Roto Roundup: Anthony Rizzo, Chase Headley, Mike Minor and others

Chase Headley traded to the Yankees

Well, the Padres finally traded third baseman Chase Headley yesterday.The Padres traded Headley to the Yankees, and in return they received third baseman Yangervis Solarte and pitcher Rafael DePaula.

Headley hasn't been the healthiest hitter over the last two seasons, but he represents a cheap upgrade at third base for the Yankees. He has struggled at the plate this season, what Padres hitter hasn't, hitting just .229-.295-.354 with 7 home runs, 27 runs scored, 34 RBI and 4 stolen bases. Not good.

But, he is moving from one of the worst hitters parks in baseball to one of the better hitters parks in the game. In his career, he has hit .243-.331-.372 at home, and .286-.360-.444 on the road. It just so happens that he hits better in August and September than in any month of the season, too.

As long as he can stay healthy, I see Headley receiving a nice bump in fantasy value as a result of this deal. I could see him hitting around .280-.300 with 5-7 home runs and 30+ RBI over the last two months.

For more on this deal, make sure you check out Pinstripe Alley, Gaslamp Ball and Minor League Ball, as John Sickels wrote up his thoughts on the trade yesterday.

Time to drop Mike Minor

I own Braves starter Mike Minor in my two NL only leagues, and have regretted it since early in the season. After several of his "disaster" starts, as Baseball HQ calls them, I kept saying "he will turn it around". Sometimes he would, sometimes he wouldn't. Well, last night's debacle was the last straw for me. I dropped Minor in both leagues after he gave up 6 runs on 10 hits, 2 walks and ONE strikeout in 3 innings of work vs the Marlins.

After a 3.41 ERA in May, Minor has gotten worse as the season got longer. Minor has put up ERAs near 6.00 in both June and July, and hitters are hitting over .300 against him as well.

It's time to drop Minor if you still own him. One Twitter follower sent me a pic of pitchers on the waiver wire in his league, and i couldn't believe it. Guys like Tanner Roark, Tim Lincecum, and Zack Wheeler were available in his league. I would grab any of these pitchers, and probably several more, to replace Minor right now.

For more on Minor and his struggles, check out Talking Chop, SB Nation's Braves fan site.

Round'em Up

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo is moving right up first base rankings with his performance this season. Last night, Rizzo went 2-4 with 2 solo home runs in the Cubs 6-0 win over the Padres. Rizzo raised his slash line to .283-.385-.539 with 25 home runs, 67 runs scored, 55 RBI and a solid 77-53 strikeout to walk rate in 360 at bats. Rizzo is on pace to hit 41 home runs right now. He could be a top 5-8 fantasy first baseman heading into 2015.

In his first start since starting the All Star game, Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright got knocked around for 6 runs, 4 of them earned, on 6 hits, 4 walks and 4 strikeouts in 4.2 innings in the Cardinals loss to the Rays. The bad start broke his streak of seven consecutive starts of giving up two runs or less, where he pitched at least seven innings. The loss moved his record to 12-5 with a 2.02 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and a 119-31 strikeout to walk rate in 142.2 innings.

The Rockies placed shortstop Troy Tulowitzki on the 15 day disabled list with a left hip flexor strain on Tuesday, but there is a good chance he will not be ready when the 15 days are up. It was inevitable that he land on the disabled list at some point this season, and, frankly, I am surprised he lasted this long. Even still, he is the best fantasy shortstop in the game right now.

Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman left last night's game in Colorado with an apparent leg injury and had to be helped off the field. Here is more on the injury from Adam Kilgore from the Washington Post:

Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman exited the Nationals‘ game Tuesday night against the Rockies after he appeared to pull a muscle in his right leg while running down the first base line.

Trying to beat out a 6-4-3 double play, Zimmerman stumbled as he neared first base after his right leg gave out. Zimmerman stepped on first base and fell to the ground, his right leg stiff, Zimmerman careful not to bear any weight with it.

Manager Matt Williams and head athletic trainer Lee Kuntz jogged to first base. After a brief chat, Zimmerman hobbled off the field with his arm around Kuntz's shoulder. He limped down the dugout steps with difficulty, unable to place any weight on his right leg.

Kilgore went on to say that it appears Zimmerman could land on the disabled list once again, so take some time to check out your league waiver wire today in case he does. I own him in an NL only keeper league, and have already identified a few candidates to replace him.

Pirates outfielder Gregory Polanco has struggled since a hot start to his major league career. Polanco hit .288-.374-.375 in June, but has slumped badly in July, hitting just .194-.275-.258, but last night, he might have turned the corner. Polanco went 2-4 with a home runs, 3 runs scored and 3 RBI in the Pirates 12-7 win over the Dodgers. Polanco is now hitting .253-.339-.349 with 4 home runs, 27 runs scored, 17 RBI and 6 stolen bases in 36 games played. He looks like he could be an annual 20 home run, 20 stolen base hitter in the big leagues.

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