Kuzul

The Pittsburgh Pirates have been a cellar-dwelling team for as long as most fans remember. But often, in September, they have their moment of glory by taking three games from a division leading team in PNC Park.

This is what may be happening now, against the Atlanta Braves. A win tonight would result in a sweep. Even a loss would not change the fact that the Pirates have already clinched the three game series.

In 2006, the Pirates swept the New York Mets in three games at home, thereby delaying their clinching of the division. Two of the winners were lefties Paul Maholm and Zach Duke. In the third game, Tom Gorzelanny, also a southpaw, started, but was rescued by a “committee” of  relievers, with closer Matt Capps getting the win.

Last year, the Bucs took three out of four at home from the division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers. Paul Maholm, Dan McCutchen, and Zach Duke all pitched good games, but only Duke got a win; the other two were “no decisions” for the two starters and split 1-1.

The remaining game was pitched by a committee, with Jeff Karstens being lifted after three innings, Donnie Veal getting the win in a 3-1 game, and three more relievers protecting the lead.

On the other side was a reliever named James McDonald (traded by the Dodgers to the Pirates in July 2010 as partial consideration for reliever Octavio Dotel).

Monday night, Brian Burres put up one of his better starts against the Braves, giving up only one run in six innings (This is his third quality start, giving up a total of four runs in nineteen innings, all at home.). Even the Pirates were good enough to score three runs off Tommy Hanson, resulting in a win.

Last night, James McDonald pitched seven scoreless innings, including finding his way out of a couple of jams. Veteran Tim Hudson put up only six blank frames, and then came apart in the seventh, to the tune of five runs, leading to a 5-0 victory for the home team.

In his best three (home) games, against the Colorado Rockies, Florida Marlins, and Atlanta Braves, McDonald has given up one run in twenty innings. But his five inning, five-run start against the Mets, though technically in PNC Park, was of “away” game quality, and his four away games have been (mostly) this bad.

The last game of the current series features Zach Duke, the hero of the previous two series. Paul Maholm will open the next one.

In the two earlier years, the losses to the Pirates were just speed bumps on the way to the division leadership for the Mets and the Dodgers. This year, though, the impact on Atlanta may be more meaningful.

They’ve already lost their division lead as a result of the past two losses. Another loss tonight could push them down into a tie for the wild card if San Francisco wins.

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After the acquisition of closer Matt Capps, the Minnesota Twins had a consistent bullpen. Every reliever knew what his job was going to be. Every reliever had his inning.

It was organized. Peaceful.

Flash forward a month.

The Twins acquired two more relievers: Randy Flores off of waivers from the Colorado Rockies and Brian Fuentes via trade from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of California of the United States in North America.

Now, everything is a complete mess and it’s evident by the pen’s performance as of late.

Starting with Thursday’s absolutely terrible loss to the Tigers in 13 innings, it became quite evident that Ron Gardenhire and the Twins’ coaching staff is too inclined on using the deep bullpen.

What do I mean by that?

Since the Twins acquired Flores and Fuentes, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire seems to be too keen on “playing the match-up.”

Instead of letting his reliever pitch his inning, Gardy is now using the one-and-done strategy where he brings in a pitcher to get an out, then goes to another reliever to get another out or the final two outs.

In Friday’s game, the Twins went through three relief pitchers in just one inning. Three. This is coming off the heels of a game that required the use of two starting pitchers, Brian Duensing and Nick Blackburn, as relievers.

It’s one thing if it’s a 17-inning game and you have no other choice to use a starter. However, if the starter is coming in during the 11th inning, something is wrong.

Now, the Twins entire pitching staff, sans Francisco Liriano and Carl Pavano, is in utter disarray.

What happens if Friday’s game goes into extra innings? You just burnt three pitchers in the eighth inning trying to get three outs and a handful of your previous relievers were taxed in the previous game and probably unavailable. 

Does Gardy send in Michael Cuddyer to toe the rubber? How about seeing what Denard Span has?

Before we had this depth, the bullpen had a rhythm. It was effective. Now, the bullpen seems disorganized and that may be leading to the inefficiencies we’ve been seeing over the past couple weeks.

Now, I’m not against playing the match-ups if you have the players. However, those match-ups should be in the eighth and the ninth, not the sixth or seventh or when your entire pen is available to throw. Two pitchers in an inning should be enough unless, of course, one flounders and needs to be yanked.

