MLB Winter Meetings: Fantasy Take of Final Day in Orlando

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

The final day of the MLB Winter Meetings seemed to go very much like the last day of a vacation — not much action happened. The stuff that did happen appears to be fairly minor with basically no impact to fantasy baseball. I guess people were too busy packing and catching their planes. Makes sense.

It doesn’t mean that there’s nothing to talk about, though. So, without further ado.

• Still no home for Choo or Cruz

I’m having a really hard time getting a good sense of where Shin-Soo Choo and Nelson Cruz will end up. So many teams have been brought up and dismissed in different conversations that I don’t really know how anyone would forecast it.

Well, Bob Nightengale of USA Today has heard one team mentioned for Choo.

That’s hardly imminent but wow, I certainly wouldn’t expect that. Having said that, I actually wouldn’t hate that from a fantasy perspective. You certainly have to hand it to the Houston Astros. I don’t know what kind of team they’ll be in 2014, but they have been a big player this offseason.

Richard Durrett of ESPN Dallas feels that the Texas Rangers are still in play for both Choo and Cruz.

"The meetings ended with Choo and Nelson Cruz still on the market. If you’re the Rangers, that’s a good thing. The longer it takes either one to sign, the more likely the price gets lowered to a range the club is comfortable doing."

• Ike to Milwaukee?

Via Ken Davidoff, New York Post

Fantasy Take: I don’t like that .219 batting average that Ike Davis has posted over the last two years with the New York Mets. Call me a stickler, but that needs to improve.

Having said that, I’d like his potential power with the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. Remember, Davis will be 27 on Opening Day, and should be entering his prime years as a hitter. Don’t go out and draft him or anything like that unless you’re in 14-team league or bigger with a CI spot. But, do remember that a change of scenery is important for people sometimes, especially people who’ve been on a big market team that hasn’t contended.

• Morse will be a Giant

Via Andrew Baggarly, CSN Bay Area

Fantasy Take: Right now, very little. Mike Morse had a pretty rough year in 2013 and he needs to stay healthy before anyone can even think about him as a viable fantasy option. But remember, he did post a fantasy stat-line of 73 runs, 31 homers, 95 RBI, 2 steals, and a .303 average in 2011. He’s also got a career .316/.435/.632 slash line at AT&T Park, and that’s been exclusively against a normally very competent San Francisco Giants pitching rotation.

If he hits well early and of course, stays healthy, don’t let what happened in 2013 completely cloud your judgment.

Now, there’s another potential fallout from this. Let’s say he hits well but can’t handle the outfield. The Giants could move him to first, and put the younger, more athletic Brandon Belt in left field, which would give Belt outfield eligibility. Again, we’re not dealing with major fantasy impact, but these little things do make a difference as the season progresses.

Right now, the move means very little but it’s a situation to keep an eye on as the season gets a little closer.

• Big News of the Day

Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports is reporting that two agents got into a physical altercation in the parking lot. Glorious, glorious news. If you watch the video at the link closely, you can kind of see the whole thing taking place.

There is absolutely no way to top that. So, we’re not going to try.