The San Diego Padres appear to have their closer.

After watching Heath Bell leave in free agency, many expected the Padres to look to their own pen to find their late-inning solution — but on Wednesday morning, they have reportedly acquired Huston Street from the Colorado Rockies for the reliable player to be named later. The trade for the Rockies is almost assuredly to clear cash in an effort to create flexibility for other moves, but until we learn more about their own plans for the closer role, the fantasy impact for now is that Huston Street’s stock just rose pretty significantly.

Why? The happiest place on Earth to pitch, of course.

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‘Tis the season of wheeling, dealing and spieling.

Baseball’s Hot Stove season gets all sorts of coverage. Among the general questions that can be applied to just about any scenario are: Which big name is rumored to be signing here? What trade chip would be a perfect match there? And does Buster Olney ever actually sleep?

While the transactions of note generally involve big leaguers signing with or being traded to new teams, one angle that often gets overshadowed is how those moves effect prospects. Sometimes, an inking or a deal by the parent club can be good news for minor leaguers, but many times, that’s not the case. What looked only yesterday to be a clear path to playing time for a prospect ready to contribute, instead has suddenly become a circuitous detour along a bumpy road with indecipherable signage, more than a few potholes and the ultimate destination — the majors — nowhere in sight.

With that in mind, buckle your seat belts as we take a look at a pair of young players whose 2012 stocks have been impacted head-on by some recent moves.

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With Melky Cabrera being trade from the Royals to the Giants for Jonathan Sanchez, Lorenzo Cain became the everyday center fielder for the Royals. His fantasy value has skyrocketed with this move.

Lorenzo was traded to the Royals from the Brewers as part of the Zack Greinke trade. With the 2010 Brewers, he played in 43 games hitting .306 with 1 HR and 7 SBs. Besides, 6 games played with the Royals at the end of the season as a August call up, he has spent the rest of his career in the minors.

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In case you hadn’t heard, it’s officially the Hot Stove season in ottoneu Fantasy Baseball, so it’s time to start talking trades with other owners in your league. The FanGraphs Staff league is already buzzing with rumors and conjecture, but most of those have to do with what Eno is hiding under his hair. That aside, three trades have already been made, and I was proactive enough to be involved with two of them. Let’s take a look and talk strategy, shall we?

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CC Sabathia (signed a 5 year deal with the Yankees) – Going into the offseason, CC’s destination was an unknown. By resigning with the Yankees, CC’s fantasy value is probably maximized.

First, he will be a Yankee for 5 more seasons, unless traded or released. The Yankees will always try to be competitive and will have a top notch offense and bullpen surrounding him. Compared to other similar pitchers, he will get plenty of run support and leads held to help him accumulate wins.

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Trading is an important part of most fantasy leagues. With the exception of a few leagues, most notably NFBC formats, owners are free to swap players with their fellow league mates throughout the season until some imposed trading deadline. Many fantasy owners believe that skillful trading, as one component of in-season roster management, is the biggest factor of success. But after passing the deadline in my one league that I commish, I am left wondering: is trading dead?

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One of the primary reasons that people give as to why they opt not to play fantasy baseball but are the first to form a fantasy football league is the sheer length of the season.  Six months is apparently two months too long for them.  However, those of us that are able to cope with the time frame know the real answer; the amount of work it takes to, not only prep for the season, but to stay active and alert all season long can be a testament to one’s patience, work ethic and mental endurance.

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What to expect from Kelly Johnson in Toronto – Kelly has been a disappointment this season, mainly for his inability to make contact (27.4 K% vice a career 20.9 K%) and get a hit (0.257 BABIP vice a career 0.309 BABIP). He has been a nice source of home runs (18) and stolen bases (13) though.

Johnson’s home run ability should not take much of a hit since the LHH park factor for home runs is the same for each park (114). In Toronto, the park factors for singles, doubles and triples are all less than they were in Arizona. Rogers Centre will put another dent in Johnson already beat up season AVG.

I am not sure of Toronto’s plan for where he bats in the lineup so his value could be effected on where he finally ends up. He should see some more Runs + RBIs since Toronto’s offense averages 0.3 R/G more than Arizona’s offense. Finally in Toronto, he should be in the field everyday (which wasn’t happening recently in Arizona).

I see Johnson’s Runs and RBI’s up, HRs staying the same, while his AVG might even take more of hit because of the trade.

What to expect from Aaron Hill in Arizona – Hill, like Johnson, has had a disappointing 2011 season. A 0.225 AVG and 6 HRs are a let down from the 0.286 AVG and 36 HRs from just 2 years ago.

Looking at the stadium numbers, Hill’s home run potential will go down as he goes from a RHH HR PF of 116 in Toronto to 102 in Arizona. While his HR rate looks to take a hit, he should get a boost in his AVG because of the higher PF for singles, doubles and triples.

The chances for RBI’s and Runs will go down since Arizona doesn’t score as many runs as the Toronto offense.

Hill looks like he should get a chance to turn it around in Arizona, but the home park and his teammates look to limit his upside.

What to expect to from John McDonald in Arizona – McDonald’s value jumped the most from this trade. He looks to be the everyday SS in Arizona since Stephen Drew is out for the season. He will occur the same downgrades that Hill has because of the stadium and surrounding teammates. While he is not an offensive force, he should be getting playing time everyday and help an owner in a deep or NL only league with some counting stats.

Thanks to statcorner.com for the Park Factors

Technically, the deal that sent Kosuke Fukudome to the Cleveland Indians for a pair of minor leaguers was consummated three days before the actual trade deadline, but close enough.  While AL-only league owners are still debating whether or not Fukudome and his .364 OBP are worth a claim, the better potential fantasy value remains in Chicago as Tyler Colvin gets another shot this season to prove his worth.  After a stellar rookie campaign in 2010, Colvin struggled mightily this year, but with a less crowded outfield and another chance to stake his claim on the Cubs’ right field job, Colvin has a prime opportunity to put his early season woes behind him and make himself indispensable to fantasy owners for these final two months. Read the rest of this entry »

If Derrek Lee’s Pirates debut Monday night is any indication of things to come, then you should be running to your fantasy league’s waiver wire and grab him while you can.  2-for-4 with 2 HR and 3 RBI?  Sounds like someone’s happy with his move to the Steel City.  If you’re looking for a boost from your corner infield spot, then Lee will certainly fit the bill. Read the rest of this entry »