What Will Francisco Liriano’s Fantasy Value Be In Toronto?
By Mike Marteny
Toronto adds Francisco Liriano to assist in keeping Aaron Sanchez’s innings down.
The Blue Jays acquired veteran left hander Francisco Liriano from the Pittsburgh Pirates to help bolster their rotation. Liriano was 6-11 with a 5.46 ERA at the time of the deal. This is his worst season since 2009 when he went 5-13 with a 5.80 ERA for the Twins. Here is what the Jays gave up to get him:
Liriano has a 4.26 career ERA at Rogers Centre in two starts. His arrival will likely result in Aaron Sanchez, the A.L. ERA leader, being sent to the bullpen. Sanchez will still make his scheduled start on Friday, but the Jays will likely limit his innings when they can. The 24 year old is 11-1 with a 2.71 ERA in 21 starts. Right now, he is at 139.1 innings pitched. There is no set “cap” for innings as of right now, but Sanchez has never thrown more than 133 innings in any previous season. The club reportedly wants to keep him around 175-180 for the season, including the post season. If the Jays make a long post season run like they hope, they are going to need Sanchez in some capacity.
It make sense for the Jays to have Liriano as an insurance policy. Marcus Stroman has been anything but consistent this year, and the veteran Liriano has a 3.48 postseason ERA. That is the kind of experience the Blue Jays need come October.
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If you were relying on Liriano anyway, you might as well keep rolling with him. In most leagues, he is nothing more than a streaming option though. You Sanchez owners have known this was coming for a while now. In redraft leagues you can still keep him around. He will still be a valuable asset for K’s and ERA, and he wont count against your start limit if you have one.
It’s hard to believe that Drew Hutchison is only 25 years old. It seems like he has been around for a while. Well, he has. He made his major league debut in 2012 at the age of 21. He has started 73 games in the major leagues since and has struggled to a 4.92 ERA. However, he was 6-5 with a 3.26 ERA in 18 starts for AAA Buffalo. He should replace Jeff Locke in the Pittsburgh rotation. If you were counting on Locke, well, I will just assume you weren’t in contention anyway. Hutchison is worth an add in leagues of 12 or more teams. He should be able to help most of our teams.
21 year old Reese McGuire was the 14th pick of the 2013 draft. He was hitting .259 with a homer and 37 RBI at AA Altoona at the time of the trade. McGuire has always been highly regarded for his defense. Even when he gets the call to the majors in a year or two, he wont have a fantasy impact.
21 year old Harold Ramirez was ranked in most top 100 prospect lists prior to the season. He was hitting .306 with two homers, 49 RBI, and seven steals for AA Altoona. He is likely a year or two away from Toronto, but those of you in dynasty formats may want to take notice. He isn’t blocked with the Jays like he was in Pittsburgh.
Next: What Is The Impact Of Josh Reddick In Los Angeles?
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