D'BACKS CONTINUE OVERHAUL WITH MILLER
The Arizona Diamondbacks acquired pitchers Shelby Miller and Gabe Speier from the Atlanta Braves for outfielder Ender Inciarte, pitcher Aaron Blair and infielder Dansby Swanson.
What does it give the Arizona Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks have decided to upgrade their pitching situation significantly this off-season. After landing Zack Greinke via free agency, they now get another quality right-hander in Miller to slide into the middle of their rotation (with Greinke and left-hander Patrick Corbin). In Speier, the D'backs land a solid reliever for the future. While Arizona did well to land another big arm, they gave up a ton in this trade (especially top prospects Blair and Swanson).
What does it give the Atlanta Braves
For the Braves, this appears to be a master stroke. In landing Blair and Swanson, Atlanta receives two of Arizona's best prospects. Both are not in the team's plans for 2016 but are blue-chip talents that won't need a long time to arrive. For now, the Braves will have to settle for Inciarte, a likely candidate to take over in center field. He arrived as an everyday player in Arizona in 2015 and may still have some untapped upside. Atlanta's rotation takes a major hit without Miller, though.
Fantasy impact
Miller should continue to be a quality National League starter in Arizona, and may thrive pitching behind Greinke. Blair and Swanson have obvious long-range keeper league appeal, while Inciarte is an intriguing player who broke out last season. Can he keep it up, or regress? The jury is still out. Speier is another future fantasy reliever to keep an eye on down the road.
