There has been a flurry of moves the past few days, so let’s take a look at the fantasy implications: 

 

Javier Vazquez signs with the Florida Marlins

This is the biggest move of the past few days.  After struggling mightily in the AL East (5.32 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 6.9 K/9), he returns to the NL East.  Let’s not forget, in 2009 while with the Braves, Vazquez put up Cy Young-esque numbers (2.87 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 9.8 K/9).

It’s easy to expect an improvement just from escaping the new Yankees Stadium, though it’s not like he only struggled at home in 2010 (5.29 ERA at home and 5.34 ERA on the road).  He was simply bad, there’s no other way to put it. 

The most important thing to look at isn’t his peripherals, considering his BABIP (.276) and strand rate (71.9 percent) were both realistic numbers.  The problem was that he seemingly lost his fastball.  Just look at his average fastball over the past four years:

  • 2007 – 91.8 mph
  • 2008 – 91.7 mph
  • 2009 – 91.1 mph
  • 2010 – 88.7 mph

That is a huge drop-off and easily helps to explain the dramatic falloff in strikeouts.  He also had a huge loss in his control, with a 1.8 BB/9 in 2009 to a 3.7 BB/9 in 2010.  Granted, his 2009 mark was a career best, but he had not posted a mark worse than 2.6 since 2000. 

We can easily expect for him to improve with the move back to the NL, but the velocity is another problem altogether.  If he doesn’t get it back, he likely won’t be able to return to the days of a K/9 of at least 8.0, meaning his value is just not going to come back as much as fantasy owners hope. 

His new location certainly makes him a better player to take a flier on, but he is far from a lock to rebound.  I wouldn’t overdraft him based on the transition.  He remains a late round flier at this point. 

 

Juan Uribe signs with the Los Angeles Dodgers

After hitting .248 with 24 HR, 85 RBI and 64 R, Uribe leaves the Giants for their division rivals.  The first thing that jumps out is his average, which we would’ve expected him to improve upon regardless of where he signed. 

He actually improved his strikeout rate (17.7 percent) but suffered from extremely poor luck (.256 BABIP).  He’s had struggles there in the past, so while it isn’t a lock that he improves, you would have to expect him to be at least a little bit better.

While the majority of his struggles did come on the road (.215 average), it’s hard to read too much into that.  In 2010, he hit .258 with 3 HR, 9 RBI and 4 R at Dodgers Stadium.

What may be most appealing is that he joins a lineup with more offensive punch.  With Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and Co., there should be plenty of opportunities for Uribe to continue to produce. 

He is likely to play 2B, meaning he may lose his SS eligibility long-term (though, does anyone expect Rafael Furcal to remain healthy).  It’s worth keeping in mind but shouldn’t sway his value in 2011 (as he will have eligibility there).

He was a low-end option to begin with and should remain as one now. 

 

Miguel Tejada signs with the San Francisco Giants

It didn’t take long for the Giants to find a replacement for Uribe, at least at some level.  It’s possible that Tejada plays 3B, depending on their stance on Pablo Sandoval, but that would still leave a void at SS.

Does the move change his fantasy value?  Not really.  His power is diminishing (I can’t put too much stock in his eight home runs after the trade to San Diego), he has no speed and is likely to hit for a good, not great, average. 

Just leave him valued the same as you would’ve. 

 

Yorvit Torrealba signs with the Texas Rangers

His presence in Texas likely means the end of Bengie Molina’s tenure there.  Taylor Teagarden and Max Ramirez will likely get looks as well but will likely be more of the backups.

Even if Torrealba does get the bulk of the at-bats, he has a career .257 average with no power (he’s never hit more than 8 HR in a season).  At this point, Texas catchers are not worth owning, even in two-catcher formats. 

 

Ryan Theriot is traded to the St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals needed help in the middle infield and Theriot is a nice fit.  If he finds himself hitting at the top of the Cardinals order, he gets a huge boost in value. 

He has a career OBP of .348 and certainly could push 90+ runs scored with Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday hitting behind him.

Couple that with a little bit of speed (20+ stolen bases each of the past four years) and you get a player with value in deeper formats. 

He has little to no power, which hurts his overall appeal, but don’t rule him out because of it.  A solid average, runs scored and stolen bases…you could do worse in deeper formats.

What are your thoughts on these moves?  Whose value increases?  Whose doesn’t?

Make sure to check out our early 2011 rankings:

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