I hope you've already read our monstrous breakdown of all the trades made as the non-waiver deadline approached. It will update you on the moves and provide an overview on what your fantasy teams needed to be prepared for this week. This week’s Moving Up, Moving Down examines the small, easy-to-miss details that can make a huge difference. Everyone knows that the teams that managed to pull off trades are shuffling their lineups to adjust to the changes. What they may not know is that the teams that did not make trades are not necessarily conceding the season. They may just be moving to Plan B. Today we examine not only minor lineup shuffling but also the Plan Bs.

Arizona Diamondbacks: They didn't make any trades, but the Diamondbacks may just get a boost from players already on the team. Yusmeiro Petit is joining the D’Backs rotation in place of the struggling Micah Owings. Petit had struggled to reach the potential he once had as a top prospect of the New York Mets and Florida Marlins--but no longer. Pitching from the bullpen, Petit has 29.2 innings pitched with a 3.03 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and 19 strikeouts. Fantasy leaguers can expect Petit to thrive this time around. Arizona will also have the disabled Justin Upton back next week. His sprained oblique has healed, and the 21-year-old is already taking batting practice. You can expect any rehab assignment to be over quickly.

Boston Red Sox: The Red Sox do not need to make many changes in their lineup. Mike Lowell slides into the fourth spot in the order, and Jason Bay will bat fifth. Jed Lowrie has impressed as the fill-in at shortstop for Julio Lugo. It will be tough for the Sox to opt for Lugo's inferior defense, especially when Lowrie has been so great in the clutch.

Chicago White Sox: The biggest loser of the entire trading season may be Paul Konerko,  who's been benched after an awful four months of batting around .200 and nagging injuries. Nick Swisher will play in his place. Most importantly, the move makes room in center field  for newly acquired Ken Griffey Jr.. Although GM Kenny Williams believes the transition to center field will be easy for Griffey, he has experienced leg cramps after just two games. I believe his recent lackluster performance with the Reds may have been an attempt to hold back a little and stay healthy. With the White Sox, Griffey will turn it back on, but the injury risk will dramatically increase.

Cincinnati Reds: The Reds want to use Jerry Hairston in the outfield, but rushing him back to take the spot left by Griffey aggravated his hamstring injury. As a result, Corey Patterson will get more at-bats. 

Cleveland Indians: The Indians tried to trade Paul Byrd on Thursday but could not get a deal done. They will place him on waivers this month and see if a deal comes together. Victor Martinez could be back soon if his rehab assignment goes well. The Indians would move Martinez, but a good waiver deal seems unlikely. The rest of the season is about advancing their young players. Regardless of his play, Andy Marte will get every available at-bat at third base to determine whether he deserves a spot on next year's club. Based on last month's numbers, he may not make it. I cannot tell you what happened to his stolen base potential, but Asdrubal Cabrera has rebounded well since the break by batting .283/.389/.413. Unfortunately, without homers or stolen bases, Cabrera’s fantasy value is zero. 

Colorado Rockies: The Rockies are going for it, but they will not sacrifice their future to do so. Instead, they will count on the continued improvement of their young stars. Ubaldo Jimenez has pitched better every month. Since the All-Star break, Ubaldo has provided the Rockies with a 4-0 record in four starts, totaling 29.0 innings, 20 strikeouts, and just a .163 BAA. Ian Stewart was recalled on July 19 and has been a force, batting .400/.500/.580 in 50 at-bats.  Troy Tulowitzki was his "Jeter-like" self in July, when he batted .418/.468/.582 in 55 at-bats. The Rockies may make a second half run similar to the one in 2007. You didn’t forget about that Series run did you?
 

Brandon will get consistent playing time, offers some pop and is a catcher. Sounds good to me. Photo Credit Dave Hogg

Detroit Tigers: Brandon Inge is now the regular catcher, which won’t help the Tigers' offensive issues. His offense will decline as the position begins to take its toll. Inge should be an adequate starter for the balance of the season, but he is not a long-term fantasy prospect. On the other hand, Miguel Cabrera is finally starting to resemble the stud hitter the Tigers had hoped for, batting .335 in his last 185 at-bats.
Bullpen issues have plagued the Tigers all season. Finally exasperated with Todd Jones’ far- too exciting performances, manager Jim Leyland announced last week that the only slightly less disappointing Fernando Rodney would be the new closer. The trade for Kyle Farnsworth further clouds the issue, but at least Farnsworth has been a competent reliever this season. Unless Rodney quickly turns things around, Farnsworth will be closing by next week.

Florida Marlins: The Marlins thought that adding Manny Ramirez' offensive numbers would propel them into the playoffs. The trade didn’t happen, and now they’ll depend on good old-fashioned pitching and defense. In truth, the Marlins pitching staff makes an offensive boost seem unnecessary. Ricky Nolasco is finally pitching at an extremely high level, including 8 IP, 4 hits, 3 ER, 0 BB, and 13 K in his last start. Anibal Sanchez, who was acquired in the Josh Beckett trade along with Hanley Ramirez, may have his chance to shine. After nearly two years of surgery and rehabs, he is finally in good health and pitching in the majors. His first start for the Marlins this season was a victory with 5.2 IP, 2 ER, 2B, and 4 K.

