Fantasy Fallout: Fiers and Gomez Traded

Jul 17, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher

(50) reacts after pitching seven innings and giving up one run against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Miller Park. The Brewers won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Wow.

The last 24 hours or so, has been quite the spectacle, as we have witnessed a trade be reneged and deadline action that has been truly unprecedented. Following the theme of trades out of nowhere and surprises, the Astros may have pulled the biggest one yet.

Houston came out of nowhere to acquire Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers, in a deal that further cements them as playoff contenders. As always, there are some key fantasy implications that are as a result of these marquee deals.

Houston sent back four minor leaguers to the Brewers, and most of those guys probably will not make a big fantasy impact in 2015, even though Domingo Santana could become fantasy relevant in the near future.

Mike Fiers has been able to solidify himself as a quality mid rotation arm over the last two seasons. While he does not overpower anyone, he has the ability to disguise his stuff with his exaggerated over the top delivery and has found success doing so.

When hearing that a pitcher is going from the NL to AL, my first inclination is to always believe that their value will take a hit based on facing the DH on a regular basis. Miller Park is one of the best hitter’s parks in the game, so moving to Houston should not be that dramatic of a move.

Fiers has been posted a sturdy 3.89 ERA, 5 wins, 121 K’s and a 9.2 SO/9. Combine that with his FIP being 3.79 and it speaks to how Fiers success is not luck induced. Fiers home ERA is 4.33, while his road ERA is a tidy 3.40. I think fantasy owners have been quite pleased with his production so far.

While I think Fiers value does take a minute hit ERA wise, I do feel that he is still is valuable fantasy wise. He should see an uptick in his win totals, and the K’s should remain consistent. Changing leagues may also be a benefit in the sense that batters are not familiar with his delivery or stuff. Fiers should be a nice addition to the Astros and fantasy owners should still be confident inserting him into their lineups.

Clearly the big fish in all of this is, Carlos Gomez. Gomez was a largely a first round pick in 2015, but has really failed to produce the stats that owners expected. His .262 AVG, 8 HR, 43 RBI, and 7 SB’s, just does not warrant the first round investment.

The bad thing of it all, is that Gomez’s dip in production has been due to nagging injuries he has battled through all year. While I am not commenting on his supposed “hip problem” that nixed his trade to the Mets, he has had to fight through wrist, leg and hip issues all year which has sapped his speed and power production. Even though the Astros have an assortment of DH options, owners should be hoping that Gomez can stay on the field with more days out of center field.

Gomez is certainly a tantalizing talent, so I am fully on board with him possibly having a great finish to the season. The Astro’s m.o. all season has been to hit bombs and steal bags, which also happens to be the exact thing Gomez is good at. I am concerned though that Gomez has been thrown out six out of thirteen times while trying to steal.

From a fantasy perspective going forward, I am banking on the move from the Brewers to ignite Gomez going forward. Gomez’s AVG at Miller Park was .239, as opposed to his .283 AVG on the road. Houston is one of the better hitter’s ballparks, for righties especially, so Gomez should be able to raise his homer total closer to what we are expecting.

I think the power numbers should come around with his move, and hopefully Gomez regains his prowess on the bases. His agent stated that Gomez is “fully healthy”, so with the Astros willing to steal at any chance they get, you would have to think he can now capitalize. Gomez’s counting stats should climb as well as he should be right in the middle of the Astros vastly improved lineup.

Hopefully for fantasy owners and Astros fans alike, this move will lead to great production. If Fiers can just simply maintain his success this year he will continue to be a quality fantasy piece, and anyone who has invested in Gomez, is certainly hoping to see a spike in his numbers.