Does The David Phelps Trade Have Any Fantasy Ramifications?
By Mike Marteny
Will David Phelps Do Anything For Your Fantasy Team In Seattle?
Jerry DiPoto isn’t afraid to make deals. We saw that all offseason. In his first deadline move, DiPoto strengthened what is already statistically the best bullpen in baseball. David Phelps will head to the northwest for a huge prospect haul for the Marlins. Here are the full details:
In Phelps, the Mariners add a guy with a 3.45 ERA to a bullpen that has a 2.65 ERA already. This seems excessive, but this is what baseball has turned into now. After Cleveland and the Cubs rode stacked bullpens all the way to the World Series, and the Yankees and Astros had success doing the same thing, stacking a stacked bullpen has become all the rage at the trade deadline.
What is the fantasy impact here though? Phelps has never closed out games, and rookie Edwin Diaz is doing just fine in that role, thank you. So why did Seattle give up so much for something they didn’t really need? Let’s look a bit closer.
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Phelps has started 64 games in his major league career, and enjoyed moderate success as a starter early in his career with the Yankees. The Mariners are dealing with an aging Felix Hernandez and two rookies, Sam Gaviglio and Andrew Moore, having mixed success in the major leagues. The Mariners need rotation help on a market where little is available. It is not out of the realm of possibility that Seattle could try stretching Phelps out for a rotation spot.
His 4.21 ERA as a starter is nothing great, but it is better than what Moore has done lately. If Phelps does enter the rotation, he would be worth a look in deeper leagues. He is already useful in leagues that count holds, and could be more so if the Mariners leave him in the bullpen.
The prize for the Marlins in this deal is Brayan Hernandez, who is hitting .252 with two homes and 15 RBI for Everett, Seattle’s class A club. Hernandez also went 2-5 in a cup of coffee for AAA Tacoma earlier this year. Hernandez likely wont have a fantasy impact until at least next year, but the Marlins have little in their farm system. If Hernandez performs well, he could rise as far as AA by the end of the season.
None of the three pitchers acquired by the Marlins have pitched above class A. Lukas Schiraldi is the son of former major leaguer Calvin Schiraldi, who was part of the 1986 Boston team that fell in the World Series. It is too early to tell what kind of return the Marlins have in these pitchers, but all of them were in the top 25 prospects in Seattle’s farm system.
While there are no immediate fantasy ramifications in this deal, the Mariners may pull a fast one by getting a starter for the price of a reliever. That may turn out well for A.L. only owners or deep league owners.
Next: Will Todd Frazier Finally Be Worth His Draft Position As A Yankee?
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