Here's a move that won't gain a bunch of national media attention, but will likely pay off for the Oakland Athletics down the stretch. The Toronto Blue Jay had previously designated utility man Danny Valencia for assignment after making a flurry of trade deadline deals. In an attempt to move the veteran following the non-waiver deadline, Toronto had to risk losing him on waivers.
That's exactly what happened on Monday when the A's claimed him. Valencia, 30, is having the best season of an otherwise pedestrian career. He's hitting .296 with seven homers and 29 RBI's in in 58 games. Likely headed into a platoon situation, Valencia is hitting a robust .316 with a .366 on-base percentage against left-handed pitchers on the year.
This should give Valencia regular at-bats against left-handed pitchers moving forward this season and into the future. Considering how much manager Bob Melvin likes to utilize a platoon, there's no reason to believe the A's newest acquisition won't start pretty much every game a lefty takes the bump for the opponent. The veteran is under team control through the 2017 season.
Fantasy Slant
As mentioned above, Valencia immediately becomes a regular starter against left-handed pitchers. Moving forward, check to see who is starting agianst the A's, and potentially add this dude to your DFS lineup on the cheap. He won't awe you, but he can do what's asked on the bargain bin. Sometimes, that's the difference between earning some cash and seeing your bank account continually decrease. No one is going to complain about a .316 average and .366 on-base percentage. That's a ripe deal right there.