The Fantasy Spin On The Hot Stove

MLB Signings and Trades From 11/21 thru 11/30

* Diamondbacks acquire Zach Duke from Pirates for PTBNL. Duke's once promising career has never come to fruition. A move away from Pittsburgh should improve his psyche however it likely won't improve his low K total which limits his success. Duke is nothing more than a matchup guy and even that is a risky proposition.

* Detroit Tigers sign Victor Martinez. The biggest free agent pickup thus far. Martinez's fantasy value is based on his C eligibility and that is still intact heading into 2011 however beyond that is in doubt. Martinez will likely DH more often than not which should lower the injury concerns. Martinez is a solid .290-.310 hitter with 20-25 HR potential. Martinez will likely bat fourth behind Cabrerra which should make him a threat to approach 100 RBI. No underlying numbers indicate a significant dropoff for 2011. One concern a owner could have is Martinez's struggles at Comerica Park. In 196 PA Martinez has a .225 AVG, .671 OPS and 4 HR. Maritnez will be selected within the first three rounds of the 2011 draft. From a pure numbers standpoint he won't bring back that type of return but if you support position scarcity then Martinez is a lock for Top 5 catcher barring injury.

* Giants re-sign Aubrey Huff. Huff was a Free Agent pickup last season who likely played a big part in many championship seasons. Huff's slash line of .290/26/86/100/.891 is worthy of a Top 50 Ranking. The question is with such a sporadic production history what is the chances of a repeat? Most underlying numbers would indicate 2010 wasn't a fluke. Huff made huge strides in BB% last season and typically this is more of a skill indicator than luck. Huff posted a 12.4% mark last season up from his career mark of 8.8%. Assuming this total stays closer to his 2010 mark Huff should be a legit OPS contributor and given his lineup spot another 100 RBI season could be in the works. Huff did increase his HR/FB rate by 5% in comparison to the 2009 campaign however his 14.4% mark is more the norm for Huff than the low 9.9 mark of 2009. Huff will likely slide in most leagues because of his lack of name power however look for Huff to once again produce at a Top 75 level. I would target as a CI but if 1B goes quickly don't feel bad if your first option is Huff.

* Dodgers sign Jon Garland. Garland's 2010 season looks good 14 Wins with a 3.47ERA with a 1.32 WHIP, these totals make Garland a worthy rotation option to many however I warn you stay away. Garland improved his biggest weakness last season by improving his K rate by 2.5 K per 9 innings however his BB rate increased and his K/BB mark of 1.56 was his second highest mark over his last five years. Garland benefited from a low BABIP of .267 and a High LOB % of 75.9%. All said Garland's FIP of 4.41 was nearly a full run higher than his actual ERA. Garland will likely be drafted as a rotation filler however your better of choosing a alternative option. If you want Garland that bad give it some time and you will find him on a waiver wire near you.

* Marlins sign Javier Vazquez. On a baseball note the Marlins are going to be a tough out if they can find some offense. Josh Johnson, Ricky Nolasco, Javier Vazquez and Anibal Sanchez will no doubt lead the league in K's and could make the Marlins a under the radar playoff team. From a fantasy perspective the move to the NL could make Vazquez a elite option once again. The biggest issue in the miserable 2010 campaign for Vazquez was his decrease in K and increase in BB. Vazquez's K/9 of 6.92 was his lowest since 04(his first stint with the Yankees)and his BB/9 rate of 3.72 was a career high. Assuming Vazquez is healthy I see both of these numbers closer to his career marks of 8.07 and 2.42. Vazquez isn't likely to reproduce at his 2009 level however given his K potential I can see Vazquez returning number 2 type production at a number 5 price.

