Transaction Analysis: Ray of Light Goes Dark

Transaction Analysis: Ray of Light Goes Dark

This article is part of our Transaction Analysis series.

Here's a look at some of the most noteworthy comings and goings throughout baseball this week as the trade deadline passed.

SUNDAY

Angels

Albert Pujols, DH/1B - placed on the 15-day DL (left foot)
Kole Calhoun, OF - recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake

Impact: Pujols could miss the rest of the season as he recovers from a torn plantar fascia in his left foot. The star designated hitter/first baseman has dealt with plantar fasciitis all season, and his numbers were well off his career norms. He leaves behind a .258 average, 17 home runs and 64 RBI through 99 games. Calhoun hit .354 with 12 home runs and 49 RBI in 59 games at Triple-A this year, and could have some mixed league value if he gets regular at-bats.

Yankees

Derek Jeter, SS - activated from the 15-day DL
Travis Hafner, DH - placed on the 15-day DL (right shoulder)

Impact: Jeter's season didn't get under way until July 11, due to a fractured left ankle that required surgery. He appeared in just one game before straining his right quad, an injury that landed him back on the DL. He's back again, and the Yankees and his fantasy owners are hoping he'll stick around longer this time. He hit .316 with 15 homers last year, so there's no reason to think that he can't be a productive fantasy asset if he stays healthy. Hafner is having a rather disappointing season, hitting just .205 with 12 home

Here's a look at some of the most noteworthy comings and goings throughout baseball this week as the trade deadline passed.

SUNDAY

Angels

Albert Pujols, DH/1B - placed on the 15-day DL (left foot)
Kole Calhoun, OF - recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake

Impact: Pujols could miss the rest of the season as he recovers from a torn plantar fascia in his left foot. The star designated hitter/first baseman has dealt with plantar fasciitis all season, and his numbers were well off his career norms. He leaves behind a .258 average, 17 home runs and 64 RBI through 99 games. Calhoun hit .354 with 12 home runs and 49 RBI in 59 games at Triple-A this year, and could have some mixed league value if he gets regular at-bats.

Yankees

Derek Jeter, SS - activated from the 15-day DL
Travis Hafner, DH - placed on the 15-day DL (right shoulder)

Impact: Jeter's season didn't get under way until July 11, due to a fractured left ankle that required surgery. He appeared in just one game before straining his right quad, an injury that landed him back on the DL. He's back again, and the Yankees and his fantasy owners are hoping he'll stick around longer this time. He hit .316 with 15 homers last year, so there's no reason to think that he can't be a productive fantasy asset if he stays healthy. Hafner is having a rather disappointing season, hitting just .205 with 12 home runs and 37 RBI in 81 games. He'll miss at least a couple weeks with a strained right shoulder, and the Yankees likely will rotate players in the DH spot while he's sidelined.

MONDAY

Mariners

Michael Morse, OF - activated from the 15-day DL
Jason Bay, OF - designated for assignment

Impact: Morse ended up missing more than a month with a strained right quadriceps. He has shown an ability to hit the long ball over his career, and his .290 career average only helps his fantasy value. He should get regular playing time as long as he stays healthy. Bay hit .204 through 68 games with the Mariners this year, though he did manage to hit 11 long balls.

TUESDAY

Athletics

Alberto Callaspo, IF - acquired from Los Angeles Angels for 2B Grant Green

Impact: Callaspo will serve as the A's regular second baseman after being acquired from the Angels. He hit .252 with five home runs and 36 RBI over 86 games for Los Angeles, so his chances of helping out a fantasy team seem limited in most leagues. Green made an awful first impression this season, going 0-for-15 with three errors in five games, though his minor league numbers show upside. He'll get some more seasoning in the minors, for now.

Red Sox

Jake Peavy, RHP - acquired from the White Sox in a three-team deal

Impact: The Red Sox, White Sox and Tigers pulled off a deal that sent Peavy and reliever Brayan Villarreal to Boston, outfielder Avisail Garcia and three prospects to Chicago and shortstop Jose Iglesias to Detroit. Peavy has dealt with his fair share of injuries in recent years, and he missed about a month and a half this year with a fractured rib. Still, he has performed fairly well when healthy, as he joins the Red Sox sporting an 8-4 record, 4.28 ERA and 8.55 strikeout rate this year. Iglesias could get regular playing time in Detroit if Jhonny Peralta is suspended as expected as part of the Biogenesis investigation. The 23-year-old shortstop has been swinging a hot bat so far this year, as he owns a .330 average through 63 games. However, his minor league numbers would suggest he's extremely unlikely to maintain that average over the remainder of the season. The remaining players in the deal were shipped to the minors.