Also, it’s September. That means expanded rosters. More pitchers are available to use. However, for some reason, these pitchers weren’t with the team for Thursday’s marathon. 

Even with the expanded rosters, I’ll still want Crain, Guerrier, and Flores in the game before Alex Burnett and Rob Delaney. These pitchers should only be used when the game is out of reach or the bullpen in completely taxed like Friday’s game.

Hopefully, Gardenhire is taking a long look at his pitching staff and will rethink his strategy and going back to how things were before. 

Stick with what works. Now is not the time to experiment with a new bullpen strategy.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

by Brett Lay

The Washington Nationals announced in a conference call this morning that phenom rookie pitcher Stephen Strasburg’s mutant right arm has lost its powers due to recent sunspot activity.

Nationals GM Mike Rizzo said Strasburg realized there was a problem when he could no longer summon the powers of a Norse god of thunder to fling baseballs at his normal average speed of several hundred miles an hour in a recent practice.

“As anyone who has had mutant powers granted to them and then taken away by a freak act of nature can tell you, it’s a traumatic experience. Just ask Cyclops or Wolverine,” Rizzo told reporters. “But he is fully committed to doing whatever he has to do to rehab and get back out there, because lord knows, we need him,” Rizzo continued between slow sobs at the mic. “Who knew that his weakness was random bursts of electromagnetic energy? We just assumed it would be drugs and alcohol, like the other red-blooded ball players we have on this team.”

Strasburg has been a rare ray of hope for these Nationals, who have spent the last several seasons perfecting their record of complete futility. The loss of Strasburg will be a big shock not only to this city, but also to his fellow players.

Truly morale was low in DC, as we asked some of the residents to throw in their two cents’ worth.

• “Yeah, Strasburg was awesome. Not sure what we’re going to do now.” – Greg, street vendor
• “If you ask me, I saw it coming. I can’t tell you how often the genetically enhanced mutant protectors of our national pastime come through here, raising hopes, but then fizzle out before any substance can be provided.” – Mara, food services
• “We have a baseball team? I didn’t know that. Give me your wallet.” – Stitches, unemployed

“We were just getting in the swing of things, too,” Ryan Zimmerman, the Nationals third baseman, stated to the swarm of reporters. “Ivan was just starting to learn how to block the plate like a real catcher, the janitor they brought in who was competing for the first base spot with Dunn had just barely gotten edged out, and we had just learned how to pronounce Nyjer’s name. I even thought we might win a game this year. What a rip.”

The Washington Post reported Strasburg will get a second opinion from Verðandi, a norn that once treated Thor himself when he had to have Tommy John surgery in 652 B.C.

“I’m no quitter, that’s for sure,” said Strasburg as he was loading Pegasus for the long trip to Valhalla for his evaluation. “Now that I’m temporarily a normal human, sort of like that dude in Superman 2, I have to be careful. It seems I can no longer smash through walls or melt things with my heat vision. But I’m not giving up on this season that easily, no sir, I’ll be back.”

At that point he mounted his steed and swiftly flew from sight into the sunset.

We can only hope, for the Nationals’ sake, that he gets his powers back.

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It’s time to continue our journey around the league, looking at each team’s closer situation.  

The AL Central is home to one of the most fluid closing situations and also one of the most stable options in the league.  Let’s take a look at their updated situation, as well as the other three teams in the division:

Chicago White Sox

Closer: Bobby Jenks
Waiting in the Wings: Sergio Santos
Closer of the Future: Matt Thornton

The White Sox closer situation has been in flux all year long, with questions surrounding Jenks’ ability floating around. 

He is currently sporting a 4.40 ERA and 1.38 WHIP, though injuries to J.J. Putz and Thornton have basically removed all the potential competition, temporarily.

Thornton has 5 saves this season, to go with a 2.66 ERA and 1.10 WHIP, not to mention 64 K over 47.1 innings.

He seems like a lock to move into the role for 2011, with Jenks likely heading out of town (he is not signed for next year). 

If you are in a keeper league and Thornton is still sitting on the waiver wire, he’s certainly worth stashing immediately.

Cleveland Indians

Closer: Chris Perez
Waiting in the Wings: Rafael Perez
Closer of the Future: Chris Perez

When the Indians traded Kerry Wood to the Yankees at the Trade Deadline, they opened the door for Chris Perez to finally assume full-time closing duties.

