Cliff Lee signing with the Philadelphia Phillies (click here to view my thoughts) started the week and it was capped off with Zack Greinke joining the Milwaukee Brewers (click here to view my thoughts). However, those two All-Star pitchers were certainly not the only players to change teams. Let’s take a look at the other moves that were made over the past seven days.
The Pittsburgh Pirates signed 1B Lyle Overbay
Since breaking out in 2006 (.312, 22 HR, 92 RBI), Overbay has failed to hit better than .270. He flashed some power in 2010 (20 HR in 534 AB), but then again who on the Toronto Blue Jays didn’t? At a position that requires significant power for fantasy owners, Overbay is never going to provide it. He’s waiver wire fodder outside of NL-only leagues, but the move has a much bigger impact on Garrett Jones, who no longer is ensured of every day at-bats. Instead, he will move to right field where he will likely share time with Matt Diaz. Jones, who had allure as a low-end power bat with 1B and OF eligibility, now loses a bit of his potential value.
The Oakland Athletics acquired OF Josh Willingham from the Washington Nationals for P Henry Rodriguez & OF Corey Brown
At this point, Willingham is the only player who has fantasy appeal. He’ll take over RF duties, joining David DeJesus and Coco Crisp in the outfield, leaving Conor Jackson as a reserve and Chris Carter in the minor leagues (most likely). Willingham has some power (at least 20 HR three times in his career), though moving to Oakland is not going to help him there. He hasn’t had more than 427 AB since 2007, also playing a factor in valuing him. The potential to hit 20 HR makes him worth considering as a low-end option in all five-outfielder formats, but in Oakland he is far from a must-use option.
The Detroit Tigers signed OF Magglio Ordonez
From Ordonez’s perspective, he is returning to Detroit, so there is little change in his fantasy appeal. He joins Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez in the middle of an upgraded lineup. The real fallout is on Ryan Raburn, who no longer is a lock to get regular playing time. There’s always a chance he wins the second base job, but it’s more likely that he competes with Brennan Boesch for time in right field. Maybe he ultimately wins every day at-bats, but at this point he appears to have lost his sleeper status.
The Arizona Diamondbacks signed 1B/OF Xavier Nady
An intriguing move for the Diamondbacks, as Nady could be the starting 1B (he’ll compete with Brandon Allen), the starting LF (he’ll compete with Gerardo Parra) or simply be an understudy at each position (barring any subsequent moves). Chances are he gets enough at-bats to be viable for fantasy owners, the question is if he will hold any value. Last season he hit .256 with 6 HR and 33 RBI in 317 AB for the Chicago Cubs, certainly not numbers that get us excited.
He missed the majority of 2009 due to Tommy John surgery, so it certainly is possible that he needed more time to get healthy and readjusted. He is two years removed from a 25 HR campaign and has the potential to get back there again. It’s a great flier for the Diamondbacks and could be a good one for fantasy owners in deep formats as well. He’s not a sexy name, but he’s the type of player who could help win championships.
The Baltimore Orioles signed P Jeremy Accardo
Back in 2007 he was a solid closer for the Blue Jays, picking up 30 saves with a 2.14 ERA over 67.1 innings. Now, he’s a middle reliever joining a glut of options for the Orioles and far from a lock to produce halfway decent numbers. He’s got zero value, unless he leapfrogs Koji Uehara, Alfredo Simon and Mike Gonzalez on the depth chart.
The New York Yankees signed P Mark Prior
He provides depth, but it feels like a lifetime ago that he actually made any type of an impact. There’s little reason to think anything is going to change. Don’t bother worrying about him.
The Arizona Diamondbacks signed C Henry Blanco
He was signed to backup Miguel Montero, meaning he’s not going to have any fantasy appeal.
The Los Angeles Dodgers signed P Matt Guerrier
He’s a nice middle reliever, but he’s not going to get an opportunity to get saves in LA with Jonathan Broxton and Hong-Chi Kuo ahead of him. That means his fantasy appeal is minimal, at best.