WEDNESDAY

Brewers

Yovani Gallardo, RHP - placed on the 15-day DL (left hamstring)
Scooter Gennett, IF - recalled from Triple-A Nashville

Impact: Gallardo will miss at least a couple weeks as he rests his strained left hamstring. The 27-year-old righty is having an off-year by his standards, as his 4.91 ERA is more than a full earned run per nine innings higher than his career average of 3.79. He leaves behind an 8-9 record and a career-low 7.08 strikeout rate. Tyler Thornburg takes over Gallardo's spot in the rotation, but is a risky fantasy option due to fact that he went 0-9 with a 5.79 ERA in 15 starts at Triple-A this season. Gennett had just been sent down after serving as the team's 26th man during Tuesday's doubleheader and shouldn't be fantasy relevant.

Cardinals

Yadier Molina, C - placed on the 15-day DL (right knee)

Impact: The Cards are optimistic that Molina won't need much more than a couple weeks to recover from his sprained right knee. The All-Star catcher is having yet another good season offensively, as he's seen his batting average increase for the third year in a row to a career-high .330. Tony Cruz should get most of the starts behind the plate in Molina's absence but isn't likely to have much value outside deep NL-only leagues. Rob Johnson had been the team's third catcher but will now serve as the primary backup to Cruz.

Orioles

Jason Hammel, RHP - placed on the 15-day DL (right forearm)
Bud Norris, RHP - acquired from Houston for OF L.J. Hoes, LHP Josh Hader and a competitive balance pick

Impact: Although the O's lost a key member of their starting rotation Wednesday, they're no worse off after picking up Norris from Houston. Hammel's numbers this year have not been good, as he owns a 7-8 record and a 5.20 ERA through 21 starts. He's dealing with some soreness in his right forearm, so he'll get some time off to recuperate. Norris slides into the vacant rotation spot sporting a 6-9 mark with a 3.93 ERA and appears to be an improvement over Hammel. Hoes should see a significant playing time in Houston's outfield and could have some value in AL-only leagues. Hader provides Houston's minor league system with some additional starting pitching depth.

Padres

Ian Kennedy, RHP - acquired from Arizona for LHP Joe Thatcher, RHP Matt Stites and a competitive balance round B draft pick

Impact: Kennedy had a rough time in Arizona this year, so hopefully a change of scenery will help him turn his season around. He joins the Padres with a woeful 3-8 record and a 5.23 ERA, but pitching in San Diego's pitcher-friendly ballpark can only work in his favor. In exchange for Kennedy, the D-Backs got a quality situational lefty in Thatcher, who was 3-1 with a 2.10 ERA in 50 appearances for San Diego this year. Stites will serve as organizational depth.

Rays

Matt Moore, LHP - placed on the 15-day DL (left elbow)
Ryan Roberts, IF - recalled from Triple-A Durham

Impact: Moore has been on fire this season, going 14-3 with a 3.41 ERA over 21 starts. An MRI revealed no structural damage to his sore left elbow, so he shouldn't miss much more than the minimum 15 days. Jake Odorizzi would appear the most likely candidate to fill the vacant rotation spot, though he's probably not worth taking a chance on in the majority of fantasy leagues. Roberts returns to a .248 average, five home runs and 17 RBI through 51 games and shouldn't have much fantasy relevance.

THURSDAY

Diamondbacks

Miguel Montero, C - placed on the 15-day DL (lower back)
Zeke Spruill, RHP - recalled from Triple-A Reno

Impact: The D-Backs' catcher will miss some time as he deals with a strained lower back. Montero has been dreadful at the plate this year, hitting just .228 with nine homers and 34 RBI over 92 games. Wil Nieves should handle the bulk of the catching duties in the meantime, but he appears unlikely to help a fantasy team despite his impressive showing at the plate so far this year. Zeke Spruill will occupy the rotation spot vacated by Ian Kennedy, but he's probably best avoided in most fantasy leagues.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ryan Arbour
Arbour writes the weekly Transactions article for RotoWire. He also enjoys creating his own projections and statistical analysis each winter for the upcoming season. In his spare time, Arbour roots for the Blue Jays from north of the border.
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