He had been acting as the closer at times this season, saving 16 games thus far with a 2.06 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. 

Perez was acquired last year from the Cardinals in the deal that sent Mark DeRosa to St. Louis and at the time, he was instantly dubbed the team’s closer of the future. 

At this point, there appears to be little reason to discuss any other option.  He should hold the job for the long haul.

Detroit Tigers

Closer: Jose Valverde
Waiting in the Wings: Phil Coke
Closer of the Future: Daniel Schlereth

It was long thought that Joel Zumaya would eventually assume closer duties, but one injury after another has completely killed his potential.  For now, however, Jose Valverde has a firm hold on the job. 

Signed in January, he scored a two-year deal with an option for 2012.  Overall he has been great (2.83 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 24 saves), but things certainly haven’t been good since the All-Star Break. 

He’s carrying a 7.80 ERA, having walked 13 batters in 15 innings. 

Yes, it is troubling, but the Tigers don’t really have anywhere else to turn.  Schlereth has the stuff to be a closer in the future, with 60 Ks in 49.1 innings at Triple-A, but he needs to get his control in order (in that same span, he walked 34 batters). 

In 9 Major League innings, he’s walked four.  That’s just not going to cut it.

Kansas City Royals
Closer: Joakim Soria
Waiting in the Wings: Blake Wood
Closer of the Future: Joakim Soria

We can discuss the trade rumors as much as we want, but the fact is that the Royals have one of the elite closers in the game at an extremely discounted rate.  According to Cot’s Baseball Contracts he is signed for 2011 at $4 million, then the team has options for the subsequent three seasons ($6 million, $8 million and $8.75 million).  He already has 125 saves with a 2.04 ERA and 1.00 WHIP.  I know having an elite closer on a bad team is a luxury, but with the contract they have him under, can you say that the team will, without a doubt, not be competing by 2014?  Unless they are absolutely blown away, there really is no reason for the team to move him.

Minnesota Twins

Closer: Matt Capps
Waiting in the Wings: Jon Rauch/Brian Fuentes
Closer of the Future: Anthony Slama

The Twins are just accumulating late inning options, aren’t they?  First they developed Rauch.  Then, they acquired Capps in a Trade Deadline deal.  Now, they are awarded Fuentes off waivers. 

The fact is, Capps should hold down the job, unless the wheels fall off, with Rauch and Fuentes forming a dynamic righty/lefty combo to bridge from the starter to Capps (and get the occasional save). 

It’s certainly a nice situation to have, especially for a team with questionable late-inning relief early in the season. 

As for moving forward, that’s the million-dollar question.  Joe Nathan should be ready for 2011, and you would think would ultimately return to the closer’s role once ready.  However, he’ll be 36 years old and not a long-term solution.

While the Twins continue not giving Slama a real look, he just continues to thrive at Triple-A. 

The 26-year old has a 2.23 ERA and 71 Ks in 40.2 innings, yet has gotten just 4.2 innings of Major League experience this season.  Sooner or later, they will be forced to see what he can do.

What are your thoughts on these situations?

Make sure to check out our look at the other divisions in baseball:

• NL East
• AL East
• AL West

THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM

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There was a serious fantasy fallout with Brian Fuentes being traded to the Minnesota Twins on Friday. One player’s stock soared for the final month of the season and one player’s stock went down.

Let’s take a look at the Fuentes trade from a fantasy perspective.

Brian Fuentes—Stock Down. Despite recording the save in yesterday’s 1-0 win over the Seattle Mariners, Fuentes should be seeing the eighth inning more than the ninth inning.

Unless current closer Matt Capps goes down or starts to really struggle, then Fuentes has very little fantasy value moving forward.

Matt Capps—Stock Even. Despite NOT recording the save in yesterday’s 1-0 over the Mariners, Capps should get the majority of the save opportunities moving forward. The only reason Fuentes got the save yesterday was because left-handed batter Russell Branyan came to the plate, and Fuentes was a better match up against the lefty.

I could see Capps losing saves like this every now and then, but his stock should remain unaffected moving forward.

Fernando Rodney—Stock Up. With Fuentes being shipped out of town, someone needs to close games in Anaheim. That guy will be Rodney.

Rodney is having a typical Rodney season with an ERA of 3.83, a WHIP of around 1.40, and a very mediocre BB/K ratio. He will be a decent fill-in choice if you need a No. 2 closer for the day or week.

