Trades: Teixeira, Blake

Mark Teixeira was traded today from the Braves to the Angels, and should step into the starting lineup for them tomorrow versus the Boston Red Sox. Given his history of good second halves, I’m definitely bullish on him for the rest of this season. That will be a tough lineup for anyone to face going forward. Going to Atlanta are Casey Kotchman and minor league pitcher Stephen Marek. Kotchman should take over the everyday job at first base, but I don’t see his fantasy value changing much, as he just doesn’t have enough power at his position.

Closers: Rauch, Marte traded

The Washington Nationals traded Jon Rauch to the Arizona Diamondbacks this week for Emilio Bonifacio apparently without a backup plan for the closer role. John Hanrahan will be given first shot at it, but there are some other guys who are ready to step in should he struggle. Rauch will set up in Arizona, but with Brandon Lyon as closer, he could get some looks later on. Chad Cordero, by the way, is undergoing surgery, and is likely lost for the season; the Nats plan on letting him walk after this year.

Trade: Blanton dumped on Phillies

Billy Beane continues the firesale of his rotation. Joe Blanton left pitcher-friendly McAfee Coliseum for Philadelphia yesterday, in return for three young prospects: 2B Adrian Cardenas, LHP Josh Outman and OF Matthew Spencer. This doesn’t strike me as a king’s ransom for a solid starter with two years left on his deal.

Pickups: Using BABIP and LD%

Situation: You just lost your first baseman to an injury for 4-6 weeks, and you need a replacement. You check the free agent list and see a bunch of over-the-hill veterans and uninspiring names. How do you choose which one to get? In determining which players to pick up, it’s worth your while to check up on batting average on balls in play (BABIP) and line drive percentage (LD%).

Injuries: Saito, Pedro, Wells

Another pitcher bites the dust. Takashi Saito has some non-trivial elbow problem, meaning that young Jonathan Broxton is becoming a closer earlier than anticipated. Broxton had decent value before this injury, so think of him as a very low-risk pickup.

A Closer Look: Fuentes, Jenks

Brian Fuentes is almost certainly going to be traded, as several contenders have shown interest. That means the Manny Corpas will be reinstated as the Rockies closer when the deal happens. Pick him up now if he’s available.

Bobby Jenks has hit the DL, so if you need some saves, get Matt Thornton right now.

A Closer Look: Capps, Percival, Borowski, Jones

And we’re back. Get ready to add/drop!

Injuries: Worth waiting for?

It’s well-known fantasy strategy that the best time to pick up or trade for an injured player is a few days before he comes back. If you know a little something about the nature of the injury, you can better predict how it may impact the player long-term.