Ken Griffey Jr. was traded to the Chicago White Sox for Danny Richar and Nick Masset. If that excites you, I got this videotaped Connect Four match between my two twelve-year-old cousins that will blow your mind. Griffey’s barely a fifth outfielder in mixed leagues at this point in his career. I’d go out on a a pretty sturdy limb and say he’s probably available in most mixed leagues, or should be. Does the move to the White Sox/Cellular Field boost his value? Not really. He could get hot and hit 6 to 8 HRs in a month, but his average is a bit of a drain. I’d prefer to take a flier on the struggling mightily Steven Pearce than Griffey cause here’s the thing… A fifth outfielder is a spot to embrace risk. There’s no reason to play it safe with your fifth outfielder (same goes for Utility, MI and last guys on the staff i.e. Gio Gonzalez, Santiago Casilla, Corpas, Kershaw, etc.). Playing it safe with the end pick guys on your team lands you in third place wondering how things could’ve been different. This is, of course, mixed league talk. In an AL-Only league, Griffey’s worth a waiver claim or some free agent bucks. He is, however, what he is, which is a fading superstar.
This trade does have some indirect fantasy baseball repercussions. Swisher and Konerko got the ‘ol “How’s Your Father?” this morning. The ‘ol “Put Up Or Shut Up.” The ‘ol “What Have You Done For Me Lately?” Frankly, those two bums should be made to platoon carrying the piss bucket. Neither is worth the energy it’s taking me to type this– Also, I don’t think Guillen will sit Thome and slot Griffey into DH. Thome’s hitting. Why penalize the guy that’s doing his job? He’s currently better than Griffey. All this could be moot the moment Guillen decides it’s a good idea to slot Griffey into centerfield and Griffey thinks he’s 24 again and pulls a hammy.
Over in the opening in the Reds outfield, there’s now a spot for Norris Hopper or Corey Patterson. If that excites you, I have a videotaped Connect Four match between two Civil War reenactors. If Corey gets hot, he could be good for a boatload of steals, but so far this year, he looks like a shell of a shell of his former self. Meanwhile, Hopper looked decent last year with some speed and average. But this year, to paraphrase Thing 1 and Thing 2 from Flavor of Love 3, Hopper has been exposed.
