Two National League teams with World Series aspirations pulled off big trades this week for a couple of aces. Both will help their new teams, but what should you consider when evaluating how these moves affect your fantasy team?
Monday morning, the Milwaukee Brewers made the C.C. Sabathia trade official. They traded Matt LaPorta and three other prospects for a true ace. Sabathia is a real innings eater and has been a stud ever since four crummy outings to begin the season. Look for the Brewers to get their money’s worth out of Sabathia for the second half of the season as this guy is good enough to push Ben Sheets to the #2 starter. LaPorta’s bat will be missed, but his glove skills (or lack thereof) had no home in Milwaukee.
Rich Harden is great when healthy, but he is often not. No one has ever doubted Harden’s skills, but he has spent so much time on the disabled list over the years, that it is unlikely that he’ll help the Chicago Cubs anywhere near as much as Sabathia will help the Brewers. Harden will make a great #2 starter behind Carlos Zambrano, but don’t be surprised when he takes a trip to the DL. Of course, selling high right now isn’t a bad idea while Harden’s trade buzz is still in the air.
The Brewers gave up more and got more, but both teams got a relative bargain. Neither gave up much that was key to their 2008 season and both are now set to make a run at a World Series. Don’t be surprised to see these two teams battling in the National League Championship Series in October.
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