Bob Wickman, CL, Atlanta Braves

July 20, 2006 @ 16:00:00

By Joshua Ellis
Edited by Ryan Dodson

With the bats of the Atlanta Braves surging and the trade deadline approaching, general manager John Schuerholz made a deal to bolster his tattered bullpen. On Thursday, the Braves acquired veteran closer Bob Wickman from the Cleveland Indians for Class A catcher Max Ramirez. The Braves, who have won the last 14 National League East titles, now find themselves just four-and-a-half games out of the Wild Card race after struggling early on. This move will help shore up a dismal Braves bullpen. The Braves bullpen has a combined 4.73 ERA and has blown half of their 40 save opportunities. Chris Reitsma (elbow surgery), Jorge Sosa and Kenny Ray have been used in the closer role this season and have been unsuccessful, so this trade will put a veteran back at the end of the Braves bullpen. 

The 37-year-old Wickman is in his 16th season in the major leagues. He made his debut with the New York Yankees in 1992, where he spent five years. He then spent the next five years with the Milwaukee Brewers and has been with the Indians for the past six seasons. In his career, Wickman has 229 saves, 60 wins and an ERA of 3.64. Last season, Wickman led the AL in saves with 45, and he had an ERA of 2.47. Wickman had been struggling somewhat this season with the Indians as he is just 1-4 with an ERA of 4.18, and he is only averaging 5.5 strikeouts per nine innings. On the upside is that Wickman has converted on 15 of 18 save opportunities. 

This trade will boost Wickman's fantasy value. In the National League, Wickman won't have to face the DH, and the Braves are currently one of the hottest teams in baseball. In Atlanta, Wickman will have more save opportunities because he's going from a tough AL Central division to a much easier National League East, and he will also be going to a better pitchers' park, which will offer more success. In his career, Wickman's ERA is about a half run higher in the second half of the season, but last year his second half earned run average was better than his first. He may have found a way to keep his large frame in shape for the late season push. The situation concerning Wickman is similar to that of closer Eddie Guardado. Guardado is 36 years old and also was recently traded from the American League to the National League when he went from the Seattle Mariners to the Cincinnati Reds. Guardado has seen his fantasy value rise in just 5 2/3 innings of work with his new club where he has picked up four saves and allowed just one earned run. Wickman may experience similar success.

On the down side, Wickman resembles a former closer for the Braves, now Brewers relief pitcher Dan Kolb. Kolb was supposed to solve the Braves' closer problems in 2005 when pitcher John Smoltz transitioned back to the starting rotation. In 57 2/3 innings that season, Kolb was 3-8 with a 5.93 ERA and just 11 saves. Kolb is a gleaming example of how a successful closer for one team can get traded and flop for the Braves. Also, Wickman's strikeouts-per-nine-inning numbers have been declining. In 2002 Wickman was striking out 9.4 batters per nine innings. Then in 2003 Wickman had Tommy John surgery to repair his right elbow. In 2004 Wickman struck out 7.8 batters per nine innings, and in 2005 and 2006 he has struck out less than six batters per nine innings. The lack of strikeout production after his surgery in 2003 lowers Wickman's value. This also means you may be able to get him for less if your team is in need of saves. 

Overall, Wickman has been traded into a good situation in Atlanta. They are winning games, and that should give Wickman an opportunity to rack up some saves in the second half of the season. If you are low on saves, Wickman should be a good player to trade for. 

With Wickman's departure, the Indians will look to youngster Fausto Carmona to close out games. The 22-year-old rookie has been used as a starter and in relief for the Indians this season. In 43 1/3 innings, Carmona is 1-3 with a 3.74 ERA. He is also striking out 7.1 batters per nine innings. Carmona has proven himself this season as a reliable pitcher for the Indians. If he is available in your league, pick him up before anyone else does. 

The other piece in this trade was the player that the Indians got, catcher Max Ramirez. Ramirez 21 years old, and he seems like a work in progress for the Indians farm system for where he will report to. This season he was batting .285 with nine home runs and 37 RBI in 80 games. Ramirez was selected to the South Atlantic League All-Star team this season. In his two previous years of professional baseball on Braves rookie level teams, he hit .314 with 16 home runs and 82 RBI in 120 games. There is no mixed-league or NL-only league value here yet especially with stud catcher Victor Martinez playing for the Indians, but in a few years he may emerge as a good young catcher.

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Joshua Ellis
Joshua has been a KFFL contributor since 2006.

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