TRIBE TAKE A CHANCE ON LEFTY MARONDE
The Cleveland Indians acquired pitcher Nick Maronde from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for cash.
What does it give the Cleveland Guardians
This is a bit of a flier for Cleveland, since Maronde has some talent but has struggled to be effective at the major league level. He showed a lot of promise in the minors but in 33 career appearances in the big leagues, Maronde has a 7.13 ERA (including 12.79 this season). A big part of the problem has been his tendency to issue free passes, but Maronde has enough talent to be worth the minor risk here. Expect him to see time in the minors so he can iron out his command.
What does it give the Los Angeles Angels
The Angels' bullpen overhaul continues here. First the team jettisoned closer {P Ernesto Frieri} (trading him to Pittsburgh) and now they move the talented-but-erratic Maronde. With veteran lefty {P Joe Thatcher} now in the fold (after getting acquried from Arizona), Maronde became expendable. It has to be tough for the Angels to give up on a player with Maronde's talent, but he wasn't showing a lot of improvement. So, they decided to take a future asset or cash in the deal.
Fantasy impact
This deal has little to no fantasy impact except in perhaps the deepest of fantasy leagues, as Maronde is a lefty specialist and wasn't doing much before this trade. Since there's little to suggest he'll be a big part of the picture for Cleveland's bullpen anytime soon, don't expect much early on.
