The Los Angels Angels made a huge splash, answering the Texas Rangers acquisition of Cliff Lee by trading Joe Saunders, Patrick Corbin, Rafael Rodriguez, and a player to be named later to the Arizona Diamondbacks in return for Dan Haren, according to Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News via Twitter.
Let’s take a look at the fantasy fallout from this huge move:
Los Angeles Angels
They clearly have acquired a top of the rotation ace, despite his struggles with the long ball in 2010. With a career HR/FB of 1.07, he’s posted a 1.47 mark this year. The problems have been both at home (13 HR) and on the road (10 HR), so the ballpark isn’t the factor.
He also is a notorious slow finisher. Look at his second half ERAs the past few years:
- 2007 - 4.15
- 2008 - 4.18
- 2009 - 4.62
Just keep that in mind. Still, the new location has no impact on his fantasy appeal. He’s a must use option no matter where he’s pitching.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Joe Saunders has been a disappointment this season and now moves from a contending team to a cellar dweller. Still, his value should improve from this deal. First, look at his home/road splits:
- Home - 5.54
- Road - 3.56
It’s tough to read too much into that considering it’s not a long-term trend, but he does move to the NL, meaning he no longer has to face the DH. For a pitcher who barely strikes out anyone (4.8 K/9 this year and 5.1 K/9 for his career), you could see a slight bump. While he’s not about to become a 7 or 8 K guy, you could see him move into the 5-6 K/9 range.
He does sport solid control (3.9 BB/9 for his career) and generates a good amount of ground balls (45.9% for his career).
In total, he has potential and could prove usable down the stretch. Is he going to be a must use option? Of course not, but there is potential value there. In deeper formats, he’s worth stashing if you have room on your bench and are not in need of strikeouts.
Corbin is a 21-year-old starting pitcher who has split the year at two levels of Single-A. Overall, he’s 13-3 with a 3.87 ERA and 106 Ks over 118.2 innings. He has some potential, but is still a few years away from making an impact.
Rodriguez is currently working as a relief pitcher at Triple-A. In 50.1 innings he’s posted a 3.04 ERA and 10 saves, striking out 30 with 15 walks. Given the struggles of the Diamondbacks bullpen, he’ll likely see time, but shouldn’t have much value.
There’s no word as to who the player to be named later will be, but he will have a huge influence on the value the Diamondbacks received.
What are your thoughts on the deal? Does Saunders become usable? Does it change your thoughts on Haren’s value?
Make sure to check out our other trade analysis:
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