Here’s what my crystal ball said on March 5th, “(Medlen) averaged over a K an inning last year. Will start the year as an MR, barring an injury to someone… *cough* Jar Jar *cough*. Medlen will get into the rotation shortly. Meesa tinks Jar Jar won’t make it the whole year healthy.” And that’s me quoting me! Kris Medlen is now the starter as the Braves wash Jurrjens out of their hair for at least three weeks while he deals with a strained hamstring. I grabbed Medlen in one league where it made sense. He gets a tough first matchup going against the Phillies at Citizens Flank. If Medlen pitches well in his first start, he’ll be added everywhere. So depending how bad you need him, you add him now or prepare to rush to grab him on Saturday. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:
Jason Heyward – Left yesterday’s game with a sore groin, which would be a good name for a Viagra-type drug, but spelled “soar” and with an exclamation mark. Oh, and speaking of groins…
Bobby Cox – The congratulatory cake made by the Senate for Bobby Cox had an unfortunate misspelling. Maybe Jim Eisenreich was the baker.
Andy Pettitte – 5 IP, 1 ER, 8 baserunners, 2 Ks and left with elbow inflammation. That’s now three of the core four that are sore. Jeter better take it easy on the pasta diving.
Nick Johnson – 3-for-3 with a homer. He has a .171 average and a .396 OBP. That almost seems impossible, right? Seriously, no joke. Batting in front of Tex and A-Rod and he leads the league in walks. Incredible.
Alfredo Aceves – Got the save since Joba was used the last two days. This was after the Orioles pitched Alfredo Simon. According to Elias Sports Bureau, this was the first time two guys named after pasta sauce appeared in the same game since Alfredo Griffin and Bolognese Penne squared off in 1982. Actually, they didn’t say that. But something that was overheard this week at the Elias Sports Bureau compound, “Thomas, in accounting, broke his own record of 37 minutes when he took 45 minutes to sign a birthday card with ‘Your (sic) the best.’”
Adam Jones – Missed the game with dreckitude, I mean, a hip strain. He’s supposed to play on Thursday. Yay.
Ty Wigginton – Hit his 9th homer yesterday. Or the same amount of homers as Andruw Jones. That’s only 7 more homers than Teixeira. Pardon me as I go stick my head in the oven.
Aramis Ramirez – Hey, the power of persuasion worked! Aramis was moved down the order. Now how about my Powerball numbers coming in!
Kevin Slowey – 5 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 9 baserunners, 3 Ks and lucky to get out with the Win. Last year, Slowey had screws put in his wrist and now he’s putting the screws to his owners. The screws seem to be effecting his pinpoint control that made him the pitcher that he was. In 2009, through 90+ innings, he had 15 walks. He has 11 through 34+ innings this year.
Denard Span – 11 for his last 22 and has 7 Steals and 19 Runs on the season. Heading for exactly the type of season I thought he would when I put him down for 100/10/70/.300/22.
David Ortiz – Hit his third homer in four games, while he bats .171. Yeah, he’s “not done,” he’s just a “very poor imitation of his younger self.”
Huston Street – Supposed to start a rehab assignment on Monday which will put him on schedule to return in about two weeks.
Franklin Morales – His leash got even shorter last night. If you’re looking for vulture saves, grab Corpas.
Johnny Damon – Left yesterday’s game with a right calf spasm. Damon is day-to-day, man. (<–almost a palindrome!)
Miguel Cabrera – 2 homers as he took a double shot off the Slow Twin Fizz.
Alex Avila – Hit his first two homers of the season yesterday. I grabbed him in a deep 2 catcher league hoping this is a sign of a potential breakout. He does need to do battle with Laird for the starting job, but Laird’s hitting .141 with one homer and a bruised shin. Not a braised shin though, which is delicious!
Manny Ramirez – Returns on Saturday after playing today for the Inland Empire, which is on the planet Naboo.
Ian Desmond – 1-for-4 with his third homer. Now has 3 homers and 3 steals, which is yawnstipating while it’s happening, but it’s still 12/12 at the end of the year. Now someone just needs to convince Riggleman Desmond should be in the two hole and not the crap that is usually there.
Barry Zito – 7 IP, 1 ER, 8 baserunners, 4 Ks. His ERA now stands at 1.49. His xFIP is 4.09, which means he’s getting very lucky, but no one thought Zito was a sub-2 ERA pitcher anyway, right?
Shane Victorino – 2-for-4 with his 6th homer. Or one more homer than Ryan Howard. Zoinks!
Carlos Lee – Home run. Final Lee.
Brandon Morrow – 5 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 10 baserunners, 9 Ks. Frequent commenter, penpen, brought up a good point. With Romero, Morrow and Cecil, the Jays are like the high risk/high reward hodgepadres. The hodgepodjays: They’ll give you Ks and solid games against bad teams. Then tie you to the WHIPping post and get beat in what should be good matchups.
Adam Lind – 2-for-4, and his fourth homer. He’s one hot streak away from being exactly where he was last year. Recognize! Or don’t. Your call.
Fred Lewis – 5 for his last 10. So far in his career he’s had “Grandpa” Al Lewis levels of production, but the Jays are pushing the issue with him as their leadoff man, so maybe the stability can produce the 15/15 season he’s hinted at in the past.
Johnny Cueto – 6 IP, 3 ER, 9 baserunners, 8 Ks. Now has back-to-back decent starts. Yes, I’m a glutton for punishment, but Cueto can pitch well if he finds his groove.
