It should come as no surprise that the Detroit Tigers are moving guys before the deadline. They went “all in” in the offseason with the acquisition of Prince Fielder and aren’t about to start looking back. They recently took the lead in the AL Central after a slow start and should have this thing locked up fairly soon as the Cleveland Indians seem to be their only real threat at the moment.
As was reported on the Tigers Twitter page today, they made a trade for Omar Infante and Anibal Sanchez, apparently looking to load up on talent for the season’s final two months.
Tigers have acquired Anibal Sanchez, Omar Infante and comp draft pick (between 1st and 2nd round) in 2013 draft from Marlins.
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) July 23, 2012
Anibal Sanchez adds depth to the pitching rotation, while Omar Infante is a clear upgrade at second base. Neither of these guys grade out near the top for fantasy production BUT they could serve as the exact same for your fantasy team as they do for their new real life team. (Miami should be pleased with Jacob Turner. Click here for Turner’s call up report. )
Sanchez is a fine spot start type of guy. In his last four starts he has had 23 strikeouts, issued only three walks, boasting a 1-1 record while giving up 11 earned runs. Now that he will have some more consistent run support, look for a few mores wins. He is owned in over 85% of leagues so if you’re in the 15%, jump on it!
Infante is in a weird spot fantasy value wise now, he will most likely not be steals as much in Detroit. The Marlins lead the league with 94 as a team and the Tigers are WAY at the bottom with only 38. HOWEVER if he slots into the number two spot in the order he should score a fair amount of runs as the sluggers behind him (Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder) are sure to continue to rake! Infante is owned in just over 80% of leagues and if you need spark at 2B, he might just be your guy!
It’s also important to say that batting in front of those guys, he’ll likely see significantly more fastballs, which will only help his batting average.
In the case of both of these players, the move to the Motor City will bolster their fantasy values. They both have a greater chance to bolster their overall rankings.
