Sunday, July 29, 2007
Trade aftermath: Lofton to Indians
Posted by Derek Carty at 10:38pmThis is the last big trade that we've yet to look at, so we'll start right up.
Indians get: OF Kenny Lofton
Rangers get: C Max Ramirez (A+)
Quick outlook: Lofton gains a little value. Ramirez's value remains the same.
Indirectly affected: Ben Francisco loses value. Trot Nixon loses value. Jason Michaels loses a little bit of value.
Analysis:
With so many outfielders in Cleveland, it's difficult to tell immediately who will lose the most value from this trade. The Indians intend to play Lofton against right-handers, though, so someone stands to lose some time.
Ben Francisco has already been sent back to the minors. Trot Nixon will likely sit the bench most games, with Franklin Gutierrez getting much of the playing time in right field. He'll still probably lose a few at-bats. Grady Sizemore's value stays the same; he won't be benched. Jason Michaels will still start in left field versus lefties, but extra at-bats after those will be difficult to come by.
Lofton's value probably increases a little bit with Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez batting behind him and Sizemore ahead of him. There is no guarantee he will continue to hit second, but it is a great situation for him if he does. He should be able to hit .300 with tons of runs and a lot of steals and maybe a couple more RBIs than he would have had with the Rangers, but don't expect his HR production to continue.
Max Ramirez's value stays the same for, this year, as a catcher in High A.
Derek Carty, 23, has also been published by NBC's Rotoworld, Sports Illustrated, FOX Sports, and USA Today. This season, he'll be contributing to FanDuel and will be linking to all of his work at DerekCarty.com. In his three years competing in expert leagues, he has won 2 titles with 4 top three finishes, including a LABR NL title in 2009, making him the youngest person to ever win a major expert league title. Derek is a proud graduate of the MLB Scouting Bureau's Scout Development Program and is a firm believer in the importance of combining stats and scouting. He welcomes questions via e-mail, Facebook, or Twitter.