Jose Reyes – 0-for-5 as his average falls to .225. I’m kinda at the point where I’m glad he’s not batting leadoff so maybe he gets one less at-bat.
Chris Perez – 1 2/3 IP, 3 unearned as he blew the save with the Ticker Shock.
Milton Bradley – Left in the middle of Tuesday’s game telling the manager, “I’m out of here.” Ironically, Milton Bradley produces Sorry and not Risk.
i get happy when any of my hitters are facing the Pirates…. or the Angels
I’m not sure about the almost-palindromme for Damon, but after playing for 5 different MLB teams, he’s definitely not the opposite of a nomaD.
@ Grey & anyone who thinks they can help me out
I need to pickup 2 more starts in my H2H points league in order to make the comeback. Here are my possible stream options:
- Chacin @ LAD (Haeger) BVP= 0/1
- Masterson vs. DET (Verlander) BVP=4/15 but miggy is 3/3 with a HR
- Saunders @ SEA (Fister) BVP=21/102, .265 SLG which is outstanding
- Blackburn vs BAL (Matusz) BVP=11/33, 2 hrs & he does well @ home
I am really not sure what 2 to pick out of these 4 choices. Please help me out guys! Thanks so much!
Yeah, I think you were going for homophone with Damon, but then again, that word is a can o’ worms in itself…
@and1mcgee:
Cleveland and KC have the worst pitching. The whole Central is crap. Either the Yankees or Tampa are going to tear through the AL playoffs.
Detroit has an awful lineup. Guys like Inge, Austin Jackson and Sizemore get killed against good pitching. Their staff is not too great, either. Cleveland and KC are horrible and still ahead of the Sox in the standings. All this adds up to Minnesota having inflated stats and an inflated record at the end of the season. Minnesota fans will get their hopes up and then the Twins will get violated by the Yankees or Devil Rays in the playoffs. Slowey and Baker will get crushed by top tier lineups.
I know it’s early, but watch. This is exactly what will happen.
@joe from point pleasant: My feelings are Chacin and Saunders, but I could be convinced of Masterson over one of those. I wouldn’t touch Blackburn.
@ ThePensive:
Thanks for the input. I agree that Blackburn is the least attractive option. I like Masterson and Chacin because of their strikeout potential, which definitley help rack up points, but in this case I think it may be too difficult to ignore Saunders’ total dominance of Seattle who will be without Bradley now. Joe has been completely awful this year though… I guess im going to wait for a couple more opinions and then try to make my decision. Thanks again!
@joe from point pleasant: No problem. The more I think about it, the more Masterson and Saunders look like your safest options. Chacin’s making his third career start against a tough lineup, while Masterson’s been horrendously unlucky so far (and Detroit’s hitters, minus Cabrera, aren’t all that) and Saunders owns the struggling Seattle offense.
Grey,
I can’t quit Johnny Cueto, but somehow I managed to drop him a few weeks ago. He will roofie my team if I pick him back up, and you are not helping matters. Please come to your senses and tell me to stay away.
@Milkman of Doom:
Cueto hasn’t been all that bad this year… He has two pretty solid starts vs a tough cardinals team, and he’s avoided any real meltdowns. He’s also had two wins blown by his pen. I own Cueto in a 12 team league, and I would never think about dropping him. Here’s why.
Cueto normally pitched in winter ball every year, and he usually came into the season closer to mid-season form. This past season, he opted to rest his arm so he could last 200 innings. I think that he is still working out the kinks in his delivery and offspeed pitches right now, and as you can see, the 8 K’s today are a good sign of progress. I would grab him now while you still can because by the beginning of June I think Cueto may be a stud. Look for a hike in K/9 as well as some longer outings in the near future. Hope this helped!
Pick two for 3B: J. Lopez, Freese, Wood.
Couple of questions…I have McGehee at 3rd right now (just as he cools off), Cantu at Utility (who even though he has cooled is still wildly productive), Heyward, Torii Hunter (who was one that the auction system froze on and gave me along with a couple others..before being able to make a run at better talent) and Matt Holliday in the OF (again, not productive)…
The rest of the roster is:
C: V-Mart
1B: Carlos Pena
2B: Cano
SS: Tulo
Johnny Damon is an extra on the bench who I have been slotting in as of late because of his BA, but because of age and now his calf injury am curious about what to do with him. Chone Figgins is another guy the auction applet froze and stuck me with, and aside from his almost sole ability to steal bases, I am not really locked on keeping him. Bengie Molina is a backup to V-Mart that I got stuck with, though he has been somewhat consistent.
Even though with McGehee and Cantu leaving a logjam at the position, is it worth picking up Freese and dropping Figgins to let him develop (he is available on the FA market in my league)? Otherwise, the FA market is pretty well picked and I do not see any of the others in my league wanting to part with anyone unless I gave up Cano (which I will not do). Last week was pretty good, but I need some production and people like Figgins is just riding the pine. Bengie Molina is someone I would drop easily (if V-Mart would start hitting more) and Damon is a question mark with some good performance as of late. What does anyone suggest? I’m getting shelled pretty good right now.
As for pitchers: I have Halladay, J. Sanchez, D. Price, J. De La Rosa (on DL), Andy Pettitte (who I am thinking about dropping for C. Lewis..good idea? Is he for real this time?) and Kershaw (what the hell is wrong with him?). Valverde and Marmol are closing. Again, the other aces have mostly been picked. Is picking up C. Lewis from TEX for Pettitte a good move or is this a flash in the pan, even with Andy injured right now? And will Kershaw get it back together and stop with pitching 47 ERA games?
