A’s closer Sean Doolittle isn’t expected to be ready for the start of the season

Another week in the books and another week closer to MLB Spring Training. Remember to keep it tuned to FantasyPros for all your baseball news, and bookmark our new link. Our dedicated team of News Desk writers brought you several key moves from last week. These are the top ten stories of the week that was from our MLB News Desk.

Sean Doolittle has a slight tear in his rotator cuff by Mitch Cox, Athletics Correspondent (Saturday, Jan 24th)

Oakland A’s closer Sean Doolittle has a slight tear in the rotator cuff of his left shoulder. He is now unlikely to be ready for the start of the season, and there is currently no timetable set for his return. (www.mlb.com)

Fantasy Impact: Doctors are saying they don’t think surgery is necessary, but one must be a little skeptical when announcements are coming out in January that a player won’t be ready for Opening Day. What this does to the A’s bullpen is the bigger question. Recently acquired Tyler Clippard would be the natural replacement, but Clippard – who did close for one season, 32 saves with the Nationals in 2012 – is one of the top set up men in baseball. The A’s could go with someone like Ryan Cook who posted 14 saves in 2012 or an Eric O’Flaherty who has electric stuff. Whatever direction the A’s go in, all three pitchers get a bump in value until the roles are established more clearly.

Masahiro Tanaka felt good after throwing in Japan by Chris Zolli (@thezman2010), Yankees Correspondent (Thursday, Jan 22nd)

Masahiro Tanaka had his season cut short in 2014, even though he returned at the end of the season, but felt fine while throwing with his former Rakuten Golden Eagles’ teammates. (Japan Times)

Fantasy Impact: Tanaka was an All-Star and looked well on his way to becoming at least an SP2 before tearing his UCL in July. He started his MLB career with eight consecutive quality starts and finished the season with a 2.77 ERA, 1.056 WHIP, and a 6.71 K:BB ratio. He also had ten or more strikeouts in five of his first 14 starts. Tanaka may have rushed his rehabilition process a bit to start two games at the end of the 2014 season, but he is ready to shoulder the load as the Yankees ace in 2015. A lot will be expected from Tanaka this year and he could be as high as a top-ten SP by the end of the year.

Yasiel Puig has competition in center field by Matthew Schultz (@DJBigDataMusic), Dodgers Correspondent (Thursday, Jan 22nd)

MLB Network recently ranked Puig as the third best center fielder but manger Don Mattingly doesn’t seem to agree. He said that the position is still open for competition. He went on to point out that they need more consistency up the middle. The Dodgers have already acquired Jimmy Rollins and Howie Kendrick in an effort to build that consistency. For the most part, the media’s consensus seems to be that Joc Pederson has the inside track to becoming the center fielder especially since Mattingly said, “If (Joc)’s going to be here in L.A., he should be playing a lot. It’s not going to do him any good to sit on the bench.” (Daily News)

Fantasy Impact: Puig’s rank as the third best CF is faulty because he is inconsistent. Consistency is very valuable to any fantasy team; it may not lead to a win every week but it definitely pulls weight in creating a playoff team.

Amaro thinks that Cole Hamels will not be traded by Kerry Kauffman (@PhilliesFan1969), Phillies Correspondent (Tuesday, Jan 20th)

While the Philllies have traded Antonio Bastardo, Marlon Byrd and Jimmy Rollins, it appears that ace Cole Hamels will remain with the Phillies. General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. doesn’t foresee the team being able to make a deal for Hamels. The asking price has been very high and although the Red Sox, Padres, Rangers and Cardinals have shown interest, it appears Hamels will at least start the season in Philadelphia. (Rotoworld.com)

Fantasy Impact: Hamels is under contract for four more seasons, so there is no hurry for the Phillies to move him. Should he remain with the Phillies the entire season, it’s likely Hamels will have a low win total and perhaps a sub-.500 record. That wouldn’t be because of his pitching performance, but due to the fact the Phillies are rebuilding and haven’t addressed their offensive woes. Hamels will be strong in all other areas and should still be one of the better fantasy pitchers in 2015.

Rangers bolster rotation with the addition of Yovani Gallardo by Mitch Cox, Rangers Correspondent (Tuesday, Jan 20th)

This time the rumors were true as the Texas Rangers made their first big move of the off-season, acquiring Brewers right-hander Yovani Gallardo for three prospects. (www.mlb.com)

Fantasy Impact: Gallardo is a workhorse who will fit nicely into the Rangers rotation behind Yu Darvish and Derek Holland. The soon-to-be 29 year-old has hurled at least 180 innings over each of the last six seasons and enters the 2015 campaign with a career mark of 89-64. Gallardo was just 8-11 last year, but posted a career-low 3.51 ERA. No longer the power pitcher he once was, Gallardo still averaged nearly seven strikeouts per nine innings last year. The move to the American League, and to Rangers Ballpark, might inflate some of his numbers, but he should be a solid 3-4 starter for your fantasy team.

