Only nine games on the schedule for Monday night, but still some important things to see with less than two full days until the trade deadline.
New Closer in Houston - How Long Will Jose Cisnero Close?
The Astros moved closer Jose Veras to the Tigers, and with that likely killing any value attached to him for most fantasy owners. He is expected to be the main setup man for Joaquin Benoit, so losing the saves hurts a bit. Jose Cisnero is expected to get the first chance at the Astros' closer job, although for me personally the more interesting name could be Wesley Wright, he of the 50% ground ball rate. I'd be wary of picking up any Astros' reliever unless you are really hurting for saves.
For more on the Astros, check out SBNation's Crawfish Boxes.
Jake Peavy More Likely To Stay in Chicago Now?
It sounded on Sunday evening like White Sox' starter Jake Peavy would have a new home before his scheduled start on Tuesday. However, Monday came, and with rumors of the White Sox asking for both elite prospects AND large scale salary relief, the market for Peavy appears to have dried up to the point where the team is looking at just keeping him. It could be a negotiating ploy, but it seems likely that he stays put at this point, which really seems like a mistake.
For more info on Peavy and the White Sox, head over to SBNation's South Side Sox.
Francisco Liriano In Line For Big Contract This Offseason?
Pirates fans clearly have to be ecstatic with how their signing of Francisco Liriano has turned out. He started against the Cardinals on Monday night, throwing 7 innings of 1 run ball while striking out 8 and earning the win. Liriano finished at #36 in our midseason rankings, and him breaking his arm during the last offseason could end up earning him a much larger payday. I think he can keep this up, but I am always afraid that I will get burned by Liriano with a disaster area outing.
For more on Liriano and the Pirates, head over to SBNation's Bucs Dugout.
Brandon Beachy Returns, Gets Welcomed by Colorado
Brandon Beachy made his first start of the year at home against the Rockies, and is probably wishing he'd stayed in bed. He lasted just 3 and 2/3 innings, allowing 8 hits, a walk, and 7 earned runs. I still believe he is an interesting name in deeper leagues, although at this point if the Braves go get a starting pitcher I think he ends up the odd man out.
For more on Beachy and the Braves, check out SBNation's Talking Chop.
Daniel Murphy Continuing to Make Me Look Bad
I received a bit of flack on the Fake Teams podcast for my ranking Daniel Murphy all the way down at #18 overall amongst second basemen, and he apparently heard about it as well. He went 2 for 4 with 2 runs, 3 runs batted in, and a stolen base for the Mets on Monday night. He's now on pace for 12 home runs, 19 stolen bases, 98 runs scored, and 82 RBI with a .284 batting average. Yeah, that one looks pretty bad now.
For more about the Mets and Daniel Murphy, check out Amazin' Avenue.