Thanks All.
@TastelessGarbage:
Lopez and Freese, and by a fairly large amount.
aw snap, a call-up to the Daily Notes, the Big Show of Razzball frequent commenter-ing! It’s just like I dreamed it would be~
Bit of a two-parter here. In my 14-team (LF/CF/RF) H2H league (we count OBP as well as AVE) I’ve been rocking Austin Jackson at CF in Grandy’s absence but have now turned to Aaron Rowand (don’t hate me). You like McLouth, Ryan Sweeney, Fukudome or Scott Hairston better?
Also, on the same team I’ve had CQ in the Util spot. Freese or Snider (I own both) to hold the fort until CQ gets it going?
I wonder if it is the hip Jones is supposed to have a chronic condition in. Maybe there is a reason he’s been slumping since ASB last year.
With that said, I’m not regretting giving up Billingsley for him with that performance last night.
Hope Slowey regains his ‘touch’. I’m hanging on for now.
Does anyone know if Eric Byrnes’ softball stats will count if he’s on your fantasy roster? I bet he can hit in the high .200s in a softball league (I assume it’s slow pitch).
Both Cueto and Fister are FA’s, who’s the better pickup?
Drop Slowey for any of these guys?
IPK
Cecil
Garland
Gio
Leake
LeBlanc
Talbot
@joe from point pleasant: I second Chacin and Saunders
@Ron Washington’s Stache: I dropped Cueto for Fister 10 days ago.
@TheEvilEmpire: I like Slowey over all those guys, so I’d look to drop someone else (an offensive bench player?) for Cecil.
@Steve: Go with ‘dome. And that’s only half me being a homer.
What is one to do with Billingsley? Another not-so wonderful outing is wearing my patience on him.
@TheEvilEmpire: i mean slowey hasn’t been great. he also hasn’t been bad. pretty meh. so why go ditch him for far less proven guys (cecil, gio, leblanc, leake) or seriously yawnstipating vets (garland)???
i owned slowey on all 3 of my teams. i traded him in one in a deal that brought lester back to me, still have him in the other 2 and it’s never even crossed my mind to drop him when i’ve checked to see how the ww guys are doing.
@Grey: Surprised no mention of Alicides 1st SB attempt…..even though he was thrown out….hopefully that doesn’t mean it’s going to be another month before he attempts his next.
Getting Wiggy with it and scratching my head at his value right now.
Oh well ride him while he is hot.
The Red Sox fan in me speaking:
Little Papi – *SIGH* so sad
ManRam – Hey LA – been there seen that, enjoy the ride. *SIGH* so glad
In my H2H league I can start three of the following this week:
these are all HOME games for my guy:
Kuroda vs. Col
Buchholz vs. NYY
Wandy vs. Ariz
Johan vs. SF
Lester vs. NYY
I’m leaning Wandy, Johan, Lester but Lester makes me a little nervous in a big game vs. Yanks and Wandy is coming off back spasms so Kuroda is tempting. Thoughts?
@hideousmutants: i posted yesterday about a guy in my league that started floyd (2 starts, 1 v. kc) in a weekly lineup league over lee (1 start, v. tb).
sure lee wasn’t great, but he was a hell of a lot better than floyd.
don’t bench your studs.
sure if they’ve vazquez’d your staff bench them. but you don’t have that problem.
Was offered Halladay/Beltre/Beltran for my Utley/Aardsma
10-team roto league, currently in 2nd place. I hate the idea of giving up Utley for a pitcher, but my weakest cats are Ws, ERA and WHIP (2, 6 and 5 points respectively). Also, I have an empty DL slot in which to stash Beltran.
Opinions welcome.
Got offered Victor Martinez for Clayton Kershaw…thoughts?
@Awesomus Maximus: i think you need to look at this deal as halladay/beltre for utley/aardsma.
no guarantees with beltran. and even if/when he does come back, does he produce? doubtful he immediately hits, so you might have to sit on him a few more weeks before he starts to put good wood on the ball. is the injury gonna linger? zap his speed potential? is he gonna sit out 1-2 games a week for awhile?
i’d probably want halladay + a better 2nd player to consider the deal unless your staff is really really really weak and not just having a rough start to the season.
Drop Joba for Corpas? Or wait to see when Mo is expected back?
Also, anyone else notice Yahoo’s design update? Finally, they got rid of that tiny, tiny italic font for the smack talk.
should I trade Carlos Lee for Grady Sizemore?
@ThePoonTycoon: Yeah, I’m not really considering Beltran… the empty DL slot makes him just slightly more valuable than an afterthought.
I was thinking of offering less on my end, but I like the idea of asking for more from his end, too (he’s got Phillips, so maybe Halladay/Phillips/Beltran for Utley/Aardsma).
I actually like my staff (Greinke, Garza, Kershaw, Sanchez, Lewis, Hughes), so perhaps I just hold tight and hope the Greink’ing doesn’t continue. Good food for thought, thanks.
@Mark Geoffriau: Mo is coming back on Friday:
“Mariano Rivera (side discomfort) will finally be able to begin closing again for the Yankees on Friday, according to the Newark Star-Ledger.”