* Rangers sign Yorvit Torrealba. Not much to get excited about here. Torrealba became the number 1 catcher down the stretch for the Padres last season and posted a respectable .271 AVG. which was likely assisted by a .321 BABIP. Torrealba is more of a .250-.260 hitter who could produce 12-15 HR playing in the Ballpark in Arlington. Torrealba will likely have the biggest piece of a 3 Catcher pie over Max Ramirez and Taylor Teagarden if either could develop into more of a complete offensive player Torrealba could easily lose AB's. Torrealba will be selected as he should be, a number 2 Catcher in the final two rounds of the draft.

* Dodgers sign Juan Uribe. This seems to be more about him not playing for the Giants than wanting him with the Dodgers. It's not often a SS eligible player can hit 24 HR and fly mostly under the radar. Uribe had a very solid 2010 posting a .248/24/62/73/.750 statline for the Giants. Looking ahead to 2011 Uribe's biggest fantasy value is his flexibility Uribe will be eligible in most formats (15-20 Game Minimum) at 2B, SS and 3B. Given Uribe's poor plate discipline, he is susceptible to slumps however his low BABIP from 2010 suggest Uribe should approach a .260-.270 AVG this season and once again he should approach the 20-25 HR totals. Uribe will likely bat in the bottom half of the Dodgers lineup but with Kemp, Ethier and Loney all hitting in front of him Uribe could have a 80 RBI season in him. Should be targeted as a MI option however he is serviceable as your 2B or SS.

* Rockies re-sign Jorge De Le Rosa. His 2010 doesn't look spectacular on paper, 8 Wins a 4.22 ERA to go with a 1.32 WHIP however De La Rosa was perhaps the second or third best pitcher on the market this offseason. De La Rosa is a power guy with a K/9 of 8.36 however De La Rosa's biggest issue is his lack of control with a BB/9 4.07. If De La Rosa could maintain a BB/9 in the low 3's he would be a ace in the making. Even with the high BB/9 De La Rosa had a xFIP below 4 at 3.77. De La Rosa is the type of pitcher worth taking a chance on. The problem is most owners will likely be thinking the same thing so come draft day De La Rosa will likely go about 2 to 3 rounds higher than he should. So prior to draft day determine how much you want him and be willing to pay the inflated price, hopefully your expectations will be meet.

* Rockies extend Troy Tulowitzki for another six years. No need to evaluate a first round selection. I just don't understand why more teams don't work contracts such as these. Sure there is a significant risk associated with it but if Tulo remains healthy they will get his services at a discount rate for 9 seasons. Small market teams can compete with the Yankees/Red Sox and such they just have to think outside of the box upon occasion and have less room for error and moves such as this should be mandated.

* Cardinals acquire Ryan Theriot from Dodgers for Blake Hawksworth. Unless you have a roster spot for a ground ball inducing Relief pitcher we'll leave the Hawksworth breakdown for another post. Theriot on the other hand provides some fantasy value besides those created by my wife. The former Cub heads to St. Louis and will serve as the everyday SS or 2B depending on what the Cardinals do the rest of the offseason. Theriot isn't a superstar but he will provide you with dual eligibility (SS,2B) he won't hurt you with AVG, likely posting a mark between .270-.285 and he is a threat to swipe 25 bags. Theriot shouldn't be penciled in as a starting SS or 2B but he is a serviceable MI option however if you are penciling him in as a UTILITY your likely to find a better option on the open market.

* Giants sign Miguel Tejada. At this point it appears that Tejada will be the everyday SS (why not just re-sign Renteria) however if the Kung-Fu Panda shows up fat and lazy Tejada could see time at 3B. Regardless Tejada has dual eligibility (3B,SS) next season. Tejada posted a Statline of .269/15/71/71/.693 not exactly something to be proud of. Outside of a low BABIP of .280 last season there is nothing to suggest a major turnaround next season. Tejada is likely a .280 hitter with 15 HR power and his spot in the batting order will determine his Run Production numbers. Stop me if you have heard this before, _____________ is nothing more than a MI option. In this case fill in the blank with Tejada and hold off until the final two rounds before doing so.