Fantasy Impact: Adam LaRoche Traded To The Boston Red Sox

With Adam LaRoche being traded to Boston, the immediate impact assessment as to his fantasy value needs to be established. For Pittsburgh fans, this has to be another nail in the proverbial coffin as to how their season has gone to this point. Red Sox fans need to be excited to see another bat come to the lineup after a miserable run of offense.

Take a look at the Red Sox batting averages since June 1:

J.D.Drew—.228

Kevin Youkilis—.248

Jason Varitek—.228
Nick Green—.203

Jason Bay—.214

Mike Lowell—.241

Dustin Pedroia—.273

Jacoby Ellsbury—.283

Plain and simple, Boston needed a bat and LaRoche was available. You cannot have six of your starters hit under .250 for a month and a half and expect to succeed.

While LaRoche has not had a stellar season to this point, he did post solid numbers in June. For the month, the first basemen hit .344 with four home runs and 15 RBI. In July, though, he has fallen back down and posted only eight hits in 58 at-bats. Naturally, with a .247 season average, the question as to if this is luck has to emerge.

LaRoche has a BABIP of .294 this season, 20 points below last season and nearly 30 points below his numbers from 2006 and 2007. He is hitting a few more balls on the ground, and his fly balls are not leaving the yard at their historical rate, but largely this is placement as much as it is anything else.

He is striking out at the same rate as last season, but walking a bit more. His strike zone discipline has improved each season, and 2009 has seen him swing at pitches out of the strike zone only 21 percent of the time. Overall, though, he is making contact much less frequently with all pitches.

He is four points off of his career average of 78 percent and seven points off of last season’s pace. Basically, he is what he is and will continue to be that with a bit more luck, especially when you examine how he usually performs after the All-Star break.

Historically, LaRoche is a second half player.

In the last three seasons, he has hit .350 in July, .329 in August, and .290 in September. That is a full .314 after the break compared to .247 before it. He has hit four more home runs in 200 fewer at-bats (37 in 884 before, 41 in 663 after). The slugger is fully capable of hitting another 10 to 15 home runs this season.

What this trade really tells fantasy owners is that the Red Sox feel that Youkilis can and will do the job at third and that Lowell’s playing time is in jeopardy.

In all likelihood, another deal has to be in the works (you would think). Owners that have Lowell should look to either deal the third basemen now or expect diminished time and returns on their investment.

The team is obviously concerned about Lowell's overall health and ability to be in the lineup on a daily basis. Otherwise, there is no need to make a trade for a corner infielder. Anyone that has seen him run during this Texas series likely will agree with that assessment. This situation is going to be fluid, and it should be watched as the deadline approaches.

The change in playing time for Lowell is where the deal makes its impact.

Odds are, if you had LaRoche you were playing him as a fringe starter anyway. This trade should not have you rushing to grab him, unless you put major stock in his second half numbers. AL-only owners will enjoy there being another decent first basemen, and mixed leagues should continue to treat him as they were. This trade does not bump LaRoche's value considerably, nor does it hamper it.

Collin Hager writes The Elmhurst Pub fantasy blog. You can get your questions answered by sending an email to [e-mail]. He's also on Twitter @TheRoundtable.