@ThePoonTycoon: thanks, mister! It’s funny. I just gave that same advice to a guy in my RCL who was debating sitting one of his studs. Sometimes you forget to follow your own advice.
Who wins this deal: Lind/Headley for Zimmerman?
Opinions on dropping Abreu for Span? Robert has done nothing in the past week to 2 weeks and Span is on fire lately, plus my offense on the whole is slumping, besides Longoria. And to answer the questions, yes, this is a small league (8 teams), Span is still hanging around (he was dropped after his abysmal April).
Obviously Zito is not going to go undefeated and his ERA will not be below 2 but is he someone you think is worth hanging onto or should I try to trade him while the fire is hot?
I know another thread had a discussion about this a couple of days ago, but Vazquez has now been dropped in my 12-team H2H league. Is he worth a pickup at this point? Don’t really have a SP to drop, but could drop Joba and go with just a couple of closers for a while. I could also drop someone like Maybin or maybe Desmond. But that’s about it.
Was offered Rajai and A. Hill for N. Johnson and V. Wells.
My team
2B- Utley
OF – BJ Upton
OF – V. Wells
OF – Span
OF – Hamilton
U – Heyward
Bench – Vlad (DH)
Bench – N. Cruz (OF)
Bench – N. Johnson (1B)
Bench – K Johnson (2B)
His team
2B- Hill
OF – Rajai
OF – Dunn
OF – A. Jackson
OF – Rios
Bench – Scurato
Bench – Cameron
Bench – Fowler
Bench – Hermida
Bench – Adam Jones
Bench – Pods
Bench – DeRosa
Quick follow-up to Vazquez pickup question. I actually forgot about EY2. Could drop him too. Is Vazquez worth any of those drops?
@ScoutAbout: after taking a flier on maybin in a couple of drafts, i’ve sent him packing. he started out walking some and showing signs of breaking out, but i don’t think he’s walked in 2 week now. his Ks are really really high too. and if stanton keeps hitting like he’s playing a video game in the minors, the marlins are gonna see what he can do, and he’ll be taking ABs from one of the OFs. if ey2 hits well and the rockies keep winning, i could see him getting regular ABs as a zobrist-like util guy who plays almost every day.
Seems to me you’re recommending that we sell high on Zito? I must admit he’s sucking me in…
Got an arm to go after who might be under performing right now but has who will be better than Zito in the long run?
Grey navarro or hernandez as my 2nd catcher?
@Commish Cauda: i doubt you can sell him for very high. he’s inflicted a lot of damage on his perceived value the last few years.
@ThePoonTycoon: Yeah, that’s true. I have the same feeling about EY2. And I actually have Stanton in my minors slot and was just holding out on Maybin until Stanton is called up. Figured I’d drop Maybin to promote Stanton myself. Frankly, I wish I were making those decisions for the Marlins because it would have been done yesterday.
I’ve finally come to grips that I need SBs bad even if it means sacrificing some power in my OF.
Which guy should I add: Span, Podsednik, Morgan, Rajai, Pierre?
@Mitch: span easily gives you the most all-around production. he hasn’t proven to put up quite the SB numbers the other guys do though. i’d probably go span and hope that he puts up 35-40 SBs instead of a pure sagnof guy. but i am a hater of s(teals)agnof guys.
@Grey: Sheets and Kazmir droppable?
Hi Grey and fellow Razzballers — What do you think about trading Chapman plus either Eric Young or Wigginton for a top-notch pitcher who is struggling so far, a la Beckett, Kershaw, or Baker? Is it worth the risk? Or would I be giving up too much? And how would you rank those three pitchers?
I’ve been offered the following trade (12 team 5×5 roto league): Matt Holliday and Jered Weaver for Josh Johnson and Torii Hunter. I know I;d be getting the best player in the trade (Holliday), but I’m a little worried about giving up Johnson as he’s the ace of my staff. My other starting pitchers are: Billingsley, Shields, Slowey, Jaime Garcia and Morrow. Should I do the deal? Should I worry about Holliday’s “tight groin”?
@Grey – Would you rank Johnny Cueto above any of the following names -
Kevin Slowey, Ervin Santana, Wandy Rodriguez
Ubaldo/Dunn or MigCab/Zito?
@Grey – Casey McGehee or Placido Polanco
this is for my 12 team H2H standard 5×5 roto. I think Polanco will score more Rs and have a higher BA… but I’d be taking a hit in HRs and RBIs… or will I?
A lot of people like McGehee to reach 100 RBIs, but if Polanco can get 80-90 batting #2 for the Phillies, I might have to make the switch… plus Polanco can get more SBs…
@AubreyHuffingGlue: take holliday. weaver isn’t as sexy of a name, but he should give you comparable numbers to johnson.
@Enrique: if you can trade a minor leaguer and a career blah guy like wiggy or a rookie with barely any experience for beckett or kershaw do it.
@ThePoonTycoon: Thanks for your view. I take it you’re less sold on Baker than on the other two, then?
@Enrique: yeah beckett and kershaw have far more upside than baker. baker is a solid mid-back end of the rotation kinda guy that is useful. hell, i’d probably consider that trade for him, but i’d make a run at the other 2 first.
@William: if your league counts obp/slug/ops you are taking a pretty big hit there too. polanco doesn’t walk. mcgehee already has 14 walks.
@ThePoonTycoon – What if it’s a 5×5 Standard Roto league?
