Shortstops on the move!
Two shortstops found a new home in the last 24 hours and Rafael Furcal (to Oakland?) and Jack Wilson (to Detroit?) won’t be far behind. Let’s look at the fantasy impact of Khalil Greene and Edgar Renteria with their new teams.
Khalil Greene traded to St. Louis. Greene is a good player who hasn’t achieved the lofty status that was expected of him when he was drafted out of Clemson. The Cardinals offense is a little better and the stadium is more condusive to hitting than San Diego’s. These factors will benefit him, but the real reason 2009 will be a good season for Greene is because it is a contract year for him. I’m looking at something in the .255avg/20HR/80RBi/5SB range for Greene.
Edgar Renteria signs with San Francisco. Renteria is a National League guy. He has been with three NL teams and has always produced but was awful in his two AL stints. Back in the NL, Edgar should be solid, but he is now 33 and playing for a weak hitting club, so don’t expect a return to his glory days. Something around .290/10/60/10 would be reasonable.
Before Furcal signs with his new team, lets consider the injury risk involved and his motivation. If he gets a long contract (at least 4 years), he might be less inclined to go all out every day for your fantasy team. This is not a guy I’m using an early draft pick on in 2009.
Jack Wilson was rumored to be traded to Detroit, but that now seems to be untrue. Wilson is a good defensive shortstop, but that doesn’t help your fantasy squad very much. Hitting in a good offense like Detroit’s would help his stats, but he’s still a defensive guy and not much with the wood.