While the Adrian Gonzalez trade has gotten all of the publicity (and rightfully so, as you can read my thoughts on the deal by clicking here), there was plenty of other moves on the first day of the Winter Meetings worth noting.  Let’s take a look at the fantasy fallout:

The Milwaukee Brewers acquired SP Shaun Marcum from the Toronto Blue Jays for 2B Brett Lawrie. 
I’m not sure if I’m more surprised by the fact that the Brewers seemed more than willing to trade their top prospect or how excited fantasy owners should be that Marcum is now out of the AL East.  Lawrie has a ton of potential with the bat, though there is some debate as to whether his glove will allow him to stick at 2B or not.  At Double-A in ‘10 he hit .285 with 8 HR, 63 RBI, 90 R and 30 SB in 554 AB and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him make his major league debut in ‘11.

He figures to be featured on our Top 50 prospects (which will be released in early ‘11), but the question is which team he’ll be representing.  There have been rumblings that the Blue Jays acquired him simply to flip him in another deal (Zack Greinke perhaps), but time will tell.  To read my prospect report on Lawrie, click here. 

As for Marcum, he was solid in ‘10 after missing all of ‘09 due to injury.  In 195.1 innings he posted a 3.64 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 165 K.  He has a career BB/9 of 2.80, yet was significantly better than that, posting a 1.98 mark.  It’s possible that moving to the NL will bring an increase in his strikeouts, which were already solid (7.60 K/9 and reaching 8.0 would not be a major surprise).  In the toughest division in baseball he posted solid numbers with realistic peripherals (.289 BABIP, 74.3% strand rate).  Moving to the NL, his value certainly improves.  He’s not going to be an ace, but he should definitely be thought of us a good buy as a middle of the rotation option.

The Washington Nationals signed OF Jayson Werth.
Not only was the destination a surprise, but the scope of the contract was as well.  A seven-year, $126 million dollar deal certainly took many off guard, but we can debate if he’s worth the money later on.  Right now, what we are most concerned with is if he will produce in 2011 or not.

He has shown good power the last three seasons, but 50 of his 87 HR came at home.  He’s likely to hit 20-24 HR, but that may be his upper limit now.  He also has some speed, but you talking about a player who has never exceeded 20 in a season in the major leagues.  He’ll chip in 85+ R and RBI, but the bottom line is that he is looking like a low-level OF2, at best, now that he’s landed in Washington.

The Baltimore Orioles acquired 3B Mark Reynolds from the Arizona Diamondbacks for P David Hernandez and P Kam Mickolio.
Hernandez & Mickolio figure to be middle relievers for the Diamondbacks and have little fantasy appeal at this point.  As for Reynolds, we all know that he is going to give some power, but the strikeouts have gotten to a ridiculous level.  In 2010 he posted strikeout rate of 42.3%, the fourth consecutive season it has increased.  Could it get any higher moving to the AL East?  You would certainly hope not, but I guess one never knows.  His value isn’t going to change by the move, however.  He remains a source of power and nothing else, meaning he’s a low-end option, even at a shallow position.

The Diamondbacks signed 3B Melvin Mora.
It didn’t take them long to try and find a replacement for Reynolds, but it is hard to imagine the 38-year old getting everyday AB.  He was used as a utility player for the Rockies in ‘10, hitting .285 with 7 HR and 2 SB in 316 AB.  Even if he does play every day, he just doesn’t bring enough to the table at this point in his career.

The Diamondbacks signed P J.J. Putz.
The Diamondbacks bullpen was horrendous in 2010 and signing Putz goes a long way in improving things.  He should be the stabilizing force at the back end as he returns to closing duties.  It’s easy to look at the terrible season he posted in a setup role for the Mets in ‘09 (5.22 ERA, 5.83 K/9), but he rebounded in a big way last season.  The strikeouts returned (10.83 K/9).  His control, which was pathetic in ‘09 (5.83 BB/9), came back as he posted a 2.50 mark (in ‘06 & ‘07 he posted walk rates below 2.00).  Maybe it was the injury he suffered in ‘08 still rearing its head, but at this point I’d feel confident that he was back on track.  Is he going to be an elite closer?  Probably not, but he certainly should be a solid mid-level option.

The Pirates signed P Kevin Correia.
In 2010 his control, which we thought may have improved in 2009 (2.91 BB/9), regressed back to around his career mark with a 3.97 mark.  He struggled with home runs (1.24 HR/9), despite calling Petco Park home.  He posted a K/9 of 7.14, though over his career he has been all over the map (career K/9 of 6.63).  Yes, you can say his 5.40 ERA was due to a 68.4% strand rate, but he just wasn’t that good regardless.  Now on the Pirates, he should be left as waiver wire fodder.

The Padres signed P Aaron Harang.
Can he rediscover what made him a very good fantasy option?  If he is healthy, it certainly could happen.  He has a career HR/FB of 11.0%, but you have to think getting out of Great American Ballpark will help him improve there.  He also suffered from a .346 BABIP and 69.4% strand rate in 2010.  He has good control (2.52 career BB/9) and strikeout upside (7.47 K/9 or better from 2006-2009).  He’s certainly worth taking a flier late in your draft in all deeper formats.  If you are in a shallower league, monitor him closely and be ready to pounce.

What are your thoughts on these moves?  Who is the biggest winner?  Who are you now targeting?

Make sure to check out our early 2011 rankings:

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