@ThePoonTycoon: Thanks again. I’ve offered Latos plus Wigginton or Young to all three owners already. If they turn me down I’ll likely counter-offer with Chapman in the place of Latos. If they turn me down I’ll probably counter with Chappy, and will focus on Baker less than the other two.
@William: probably depends on needs. polanco doesn’t run that much though. like he might get you a handful of SBs. avg could easily be a wash. polanco probably gives you 20 or so more Rs. mcgehee gives you more HRs and RBIs.
Ha, was that cake for real?
Grey, what do we do with Ad. Jones? I know you were holding out hope, but it’s not getting any better.
Need a 4th OF in a shallow league: A. Jackson, McLouth, Reimold, or keep Borbon?
@Donnie Baseball: he had a nice series against the sox last week. he’s too talented, too young, and you drafted him too high to waive him. he’s gonna get plenty of chances to get things going, might as well cause the O’s suck and need him to develop, and pie is hurt, so no threat from him. unless you are in a very very shallow league and there is a proven vet out there who isn’t showing severe signs of aging i’d sit tight. bench him if you need to (i will once cruz gets back) but don’t waive him yet.
@joe from point pleasant: Chacin and Saunders, no brainer there. Chacin has been good, Haeger sucks. Saunders has been god-awful.
@and1mcgee: sorry, i mistyped. Chacin and Blackburn. Blackburn coming off a CP.
@and1mcgee: maybe Masterson over Blackburn
@penpen: lol!
@TheEvilEmpire: LeBlanc if he’s at home, then Cecil.
@mc serch: Lind/Headley
@DrEasy: Hehe
@joe from point pleasant: Chacin, Masterson
@Milkman of Doom: Never
@TastelessGarbage: Lopez, Freese
@ViagraFalls: Keep Figgins, Pettitte and Kershaw…
@penpen: Hehe
@Steve: Rowand’s fine for now… Snider
@Enrique: Ha
@Ron Washington’s Stache: Cueto
@TheEvilEmpire: Nope
@The Cow: What are the options other than holding him?
@eltoo: Would like to see him actually get one.
@hideousmutants: Johan, Wandy and Lester…
@Awesomus Maximus: I’d want Utley.
@stynyr: I’d take V-Mart
@Mark Geoffriau: Go with Corpas.
@DK: Sure
@mc serch: Zimmerman
@Wilsonian: Sure
@Ari: Trade him, I guess. But have no idea what you’re going to get.
@ScoutAbout: Yeah, drop Joba for him.
@Jeff: It’s in your favor, except it’s not great for your team.
@Mikey boy324: Hernandez
@Mitch: Pierre
@Danny: I wouldn’t own either.
@Enrique: Sounds fair, I’d put them in that order.
@AubreyHuffingGlue: I’d do it.
@William: Nope
@quimmy: It’s fair, depends on needs. I’d take Miggy.
@William: McGehee, but you said it, Polanco will have more Runs and slightly better average.
@Donnie Baseball: http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/weird/No-Cake-Love-for-Bobby-Cox-sp-92952779.html Hold and hope.
@Other Dean: Borbon
@Everyone: trade Chapman/Fielder VIII (prince fielder’s son’s son’s son’s….. son) for Teixeira VII/Bryce Harper I/Eric Matthews (this kid is going to be great. Word on the street is this kid’s dad watches Field of Dreams with the TV speaker next to his balls, on repeat, everyday. This kid has great fundamentals and he’s still a sperm in his dad’s balls. He’s the MVP of the Mr. Matthews’ Left Testicle Elite League in Matthews’ Left Nut, Nebraska, where this kid is from.) in an 80 yr dynasty 12 team H2H 6×6 league?????????????????????
o-dog or prado?
My pitching is not great..
but my 4th and 5th outfielders are scrubs in an NL-only 4×4 12 team league.. and waiver wire is not any better.
Do I trade Volstad for Seth Smith?
Hold onto V? or look for another OF option?
@Grey et al. I’m in a 12-team 2 catcher H2H league with Clement and Snyder. Traditional 5×5 cats except OBP instead of AVG. Obviously, I have catcher problems. I also have Michael Stanton in my minors slot. One of the other owners has McCann, V-Mart and Benjie Molina. Grey had suggested that I try to use Stanton as trade bait in a deal to land McCann or V-Mart (in that order). The owner is not interested in Stanton. He says he will deal McCann or V-Mart for a “very good power hitter, 4-5 hole guy” or Molina for a “decent-to-good utility guy.”
Here is my OF (we start 5): Braun, Soriano, Heyward, Jackson, Span, Pence, Willingham, Maybin. I also have EY2 and Desmond that I plug into my MI position. Given the other owner’s parameters and my roster, who would be most appropriate as an offer. I don’t want to lowball him and insult his intelligence, just make a fair opening offer. Suggestions?
Grey!
Emergency Fantasy Help Needed!
I trade Votto for Dan Haren/Gordon Beckham. The league has OPS (Votto!) and K/BB, Quality Starts (Haren!). Do it? Run away screaming?
Thanks!
@Grey/@ThePoonTycoon – Thanks for the insight as always…
Re: Slowey
Don’t underestimate the effect of playing outside in the cold weather, both at home and generally in the AL Central, is having on his control. Control pitchers are feel pitchers. When you can’t feel your fingers, you can’t feel your pitches.
@Pat: The trade is fair but it’s hard to evaluate it without knowing whether you really need Haren…
Don’t forget about MMD’s pinch-hit game-winning HR last night! There’s nothing better than having your players give you unexpected stats after you’ve already gone to bed.
