The Fantasy Spin On The Hot Stove

Consider the Hot Stove Season on Preheat at the moment. Typically November and the majority of December is spent developing a plan of action and identifying possible targets. But yet still the first week of the offseason wasn't void of transactions and here is the spin on what went down from November the 8th thru the 15th.

-A's acquire David DeJesus from Royals for RHP Vin Mazzaro and LHP Justin Marks. The Royals will plug Mazzaro into the rotation. Mazzaro is still developing and at 24 there could be some upside at some point however his lack of K potential and control issues suggest Mazzaro isn't anything better than a number 4 or 5 and a bad team. Marks is a project at this point and has no fantasy value this season. The change of scenery for DeJesus will likely not increase his limited fantasy value. DeJesus has never become the player many expected when he was the centerpiece of the Beltran deal many moons ago. DeJesus problem is he doesn't do anything well. His power is limited a 15HR guy at best, he doesn't have good speed once again about 15 max and his average hovers in the .290 range. The move to spacious Oakland Colosieum which I believe is now reffered to McAffe Stadium could boost this mark into the low .300's but still DeJesus is nothing more than a Free Agent pickup as a temporary roster fix.


- Edwin Encarnacion claimed by the A's. Billy Beane was at it again a day later. Encarnacion will likely replace Kevin Kouzmanoff at the Hot Corner and will provide some much needed power to the lineup. Every fantasy owner keeps waiting on Encarnacion to bust out could this be the year? Encarnacion hit 21 HR's in 367 AB last season his walk rate dipped slightly however he did manage to improve his K% by 4% from 09. Encarnacion's HR total was improved by a increase in HR/FB rate and a increased FB% so to pencil in Encarnacion for 30 with 500 AB may be a little premature. If Kouzmanoff is dealt or released and it's Encarnacions job with no platoon I could see Encarnacion approaching 30 if he could manage to stay healthy which has been a challenge up to this point. Even if Encarnacion doesn't hit the 30 total if he can manage 25 with a 260 AVG given the limited elite production at the Hot Corner you could do worse with your starting 3B. However you would be better off targeting Encarnacion as a late rd flex filler.

- Red Sox acquire Andrew Miller. Miller was part of the Miguel Cabrerra deal. Miller had some moments with the Marlins but overall his development hasn't went as expected. The move to Boston means little this season as Miller will likely spend the majority of the season working to piece back together his once promising career.

- Padres acquire Cameron Maybin from Marlins for RP's Ryan Webb and Edward Mujica. With the trading of Maybin and Miller I think it's safe to say the Cabrerra deal was a bust for the Marlins they likely would have been better off taking the draft picks. The deal is good for Maybin who will get a new start and will go to a ballpark that should play well to his strengths. Maybin isn't a big power guy so he should make a good living spraying the gaps and running the bases. First and foremost Maybin must improve his batting eye to be a every day player. Maybin has always struck out a ton even in the minors however his MLB BB% of 7.7 is about half of his minor league total which was around 15% or so. It would be a lot to ask for all of his problems to go away in one offseason but if he can show some improvement he should be able to hit in the 260 to .270 steal about 25 bases if his OBP is in the low .700's and play good defense. Another late round high ceiling selection. It will be interesting to see who the odd man out will be. Venable, Hairston and Ludwick all had some value last season. My guess is the Padres go the cheap again and non-tender Ludwick or sign and trade him.


- Reds Re-Sign Ramon Hernandez. The only reason this draws any attention is Hernanez's eligibility at C. Given that most leagues go the 2 starting C route a guy like Hernandez will likely spend some time on many roster in your league throughout the season. Hernandez is a guy that will play about 3 games a week and be somewhat productive which is all you can ask for when plugging the 2nd Catcher because of injury.

- Dodgers Re-Sign Hiroki Kuroda. Kuroda had a good season last year posting a ERA of 3.39 a K/9 of 7.29 a BB/9 of 2.20 and a WHIP of 1.16. Best part of all for Kuroda is that his underlying numbers suggest that 09 was no fluke. His xFIP of 3.57 was just slightly above his ERA total. Kuroda doesn't get himself into trouble often and although everyone would prefer a high 8 K/9 pitcher when your filling out your roster when it comes to your 7th or 8th pitcher those types are hard to come by. Kuroda's return to LA gives him a spacious ballpark to operate in and plenty of NL West lineups to work through. Expect another quality season from Kuroda who I would pencil in as a 6th or 7th pitcher however he likely won't be available at that point.


- Ryne Sandberg accepts Triple A head coaching position with Phillies. As I had stated before I wanted Ryno at the helm in Wrigley this season but for whatever reason Hendry would have none of it. I cannot blame Sandberg a bit for wanting a new start in another organization and I find it only fitting that he return to the Phillies all these years later. Assuming Manuel doesn't go the Bobby Cox route I could see Sandberg as a manager in waiting for the Phillies.