By Jeremy Tiermini
With a flurry of last-day trades, the National League West just got a lot more interesting. However, will any of these trades be of significance for fantasy baseball owners?
Jim Thome (traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers): As a baseball fan, I have always enjoyed watching Jim Thome play; he has always had the reputation as one of the “good guys” in baseball. On 8/30, I was fortunate enough to be able to take my son to Yankee Stadium to see the Yankees play the White Sox and I am glad that I was able to see Thome play in person. My personal feelings aside, I just dropped Thome in my 5X5 league, as this move to the NL will most likely relegate Thome to pinch-hitting / team character building roles, since Thome last played 1B for one game in 2007; he has not played as a regular 1B since 2004. Dodgers GM Ned Colleti indicated that Thome was brought over as a PH and a presence in the clubhouse, so his fantasy value is near-nothing for the last month of the season.
Jon Garland (traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers): Garland was already pitching in the NL West, going 8-11 with an ERA of 4.29 and a WHIP of 1.43. I expect a slight bump in value as Garland moves into Dodgers Stadium; look for an ERA around 4.00 with a WHIP between 1.35 – 1.40. If he gets 5 starts he could win 3 with 20-25 K’s.
Brad Penny (signed by the San Francisco Giants): I wrote about Penny in a previous article that discussed players switching leagues. He should get 5 starts for the Giants and I expect his WHIP / ERA to be in the ranges I predicted. He should pitch well enough for a shot at 2-3 wins for the rest of the season, with 25-30 K’s.
Jose Contreras (traded to the Colorado Rockies): Don’t. Touch. Him.
Overall, the story lines in the NL West got a whole lot more interesting and there should be an exciting finish between the Dodgers, Giants, and Rockies. For fantasy value, however, these moves are really only significant to those in NL-only leagues.
There was one final move that didn’t involve the NL West and, again, is really only of concern for those players in NL-only leagues. The Atlanta Braves activated Tim Hudson from the DL, adding an “ace” starter to a team that is only 3 games out of the wild card spot. Hudson has always been a personal favorite of mine, but I am always over-cautious with SP coming off of the DL, especially for elbow issues. Hudson has a career ERA of 3.48 and a WHIP of 1.25; I think you will be lucky to get these in his starts this year. I am expecting an ERA of 4.00, with a WHIP of 1.35. I also expect him to pitch fewer innings so I don’t expect more than 1-2 wins and 20 K’s.
{ 1 comment }
Imagine Joe Torre coming back to NY with his recent trade acquisition Manny heating up – and Ethier. That’s if NY makes the series.
Nice column JT. If anyone knows MLB stats, it’s you. Watch out Peter Gammons.
PK
Comments on this entry are closed.