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Fantasy File
More trades, more unsettled closer jobs looming
Posted: Wednesday July 23, 2003 1:42 PM
Kenny Lofton will pick up the slack at the top of the order and should get a bunch of steals in Wrigley. |
By James Quintong, SI.com
As the deals keep coming down in advance of the trade deadline, it seems like the saves situation is more fluid than ever. Two "All-Star" closers have been dealt. A couple more incumbent closers have switched teams. And none of those four is assured of any saves. With all of this activity, the waiver wire is buzzing as owners take chances on anyone and everyone getting that big S next to his name.
While it's obvious Armando Benitez's value takes a big hit in the Bronx, it's still up in the air over who will pick up the slack across town at Shea. John Franco got a save Monday, then struggled Tuesday, paving the way for Dan Wheeler to close the door. Mike Stanton will get his chances, but his five-run 1/3-inning outing doesn't breed much confidence.
The other All-Star closer moving on this week was the Pirates' Mike Williams, he of the six-plus ERA, going across the state to the Phillies. It was amusing that Jose Mesa was scared about his job after the move, although he's been shaky at times. Williams has made this move from closer to setup man before when Pittsburgh sent him to Houston in 2001.
As for filling Williams' role in Pittsburgh, Mike Lincoln became a popular free-agent pick after getting two saves right after the trade. However, don't be surprised to see Brandon Lyon, acquired from the Red Sox for Scott Sauerbeck deal, to emerge as the closer. Lyon recorded nine saves with Boston before eventually giving way to Byung-Hyun Kim. Lyon is young and has a low salary, so he could be the closer even beyond 2003, making him attractive for both contending and rebuilding teams.
(As an aside, the Brewers are also going through closer shuffling now as Dan Kolb may be supplanting Leo Estrella as Mike Dejean's replacement after picking up a couple of saves this week. Dejean could still reclaim his job after some decent appearances in middle relief. But as in Pittsburgh, it's tough to get really excited about these moves since there won't be many wins to save.)
That wasn't the only change to Pittsburgh on Tuesday. As the Pirates continue their rebuilding effort, off went Kenny Lofton and Aramis Ramirez to the Cubs for whiffmaster Jose Hernandez and prospects. The trade will obviously boost the Cubs' lineup, and fantasy owners will likely reap the benefits as Lofton gets more opportunities to score at the top, while Ramirez should have decent RBI chances while hitting behind Sammy Sosa and Moises Alou.
As for what Pittsburgh will do, well, Hernandez will likely play full-time at third and have an easier shot at breaking the single-season strikeout mark. It's still up in the air who will replace Lofton in center, although minor leaguers like Tike Redman and Tony Alvarez could be in the mix.
The Pirates were the biggest dealers in the past week, but a few other trades that crossed the past few days do open up things for many fantasy leagues.
First off, the Diamondbacks found a way to deal with their sudden glut of infielders by shipping off the fading Tony Womack to the Rockies. Womack's value has always been his steals and very little else, but he's not assured of a starting spot in Colorado. He'll be a utility player, most likely splitting time between second and short, although he could see a slight bump in hitting stats at Coors.
The deal allows Alex Cintron to claim the starting shortstop job in Arizona, leaving Matt Kata to battle the returning Junior Spivey for second base. Craig Counsell, a far better "real" player than fantasy player probably becomes a utility player with little value.
A couple of fledgling teams went shopping as well, as the Rangers sent Ryan Ludwick to the Indians for Shane Spencer and Ricardo Rodriguez. Ludwick has a lot of promise that was sitting in the minors for most of the year, but now he'll get a chance to show his stuff in Cleveland, despite the glut of outfielders there. The extra playing time makes him a nice cheap pickup for the rest of the year and a possible building block for 2004. Rodriguez, currently on the DL, gives the Rangers a pitcher with some value for next year. Spencer will play a little, but he doesn't offer much fantasy value in Texas.
There are plenty of moves still being discussed and could be made as the trade deadline approaches. In many cases, you may want to wait until after the deadline, especially in AL- or NL-only leagues to pull of the big swaps because of sudden changes in value.
James Quintong is Fantasy Sports Producer at SI.com.
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