Fantasy Update: The Beltran Deal
By Mr Opposite
Now that the huge Beltran deal has occurred, I thought I would spell out to fantasy owners what this means for your teams:
Astros� RP Brad Lidge moves into the closing role:
If Lidge is still available (chances are he's not) pick him up while you can. He is still on track for over 150 K's on the season, which is just amazing. Only a handful of starters get that amount and, because of that, you should have already had him. He will still be getting the same amount of save ops that Dotel would get, and he will blow a couple, but his fantasy value skyrockets.
RP Octavio Dotel closes for The A's:
Dotel's value also goes up. He will get a lot more save ops than he would in Houston, he will still have the same conversion rate, and he will get over 120 K's. The obvious doubt is there, because the transition to the AL may not be smooth. He has some hard pitches to catch and Damian Miller is nowhere near as good as Ausmus when it comes to that, so I predict a lot more wild pitches. Still, his value does go up.
Carlos Beltran is now playing in "The Juice-Box":
This is great news for Beltran owners as he now has some very good protection in the line-up, the short porch in left and more people to drive in. I am expecting his numbers to increase a lot. His steals may also go up, but that depends on Astros Manager Jimy Williams, known in fantasy circles as "The Devil" for his inconsistent game management. Now because of all the rest of the power, he may not be stealing, but it is no secret that Houston is not the speediest team in the majors.
Astros� RP Dan Miceli moves into the set-up role:
If you are in a league that counts hold, you should already have him, but know he moves into the set-up role and will get a lot more playing time, a lot more holds and most important, more K's. If he keeps on track, he will get over 100 K's for the season.
Bad news for whoever makes way for Astros� CF Craig Biggio:
It is most likely going to be Jason Lane, RF, as Biggio moves into left and Lance Berkman, CF, makes his way to right. If this is the case it is a shame, as he was just getting into his stride. He'll have to wait until next year.
All in all, this trade is great news for fantasy owners. All players are moving into a much better situation to improve their stats.
