BRAVES CONTINUE TO REVAMP THE ROTATION
The Atlanta Braves acquired pitcher Jaime Garcia from the St. Louis Cardinals for pitchers John Gant and Chris Ellis, plus infielder Luke Dykstra.
What does it give the Atlanta Braves
The Braves seem determined to strengthen their starting rotation this off-season. After adding veterans Bartolo Colon and R.A. Dickey via free agency, Atlanta now gets a solid left-hander to complement the other newcomers in the 30-year-old Garcia. He struggled some in 2016 but was coming off injury. He should rebound.
What does it give the St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals were motivated to dump some salary here, so they decided to move their only left-hander in the rotation in exchange for three young, marginal talents. Gant will probably play a swing role on the Cards' pitching staff in 2017, while both Ellis and Dykstra have a long way to go in order to reach the bigs.
Fantasy impact
Look for a bit of a bounce-back season from Garcia in 2017, so his fantasy stock is on the rise. Furthermore, his spot in the rotation is all but guaranteed now in Atlanta, something that was not the case in St. Louis. Gant has very limited value due to his ability to both start and relieve, but he needs a more defined role for fantasy purposes. Ellis and Dykstra have little fantasy value at this point. Ellis could be a pitcher to keep on the fantasy radar down the line, while Dykstra appears destined for a utility role in MLB.