Rodney could benefit from the Angels’ easy schedule in September. The Angels play the Mariners and Cleveland Indians a total of 10 times in September. Easy games means wins, and wins potentially could equal saves for Rodney.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg

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On Friday the Minnesota Twins acquired Brian Fuentes from the Los Angeles Angels.

On Saturday Fuentes earned his first Twins‘ save against the Seattle Mariners. For Fuentes it was his 24th save of the season.

For the Minnesota Twins, Fuentes gives their bullpen a proven closer—that makes three proven closers since Joe Nathan injured his pitching shoulder in spring training.

Within an hour of arriving at Safeco Field in Seattle, Fuentes had his first Twins’ save, giving him 24 for the season.

Jon Rauch started the season as Nathan’s replacement. He has 21 saves, a 3.40 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP.

The Twins traded catcher Wilson Ramos to the Washington Nationals for All-Star closer Matt Capps on July 29th. Capps has six saves in 13 appearances for Minnesota.

Combined in 2010, the three-headed closer of Rauch-Capps-Fuentes has 77 saves, a 3.10 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP.

Minnesota General Manager Bill Smith has acted quickly after the Twins’ bullpen lost their two left-handed relievers, Jose Mijares and Ron Mahay. 

On Wednesday the Twins claimed left-handed reliever Randy Flores off waivers from the Colorado Rockies. Flores has pitched 27.2 innings with a 2.96 ERA and 1.28 WHIP.

The addition of Fuentes gives Manager Ron Gardenhire some extra flexibility at the end of games.

Rauch will probably alternate with Jesse Crain and Matt Guerrier for the eighth inning set-up role, while Capps and Fuentes gives the Twins a left-handed and a right-handed closer for the ninth. 

The Twins needed a closer with some experience, and with three post-season saves, the 34 year-old Fuentes gives them just that.

Nick Blackburn impresses with eight and two-thirds innings of shutout baseball.

On Saturday, starter Nick Blackburn found himself in some early trouble in the first inning. With two outs, he gave up back-to-back hits putting runners on first and third. He would get the next batter to end the inning, and then pitch into the ninth not allowing another hit. 

The Twins would pick up a run in the top of the third when Danny Valencia, J.J. Hardy and Denard Span would provide three hits in a row scoring the only run the Twins would need.

With one out in the second Blackburn would walk Ryan Langerhans, and then set down the next 22 batters, until with two outs in the ninth he would walk Chone Figgins.

With the winning run at the plate Gardenhire wasted no time bringing the left-handed Fuentes to pitch to the left-handed hitting Russell Branyan.

Fuentes had an easy four-pitch save, striking out Branyan on a 91 mile per hour fastball.

In his two starts since returning from Rochester, Blackburn has pitched 15.2 innings, allowing only three earned runs (a 1.72 ERA). He has dropped his ERA for the season from 6.66 to 6.02.

If Blackburn continues to pitch this well, Gardenhire will have some tough decisions to make when Kevin Slowey comes off the DL.   

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Some of the biggest difference makers come the playoffs did not start the year with that team. Just think about last years World Series when Cliff Lee mowed down the Yankees in game one. 

In 2010, with many teams on the brink of the playoffs, everyone was looking to improve their team.

Here are the top five deals made at the trade deadline.

Begin Slideshow

With baseball’s trading deadline in the rearview mirror, it’s time for fantasy owners to move on to more pressing matters; mainly, to focus on their own league’s cut-off date for trades and transaction.

Commonly, fantasy deadlines are situated somewhere in the second or third week of August. (Although if your league bares any resemblance to mine, the REAL trade deadline has triggered an abundance of swaps in the past week.)

Keeping this in mind, here are several trade tidbits to help you out into your foray in fantasy commerce.

Don’t Deal Just To Deal

Many owners get the itch to renovate their roster. Yet the most prevailing problem in fantasy trades is that exchanges are executed strictly on the premise of the owner’s penchant for action.

I assume this same sentiment is at the core of all gambling addictions. While a trade can liven up your league, bare in mind the excitement is fleeting. The last thing you want is buyer’s remorse, so appraise and assess each proposal with care.

Shoot for the (Underperforming) Stars

If a high pick has not achieved his predicted potential by August, the consensus seems to indicate that it’s time to part ways with your selection.

I can personally echo this approach, as four months of frustration can cause you to despise the mere existence of a team member.