@ScoutAbout: see if he’d do soriano or pence pr span for vmart or mccann. bengie is solid, but don’t know if he’s worth trading for. if it’s a 1 year league you have more freedom to see about heyward too (though i think he ends up with better numbers than soriano and pence). willingham and maybin aren’t enough.
Hey all, got a trade question. A leaguemate has inquired whether I’d like to deal Franklin, Aardsma, or Lindstrom in order to get Headley in a H2H keeper league. I’ll still have 4 closers after the trade (5 if you count Morales). In order to get the best deal, which closer should I part with? My gut says Lindstrom just because his outlook was so sketchy coming into the season. Does a Headley for Lindstrom trade seemed balanced or does it weigh in favor of the Headley side?
Interesting that the Ticker Tease can also be a positive one. If I am understanding the polysemy of the term’s correctly, one can be teased early with the complete rejection of a blown save, only later to find climactic relief in unearned runs and possibly a handful of strikeouts. Very interesting indeed!
@sean: Good point. I already have Santana, Lester, Liriano, Slowey, Lilly. But Haren would really cement my whip, QS, K/BB.
@zombie: I think you might be confusing Ticker Tease with Ticker Shock, in which what looks like a bad stat line ends up being (mostly) harmless.
@and1mcgee: Ha
@teamrock: Hudson
@meech: Look for another OF option.
@ScoutAbout: Soriano for McCann? You don’t have any other power guys worth trading from the sounds of it.
@Pat: I’d want Votto.
@William: No problem.
@sean: Hope that’s what it is. He was better in Spring Training, so maybe.
@Dingo: Yup
@Van Hammersly: Fair, I’d take Headley over Lindstrom.
Drop Lowe for Medlen? Deep NL only league.
@Mr. Rickey: Sure, but doesn’t seem that deep if Medlen’s there.
should I have dropped pence in front of Michael Jackson when I was 9 yrs old?
@Dingo@Grey: Duly noted. Thank you.
@Grey: who is more likely to keep it up, between Kelly Johnson and David Freese?
@and1mcgee: depends on what you mean by “keep it up”. johnson can hit around .290 with 25 HRs, but he’s not gonna hit 40. freese can maintain a .300+ avg with modest power, but he’s not gonna bat .360.
@ThePoonTycoon: @Grey: Yeah, my sense is that he would not go for Pence (this league seems to see only what is right in front of them so not a good time to move Pence). Soriano or Heyward might get the deal done. Of the two, who should I try to hang on to or, put another way, who will end up with better numbers at the end of the year or is it about even?
Thanks as always for the great advice!
@ScoutAbout: keep heyward, trade soriano
I have stopped trying frantically to trade for Jose Reyes. This thyroid thing might be a lingering issue. It basically drains the entire body of energy and causes immense fatigue so it makes sense.
@and1mcgee: Johnson
@ScoutAbout: Agree with Poon. Go with Soriano.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/solomon/6992188.html
Berkman saying he would wave no-trade clause. Man, wouldn’t that be nice for us unfortunate Berkman owners if he is the one to go the Sox.
@GREY: Drop JOBA for medlan?
I have closers out the wahzoo…. and he is losing the job right?
i could drop smoak, o-dog or …. idk
I dont wanna drop an offensive option, is medlan worth the add?
@Donnie Baseball: you’d think at some point the sox have gotta try to get younger with their everyday lineup right? pedroia’s is like the only regular starter under 30 right?
sox should try to trade paps by the deadline for some young hitting prospects and move bard to RP.
i don’t think they are winning this year anyway. and no point in paying paps what he’s gonna get on the market when closers are damn near interchangeable anyway.
Buehrle was just dropped in my league is he worth a shot?
My pitchers are:
Lincecum
Felix Hernendaz
Randy Wolf
Barry Zito
Kevin Millwood
Gio Gonzalez
Ben Sheets
Justin Duchscherer
Keving Gregg
Chad Qualls
JA Haap (DL)
@ThePoonTycoon:
Yeah but Berkman will be alot cheaper.
I can’t see them getting Agonz without giving up Buchholz.
Medlan is also available in my league should I go for him, Buehrle, both? Who should I drop?
@ThePoonTycoon: haha interchangeable in fantasy land, not exactly in real life….
Is this craziness: drop Beckham for Desmond?
@Tony: statheads say different. especially when you have a young “future closer” like bard and paps is gonna demand top $$. not to mention paps peripherals have gone downhill for a few years now. he’s kept the era in check, but do you want to sign him to a big long-term deal and the peripherals catch up with him? look at all the schmohawks with mediocre stuff that are doing plenty fine jobs as a closer (aardsma, franklin, gregg, rauch, etc).
just seems that IF the sox wanna better themselves for the future, they gotta pick up young bats ASAP, otherwise having the highest paid closer isn’t gonna matter.
plus trading for berkman, you are gonna give up a prospect…maybe lars anderson? they don’t need to get in the habit of depleting their farm system for failed runs at the playoffs with overpriced old injured talent.
@Donnie Baseball: Yeah, that would help.
@Tony: Sure, lose Joba for him.
@Ari: Buehrle hasn’t been good. Drop Wolf for Medlen.
@Lob Ball: Hold tight.
