The Oakland Athletics continued to demolish their pitching staff by trading starting pitchers Guillermo Moscoso and Josh Outman to the Colorado Rockies for outfielder Seth Smith. Smith gives Oakland a solid outfielder and a legitimate cleanup hitter for a team lacking in offense. Smith has hit .296 in his career at Coors Field and batted .257 on the road so expect his average to be headed down with the move to American League. His batting average is also going to be at risk if he becomes a full-time player given his struggles against left-handed pitching in his career with a .202 career average against southpaws.
There is no change in fantasy value for the Colorado outfield since Smith figured to be the odd man out with the signing of Michael Cuddyer. The deal of Smith does free up a few more at bats for Tyler Colvin, Eric Young Jr. or Charlie Blackmon in a reserve outfield role. Moscoso figures to be the fourth starter for the Rockies, but his value takes a hit with the move to Coors Field leaving him as a NL-only play. Outman figures to be nothing more than insurance at Triple-A in case an injury strikes at the major league level.
Oakland signed Bartolo Colon to a one-year contract to fill in the gaps in their rotation making him a candidate to start on Opening Day, but there is little upside for his win total with a weak offense behind him and an unsettled bullpen. The Colon signing means that recently acquired starting pitchers Tom Milone or Brad Peacock could begin the season in the minor leagues.
