Waiver wire moves

Though the moves are harder to make, teams can use the waiver wire to swap players. Thus far, there have only been four such deals pulled off, and just two of real significance -- Orioles catcher/first baseman Javy Lopez to the Red Sox for a player still to be named later, and Nationals starting pitcher Livan Hernandez to the Diamondbacks for minor leaguers Garrett Mock and Matt Chico.

With Jason Varitek out at least 4-to-6 weeks, maybe longer, due to knee surgery, the Red Sox needed to fill the void, so they went out and got Lopez, who was not happy with the amount of playing time he was receiving in Baltimore. The most interesting thing here is Boston's inability to complete the deal because the Devil Rays are claiming anyone and everyone the Red Sox try to clear through waivers and ship to the O's.

According to reports, Tampa Bay is furious with Boston, claiming that the Red Sox illegally contacted the agent for shortstop Julio Lugo, thus hindering the Rays' efforts to sign Lugo to a long-term extension.

Regardless of how it all shakes out, Lopez is an improvement over backup catcher Doug Mirabelli, who with Tim Wakefield on the DL doesn't have a ton of value to the club. However, Lopez's production has been on the decline since he hit a career-high 43 home runs in 129 games in 2003 while with Atlanta.

He may still pop a few long balls at Fenway Park, but there are much better options to choose from at catcher in fantasy baseball. Brian McCann, Michael Barrett, and even Mike Piazza would have a greater effect on your team than Lopez.

The acquisition of Livan Hernandez bodes very well for Arizona. Despite a poor first half in which he went 6-8 with a 5.94 ERA, Hernandez has reeled off five straight quality starts since the All-Star break, going 3-0 with 23 strikeouts against just four walks in 33 innings with a 3.27 ERA. He has plenty of postseason experience, including a World Series title with the Marlins in 1997, and he is certainly not afraid of pitching in high-pressure situations.

It's a five-team race in the N.L. West and this move definitely gives Arizona an edge as they strive to win their division. It also doesn't hurt that they have a budding mix of youngsters and veterans with Stephen Drew, Carlos Quentin, Luis Gonzalez and Shawn Green.

Don't be scared by Hernandez's season totals. He is an innings-eater who gets plenty of strikeouts and thrives on being a go-to guy. Brandon Webb is still the ace of the staff, but Hernandez gives Arizona a solid one-two punch that could be every effective in the postseason.