Transaction Analysis: Fallout from the Week's Big Trades

Transaction Analysis: Fallout from the Week's Big Trades

This article is part of our Transaction Analysis series.

Here's a look at the transactions this week that had the most significant fantasy impact.

Angels

Dan Haren, RHP - activated from the 15-day DL
David Carpenter, RHP - optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake

Impact: Haren missed almost three weeks due to stiffness in his lower back, but looked sharp in his return last Sunday. The workhorse, who had pitched at least 216 innings in each of the past seven seasons, gave up just two runs in six innings against the Rangers. Haren was in a funk before he landed on the DL, as he had given up 26 earned runs in 27 innings over his last five starts. He returns to a 4.86 ERA, but should be safe to activate in all fantasy league formats. Carpenter is 1-1 with a 3.55 ERA in 25 relief appearances during his first season of major league baseball.

Blue Jays

J.P. Arencibia, C - placed on the 15-day DL (right hand)
Chad Beck, RHP - optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas
Joel Carreno, RHP - recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas
Evan Crawford, LHP - recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas

Impact: The Blue Jays catcher is expected to miss up to six weeks after he fractured his right hand during Wednesday's blowout loss to the Athletics. Arencibia suffered the injury when he took a foul tip off of his throwing hand in the second inning of the game, which now leaves Jeff Mathis as Toronto's primary catcher. Mathis has

Here's a look at the transactions this week that had the most significant fantasy impact.

Angels

Dan Haren, RHP - activated from the 15-day DL
David Carpenter, RHP - optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake

Impact: Haren missed almost three weeks due to stiffness in his lower back, but looked sharp in his return last Sunday. The workhorse, who had pitched at least 216 innings in each of the past seven seasons, gave up just two runs in six innings against the Rangers. Haren was in a funk before he landed on the DL, as he had given up 26 earned runs in 27 innings over his last five starts. He returns to a 4.86 ERA, but should be safe to activate in all fantasy league formats. Carpenter is 1-1 with a 3.55 ERA in 25 relief appearances during his first season of major league baseball.

Blue Jays

J.P. Arencibia, C - placed on the 15-day DL (right hand)
Chad Beck, RHP - optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas
Joel Carreno, RHP - recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas
Evan Crawford, LHP - recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas

Impact: The Blue Jays catcher is expected to miss up to six weeks after he fractured his right hand during Wednesday's blowout loss to the Athletics. Arencibia suffered the injury when he took a foul tip off of his throwing hand in the second inning of the game, which now leaves Jeff Mathis as Toronto's primary catcher. Mathis has a history of offensive struggles, though he has actually fared pretty well with the bat in limited playing time this season. Still, with a career batting average of just .194 coming into the 2012 season, his chances for continued success seem slim at best. The versatile Yan Gomes will now serve as the backup catcher and could also see the occasional start at the corner infield positions. Beck has a 5.87 ERA through seven relief appearances and will probably get another look later this season. Carreno and Crawford provide bullpen depth.

Dodgers

Hanley Ramirez, 3B - acquired with LHP Randy Choate from Miami for RHP Nathan Eovaldi and RHP Scott McGough

Impact: Ramirez will return to shortstop as he replaces the injured Dee Gordon in the Dodgers infield. The 28-year-old Dominican has seen his offensive numbers nosedive the last couple of years, as he's managed a .245 batting average in 185 games since the start of the 2011 season. He was forced to move from shortstop to third base this year after the Marlins picked up Jose Reyes from the Mets but now gets an opportunity to move back to his old position. He still possesses a good combination of speed and power, but he no longer appears to be the .300 hitter he once was. Choate is a left-handed specialist who has posted a 2.49 ERA over 44 appearances with Miami this season. Eovaldi is 1-6 with a 4.15 ERA through 10 starts for the Dodgers, and doesn't strike out enough hitters to make him worth owning in most mixed leagues. McGough is a minor league reliever who has yet to play above High-A ball.

Nationals

Ian Desmond, SS - placed on the 15-day DL (left oblique)
Corey Brown, OF - recalled from Triple-A Syracuse

Impact: The Nationals shortstop is out indefinitely with a torn left oblique. Desmond was on pace for his best season yet before the injury, as he was hitting a career-high .286 and had already set a career high in home runs (17). His injury comes as a huge blow for the playoff-hungry Nats, as he'll have to sit a couple of weeks before being evaluated. Danny Espinosa now slides over from second base to shortstop, with Steve Lombardozzi inheriting the everyday job at second base. Lombardozzi has shown very little in terms of power or speed this season and isn't likely to have much value in mixed leagues. Brown will serve in a backup capacity after going 0-for-3 in an earlier stint with the club this year.

Pirates

Wandy Rodriguez, LHP - acquired from Houston with cash for OF Robbie Grossman and LHP's Rudy Owens and Colton Cain

Impact: The Bucs beefed up their rotation Tuesday as they picked up Rodriguez from the Astros. The 33-year-old lefty has combined for just a 52-51 record since the start of the 2008 season, despite owning an 3.45 ERA in that time. A move to Pittsburgh should help his wins, as the Pirates offense has been dramatically better than the Astros the last month - since July 1, the Pirates lead the NL in OPS and rank second in runs scored. It is unclear at this point who will be the odd man out of Pittsburgh's rotation, though the most likely candidate would appear to be Kevin Correia. Correia is 7-6 with a 4.31 ERA through 18 starts at the time of the trade. Of the three players going to Houston, Owens is the only to have played above Double-A. He is 8-5 with a 3.14 ERA through 19 starts for Triple-A Indianapolis this season.

