Fantasy Baseball: Will A Move Back To The A.L. Help Trevor Cahill?
By Mike Marteny
Fantasy Baseball: Will A Move Back To The A.L. Help Trevor Cahill?
The Kansas City Royals grabbed a starter in Trevor Cahill and grabbed two crucial bullpen pieces in a deal with the Padres. Anyone with a listener was saying that the Royals should sell six weeks ago. Instead the Royals are buying and making another run. Here are the full details of the deal:
The Royals will pay Wood’s salary for each of the next two years as consideration in this deal.
The key piece of this deal is Cahill. He is 4-3 with a 3.69 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 61 innings for the Padres this year. Moving to Kansas City likely wont help his ERA. Cahill had a 0.72 ERA at Petco Park and a 5.75 ERA everywhere else. Now for the worse news: Cahill has a 8.49 career ERA at Kaufmann Stadium. At least it is only two starts!
Cahill started his career in Oakland, and played there for three years. He compiled a 40-35 record with a 3.91 ERA in his career in Oakland. Cahill has been in the National League since 2012.
For those of you that were hanging on to Cahill for streaming purposes, myself included, he can safely be dropped. Be sure to keep an eye on what he does early on in Kansas City since that is one of the more pitcher-friendly venues in the American League. However, Cahill does have seven or more strikeouts in eight of his 11 starts, so if you really need the strikeouts, hang on to him unless he struggles.
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The immediate loser in this is deal is Brandon Maurer and his owners. Maurer saved 20 games in 23 chances for the Padres this year, but had a disappointing 5.72 ERA. He will be asked to pitch in the seventh or eighth inning for the Royals, which only makes him relevant in leagues that count holds. Even then, his high ERA means that you can likely find holds without hurting your ratios elsewhere.
The winner here is Brad Hand, who will take over the closing duties for the Padres. Hand is widely owned already because of his stellar 2.12 ERA and 1.00 WHIP. However, if he is available in your league, pick him up immediately. Hand will give you better ratios that nearly half the closers out there.
Ryan Buchter will continue as a lefty specialist out of the Royals bullpen. He posted a 3.05 ERA in 42 appearances this year and has a 2.90 career ERA in 110 appearances. Buchter has racked up 35 holds over the last two years, so if you are in need of holds, Buchter could be a solid option since he should be handed more leads in his new home.
Travis Wood will immediately join the Padres rotation. He struggled with the Royals this year, posting a 6.91 ERA in 28 appearances (three starts) this season. However, prior to this season, Wood posted an ERA under 4 in four different seasons, all in the National League. Wood owns a 2.54 ERA in six appearances at Petco Park in his career. For those of you that need pitching help in leagues of 12 or more teams, Wood is worth a look in his new home.
Matt Strahm could help the Padres rotation should Dinelson Lamet continue to struggle. For now he will likely pitch out of the bullpen. Should he join the rotation later this year, Strahm could be worth a look in home starts.
The Padres also picked up 18 year old second baseman Estuery Ruiz. Ruiz is tearing apart the rookie league, hitting .404 with three homers, ten steals, and 23 RBI in 22 games this year. He may have a fantasy impact at some point, but that is likely at least three years away.
Next: Can Todd Frazier Save His Season With The Yankees?
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