By Gabriel Lundeen

Cappo, League 10

We’ve got a big trade out of League 4 this week, with 5 players changing teams. Draft season is closing in, but it’s not too late to work out that big trade and find ways to improve your fantasy squad. Let’s see who got the best of this deal.

THE TRADE

The Sisteen Choppers acquire Ichiro Suzuki, Derrek Lee and Robinson Cano

The Islington Pfeiffers acquire Aramis Ramirez and Adam Dunn

You may have noticed that I’m using the actual team names rather than “Team A” or “Team B,” which is how I normally refer to the parties involved in a trade. My first thought when I got the news about this trade was “Damn … those are two excellent team names!”, so I wanted to recognize that strong sense of individuality. Let this be a lesson to you, dear reader: a creative team name goes a long way.

Let’s take a look at the players involved in this blockbuster …

Sisteen Choppers receive:

Ichiro Suzuki - Here’s what I said about Ichiro in January, when I swung a trade for him: “Pencil him in for at least .330, 30+ steals, 100+ runs and the kind of daily production that is vital to a strong fantasy team. What he does isn’t always flashy, but he just might be the most reliable player in fantasy baseball. He’s also showing no signs of slowing down.”

Mariners manager, John McLaren, has challenged Ichiro to steal 70 bases this year, so we might see a bump in his speed numbers as well, which would certainly increase his value. If “most quotable” was a fantasy stat, Ichiro would lead the league. Having Ichiro on your roster means finding alternative power sources, but it also means you don’t have to draft a one-dimensional base-stealer of the Juan Pierre-ilk.

Derrek Lee - After his severe wrist injury in 2006, Lee finally appears to be fully recovered, and, with any luck, will turn doubles into homers, as well as increase his RBI total in a solid Cubs lineup. Lee’s ADP is 39, according to Mock Draft Central, which indicates that fantasy players have confidence that he’s back in full force.

Lee also will hit for a high batting average, so, even though he’s not as much of a power threat as top first basemen like Ryan Howard and Prince Fielder, he’s also not one-dimensional. Lee’s days as a stolen base contributor appear long gone, but he’ll still kick in a few and run more than the average first baseman.

Robinson Cano - Cano really turned it on during the second half of 2007, hitting .343 with 13 HR and 57 RBI. Still, it’s hard to ignore his putrid first half, even though he ended the season with a .317 BA, 19 HR and 97 RBI. Second base is deeper than it has been in years, which puts a slight ding in Cano’s value.

Still, he’s one of the game’s best young hitters, reminds some folks of a young Rod Carew, and should have plenty of opportunities in the Yankees’ lineup to both score and drive in runs. Cano’s ADP of 67 puts him just outside the keeper range … if we go strictly by the numbers, but I don’t have a huge problem with keeping him. Though, he is a bit of a weak keeper and second base is deeper than it has been in years.

The Islington Pfeiffers receive:

Adam Dunn - The positives: Dunn is in a contract year. The Reds still play in the Great American Smallpark and have made some nice off-season moves to contend in the NL Central. Dunn’s a virtual lock for 40+ HR, and you could argue that he will provide similar value to guys like Howard or Fielder … at a cheaper price. He’ll even kick in a few stolen bases, which is amazing for such a big guy.

The big negative: he’ll KILL your batting average. Even teaming Dunn with a BA monster like Ichiro isn’t the optimum solution, because doing that neutralizes the advantage you gained by having a guy like Ichiro on your roster in the first place. The cost of having Dunn on your roster means you must also be wary of carrying another low-average slugger, which excludes cheap power options at the end of a draft. The difference can be made up across a team, but it must be considered when you accept Dunn on your roster. Dunn’s ADP of 40 might make him a bargain, though, especially if he capitalizes on an improved Reds team and has dollar signs in his eyes.

Aramis Ramirez - Here’s what I said about Aramis a few weeks ago: “Ramirez is a top 5 third baseman who has racked up four straight 100+ RBI seasons and his fourth season with a .300 batting average. Knee and wrist injuries caused him to miss time in 2007, so injury remains something of a concern, but he’s been a very consistent fantasy producer. He’s got power, plate discipline, plays in a good hitter’s park in Wrigley, and hits in a solid Cubs lineup with the likes of Derrek Lee and Alfonso Soriano. At only 29, he seems like a virtual lock to repeat, if not improve on, his 2007 numbers. Pencil him in for 30+ HR, 100+ RBI and a batting average hovering around .300.” Only A-Rod, Wright, Cabrera and Braun are better options.

THE FINAL VERDICT

Clearly, the Islington Pfeiffers had concerns about keeping both Carl Crawford and Ichiro, wanting to forego all that speed and average for some power. After the trade, their keeper list becomes Crawford, Braun, Dunn, Ramirez and either Magglio Ordonez or John Lackey if they want to keep a pitcher. That’s a very strong core, one I like even more if the fifth keeper is Magglio, whose high batting average will help temper Dunn’s low one. The Pfeiffers saw Lee and Cano as expendable and did exactly what you’re supposed to do with your depth: overpay. Too many keepers is a good problem to have, but a problem nonetheless, and if you don’t capitalize on that depth before the draft it’s wasted. If the Pfeiffers’ goal was to add some juice to their lineup, mission accomplished.

The Sisteen Choppers had a lot of marginal keepers on their list going into the trade. Guys like Tejada, Halladay, Posada and Street are nice players on your roster but don’t look so wonderful on your keeper list. Acquiring Ichiro, Lee and Cano upgrades his list, and when you add in Corey Hart and either Chipper Jones or Posada as his other two keepers, all of the sudden that marginal list doesn’t look so awful. It’s not the optimum, but not everyone can have 5 first rounders as keepers. The Choppers’ trio of new players provides a solid mix of production across all 5 offensive categories. If the Choppers’ goal was to get 3 keepers instead of 2, mission also accomplished.

Each team had their own reasons to make this trade, but on a pure value standpoint, who wins? Ichiro is the best player in the deal, but Aramis isn’t far behind him in average draft position, and they bring such different skills to the table that it’s a bit of an unfair comparison. Dunn’s a bigger power threat than Lee, but Lee is a stronger cross-category contributor, and they’re comparable in terms of draft position. This leaves Cano as the wild card. Will Cano put together two strong halves of a baseball season, or is he always going to start slow and end on fire? My money’s on him putting it all together, because he’s only 25, has tremendous talent and hits in a strong lineup. Only time will tell, but Cano’s given no reason to think that he won’t continue growing as a player. The other four players in this deal are more or less finished products, unless Ichiro follows through with his promise to start pitching at age 40, which honestly wouldn’t terribly surprise me and would be all sorts of awesome.

This is a really difficult trade to judge because both teams got good value and made the trade for entirely different motives. For now, however, I’m going to declare the Choppers the winner of this trade in a photo finish, because they needed the trade more and did a nice job of maximizing value out of their two best power bats. The Pfeiffers have built an offensive juggernaut, though, and may have the last laugh at the end of the season.