As an opportunistic owner, you want to cash in on this resentment. Numerous fantasy participants judge a player’s worth on their seasonal stats. In reality, you want to dive deeper and examine the month-by-month numbers of an athlete.

For example, Mark Teixeira has performed admirably this season, but his 2010 output has not validated his top-10 projection. But after discounting the Yankee first basemen’s abysmal April, we find that Teixeira is one of the best five hitters in baseball over the past three months. It’s this type of analysis that can help you get a superstar for less than 80 cents on the dollar.

Let Statistical Standings Dictate Deals

This rule alludes to the “trade just for the hell of it” theory. The goal of your dealings should be to boost your standings in a statistical department, most notably when there is a negative discrepancy between yourself and the rest of the league. If you are near the top in home runs, don’t be afraid to sacrifice some of your power to obtain a better average.

Less Is More

If you have built up substantial depth on your squad, consider turning three of your “good” assets into two all-stars. This theory tends to favor hitting, especially when your trade partner is struggling to fill a certain position. This also allows you the opportunity to take a risk on the waiver wire to complete your empty roster spot.

Monitor League Maximums

Some leagues have inning or game limits implemented to ensure a competitive balance. If this rule applies, monitor your accumulated totals. Trade away players whose positions are projected to reach this limit in favor of spots where the estimated figure is far from the ceiling.

In a related note, half of my league just came to this realization of an imposed inning/game max, correlating to a flurry of fire sales that would make the 1998 Florida Marlins proud.

And finally…

Stay Away from Yankees

Unless you actually live in New York, it’s unacceptable to side with one in pinstripes. Granted, this eliminates some of the better players in fantasy, but having a Yankee on your roster is a portal for bad karma, so avoid this transgression as much as possible.

Start ’em

Francisco Liriano , Minnesota Twins. Liriano has been lights-out his past four starts.

Since getting knocked around in Detroit on July 9th, Liriano has pitched 28.2 innings, giving up just two runs while striking out 33. On the year, the lefty is 10-7 with a 3.18 ERA, and is second in the AL in strikeouts.

Sit ’em

Prince Fielder, Milwaukee Brewers. The Milwaukee first baseman asserted persistent trade rumors wouldn’t affect his play; his stats seem to contradict this claim. Fielder is 2-for-his-last-22 at the plate, with zero homers and no RBI.

Fantasy Flashback

1911 Joe Jackson . Unfortunately, Jackson’s current legacy is tied to the Black Sox Scandal, which led to being portrayed by Ray Liotta in Field of Dreams.

It’s debatable of which offense is worse.

Jackson’s career deserves higher praise for his contributions on the field. And in 1911, he put up one of the finest hitting displays in baseball history. “Shoeless Joe” finished with a .408 batting average to go along with a league-leading .468 OBP, 41 SBs, and 126 Rs.

Waiver Wire Watch

Drew Storen, Washington Nationals. After Matt Capps was shipped to the Twins, the Nationals announced a closer-by-committee configuration would be employed. However, for those looking to add some possible saves, Storen is the safe pickup. Through 33 innings in 2010, Storen has 28 Ks and a 2.45 ERA.

Rookie Review

Chris Johnson, Astros. Since being recalled to the Majors in June, Johnson is batting .364 with four HRs and 19 RBI. Johnson just had a 14-game hit streak snapped at the hands of the Brewers on August 1st.

This Week in Jonathon Broxton

Broxton’s been in somewhat of a rut, blowing a save against rival San Francisco on July 31st.

Personally, I think Broxton has been pedestrian on purpose, lulling his opponents into thinking he’s human. This delusional hope will only aid the Ox and the Dodgers on their home stretch for a playoff bid. Trust me, Big 51 will return to his “kickin’-ass-and-takin’-names” form within the next week.

Trade Talk

This has been alluded to in previous fantasy fever articles, but if you’re employing the services of one of the multitude of talented rookies, sell when the price is high.

Foreseeing an injury is impossible, but with his impending innings-limit on the horizon, how many Strasburg owners are smacking their foreheads at turning down multiple trade requests?

Big League Chew Player of the Week

Dexter Fowler , Colorado Rockies. Although Fowler has been raking at the plate (in his last four games, Fowler went 10-for-20 with six runs and five RBI), it’s his defense that earns him this week’s distinction.

