LIRIANO HEADS TO THE CHISOX
The Chicago White Sox acquired pitcher Francisco Liriano from the Minnesota Twins for infielder Eduardo Escobar and pitcher Pedro Hernandez.
What does it give the Chicago White Sox
The White Sox are in the middle of the AL pack in team ERA (4.03) so it makes sense to add a starter, but Liriano is no lock to help them improve. The lefty has a fantastic arm (over a strikeout per inning this season) but also a long history of inconsistency and mechanics issues (and his 5.31 ERA is obviously not pretty). This is clearly a gamble for Chicago, which hopes they get Liriano's A-game until his contract runs out at the end of this season. It's unclear if anyone will bumped from Chicago's rotation to make room (they now have six healthy starters) but Liriano should be a regular. Escobar and Hernandez aren't projected to be stars, so it's a solid risk.
What does it give the Minnesota Twins
Liriano's contract is up at the end of this season and with the Twins well out of the Wild Card hunt, moving him saves some money. It also brings in a solid all-round shortstop in Escobar, and adds a fairly promising arm in Hernandez to Minnesota's system. Escobar has a superb glove and some untapped offensive upside, while Hernandez is an undersized lefty starter who has put up solid numbers at two stops in the minors this season. A good (but not great) deal for Minny.
Fantasy impact
