BLACKLEY TO THE ASTROS
The Houston Astros acquired pitcher Travis Blackley from the Oakland Athletics for outfielder Jake Goebbert.
What does it give the Houston Astros
The Astros are looking for talent everywhere, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that they were interested in Blackley, who has both starting and bullpen experience in the big leagues. For now, he'll pitch in long relief out of the Houston 'pen. However, he may find his way into the rotation at some point. He is clearly a short-term solution for Houston.
What does it give the Oakland Athletics
The A's have often done well with reclamation projects and long-shot prospects, so they're hoping to strike again with Goebbert. The 25-year-old outfielder didn't do well at the Triple-A level last year, so he's back in Double-A ball now. Oakland didn't have much use for Blackley any longer, after he failed to win a spot in the rotation this spring.
Fantasy impact
Blackley doesn't have much fantasy value, but it probably got a slight spike with the move from Oakland to Houston (at least in terms of opportunity). Then again, he moves to a much more hitter-friendly park in Houston, so he should be avoided in fantasy baseball anyway.
