The Boston Red Sox finalized a deal that will net them RP Eric Gagne from the Texas Rangers for SP Kason Gabbard, OF David Murphy, and OF Engel Beltre.
This was a nice upgrade for the Red Sox without having to part with Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, or Jacoby Ellsbury. They now have a killer 7th/8th/9th inning combination with Hideki Okajima moving to the 7th inning, Eric Gagne moving to the 8th inning, and Jonathan Papelbon staying in the 9th inning.
Fantasy Impact: I mentioned a while ago that Gagne was a candidate to be traded, so hopefully you moved him before this trade. He moves to a setup role, and is now #2 in line for saves, so his fantasy value drops quite a bit. The Red Sox are careful with Papelbon and his shoulder, so Gagne now has the fantasy value that Okajima used to have and is still worth owning. You can still use Okajima for ratios, but he won't be vulturing saves anymore, so his fantasy value drops a bit as well. Kason Gabbard was an interesting spot-start candidate, but going to Texas kills his fantasy value and he should not be used in mixed leagues. He'll probably have a permanent rotation spot now, though.
The Texas closer situation is one to monitor. C.J. Wilson closed last night for 1 2/3 IP, but he's far more effective against left handers and probably isn't the true closer. That should belong to Joaquin Benoit, and he's the guy I've picked up in both of my leagues. Benoit has posted a 3.11 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and 56 K in 55 IP, so it looks like he could be a successful closer.
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