ORIOLES LAND FELDMAN FROM THE CUBS
The Baltimore Orioles acquired pitcher Scott Feldman and catcher Steve Clevenger from the Chicago Cubs for pitchers Jake Arrieta and Pedro Strop, and cash.
What does it give the Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles are contending but need to upgrade their starting pitching in order to win the American League East this year. The injury to {P Dylan Bundy} and lack of big-league success for prospects such as {P Kevin Gausman} and Arrieta led to this move. Feldman was pitching well without pressure in the NL this year, but he now moves to a much better hitters' park in Baltimore. Clevenger is merely catching depth for the O's and will be on stand-by at Triple-A Norfolk.
What does it give the Chicago Cubs
The Cubs get a quality arm in Arrieta, albeit one that needs to regain his confidence at the big-league level. Currently sporting a 7.23 earned-run average after his five Baltimore starts this season, Arrieta has nowhere to go but up. He should do better without much pressure for the rest of 2013 in the Windy City. Strop needed a change of scenery too, after losing his job as Baltimore's top setup man this year. With Chicago rebuilding, Strop has a chance to become a closer.
Fantasy impact
Feldman's fantasy value takes a hit here, aside from the obvious fact that he should win more games with Baltimore than the Cubs. Otherwise, he will be facing tougher lineups in the AL in pressure situations. Arrieta and Strop should see a pretty good spike in fantasy value as new National Leaguers, while Clevenger still lacks any fantasy impact whatsoever.
