RED SOX LAND PEAVY IN 3-TEAM MEGA DEAL
In a three-team trade, the Boston Red Sox acquired pitcher Jake Peavy from the Chicago White Sox and pitcher Brayan Villarreal from the Detroit Tigers; Detroit acquired infielder Jose Iglesias from the Red Sox; Chicago acquired outfielder Avisail Garcia from the Tigers, and pitchers Francellis Montas and J.B. Wendelken, plus infielder Cleuluis Rondon, from the Red Sox.
What does it give the Boston Red Sox
In Peavy, the Red Sox land (arguably) the biggest pitching fish available before the July 31 trade deadline--and the cost wasn't exhorbitant. Veteran Peavy enters a Boston rotation that's been missing righty {P Clay Buchholz} due to injury. His return now becomes more of a bonus than anything, as Peavy and fellow veteran right-handers {P John Lackey} and {P Ryan Dempster}, plus lefties {P Jon Lester} and {P Felix Doubront} should form a strong rotation. Villarreal was also acquired for bullpen depth but he will begin at Triple-A Pawtucket.
What does it give the Detroit Tigers
The Tigers' motivation here was pretty simple: find a shortstop to replace veteran {P Jhonny Peralta} (who is expected to be suspended by Major League Baseball as part of the ongoing Biogenesis lab investigation). Mission accomplished, as 23-year-old Cuban Iglesias is a prized glove man who should upgrade the position defensively in Detroit. The Tigers might miss Peralta's power and run production but Iglesias will definitely help Detroit's suspect infield defense. He also adds some insurance at 2B and 3B until Peralta is suspended.
What does it give the
The prized catch for the White Sox here is 22-year-old Venezuelan outfielder Garcia, who can play all three outfield positions. He should eventually settle in as Chicago's everyday right-fielder (when {P Alex Rios} is traded, as expected). Garcia has great power, so that should help a White Sox lineup that gets very thin in the home-run department after veteran sluggers {P Adam Dunn} and {P Paul Konerko}. Montas might become a top prospect as well, but he's a raw power arm. Wendelken is a future bullpener and Rondon is a very young shortstop with upside.
Fantasy impact
The big winner here is Garcia, who was blocked in Detroit from receiving regular playing time. He'll get it in the Windy City, so expect a big spike in production (right away). Long term, his fantasy upside is quite high. Another big winner after the dust settles here is Tigers outfield prospect {P Nick Castellanos}, who should now have a clearer path to the left field job in Detroit. Peavy's fantasy value won't change much going from Chicago to Boston, though the opportunity for more wins is certainly there in the short term. Obviously, Peralta is a big loser following this deal (but that was likely to occur anyway because of his pending suspension). As for Iglesias, regular playing time at shortstop will be welcomed but going from Fenway to Comerica Park won't help him offensively. Villarreal's fantasy value stays the same, though he stands a decent chance for a September call-up with the Red Sox. Montas, Wendelken and Rondon all have a small amount of keeper-league value, especially fireballing right-hander Montas.
