Fantasy Baseball-Winter Meetings special

The annual Winter Meetings are some of the most hopeful and exciting times if your a baseball fan. It’s a fantasy players dream, really, since the GM’s are all in one place and rebuilding their teams like we do as we consider trades and draft picks each year. While it doesn’t come close to the other “big 3″ in town yet, the newly branded Miami Marlins are definitely out to make a splash this offseason, and they started out the meetings with a bang… Read on to learn more about who they got, and what it means for your fantasy draft…

It was an eventful day 1 at the winter meetings wrapped up with the typical for these meetings, lots and lots of rumors and a few things gettin’ done. Since this is primarily a look at the fantasy impact of the moves we’ll stay away from the rumors and just go with done deals and look at their impact from a fantasy perspective for the coming year. The format is a simple one that we’ve used in our weekly hit and run columns. I’ll give you the news in the “hit”  with a link to a local spin on the story,  then in the “run” portion I’ll break down what it means for that player and others who are affected from a fantasy (and a little non-fantasy) perspective. So here’s the pitch… with the runner going…

Jose Reyes is taking his talents to South Beach, but we didn't have to suffer through a TV special to find out. (AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek)

Hit: Jose Reyes runs to Miami. Miami Herald, New Jersey Star-Ledger

Run: Reyes is one of the top SS options (along with Troy Tulowitzki) no matter where he plays. The main thing holding his numbers from being in the tier right behind Pujuls in the first round has been his health concerns. He’s spent time on the DL just about every season it seems, so I’m not so sure about the wisdom of locking him down for 6 years, but for your fantasy team he’s still a good option. The lineup in Florida, oops Miami, should be an upgrade from New York so the potential for R and RBI’s increases as well. If the Marlins succeed in their hot and heavy pursuit of Pujols, I could definitely see him as a first-rounder based on the potency of the lineup. Whenever you take him, plan on being without him for a few weeks, and hope that he avoids any major injury… The other person greatly affected by this signing is Hanley Ramirez another elite option for the past few years at the shallow SS position. Ramirez should have dual eligibility since he’ll be moving to 3b and as long as his reaction to this isn’t so bad that it affects his play (highly unlikely, in my opinion) he’ll remain a top 5 SS for this coming season. 3B is also a shallow position so having a solid option that can go to either of those is a great way to go in the early rounds of your fantasy draft.

Capps and the very active Dodgers after the jump.

Hit: Matt Capps resigns with Minnesota. Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Puckett’s Pond

Run: As you can see from both those Twins bloggers, this move is not being well received by Twins fans. Capps is not a good fantasy closer option, but he is a closer so it’s worth noting he’ll be first in line for saves up in the Land of Lakes. He’s probably debut between 20-25 on our closer rankings and should be owned in all leagues where saves count, but don’t bother drafting him early.

Hit: Dodgers sign Jerry Hairston Jr. LA Times, Lasorda’s Lair,

Run: The Dodgers were definitely active to start the winter meetings and are the only team to get to hits in today’s breakdown. They wanted Hairston to do what he does, come off the bench and play a ton of positions and fill in any gaps due to injury. He’s not somebody you really need to draft in fantasy-land, but he can be useful for parts of the season where he’s getting extended time. His versatility is also a big plus since he usually ends up eligible in the OF and several IF spots as well.

Hit: Dodgers sign Chris Capuano and are close to signing Aaron Harang. LA Times on Harang and Capuano. Lasorda’s Lair on Capuano

Run: In Chris Capuano the Dodgers get a middle of the rotation lefty. He’s not horrible, but he is what he is. He’s going to get a decent number of K’s, have an ERA north of 4, and lose about as many games as he wins. He’s not someone you target in mixed leagues except as a start-streaming type of short-term add. In NL only leagues, avoid if possible. Aaron Harang is a little more intriguing to me. He’s probably a slot above Capuano in the rotation and at times last year in San Diego showed flashes of still being an effective pitcher. His K numbers weren’t awesome and his ERA was aided by the PETCO factor, but for some reason he intrigues me. He’s worth a late-round flier in mixed leagues if he has a good spring. He’s not a top target, but he may very well end up a serviceable option in mixed leagues as well.

There’s sure to be much more breaking news throughout the meetings so be sure to come back tomorrow, Thursday, and Friday for the fantasy impact of all the roster moves this exciting time of year…

Tags: Dodgers, Fantasy Baseball, Jose Reyes, Marlins, MLB, Twins