBI and 13 steals. Reds fantasy implications: No fantasy impact. |
| Article Tools |
|---|
Contact Chuck Ludwig
|
Email this article
|
Print this article
|
| Latest "Feature Articles" Entries |
|---|
Mets fantasy implications: Zambrano fits right in towards the back of the Mets' rotation, most likely pitching out of the number five spot. If Rick Peterson truly can fix his mechanics, then he's likely to start bringing his god-awful WHIP down as he starts to learn to throw the ball over the plate every once in a while. Zambrano has terrific stuff when it's on, but no command of the strike zone. He'll have virtually the same support in New York that he had in Tampa Bay, so there shouldn't be too much of a jump in his statistics aside from (hopefully) his WHIP.
About Zambrano I picked him up after I heard of the trade. Do you think I should spot start him or start him every time out for the rest of the year. And do you think he's makes a good keeper??
About Zambrano I picked him up after I heard of the trade. Do you think I should spot start him or start him every time out for the rest of the year. And do you think he's makes a good keeper??
It depends on how deep your league is, what kind of league you're in, and what your other options are. I'd probably wait and see how he performs first - he is dealing with a sore elbow which is a concern. If Zambrano can harness his control then he may be a potential keeper, but that will depend on how many players you get to keep from year to year.