Trade aftermath: Izturis to Pirates

Not quite a groundbreaking deal, with a middle infielder who starts only a couple of games per week as the centerpiece. But his removal from the Cubs increases the value of several players, so this is a somewhat noteworthy trade.

Pirates get: 3B/SS Cesar Izturis, cash considerations
Cubs get: Player to be named
Quick outlook: Izturis might receive a small increase in value.
Indirectly Affected: Ryan Theriot gains value. Mike Fontenot gains value. Mark DeRosa gains value. Jack Wilson might see a small decrease in value. Jose Castillo might see a small decrease in value.

Analysis:
I have said how much I dislike Lou Piniella’s management of Ryan Theriot over the past couple of months, starting Cesar Izturis over him numerous times. Well, hopefully, Theriot’s time has come to be more than a part-time starter. Good speed, good contact skills, good on-base skills. Batting at the top of the order would get him a lot of runs. He will still have DeRosa and Fontenot to battle for time (and lineup position), but this trade is nothing but good news for Theriot and his owners.

Mike Fontenot will see an increase in value from this as well, but he might not be able to reap the benefits of it for long. His .372 BABIP will have to come down given his 5% walk rate and 16.5% line drive rate. When it does, I don’t see him getting more than a start or two per week. You never really know what Piniella will do, but I would have to think that, soon enough, it will be Mark DeRosa at second and Ryan Theriot at short nearly every day. If you can still buy low on Theriot (he has been picking up his production recently), it might be a good idea.

Seems kind of funny that I’ve waited until the third paragraph to mention the guy who was actually traded. Izturis had stopped receiving playing time recently, so a trade out of Chicago might not be a bad thing for him. The Pirates have Jack Wilson and Freddy Sanchez in the middle of their infield and Jose Castillo at third with Jose Bautista on the DL, but the quality of these guys is worse than those Izturis had to battle in Chicago (Theriot, DeRosa, Aramis Ramirez).

The Pirates are said to be exploring Jack Wilson trades, so if he is traded by the end of the month, Izturis might come into a nice bit of playing time. His skills aren’t great (decent contact, no power, and waning speed), though, so you should still only consider him in deep NL-only leagues.