* Diamondbacks sign Jason Kubel. Kubel doesn't bring much excitement to the table but he is a solid late round option. Kubel is a good bet to hit in the .270's with 20+ HR's his run production totals will determine his value this season. The DBacks should have a very solid lineup this season and I project Kubel hitting around the 7th hole in the lineup making a run production total of 165 a difficult task. Target Kubel in the second half of the draft knowing he won't win you a title but at the same time you won't be disappointed.
* Rockies sign Casey Blake. Blake heads into camp as the favorite to earn the most AB's at 3B this season. Nothing will excite you about Blake at his best he is a .280 hitter with 15-20 HR and a run total around 140. Even with the shallow 3B pool he is still only targeted in deep mixed and NL only leagues at this point in his career. Blake won't be a everyday play for sure and with his contract not being guaranteed Blake could return to the Free Agent pool if he opens Spring with a case of the Isucks.
* Royals sign Yuniesky Betancourt. Finally the Dodgers passed on a unspectacular MI option. For most of his career Betancourt has been considered by many the worst everyday player in the game making his road to Cooperstown rather treacherous. Betancourt returns to the former place where he stank up the joint and will battle other limited talent Chris Jetz and prospect Johnny Giavotella for IF playing time. It's December and you are in a battle with Chris Jetz for playing time. That tells you all you need to know about Betancourts Fantasy value heading into 2012.
* Cubs send Sean Marshall to Reds for Travis Wood, Dave Sappelt, Ronald Torreyes. Marshall provides the Reds with their only reliable late inning option at this point in the offseason. Assuming Chapman is forced into the rotation Marshall could find himself closing out games if the Redlegs are unable to sign anyone. Even without the closing gig Marshall is certainly worth a roster spot in NL only leagues as well as deeper mixed leagues. Wood will likely land a back of the rotation spot for the Cubs and could be a nice late round flyer in standard mixed leagues. Although I must warn owners his FB tendency may be a timebomb waiting to explode at Wrigley. Neither Sappelt nor Torreyes provide any Fantasy Value at this point as Sappelt seems to be a fourth OF type at this point while Torreyes is only 19. From a real life standpoint I love the deal for the Cubs who deal a 7th/8th inning guy who is a Free Agent at seasons end for a Marshall clone who is 5 years younger and under team control for thru 2015 plus two Top 25 prospects from a division rival. Theo 2-0 on Burt's score sheet.
* Nationals sign Mark DeRosa. Four years ago Mark DeRosa was Michael Cuddyer, a versatile C level talent who's position flexibility made him a B level selection. DeRosa's career has took a downward spiral since then as injuris have essentially robbed him of two complete seasons. Now DeRosa will serve as the Nationals number one bench option. With the IF featuring up and coming talent and the corner OF spots featuring the Nationals best offensive players it could be difficult for DeRosa to get more than two starts per week.
* Twins sign Jason Marquis. Some players value increases and decreases with changes in leagues and venues but not Jason Marquis. It's not that his talents cannot be contained it's simply his makeup that makes him a +4.00 ERA option who eats up 150+ innings every year. Marquis has been effected by injuries each of the past two seasons but when healthy he is a great back end of the real life rotation option. For Fantasy owners regardless of league Marquis is back end of the brain option that should be ignored on draft day and likely rostered 5 times for those streames out there in hopes Marquis pitches his occasion 7 inning gem.
* Nationals send AJ Cole, Brad Peacock, Tom Milone, and Derek Norris to A's for Gio Gonzalez. The obvious headliner is Gonzalez who is a B level pitcher bringing A level talent in loot to the A's. You've got to love the K potential with Gonzalez but with over 500 MLB inning under his belt will he ever be better than a 3.75 BB/9pitcher? Much of his recent success has come form pitching in spacious Oakland Colosieum where his ERA has been over a run better than on the road the last two seasons. History suggest the move to the NL should favor Gonzalez but anyone expecting even a solid #2 Fantasy option will be disappointed. From a Fantasy perspective the A's didn't get much in return for the 2012 season as perhaps only Milone has a shot to break camp with any significant role and his ceiling is certainly the lowest of the 4. From a real life standpoint the A's received a substantial haul with Cole, Peacock, and Norris all among the Nationals Top 10 prospects. With a good start to the season Peacock could certainly be a interesting name to follow should a rotation spot open up.
* Cardinals sign Carlos Beltran. Optimistic Cardinal Fan: " Sure we lost Pujols but Berkman can slide over to first, we add Beltran to the OF, giving us a better defensive OF that absorbs nearly everything that Pujols took away." Realistic Observer: " The Cardinals are putting a lot of faith and finances in two oft injured players who prior to last season no one wanted. Berkman will be closer to the 2010 version than the 2011 and Beltran will have 3 seperate DL stints limiting his value." Beltran is a fine player who should be counted on for 20 HR's with a .285 AVG but he will be drafted at a point where those numbers bring you no value.
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