By Dan O’Shea
The MLB trade deadline is still a few days away, but we have already seen some significant deals. As of this writing, locals Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza still hadn’t made highly anticipated moves to new teams, but there have been at least three trades with fantasy significance:
Kevin Youkilis, 1B/3B, to the White Sox: This deal has turned out to have much more fantasy impact than I first expected. Youkilis has been hitting like his old self, and though he’s cooled a bit in recent games, he’s already rewarded fantasy owners who had the wisdom either to acquire him or keep him when Boston shipped him to Chicago.
Ichiro Suzuki, OF, to the Yankees: No question this was the biggest deal that had been done as of late Tuesday. Ichiro was becoming a fantasy non-factor, a backup player you only activated if you were looking for stolen bases. In a more potent lineup, his numbers should be refreshed, and he might even poke a few home runs over the short right field porch in Yankee Stadium.
Anibal Sanchez, SP, to the Tigers: He was not pitching poorly for a Miami team that struggled to score runs. There’s always concern about a National League pitcher getting moved to the American League, but jumping to a first-place team with a strong lineup should allow him to more than double his current five wins.
Brett Myers, RP, to the White Sox: For now, Myers’ fantasy value takes a hit, unless your league counts holds, in which case you may be due for a bunch. On the other hand, closer Addison Reed has two blown saves in the last 10 days, and like any rookie could be on a short leash. Meanwhile, there could be another interesting option for Myers, though no one has mentioned it yet: He’s a former starter, and if the Sox decide to stretch him out to bolster their hobbling rotation, he could return to fantasy relevance.
Expert Wire
* CBS Sports.com looks at these and other trade deadline deals.
* Bleacher Report doesn’t see much fantasy gain for Ichiro, for some crazy reason.
* USA Today says Tim Lincecum is still barely a buy-low candidate.
–
Dan O’Shea is our man in fantasyland. He welcomes your comments.
Posted on July 25, 2012