@Donnie Baseball: another point to consider for the sox, IF they got for a bat, do they really need a 1B? youk will be fine and is one of their younger hitters, beltre is playing fine, they have lowell to spell the corners and DH some, they have papi DH’ing (whether he should is another question), and they have vmart who might only be DH’ing with a little 1B action if he keeps allowing people to run on him. they need a legit OF bat more than anything. or a stud defensive C. berkman/adgonz just cuts the ABs for 2 of their better hitters (youk, vmart) and their best defensive player and a guy hitting .340 (beltre).
Nice Eisenreich reference.
My two cents: I think Joba’s worth holding for another week at least… reports have Mariano back tomorrow, and I know he’s a cyborg and all that, but let’s say on Friday the soreness recurs? And maybe the Yanks decide to give him some more rest?
The Yanks’ definitely aren’t going to push him, plus he is 40 years old. I figure with Joba, worse case is good ratios and K/9 with rogue saves here and there — I can definitely see him finishing the year with, say, 12 saves — and best case (well, it’s a relative term) is that Mariano misses extended time and you’ve lucked into the Yanks’ new closer.
Anyway, I’ve dropped Frankie “De” Morales for Joba, and plan to wait and see….
Did I make a mistake by dropping Freese? I have zimmerman manning 3B, morales holding down CI, and Vlad in my util. I tried benching vlad for freese and missed the grand slam, figured i should just stick with vlad and use the roster spot for someone I can use, but my leaguemates are wondering why I’d drop freese and I’m wondering if its a mistake or if I did the right thing.
@Baron Von Vulturewins: I feel the same…I was going to drop Joba for Corpas, but regardless of what Girardi says, I just want to see Rivera pitch. Even if he “feels” healthy now, who’s to say he doesn’t aggravate the injury on his first appearance? I’d feel stupid for losing Joba then.
@ThePoonTycoon: Beltre is hitting the emptiest .340 in the majors and the problem is, this lineup scares no one. Once you get past V-Mart, is there a hitter here you want up when a game is on the line?
The sad thing is that Tex would have fit this lineup/team like short-shorts on Logan Tom. Adrian Gonzo is also a very nice fit, despite Beltre’s glove and 98%-extra-base-free .340 average.
Sadly, I think the Sox are going nowhere this year, and once they’ve jettisoned Big Pop Up, they can start reconstructing this lineup around a few new bats.
But the whole pitching/defense things might work in Seattle, but it is not, imho, a viable long-term approach when you play half your games inside a toy stadium. It also makes the fans very grumpy.
@Bodymore: You could probably have traded him for a closer or something, given how thin 3B is this year. Don’t lose sleep over it, though. It’s not like you dropped Heyward or anything >coughcough<.
@Mark Geoffriau: Commence jabbing pins in Mariano voodoo doll now.
@Baron Von Vulturewins: There was a “Grey” in between those coughs when I typed it. Stupid html tags!
My burn is totally ruined!
@Baron Von Vulturewins: Ha
@Grey: I lost the exclamation mark by screwing up the tags, didn’t I?
I feel like Mary Lou Retton not sticking a landing.
@Baron true, I doubt anyone would have offered me anything though. ill never know…unless he isnt claimed on waivers and I can get him back.
Coglan on waivers…think he turns it around?
@Baron Von Vulturewins: obviously so, but my point was just that IF the sox wanna do something about this year, they should target an OF bat and a stud defensive C. another 1B just crowds things more with the CIs/DHs they already have. there are a lot of problem with the sox this year, hence me saying maybe they should think about moving paps for some hitting prospects at the deadline. i agree it’s time to cut the cord with papi and move on. they have a lot of work to do. i don’t think they make any noise this year, hence me saying that trading for berkman is pointless. if they can make a move for adgonz that makes sense, then go for it cause he can be their 1B and 4 hole guy for the next 6-8 years, but berkman would be a very short term fix.
depending on nick johnson, berkman would be a pretty sweet grab for the yanks to just DH him depending on what they’d have to give up. he could bat in the 2 spot and provide similar OBP to johnson with a hell of a lot more pop.
Which side:
I give up Reyes + Grandy for Miguel Cabrera
I own Tejada so he’d be my SS replacement. My question is: jumping up and down for Miguel because of concerns for Reyes combined with Grandy groin injury (SBs issue for return) and battling tougher AL east pitching downgrading Grandy for rest of season? If I’m already doing well in the R/RBI/HR cats and project to do so, am I giving up too much SBs for basically a BA improvement?
@Baron Von Vulturewins: Yes, the Russian judge left off the exclamation mark.
@Rico: I’d take Miggy.
Gavin Floyd and Aramis Ramirez were just dropped in my 10 team roto.
Can I drop any of these dudes for either of them?
C-Soto
1B-Votto
2B- Stewart
3B- A Rod
SS-Tulo
MI- Beckham
CI- Adam Laroche
OF- J Guillen
OF-Upton
OF-Adam Jones
OF- Holliday
OF- Krispie
UTIL- Vlad
DL- Granderson
SP- Nolasco
SP- Ubaldo
SP-Hamels
SP- Bills
SP- Slowey
SP- Vazquez
SP- Penny
RP- Bell
RP- Aardsma
RP- Nunez
RP- Capps
RP- Gregg.
Halladay: 1
Pujols: 0
@Rico: Is that offer on the table? If I owned Miggy, I’m not touching it.
@Grey: so what side of a REYES/CARGO for TEX deal do you like?
@royce!: Don’t see who you can drop.