Cubs acquire Dexter Fowler by Dale Redman (@fantasytool), Cubs Correspondent (Monday, Jan 19th)

The Chicago Cubs have acquired outfielder Dexter Fowler from the Houston Astros. The Cubs sent infielder Luis Valbuena and starting pitcher Dan Straily to the Astros for Fowler. Fowler will assume the leadoff spot and be the Cubs everyday centerfielder. He hit .276 with a .375 on-base percentage for Houston in 2014. (Chicago Tribune)

Fantasy Impact: Arismendy Alcantara was projected to be the everyday centerfielder for the Cubs. With Fowler now starting in center, Alcantara will serve as the a super utility player for manager Joe Madden. His role will be similar to what Ben Zobrist did with Madden in Tampa Bay. Alcantara will see some starts in the outfield and will backup infielders Javier Baez and Starlin Castro along with Tommy La Stella. Alcantara could also see some starts at third base until prospect Kris Bryant takes over the hot corner. Alcantara hit .205 with 10 home runs and 8 stolen bases in 70 games in 2014.

Max Scherzer, Nationals agree to seven-year contract by Brendan Ross, Nationals Correspondent (Monday, Jan 19th)

Max Scherzer has agreed to a 7-year contract with the Washington Nationals worth a reported $210 million. (ESPN)

Fantasy Impact: The elite right-handed power pitcher has finally landed on a team. Already considered by many to be the most talented starting pitching staff in 2014, the Nationals add a top-5 starting pitcher to their already sterling roster. There are questions now if Stephen Strasburg or Jordan Zimmerman could be moved. Expect Scherzer to have an ERA under 3.00, a WHIP around 1.10, and compete with Clayton Kershaw for the NL strikeout champion. Scherzer is a locked in stud for 2015, so draft him with confidence.

Cliff Lee on track for Spring Training; resuming pitching by Jeff Rosenberg ( @Jewish_Jeff), Phillies Correspondent (Sunday, Jan 18th)

Four-time All-Star and former Cy Young winner Cliff Lee is on track to compete for his second Comeback Player of the Year award this season. According to Jake Kaplan of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Cliff Lee is scheduled to begin throwing off a mound in the next seven to ten days. Recently, he’s been participating in long toss drills with no pain, and all signs point to the 36-year-old being ready for Opening Day. (Philadelphia Inquirer via HardBallTalk)

Fantasy Impact: Lee’s stats last year were respectable for a normal pitcher but certainly below his career numbers as he dealt with elbow issues and an eventually revealed flexor pronator strain that ended his season after only 81.1 innings. During that span, Lee posted an ERA of 3.65, a 1.38 WHIP and a 72/12 K/BB ratio. The ERA could see a slight reduction if things fall right, but almost certainly we will see a healthy Cliff Lee miss more bats this season while dropping his WHIP closer to his career average of 1.196. Lee also will be amongst the players most discussed in trade talks through July and could find himself amidst a playoff run with any team aiming for October, while the Phillies look to rebuild. Lee makes for a high upside steal any time after pick 75.

Hopes high for Jose Fernandez’s return; due back in June by Jeff Rosenberg ( @Jewish_Jeff), Marlins Correspondent (Sunday, Jan 18th)

While it has been well documented that pitchers returning from Tommy John surgery take time to regain their prior form–if at all–Miami’s 22-year-old Cuban phenom Jose Fernandez is making progress towards a return this coming June with some expectations. Fernandez will return to a very different Marlins team that now features multiple All-Stars both around the diamond and on the bump. (MLB.com)

Fantasy Impact: Fernandez has posted a 2.25 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 10.3 K/9 through his first 224 1/3 innings. These numbers are ahead of recent Hall of Fame inductees Pedro Martinez and Randy Johnson at this point in their respective careers. Miami may opt on the side of caution with Fernandez this year as they look to limit his innings, but they are clearly looking to contend this year. If the Marlins want to be legitimate World Series contenders they will surely need the 2013 NL Rookie of the Year leading their rotation down the stretch. Fernandez makes for a high upside “gamble” in the middle rounds of drafts in 2015.

Can Alexei Ramirez repeat last year’s performance by Rob Schwarz, Jr. (@ChiSportsnut25), White Sox Correspondent (Friday, Jan 16th)

Alexei Ramirez finally had another good season at shortstop. However, his numbers are skewed by a hot start. In the first two months of last season, Ramirez hit .329 with seven of his 15 home runs and 11 of his 21 steals. After that his numbers came back down to reality. (CBS Sports)

Fantasy Impact: Alexei Ramirez was a top five shortstop in points last season. However, he did not help owners as much after his hot start. The likely hood of Ramirez repeating his fantasy performance from last season is slim. If you can get him later in the draft he is worth it, but if you have to use a first-half draft pick for him, do not. Other serviceable shortstops will be available later.

Chris Zolli is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Chris, check out his archive and follow him @thezman2010.