CARDINALS ADD RIGHTY MASTERSON
The St. Louis Cardinals acquired pitcher Justin Masterson from the Cleveland Indians for outfielder James Ramsey.
What does it give the St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals, under the tutelage of pitching coach Derek Lilliquist, prefer starters who pitch to contact. Enter Masterson, a three-quarter right-hander who does a good job of inducing a lot of groundball outs. He should fit in well with the Redbirds, even if he doesn't stick around beyond 2014. St. Louis can afford a rental pitcher at this point.
What does it give the Cleveland Guardians
The Indians have needs in the outfield, both short and long term. Ramsey is a quality prospect with sound fundamentals and good makeup. He can play center field, which adds to his overall value. Cleveland obviously didn't feel very confident in their chances to keep Masterson, so they at least got back a solid prospect.
Fantasy impact
Masterson's fantasy value is on the rise as long as he's pitching for the Cardinals. Ramsey's fantasy value should also improve after this move, because it might be less crowded (at least for now) in the Tribe's system as opposed to the Redbirds'.