Clinging to a slim lead in the ninth, Fowler crashed into the outfield wall in pursuit of an Alfonso Soriano fly ball, maintaining the catch and preserving Colorado’s win over the Cubs. Unfortunately, Fowler’s hustle could direct to a stint on the DL, as the centerfielder is dealing with bruised ribs after the collusion.

Spit Your Tobacco At

Alex Rodriguez , New York Yankees. It’s bad enough that baseball purists have to see another historic number become tainted. The fact that A-Rod is taking this long to accomplish said feat (homerless in the last 43 ABs) is just an extra kick in the groin.

Your “Dumb and Dumber” Quote of the Week

Lloyd: I said, “Do you love me?” and she said, “No, but that’s a really nice ski mask!”

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Greeting sports fans, and welcome to this special analysis of the trade deadline moves and their impact on fantasy players.  There was a flurry of activity leading up to the July 3 non-waiver deadline, with some teams taking advantage and improving their teams, while others stood by idly and didn’t make any moves. 

The rampant rumors of Jayson Werth, Adam Dunn et al. being moved did not materialize.  In any event, there is plenty of impact to fantasy values that will affect a number of players and teams.  Here are a few of them…

BIG, BIG WINNERS

Matt Capps, RP, MIN
The National’s All-Star closer had already racked up 27 saves for the last-place club.  He will be in line to improve on that number now that he will be closing for a pennant-contending team.  Capps has been a great fantasy contributor providing three wins in addition to his 27 saves.   He has posted a 39:9 K:BB ratio thus far, along with a more than respectable 2.68 ERA and 1.29 WHIP.  The move to Minnesota is a big plus for owners of Capps where his already high fantasy value will get a boost. 

Drew Storen, RP, WAS
The Nationals began the Storen era in Washington by clearing the way to the closers role with the trade of Capps.  The word out of Washington was that Storen would share the closing duties with Tyler Clippard and Sean Burnett.  But smart money would have Storen closing on a regular basis before season’s end.  Storen’s season began on May 17 and to date, he has posted a 2.45 ERA with a 1.21 WHIP and a 28:14 K:BB ratio.  He has also contributed with three wins out of the ‘pen.  Fantasy owners are scrambling to pick up Storen who is number one on the Most Added Players List (ESPN) with a 34.6 percent ownership. 

Jake Westbrook, SP, STL
The Cardinals acquired Westbrook in the three team deal which saw Ryan Ludwick get shipped off to San Diego.  St. Louis was in desperate need of solidifying the back end of their rotation for a run at the division crown.  They have been patching their rotation with an over-the-hill Jeff Suppan and the unimpressive Blake Hawksworth occupying the slots of Kyle Lohse and Brad Penny, both on the DL.  Westbrook had been very hittable this season, but began to turn it around after the All-Star Break.  In four starts since (25.2 IP) he had a 3.86 ERA and 18:9 K:BB ratio.  He gains a good deal of value by moving to a contender and getting to work with Dave Duncan.  In his first start for the Cards, he put up the following line: 6 IP/4 H/2ER/1 BB/7 K’s.  He’s only owned in 8.3 percent of fantasy leagues (ESPN). 

NOT AS BIG, BUT STILL WINNERS

Evan Meek/Joel Hanrahan, RP, PIT – Both will see an increase in value with Dotel off to greener pastures.  They will share save opportunities going forward, but Meek has the higher ceiling.

Brett Wallace, 3B, HOU – After Lance Berkman was shipped to the Yankees, Wallace was acquired from Toronto and will be given a shot to be the everyday 1B.

John Jay, OF, STL – Jay seized the OF spot vacated when Ryan Ludwick was traded to SD.  He has a .366 BA with 45 hits in 51 games on the season.

BIG, BIG LOSERS

Jon Rauch, RP, MIN
Mr. Rauch lost most of his fantasy value when Mr. Capps was acquired.  After Joe Nathan went down for the season, Rauch stepped in and did an admirable job as the closer for the Twins.  He converted 21 out of 25 save opportunities.  However, his underlying stats were a little less than impressive–29 K/43 H in 39 IP and opponents were batting .277 against him.  For his career, Rauch has converted only 26 out of 44 save opportunities, not exactly the kind of numbers that instill confidence for a pennant-chasing team.  His ownership has plummeted from 98.8 percent to 66.5 percent (ESPN) in the last seven days and will continue to drop with every save Capps accrues.  

