A six player deal, the first significant one since the All-Star break, was agreed to, and two players could have significant value in 2016. Let’s look at all six.
MARINERS, RAYS DEAL
Mariners Receive: Nathan Karns, C.J. Riefenhauser, Boog Powell
Rays Receive: Brad Miller, Logan Morrison, Danny Farquhar
Karns is the big get for the Mariners and will slot into their starting rotation. Karns threw 147 strong innings last season going 7-5 with a 3.67 ERA, 1.28 WHI and 8.88 K/9 mark over 26 starts (27 outings). Those are solid numbers, but some concerns exist. (1) He walked 3.43 batters per nine. That’s worse than the league average. (2) He owns a career 15.3 percent HR/F ratio. That’s a high mark that portends some concern (his xFIP last year was 3.90, slightly higher than his ERA). (3) Drafted in 2011, Karns has yet to throw 160-innings in a season. (4) There were many in the Rays organization that were concerned about Karns ability to go deep into games. Here are the numbers.
1st plate appearance: .245/.318/.404
2nd plate appearance: .211/.281/.316
3rd plate appearance: .263/.343/.466
4th plate appearance: .333/.429/.333
Tellingly, the Rays only allowed Karns to face seven batters – all season long – the 4th time through a lineup. He simply wasn’t allowed to pitch that deeply into games. We shall see about that in 2016.
Riefenhauser is a 25 year old lefty who has made 24 appearances the last two seasons. He’s posted a pathetic 1.00 K/BB ratio (4.30 per nine for both marks) leading to a 6.30 ERA and 1.55 WHIP. He is a pitcher who doesn’t have the stuff, it would seem, to ever dominate big leaguers. He’s a non-entity in fantasy.
Powell, who is not related to the former slugging star of the Orioles, is a nice hitter who knows how to get on base, even if he lacks pop. The 22 year old hit .295 with a .385 OBP in his work at Double and Triple-A last season and he’s thought of as a potential leadoff hitter down the road. ''The thing that appeals to us the most about Boog is the top-of-the-lineup skill set,'' JM Jerry Dipoto said. ''The patience, the (hitting ability) and the speed are really attractive to us as well as the athleticism in the outfield.'' He does have a 50-game PED suspension on his resume (2014) but with that in his rearview it’s possible he cracks the Opening Day roster in 2016. You can read more about his skills here.
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Miller is the big get for the Rays. Compared to Ben Zobrist by many, it seems possible that Miller will be deployed in much the same way as Zobrist has been in 2016. With Asdrubal Cabrera not tendered a contract, I would assume Miller gets first crack at shortstop. We shall see though. Should be noted that Miller did play everywhere in 2015: 11 games at second, two games at third, 89 games at shortstop and 41 in the outfield. That versatility is a big plus in the fantasy game. Let’s talk skills. Miller owns a career slash line that stinks: .248/.313/.394 over 1,243 plate appearances. He was slightly better than that in 2015 (.258/.329/.402). Miller is the career owner of league average numbers in line drive (20.3 percent) and BABIP (.291) as well as HR/F (9.9 percent). He has a little pop, he’s hit 10 and 11 homers the past two seasons, and he stole 13 bags last year. Moreover, per 500 at-bats he’s hit .248 with 13 homers, 53 RBIs, 59 runs and 10 steals. A multi-position player who does that is a nice target in single leagues.
LoMo is a great follow on Twitter (@CupOfLoMo). He’s a moderately successful baseball player however. At one point we had high hopes, but alas, it just hasn’t happened. Morrison hit 23 homers with 72 RBIs in 123 games played in 2011, but it’s been nothing close since. Injuries have killed him for years, he appeared in less than 100 games each year from 2012-14, and last year, despite a career best 146 games played, Morrison hit .225 with 17 homers and 54 RBIs. He doesn’t steal bases, doesn’t get hits (.246 career), doesn’t get on base (career .326 though under .310 the last two seasons), and he’s also the owner of a league average .416 SLG (career). A league specific option is all he be.
Farquhar, a 28 year old righty rookie, was nails in 2014 (2.66 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 10.3 K/9, 1.33 GB/FB). Alas, he stunk in 2015 (5.12 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 8.5 K/9, 0.97 GB/FB). As you can see his K-rate declined, his walk rate went up, his fly ball rate went up (31.3 to 39.9 percent) and his HR/9 rate exploded (0.63 to 1.59). At least he’s always dominated lefties (career: .214/.292/.319). League specific in the reserve rounds, at best.
Ray Flowers can be heard Monday through Thursday at 8 PM EDT and Friday at 10 PM EDT on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio (Sirius 210, XM 87). You can also hear Ray Sunday nights at 9 PM on the channel talking fantasy sports. Follow Ray’s work at Fantasy Alarm and on Twitter (@baseballguys).