A'S SHIP VERSATILE VALENCIA TO THE M'S
The Seattle Mariners acquired infielder/outfielder Danny Valencia from the Oakland Athletics for pitcher Paul Blackburn.
What does it give the Seattle Mariners
The Mariners currently have fewer established hitters in their lineup than most teams in Major League Baseball, so the proven and versatile Valencia is a nice add depth-wise. While his top position (third base) is already occupied by solid veteran Kyle Seager, Valencia can also play first base and both corner outfield spots. He is a decent bet to play fairly regularly for his new squad.
What does it give the Oakland Athletics
Blackburn has demonstrated very good control during his minor-league career, posting a 3.24 ERA over 416.1 total innings. While not much of a source for strikeouts, he does a nice job of keeping his team in games. So, he might be a solid call-up rotation option at some point in 2017. The Athletics could afford to move Valencia since Mark Canha is emerging in a similar ultility role.
Fantasy impact
Valencia's fantasy value remains pretty much the same with Seattle as it was with Oakland, since he is likely to platoon again and play his home games in a pitcher-friendly park. That said, he does retain a bit of fringe fantasy appeal. Blackburn should not be on the fantasy radar yet, and even when/if he reaches the majors he is not a big-K starter (and barely has deep sleeper potential). Assuming Canha can recover fully from hip surgery and be ready to play early in the coming campaign, he is mildly radar-worthy in deeper fantasy formats now.