The Oakland Athletics signed P Rich Harden
He returns to where it all began, though this time as a reliever. Is it possible that he develops into a closer? Who knows, but it’s certainly hard to imagine right now. As a middle reliever, he’ll offer strikeout potential, though does anyone believe he’s going to pitch enough to be usable?
The Florida Marlins signed P Randy Choate
Who cares?
The Chicago White Sox signed P Jesse Crain
He’s a middle reliever who will help bridge the gap from the White Sox starter to a revamped back end of the bullpen. However, will it be Matt Thornton closing games? How about Chris Sale? Who knows, and maybe Crain manages to get himself in there. He’s worth keeping an eye on due to the uncertainty at the back end of the bullpen, but unless we hear otherwise he isn’t going to hold value on draft day. This is one bullpen situation that needs to be monitored closely throughout the spring, however.
The Tampa Bay Rays signed P Joel Peralta
Yes, the Rays bullpen is wide open, but this isn’t the solution. He’ll have no value.
The Toronto Blue Jays signed 1B/DH Edwin Encarnacion
No, that’s not a typo. The Blue Jays plans are to have Encarnacion see time at first base (along with Adam Lind), as well as designated hitter. He has a ton of power potential, but if he is going to be sharing time he is not likely going to have much appeal.
The San Diego Padres acquired OF Eric Patterson
He joins San Diego as a reserve outfielder. Who cares, as there is little chance he earns regular playing time.
The Cleveland Indians signed INF Adam Everett
He provides Cleveland with middle infield depth, but that’s about it.
The Boston Red Sox signed P Bobby Jenks
Could a trade of Jonathan Papelbon be in the near future now? The Boston Red Sox certainly appear to have positioned themselves for that possibility by bringing in Jenks to join Papelbon and Daniel Bard at the back of what could be a dominant bullpen. Given Jenks’ struggles in 2010 (4.44 ERA, 1.37 WHIP), it is hard to imagine the Red Sox depending on him in the ninth inning, however. I would still consider Bard the most likely replacement should something happen, but an extra level of security certainly doesn’t hurt.
The Chicago Cubs signed P Kerry Wood
Another pitcher who returns to where it all began. This time, Wood is going to be working in a setup role for Carlos Marmol, though he is likely going to be the first in line if a change is needed. That certainly makes him worth keeping track of and potentially stashing for those in deeper formats.
The Washington Nationals signed P Chien-Ming Wang
We all know the talent, but he hasn’t pitched in a major league game since 2009. If he can get healthy he’ll likely hold value, making him worth taking a flier in deeper formats.
The New York Yankees signed P Pedro Feliciano
He’ll be a setup man/left-handed specialist for the Yankees. Could he get a vulture save now and then if Mariano Rivera needs a night off? Possibly, but that doesn’t bring enough value with it.
The Washington Nationals signed P Chad Gaudin
One question, does anyone really care?
The San Diego Padres signed 2B Orlando Hudson
He joins an awful offense and offers little power or speed. There certainly are significantly better options available, even in deeper formats.
The Houston Astros signed 2B Bill Hall
He once again showed his power coming off Boston’s bench, but now finds himself in a position for regular playing time once again. He strikes out a ton (28.7% for his career), which brings a poor average with it, but he hits for enough power to offset that. He’s going to have value in deeper formats, but isn’t going to be a great option since he’ll likely hit under .250.
The Boston Red Sox signed P Dan Wheeler
Another cog in what is quickly developing into a very deep bullpen. From a fantasy perspective, the depth at the back end means that Wheeler will be nothing but a setup man. He has little value.
What are your thoughts on all these moves? Who are the biggest winners? Who are the biggest losers?
Make sure to check out our early 2011 rankings:
- Top 15 Catchers
- Top 15 First Basemen
- Top 15 Second Basemen
- Top 15 Third Basemen
- Top 15 Shortstops
- Top 20 Starting Pitchers
- 2011 Fantasy Draft First Round Breakdown
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