Octavio Dotel, RP, LA
Dotel is another closer who lost a great deal of value after he was dealt to Los Angeles to solidify the Dodgers’ bullpen.  He was able to compile a respectable number of saves—21 out of 26 opportunities for a terrible Pirates club.  In addition, Dotel posted a better than expected  48:18 K:BB ratio with 35 HA in 41 IP.  In L.A. he will have almost no chance to add to his saves total with Jonathan Broxton firmly entrenched as the Dodgers stopper.  Dotel has seen his value take a nose-dive in the last seven days, dropping from 95.6 percent ownership to 74.1 percent (ESPN). 

Jorge Cantu, 1B, TEX
As the everyday 1B for Florida, Cantu’s value was significantly higher before his trade to Texas.  With the Rangers, Cantu’s role will be reduced to starting primarily against left-handed pitching and pinch-hitting, according to the team.  It was originally thought that Cantu would provide a few starts at 2B to fill in for the injured Ian Kinsler, but that was before Texas acquired Christian Guzman for exactly that purpose.  His value surely would have increased with 2B eligibility.  However, for now Cantu will not have a major impact on fantasy rosters unless his role changes.  His ownership has dropped from 92.4 percent to 85.5 percent (ESPN) and will continue to drop as long as he’s not in the starting lineup on a regular basis.

NOT AS BIG, BUT STILL LOSERS

Kosuke Fukudome, OF, CHI – Desperately needed a change of scenery and to escape Lightnin’ Lou’s doghouse.  He’s only seen 37 AB’s in July with 2 HR/2 RBI.

Miguel Tejada, 3B/SS, SD – His offensive skills were eroding before being acquired by SD.  Now that he’s playing at the spacious Petco, you can expect even less… three hits so far in 15 AB’s for the Padres.

Kerry Wood, RP, NYY – After his trade to the Yankees, Wood’s chances of winning a ring have significantly increased, but his chances for save opportunities is zilch even if he does stay healthy.

*Written by Rosti Satanovsky exclusively for thefantasyfix.com . 
You can follow him on Facebook or Twitter@TheSportsFariah   

Who do you think is the BIGGEST WINNER or LOSER?
Leave a comment and let us know, or reply to us on twitter@TheFantasyFix

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I was at a restaurant when I saw on a nearby TV that Matt Capps was on his way to the Minnesota Twins. My first reaction was that of extreme joy as I felt that Capps wasn’t going to be traded at the deadline. Soon after I settled down, I looked at the screen closer and saw who was involved in the deal. Two names scrolled across the screen with only one that I knew.

The player that I knew, and most every Twin fan knew, was highly-touted catching prospect Wilson Ramos. Ramos was now heading off to the Washington Nationals where, conceivably, he will be behind the plate catching Stephen Strasburg fastballs for the next decade. 

As I scoured the Internet looking for any and all reaction on the trade, I was surprised to find out that a vast majority of the reaction was negative on the Twins part. What was even more surprising that most of the negative attention was coming from Minnesota blogs and articles.

I decided to wait a few days before writing a reaction on the trade. So many times it becomes too easy to quickly make a decision on something before further examining all the possibilities. 

Well, it’s been four days and one Matt Capps save since the deal was made and I am strongly in favor of it. Here’s why.

1. Jon Rauch was a serviceable closer and did a nice job, but he doesn’t have overpowering stuff, which is generally needed by a closer. Now he can slide into a seventh and eighth inning role to go along with Jesse Crain and Matt Guerrier keeping the bullpen fresh down the stretch.

2. Ramos very well may be the product of an organization hyping up a player who’s only true value to the team was as a trade chip. Think about it this way. Joe Mauer is going to be the team’s catcher for the next four to six years regardless of all the talk of him switching positions. Let’s be honest—Ramos had no future in Minnesota, leading me to my next point.

3. The time is now for the Twins. There is no new ballpark opening next year, it opened this year. The organization can no longer bank on tomorrow because tomorrow has arrived in Minnesota. General Manager Bill Smith did his job in the offseason by adding key acquisitions in Jim Thome, JJ Hardy, and Orlando Hudson. He did his job again at the trade deadline by improving the team.  

Ramos may turn into an All-Star catcher three or four years down the road, but nobody will remember that if Capps plays a key role in bringing a World Series to Minnesota. After all, sometimes you have to worry about next year when it comes and take a chance on this year, this team. 

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