Texas Rangers Trade For Lucas Harrell. Will he have fantasy value now?
We knew the starting pitching was thin this year for buyers, but this is ridiculous. The Rangers pick up RHP Lucas Harrell and LHP Dario Alvarez from the Braves to help their playoff push. What makes this deal so strange? The fact that Harrell was released from AA Erie, and Alvarez was waived by the Mets……this year!
Here is how the trade plays out:
So, if you are keeping score at home, the Braves cash in on two players who weren’t on their Spring Training roster for a legitimate prospect.
The 31 year old Harrell was 2-1 with a 3.28 ERA in five stars with Erie when Detroit released him. Atlanta, desperate for pitching, picked him up. Harrell proceeded to go 2-2 with a 3.38 ERA in five major league starts. This sure looks like a fluke considering Harrell was 18-33 with a 4.84 ERA in 67 major league starts with the White Sox and Astros.
Does this mean that Harrell will suddenly have fantasy value? Don’t count on it. Harrell’s ERA in the National League is a respectable 3.70 (yes, he was with Houston when they were still a NL team). His ERA in the American League is 6.00 to go with his 7-20 record. If you picked him up riding his hot streak in Atlanta, you can likely let him go. At the very least, you should see how his first start or two go in Texas.
If you want to see the stark contrast at work, Harrell was 11-13 with a 3.70 ERA in 2011 and 2012 with Houston when they were members of the National League. In 2013, the Astros switched to the A.L., and Harrell led the league with 17 losses and had a dreadful 5.86 ERA.
The obvious loser here is Nick Martinez, who was currently the Rangers’ fifth starter. Martinez is 1-3 with a 7.18 ERA and 1.97 WHIP. Harrell should at least be a moderate improvement there. If there is a Nick Martinez out there somewhere, you can release him now.
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Alvarez was 0-1 with a 9.98 ERA for Las Vegas when the Mets waived him. The Braves expedited him to the majors after a handful of good appearances for Gwinnett. Alvarez responded with a 3-1 record and a 3.00 ERA in 16 appearances. Alvarez has racked up an awesome 28 strikeouts in just 15 innings!
Alvarez could be hitting his stride at age 27, and should be a big boost to the Rangers bullpen. Alvarez has value in all leagues, especially ones that count holds or K/9 ratio. Who can’t use all of those strikeouts? Especially if your league has a weekly or yearly start limit. The chances of him keeping up his current stats are much higher than Harrell’s.
21 year old Travis Demeritte was a first round pick of the Rangers in 2013, but5 has largely struggled in the minors. He was hitting a respectable .272 for high-A High Desert of the California League wtih 25 home runs, 59 RBI, and 13 steals.
Demeritte has always had good power, it was his ability to hit for average that concerned the Rangers. Also, he is blocked at the major league level long term by Rougned Odor and Jurickson Profar. Still, you would think they could have done better than they did for someone with Demeritte’s power potential. He has 59 home runs in 298 minor leauge games. His .244 career average – all at the class A level – does leave something to be desired. If Demerrite has fantasy value, it wont be for a couple of years. Those of you in dynasty leagues may want to stash him. He could make it up with the Braves as early as next September if he keeps progressing.
Next: Will Aroldis Chapman's Fantasy Value Increase With The Cubs?
Stay tuned to Fantasy CPR for the impact of all of the deadline deals!