BREWERS ADD DEPTH BAT IN FRANCISCO
The Milwaukee Brewers acquired third baseman Juan Francisco from the Atlanta Braves for pitcher Thomas Keeling.
What does it give the Milwaukee Brewers
Francisco has definite pop in his bat (with 19 homers over 469 career at-bats) but he is also strikeout-prone and not a particularly adept fielder at third base. That said, he brings needed power to a Milwaukee lineup that's been notably missing it this season. It doesn't appear likely Francisco will play a lot at third with star {P Aramis Ramirez} entrenched there, but Francisco is a lefty batter who can platoon in when righty Ramirez needs to rest a problematic knee. The Brew Crew released veteran infielder {P=1354 Alex Gonzalez} to make room here for Francisco.
What does it give the Atlanta Braves
The Braves' third-base platoon of {P Chris Johnson} and {P Ramiro Pena} has been very impressive this season, and made the free-swinging Francisco the odd man out. Keeling probably isn't as talented a player as Francisco, but he is an improving lefty reliever who's made impressive strides this season in reining in his command and issuing fewer walks. The Braves recently gave up reliever {P=8973 Erik Hamren} in a trade with Tampa Bay, so they effectively replace him in the minors here with Keeling.
Fantasy impact
Francisco doesn't appear to have an obvious fit as an everyday player with the Brewers (not yet anyway), so his fantasy value remains somewhat minimal. Ramirez doesn't seem to be in danger of losing too many at-bats, although his knee problem may warrant more time off. Meanwhile any fantasy value Gonzalez had is now gone (at least until he lands with a new team). Francisco's arrival may result in a few less at-bats as well for first baseman {P Yuniesky Betancourt}, as the Brewers sort out their new infield pecking order (although Francisco himself isn't a top candidate to play much at first since he has little if any experience there). On the Braves side things stay more or less the same, with Johnson and Pena continuing to split time at the hot corner. Keeling looks set for a situational bullpen role when he eventually gets called up, so there isn't a lot of fantasy movement here.
