Fantasy Baseball: Hanley Ramirez Owners Can Expect Stats Bump After Dodgers Deal

Hanley Ramirez in southern California?

Yeah, I'll buy that.

On Wednesday morning, fantasy owners awoke to the stunning news of the Marlins trading the supremely talented (via MLB.com), but equally enigmatic infielder to the Dodgers (along with reliever Randy Choate) for pitcher Nate Eovaldi (a top prospect) and minor league pitcher Scott McGough.

The notion of Han-Ram being dealt from Miami is hardly a shocker...but to a club that may not have enough high-end assets to acquire Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster before MLB trade deadline (July 31)? That's the real head-scratcher.

(Maybe that's why the Marlins rushed to consummate a deal. The window for Eovaldi was closing.)

Since this is a fantasy entry, I won't speculate on whether this landmark move will help the Dodgers (53-45) win the National League West or secure one of the two wild card spots. But I will say this: Of all the hitters that have been recently dealt, or will be traded in the next six days, Ramirez will eventually have the greatest fantasy impact of the bunch. That includes Kevin Youkilis.

Looking at Han-Ram's numbers, I have no defense for his .246 seasonal batting average (92 games) or deflating .203 average since June 26. But the 14 homers, 47 RBI, 49 RBI, 14 steals and .322 on-base percentage weren't that far off from my preseason expectations for Ramirez, who moved to third base in March to accommodate the high-profile signing of shortstop Jose Reyes.

In terms of lineup protection, Hanley probably had more security with Miami, at least when Reyes, Giancarlo Stanton, Carlos Lee, Logan Morrison and Emilio Bonifacio were healthy. But it'll be interesting to see how Ramirez fits into the Los Angeles lineup. Will he bat before or after All-Stars Matt Kemp (14 HR, 34 RBI, 36 runs, .352 BA, 1.102 OPS) and Andre Ethier (61 RBI, .291 batting)?

On the trade front, Ramirez's value has dropped considerably from the spring-training days of March and scintillating run for the month of May (four homers, 20 RBI, 18 runs, six steals, .322 batting).

However, given his .327 career batting average for the months of August and September (along with combined stats of 44 homers, 134 RBI, 208 runs, 84 steals), the next six days theoretically serve as the perfect window to land Hanley for a reasonable price.

Ramirez Trade Options

1-for-1
Hanley for Jonathon Niese
Hanley for Wade Miley
Hanley for Colby Rasmus
Hanley for Bryce Harper

2-for-2
Hanley/Max Scherzer for Starlin Castro/Adam Wainwright
Hanley/Cliff Lee for Jimmy Rollins/Yovani Gallardo
Hanley/Madison Bumgarner for Edwin Encarnacion/Tommy Milone
Hanley/Homer Bailey for Ryan Zimmerman/Travis Blackley

Jay Clemons can be reached on Twitter, day or night, at @ATL_JayClemons.