NATS ACQUIRE ASDRUBAL CABRERA
The Washington Nationals acquired infielder Asdrubal Cabrera and cash from the Cleveland Indians for outfielder/infielder Zach Walters.
What does it give the Washington Nationals
This deal makes sense for Washington, as Cabrera will likely play second base on a regular basis for the rest of 2014. That will move {P Anthony Rendon} back to his natural third base position in place of the injured {P Ryan Zimmerman}. Once the latter returns, he'll probably end up in left field. Cabrera is a free agent at season's end, so the Nats have a few months to see what they have.
What does it give the Cleveland Guardians
With their starting shortstop now gone to D.C., the Tribe have options to replace him in the immediate future: {P Mike Aviles}, {P Jose Ramirez} and also Walters. The future at short will belong to {P Francisco Lindor}, currently playing at Triple-A Columbus. Lindor will probably make his big-league debut in September (or sooner), and take over the job on a full-time basis in 2015.
Fantasy impact
Cabrera's fantasy value remains steady with this move, and he'll soon get 2B eligibility if he plays there with the Nationals--which will add a bit of value for next year. As for Walters, he's a fantasy dark horse but needs to get noticed quickly due to Lindor's presence. The latter is the clear winner here, as he's a step closer to Cleveland.