@Tony: Tex, but it’s a lot for Tex.
Grey, do you approve of these recent moves. 18 team league
- Dropped Dotel Rwanda (already have K-Rod, Nunez, Capps) for Freese (already have Zimmerman). Freese was just too good to pass up even though he’ll share UTIL with Alcides (once he steals)
- Dropped Blanks, my 4th OF on the bench for Napoli – didn’t have a catcher at all
- Dropped Scherzer (he sucks, won’t win more than 10 going 5 IP max) for Carlos Lee to give me a 4th OF. Others are Werth, CarGo and Quentin.
@Grey: u like that Reyes/grandy deal for miggy alot more because grandys issues and Miggys been a beast then? I’m just throwing a comparable deal out i could work, since i’ve actually been talking with a guy and he wants reyes.
what about if i got bartlett back with tex?
@Grey: Matt Holliday, Jayson Werth, or Ian Stewart?
@Tom Emanski: I wouldn’t drop a closer. The other moves are fine.
@Tony: Not a lot, but it’s two guys with issues for one guy who could win the MVP. With Bartlett, it’s fine.
@Ari: Holliday
@Grey: That’s bad news for me, because I just traded Slowey and his screwy wrists for Aramis “MMD Insurance” Ramirez.
Attn Slowey owners: He will now win 18 straight with a 2.25 ERA.
Actually, I like the trade because I had an extra SP and I needed a 3Bman. Aramis may be tailing off, but he’s not this bad. I still see 25+ donks/95 RBI in his future if he stays healthy most of the year.
There’s also a chance I can now turn around and include Aramis in a trade for Youk.
@ThePoonTycoon: The only problem with the Paps-trading plan is — who wants a closer at the deadline except a contender? Who, in turn, is unlikely to send back impact bats in return.
I agree the Sox future does not include Paps or Papi (or Pabst Blue Ribbon or pap smears — basically anything with “pap” in it). But the only way to reload at the deadline is to trade prospects to bottom-dwelling teams.
A more likely scenario, it seems to me, is trading Paps to some delusional, still-contending team with bullpen issue (say, Arizona) for a couple of useful young arms. But I doubt Paps brings back an MLB-ready bat.
I agree that they should avoid Berkman, who is one year/one-more-knee-operation away from becoming Papi 2: Pop-Up Boogaloo.
I could see Carlos Lee in Boston, though… he’d make for a nice DH over, say, the next three seasons.
@Baron Von Vulturewins: I hope you’ve reverse jinxed Slowey, that would be sweet.
******THERE’S A NEW POST FOR FOLLOWUPS FOR ME.****
@Baron Von Vulturewins: i don’t think they’d get mlb ready impact bats either, but they could get a couple of minor league bats that might be ready sometime in 2011 for a trial run.
if arizona is leading the west but struggling in the pen, you don’t think they’d give up a good hitting prospect or 2 for paps? they aren’t gonna get mike stanton-type prospect for him, but they could get a nice hitter or 2 they could develop for a year or 2.
@Grey: Gah, I know. I had immediate regret after dropping Dotel. I’m gonna try to get him back because I don’t trust Capps. He could be traded to a team who won’t make him close.
Robin Roberts died today. Sad day for Philly fan and baseball.
@grey: Tulo for Rauch? I’ve got Jeter as a backup ss and zero closers. Who do you think’s worth Tulo in closerland?
@funky buttluvin: Tulo’s much better than any closer. Trade a lesser player.
******THERE’S A NEW POST FOR FOLLOWUPS FOR ME.****
just picked up Wade Davis off waivers for Ian Stewart…I already have Brandon Phillips at 2B and David Wright at 3B. Was this a decent move? Also, someone offered me Ethier and Garza for King Felix and Cargo…should I do it?
@Ari: drop Lincecum for him. (why even take the time to post a player like Lincecum? only post the players you are contemplating dropping for him) :]
I think saying Zito has been ‘very lucky’ is misleading. As someone who has watched all of his starts so far I can almost argue he’s been unlucky. His location has been pin point, he’s pounded the strike zone, and his curve and off-speed pitches are creating very weak contact. Yesterday against the Marlins there was nary a hard hit out. In fact, the one run scored against Zito involved 2 infield singles and another that barely made it to the outfield. His other tough luck was Romo’s blown save to Manny after a brilliant Zito performance. His ground ball/fly ball rate may not be fantastic, but in there are numerous lazy flys or pop outs where the hitter really never had a chance. Zito will not be a 1.xx pitcher and he still won’t K like we all wish, but he’s looking very, very good. It’s easy to look at FIP and say ‘lucky’, but all contact is not equal.
2 cents inserted!
Catching up after missing my Razzball dose for a few days. Actually I’ve been on a bender since celebrating my birthday at Yankee Stadium last week. Or you can call it looking for bartending work…
Anywhooo. Just wanted to comment on what you said about The Jays staff. I was talking to a buddy about just that: They’re totally the bizarro hodgepadres… Funny. I told you I liked Morrow last Friday when he racked up those 10 K’s, but was afraid of blowing WHIP. Picked up Garland for Sunday, won WHIP/ERA and of course lost K’s by 1.
Jim Eisenreich joke was F’d up and hysterical.
Who should I drop for Medlen, if anyone?
Niemann, Romero, Alfredo Simon, Manny Corpas, Joba Chamberlain, Michael Gonzalez (DL), Miguel Montero (DL)