Trade Deadline Fantasy Impact: Pitchers Part 2

Jul 31, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Cole Hamels speaks with the media after being traded from the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Here is part two of the crazy week that is the trade deadline. These are the major pitching moves that I feel will having the biggest impact in all leagues.

Cole Hamels to the Texas Rangers

The Rangers traded a lot of prospects in order to get a No. 1 pitcher in their rotation. The absence of Yu Darvish has been very noticeable this season. The Rangers rank 28th in team ERA. Hamels ranks 48th in ERA among qualified pitchers, and is coming off a no-hitter last Friday.

The Rangers needed to make a big move if they wanted to make a run for the playoffs. They are four games back of the second Wild Card spot.

Hamels may lose a little value now that he will not be facing the pitcher-friendly NL East. However, the AL West isn’t much better. The Seattle Mariners are last in team batting average this month. The Rangers have 13 games remaining against Seattle. He is a pitcher to spend most, if not all, of your FAAB on if you play in an AL-only league.

Mike Leake traded to the San Francisco Giants

The Giants are another team looking to beef up their rotation heading into the final two months of the season. And they did so with this trade.

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Leake has been on fire during his last four starts, and the Giants have noticed. In his last 30 innings, Leake has given up 15 hits, two earned runs, four walks and 21 strikeouts. A 0.60 ERA and 4-0 record is amazing. The Giants are hoping he can bring this success out west.

The poor-hitting NL West should help is fantasy value for the rest of the season. If he is still available in your league, owned in just 52.3 percent in ESPN leagues, pick him up.

Mike Fiers to the Houston Astros

My colleague, Brad Kelly talked about this trade in a previous article.

My immediate reaction is that his value will take a hit. Going from the NL to AL won’t help his ERA and WHIP. However, he has pitched better on the road this season.

If you are looking for starting pitching help, Fiers is worth spending some FAAB or a top waiver pick. He will provide you with strikeouts and have a better opportunity to win games.

Alex Wood, Mat Latos traded to Los Angeles Dodgers

While these two pitchers don’t pop off the page like the others, there is some impact here. The Miami Marlins now have to open rotation spots. Jose Fernandez and Tom Koehler are the guarantees. David Phelps has been making some starts, but could lose his job. I would make a move on whomever fills in that fourth or fifth rotation spot. 

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Wood and Latos join the already-dominant Dodgers rotation. With Mike Bolsinger struggled and Brett Anderson injured, the Dodgers needed some help. Both have settled down after early season mishaps and have been great over the last two weeks, especially Latos. He has a 1.80 ERA over the last 30 days.

Both Wood and Latos are nice waiver wire pickups for the rest of the season after this trade.

David Price to the Toronto Blue Jays

This trade broke mere hours after I posted part one. The Blue Jays continue to make moves in order to win the AL East. Hours after upgrading their shortstop, they added a No. 1 pitcher to their rotation. Even though they are basically renting him for the second half of the season, Price makes a big enough difference to alter a division race.

Price now joins a division with some pretty poor pitching and bad lineups. Two AL East teams rank in the bottom five in batting average in the month of July.

Price didn’t move leagues, so you won’t be able to use your FAAB to pick him up. He is still a top-10 pitcher, now with a better team.