I'm still trying to figure out who this Gonzalez guy is the Atlanta Braves acquired for Yunel Escobar on Wednesday. Is he the slick-fielding Alex Gonzalez who led AL shortstops in fielding percentage with the Red Sox in 2006? Or is he the power-hitting Alex Gonzalez who leads all shortstops in homers with 17? (That's even more than Alex Rodriguez. And more than any other middle infielder as well.)  Obviously, the Braves hope they've acquired both as they make their playoff push.  Fantasy owners, however, have reason to be skeptical that Gonzalez can keep it up -- especially when leaving the more homer-friendly Rogers Centre. But with injuries to Troy Tulowitzki and Jose Reyes clouding the shortstop picture in NL-only leagues, the arrival of a home run threat at the position is something worth celebrating.  There's no other shortstop even remotely mentioned in trade rumors who has Gonzalez's power (he looks like a pretty good bet to top his career-high of 23 homers), so jump at the chance to grab him if you have a void at shortstop or middle infield in NL-only leagues. Another 10 homers from that spot will come in handy.  As for Escobar, he has exactly zero home runs this season after hitting 14 (with 76 RBI) a year ago. His average has also fallen from .299 to .238. At age 27, you'd figure Escobar would be due for a breakout year. But it hasn't happened -- and the Braves don't have the luxury of waiting for him to turn it around. The Blue Jays, on the other hand, do ... and it wouldn't be a surprise to see Escobar have a second half more in line with what we expected out of him this year in Atlanta.  If you're a major league team playing to win this season, going with the veteran in Gonzalez is the right move. If you're planning for the future, Escobar is a worthwhile gamble. It works the same way in fantasy baseball as well.  To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor  . For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to  . Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to
Gonzalez a valuable new power source in NL-only leagues - Fantasy Windup: A community for fantasy baseball news and strategy - USATODAY.com