Mariners Trade For Danny Valencia: Fantasy Fallout
By Bill Pivetz
The Mariners traded for Danny Valencia in exchange for a minor-league pitcher. He will add both outfield and infield depth. What is his 2017 fantasy value?
The Seattle Mariners got on the board this offseason with an intra-division trade. With an opening in the outfield, the front office was able to fill that gap by trading for utility player Danny Valencia Saturday afternoon. With familiarity in the division and now on a better team, what is Valencia’s fantasy value in 2017?
In his seventh season, second with the Oakland Athletics, Valencia had a very good season. He played in 130 games and hit .287 with 17 home runs and 51 RBI. He also scored 72 runs with a .346 on-base percentage.
The A’s used Valencia in four different positions. He had 67 games at third base, 36 in right field, 17 at first base and six as the designated hitter. He also had one game in left field. The separation of outfield positions matter in fantasy leagues that don’t use the general outfield designation.
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Valencia will carry over both third base and outfield eligibility. He missed first base by three games, based on ESPN standards, 20 games played. He may have it in other leagues, so look at your league settings.
Moving to Seattle will create a little problem as to where Valencia will play. The team has a pretty good third baseman in Kyle Seager.
He could split time with current first baseman Dan Vogelbach, who hits lefty. Roster Resource currently lists Valencia as the team’s right fielder. I think that’s where he will spend the majority of his 2017 season, but could fill in at the corner infield positions when the starters need an off day.
Valencia will now play for his seventh team since he entered the league in 2010. Unfortunately, he hasn’t had much playing time through most of his career. If he can carve himself out a starting role in Seattle, then his average of 94 games played per season will see a nice increase.
Going back to Oakland, third baseman Ryon Healy will likely receive most of the playing time next season. Unless the A’s sign a free agent, Healy is a sleeper pick in drafts. In 72 games, he hit 13 home runs, 37 RBI and .305. He will rank inside my top-20 among third baseman.
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Valencia will pair well with Seager, Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz. He has the potential to hit 20 home runs and 75 RBI with his new team. As a third baseman, he will rank outside the top 25. As an outfielder, though, he will be in my top 40.