Los Angeles Dodgers: The Dodgers are going for it but are not willing to add much salary. It's difficult to believe the Dodgers are having money problems, but that may be the case. The Red Sox are paying the balance of Manny’s salary this season. Andruw Jones and Andre Ethier are the losers in the Dodger outfield. Juan Pierre will get the majority of starts in center field. Matt Kemp will be playing every day in right field. I would not expect any players making more than the minimum added to the Los Angeles roster. Brad Penny may give the rotation a boost as soon as Friday. His fastball was recently clocked at 98 mph, a speed he has not reached in quite a while.

Minnesota Twins: The Twins tried to trade Boof Bonser to clear a space in the rotation for Francisco Liriano and to strengthen their bench, but they could not pull it off. Instead, they released struggling Livan Hernandez and finally called up Liriano from Triple-A. Liriano should be an excellent start for fantasy teams for the balance of the season. His extended stay in the minors produced 123.1 IP, 108 hits, 33 walks, 121 strikeouts, and a 10-3 record. I am excited.

New York Mets: The Mets will platoon Daniel Murphy with Nick Evans in left field. Evans has batted .320/.393/.440 against lefties in the majors. Murphy, a left-handed batter, has a slash line of .315/ 379/.493 with 13 homers and 14 stolen bases. Murphy should be a great, cheap add, but the platoon takes away any value Evans might have had.

New York Yankees: As fantasy leaguers, we should all be impressed with how the Yankees have turned around their season. They rebuilt their bullpen around inexperienced youngsters such as Jose Veras and Edwar Ramirez, and it has worked. Joba Chamberlain’s transition to the rotation has been seamless and a giant boon to the team’s fortunes. They cheaply acquired the much-sought-after Xavier Nady to fill the gap created by injuries to Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon. Damaso Marte will fill the long-vacant role of lefty set-up reliever. Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez, a certain Hall-of-Famer, replaces Jorge Posada after his season-ending injury.

The Yankees are over the idea of acquiring Jarrod Washburn and his ridiculous salary. Instead, unless something much cheaper presents itself, they will wait for the return of Phil Hughes, who has been impressive in his rehab outings. The forgotten Carl Pavano has also been impressive, who at the very least, owes the Yankees a couple months of solid production.

Philadelphia Phillies: The Phillies are still looking for a starter, a reliever, and a right-handed bat off the bench. Chances are not great that those three things will come through the waiver process (without costing many millions). If Bret Myers can continue to make progress with pitching Coach Rich Dubee, he may be the starter the Phillies have been searching for all season.

Pittsburgh Pirates: Pirate fans should get used to seeing Brandon Moss in the lineup almost every day. No, he is not going to be a superstar, but he can hit .280 with 20-25 HR in full-time at-bats. Third baseman Andy LaRoche will also be in the lineup, starting across the diamond from his brother, first baseman Adam LaRoche. Jason Michaels will be in the lineup more often, starting occasionally at all three outfield positions and as a frequent defensive replacement.  Jeff Karstens was great in his first start for the Pirates. He threw six shutout innings, but don't overreact and waste your FAAB budget on him. Karstens is an average MLB starter at best, which is not ideal for your fantasy team.

Craig Hansen still has an excellent chance to be a major league closer. Boston GM Theo Epstein admits that he screwed up Hansen’s development by rushing him to the majors. He also believes that the Pirates rebuilding environment is the perfect place for Hansen to regain what he lost (namely his great slider).

San Francisco Giants: Don’t look now but Barry Zito has been almost acceptable lately, and his last start was relatively brilliant (8IP, 0ER, 4BB, 5K). He still is not a tradable commodity for the Giants, and he is still a long-term fantasy risk, but he may be coming around. The Giants really need to trade are Rich Aurilia and Omar Vizquel. This would also allow Emmanuel Burriss and Eugenio Velez, their future infield, to get the major league experience they need.

St Louis Cardinals: Chris Duncan’s back injury may keep him out of action the rest of the season. This gives Joe Mather an opportunity to earn more at-bats, now and next season. Mather has 20/20 (home runs/stolen bases) potential in full time at-bats.
The Cardinals released Matt Clement, whose comeback was a complete failure; he may be done for good. Jason Isringhausen is the Cardinals closer in name, but he may still lose save chances to Ryan Franklin.

Tampa Bay Rays: Despite some rumors, the Rays will not sacrifice their better prospects on rental players. You may see David Price or Wade Davis added to the pitching staff down the stretch, but their role would be minimal. Rocco Baldelli is the key addition the Rays are counting on. Baldelli just completed a very successful rehab and should be activated this week. Baldelli’s power is still good, but his speed looks severely diminished.

Washington Nationals: The Nationals infield will feature Emilio Bonifacio (.280/.280/.440) and Alberto Gonzalez (.210/.279/.274), which is great for leagues that count defense. How many of those are there?  The Nats released infielder Felipe Lopez. Lopez still has ability, and if another team picks him up and installs him as a starter, he is worth picking up as a cheap source of steals. Collin Balester has been a solid starter since his post All-Star break recall. In two starts he has pitched 11 innings, with a 4.09 ERA, and a 7:2 K:BB ratio. 

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