TWINS, ANGELS SWAP FOUR PITCHERS
The Minnesota Twins acquired pitchers Hector Santiago and Alan Busenitz from the Los Angeles Angels for pitchers Ricky Nolasco and Alex Meyer, and cash.
What does it give the Minnesota Twins
The Twins are not contenders, yet chose to acquire a left-handed starter that contending teams were looking at. He is not a free agent at season's end, though, so Minnesota will look at Santiago to help plug a gaping hole in their rotation next season. They also added a decent relief prospect in Busenitz and got rid of the onerous contract of Nolasco in the process. This was a great move by the Twins.
What does it give the Los Angeles Angels
The Angels must really like Meyer's potential, either as a starter or reliever, because they dealt a solid starting pitcher in Santiago (something they need more of, not less) and took on Nolasco's bad contract. They even sent Minnesota a decent reliever prospect in Busenitz. On the surface, this does not look like a good deal by the Halos (Santiago had more value to contending teams at this time).
Fantasy impact
Santiago's fantasy value remains virtually the same in Minnesota, while Nolasco's dwindling stock remains the same with the Angels. Busenitz might turn into a decent reliever down the road but has no immediate value, so the big question here is whether Meyer will FINALLY live up to expectations. He is the ultimate fantasy wild card.
