Kevin Mulvey

Mulvey was sent to Arizona as the player to be named later in the Jon Rauch trade in September. His chances of securing a spot in the Minnesota rotation were slim given the number of arms in the running, but there's a very good chance that he'll open the season as a member of the D-Backs' staff. In six appearances during September – including four starts – Mulvey didn't impress, but the sample size is small and he'll be given a fair shake during spring training to lock down a spot. Even though he doesn't overpower hitters or miss a ton of bats, Mulvey has good command of his four-pitch arsenal and the move to the NL should increase his chances of helping out fantasy owners. Further, he'll only turn 25 in May, so there's a little bit more upside here than you might think. Consider Mulvey as a nice endgame option in deeper mixed leagues and NL-only formats.

Mulvey doesn't have great stuff, but has good command and a consistent makeup that could put him in position to win a long relief or fifth starter role in the majors this spring. Mulvey had a productive, if unflashy, season at Triple-A Rochester with a decent strikeout rate (7.36 K/9IP), good control (121:48 K:BB ratio) while keeping the ball down (40 percent groundball rate). Mulvey's main problem for 2009 is he's stuck behind a logjam of pitching prospects ready for the majors. Still, he should continue to be productive when he gets his chance.

Mulvey shot up the Mets' prospect list, making 26 starts for Double-A Binghamton before being promoted to Triple-A for two starts at the end of 2007. He possesses three solid pitches - a lower mid-90's fastball, slider and curveball - as well as a developing changeup, and more importantly, doesn't get rattled on the hill and is willing to throw any pitch in any situation. After coming over to the Twins in the Johan Santana deal, Mulvey is expected to open 2008 in Triple-A, but could get a look in the rotation by midseason. He projects as a No. 3 or No. 4 starter.