Rays

Ryan Roberts, 3B - acquired from Arizona for IF Tyler Bortnick
Hideki Matsui, OF - designated for assignment

Impact: With Evan Longoria still recovering from a hamstring injury, the Rays filled the gap at third base by picking up Roberts from the D-Backs. Roberts put up some good numbers in 2011, hitting 19 home runs, scoring 86 runs, driving in 65 and stealing 18 bases. His numbers have fallen off this year, however, as he had just six home runs, 28 runs, 34 RBI and six steals through 83 games at the time of the trade. While he's not likely to hit for a high average, he could produce decent power and stolen-base numbers to make him worth owning in AL-only leagues. The 38-year-old Matsui batted just .147 with two home runs and seven RBI in 34 games with Tampa Bay this year. Bortnick is a minor league infielder with an ability to hit for average and steal bases, but with little power.

Tigers

Omar Infante, 2B and Anibal Sanchez, RHP - acquired from Miami for RHP Jacob Turner, C Rob Brantly and LHP Brian Flynn
Danny Worth, 2B - optioned to Triple-A Toledo

Impact: The Tigers pulled off a big trade with Miami to help them in their playoff hunt this year. Infante will serve as Detroit's primary second baseman, replacing the weak-hitting duo of Danny Worth and Ramon Santiago. Infante joins the team sporting a .287 average, eight home runs and 10 stolen bases and is a clear upgrade offensively. Worth leaves behind a .215 average (14-for-65) over 35 games with Detroit. Anibal Sanchez takes over the rotation spot of Jacob Turner, who went the other way in the deal. Sanchez comes to the Tigers with a 3.94 ERA, a 5-7 record and 110 strikeouts over 121 innings this ear. The 21-year-old Turner has struggled in three starts this year, going 1-1 with a 8.03 ERA and 1.95 WHIP. He'll report to the Marlins' Triple-A affiliate but is a highly-touted prospect who could be a future ace. Brantly and Flynn will also report to the minors but are unlikely to provide any fantasy contributions in the near future. Emilio Bonifacio moves from center field to serve as the Marlins' new second baseman, with Justin Ruggiano likely earning the center-field job full-time. Ruggiano has been swinging a very hot bat and is worth owning in pretty much any league format.

White Sox

Gavin Floyd, RHP - activated from the 15-day DL
Donnie Veal, LHP - optioned to Triple-A Charlotte

Impact: Floyd struggled with wildness Monday during his first start after missing a couple weeks with elbow tendinitis. In six innings against the Twins, he walked six batters and struck out just one, yet still managed to hold the Twins to just three runs (two earned) while picking up a win. Floyd is not likely to win a Cy Young Award any time soon, but he has been fairly consistent his last several seasons. Following his start Monday, he owns an 8-8 record, a 4.46 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 109 innings. Veal made two relief appearances with the White Sox, striking out three batters over 1.2 innings without giving up a run.

Yankees

Ichiro Suzuki, OF - acquired from Seattle with cash for RHP's D.J. Mitchell and Danny Farquhar
DeWayne Wise, OF - designated for assignment

Impact: Suzuki ends his Mariners career with a .322 batting average over 11 and a half seasons. He has amassed a whopping 1,176 runs scored, 2,533 hits and 438 stolen bases in Seattle. He will bat near the bottom of the Yankees lineup and likely will cost Andruw Jones and Raul Ibanez some playing time as he patrols left field. Suzuki is no longer the hitter that he was a few years ago, but he could still produce some decent numbers for the Bronx Bombers. Wise hit .262 (16-for-61) with three home runs, eight RBI and seven stolen bases in 56 games for the Yankees. Mitchell and Farquhar provide the M's organization with some minor league pitching depth. Carlos Peguero takes over the right-field duties in Seattle after Ichiro's departure. Peguero has shown an ability to hit for power throughout his minor league career, though he doesn't make enough contact at this point to be recommended in most fantasy leagues.

Alex Rodriguez, 3B -
placed on the 15-day DL (left hand)
Ramiro Pena, IF - recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre

Impact: Rodriguez should miss six to eight weeks after he fractured his left hand during Tuesday's game against the Mariners. A-Rod suffered the injury when he was hit by a Felix Hernandez changeup, and the team stated that Eric Chavez should now be the primary third baseman. Chavez has spent a great deal of time on the DL himself the last several seasons, so it will be interesting to see if he can stay healthy long enough to make something of this opportunity. He still swings a decent bat, so fantasy owners may want to give him a look, while keeping his injury history in the back of their minds. Jayson Nix could also be an option at third base if Chavez can't handle playing every day, but he's definitely the less desirable fantasy option at this point. Ramiro Pena was called up to provide the Yankees with some infield depth, but he's unlikely to provide anything in terms of fantasy value.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ryan Arbour
Arbour writes the weekly Transactions article for RotoWire. He also enjoys creating his own projections and statistical analysis each winter for the upcoming season. In his spare time, Arbour roots for the Blue Jays from north of the border.
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