The Brain Freezes lived up to their names last month. With Jenks, Hoffman, Gregg, Dotel, Lidge, Funklin Morales, Qualls, Perez, Wood and Simon all putting dry ice on your fantasy baseball team and then shattering it. No one ever said owning Brain Freezes would be easy, but does it have to be this hard? Can’t I just Ron Popeil my Jenkses and Hoffmen and let them be? No, of course, I can’t. It would be too easy. I come from the school that if a guy has a chance to earn even one save, I’ll own them. Sometimes this yields 6 saves from Alfredo Simon, other times this yields 12 earned runs in a third of an inning from Will Ohman. (It’ll happen, don’t you worry about that.) So they may give you an ulcer, but I’d own them. Brain Freezes are the nuts and sometimes they crack. Anyway, here’s all of the closers for your fantasy baseball team, as of right now:
$12 Salads
You know that restaurant your girlfriend/wife/what-have-you likes to go to that charges, like, $12 for a salad? Every time you go there, you have a thoroughly solid meal. No complaints, except you just paid $12 for a salad when you could’ve went to McDonald’s and stuffed you and your woman for ten schmools and had $2 in quarters left over to make the hotel bed vibrate. These closers are $12 salads.
1. Jonathan Broxton (+1) (Hong-Chih Kuo, Ramon Troncoso, George Sherrill)
2. Mariano Rivera (+1) (Joba Chamberlain, Damaso Marte)
3. Jonathan Papelbon (-2) (Daniel Bard, Hideki Okajima)
4. Carlos Marmol (Sean Marshall, Andrew Cashner)
Donkeycorns
Imagine you’re following a donkey, who’s wearing a wool cap, through a desert for 1700 miles. Why are you following a donkey? Because he promises you something wonderful and you just need to trust him. Does the donkey talk? Yes. Yes, he does talk. So when you and the donkey in the wool cap arrive at his destination, he removes his the wool cap to reveal a horn. The donkey is a unicorn and his gift to you for your trust is saves. These closers are Donkeycorns.
5. Joakim Soria (Kyle Farnsworth, Josh Rupe)
6. Francisco Rodriguez (Pedro Feliciano, Jenrry Mejia)
7. Heath Bell (Mike Adams, Luke Gregerson)
8. Jose Valverde (Joel Zumaya, Ryan Perry)
9. Brian Wilson (Sergio Romo, Dan Runzler)
10. Rafael Soriano (+2) (Dan Wheeler, Grant Balfour)
11. Andrew Bailey (+5) (Michael Wuertz, Brad Ziegler)
12. Ryan Franklin (+2) (Kyle McClellan, Jason Motte)
13. Billy Wagner (Takashi Saito, Peter Moylan)
14. Francisco Cordero (-3) (Arthur Rhodes, Nick Masset)
15. Jon Rauch (Matt Guerrier, Jesse Crain)
16. David Aardsma (-5) (Brandon League, Shawn Kelley)
17. Leo Nunez (+1) (Clay Hensley, Brian Sanches)
18. Brian Fuentes (-1) (Fernando Rodney, Kevin Jepsen, Scot Shields)
19. Matt Capps (Tyler Clippard, Drew Storen)
20. Matt Lindstrom (Brandon Lyon, Jeff Fulchino)
Brain Freeze
I’m going on a picnic and I’m bringing apples, bananas and Chad Qualls– Wait, he just gave up 12 earned runs and hit LaRoche in the head with a pickoff throw. Brain freeze! Make it stop! Use the following closers at your own risk.
21. Neftali Feliz (+7) (Frank Francisco, Chris Ray)
22. Octavio Dotel (+1) (Evan Meek, Brendan Donnelly, Joel Hanrahan)
23. Manny Corpas (+3) (Rafael Betancourt, Huston Street)
24. Kevin Gregg (-1) (Jason Frasor, Scott Downs)
25. Bobby Jenks (-3) (Matt Thornton, J.J. Putz)
26. Kerry Wood (+2) (Chris Perez, Rafael Perez)
27. Chad Qualls (Aaron Heilman, Juan Gutierrez)
28. Jose Contreras/Brad Lidge (-2) (Danys Baez, Chad Durbin)
29. John Axford (-7) (Trevor Hoffman, Carlos Villanueva, Todd Coffey, LaTroy Hawkins, Polish Sausage Mascot)
30. Will Ohman (Frank Mata, Alfredo Simon, Koji Uehara, Mike Gonzalez, Cal Ripken Jr., Cal Ripken Jr. Jr.)
@struggler: Interesting… Thanks for the heads up! I think it’s a really poor decision. They’re not going anywhere fast and should let him fight it out in the majors.
Rotoworld via Twitter: B. Anderson -S -OAK: Brett Anderson leaves with apparent injury
@Stephen: Not totally surprising. Thanks for the heads up!
It’s so crazy that Marmol when from near brain freeze at the start of the season to a $12 Salad. Pretty sure I still drafted this guy in the 16th round, so it’s more like a $2 salad, which is mighty tasty.
Can someone rank these players for my last until spot. Bruce, Quentin,Loney, Willingham, and Span. Thanks
dotel? last month? have you seen his numbers? 0.82/0.91, 16 K in 11 innings, 8 saves and a win. if that’s putting dry ice on my team, take me to the spinal tap concert.
not to get all picky. i’m just a bit of a dotel partisan on account of he was one of my pet closers in the preseason and i spent a lot of time telling people to chill out after those consecutive kazaams back in april.
@mauledbypandas: That’s very healthy treat.
@Infamy707: Bruce
@wily mo: You’re right, forgot his dustings came in April not May. The wounds still feel fresh.
Jason Donald is quietly putting together a nice rookie campaign for those in mixed deep leagues.
Grey — How likely do you think it is that Texas tries to stretch Neftali out to make him a starter and that FF moves back into the closer role this year? If it happens, do you see it sooner or later?
@struggler: Gahhh, that’s BS. I have him stashed in both of my leagues. The uncertainty is really frustrating. I could’ve even taken Posey if I knew he wasn’t coming up.
@Enrique: Only about one bad week of Feliz and one good week of Frank for the roles to reverse. Though I don’t see him becoming a starter soon.
i like putting marmol in the top tier. delicious, delicious Ks. everybody overreacted to his control problems last year, sadly including me. the walks were pretty bad, but also way out of line with his career walk rate which was not good but not nearly that astronomically bad. sometimes relievers just get weird for a season. the overriding factor is that he strikes everybody out and nobody can hit him.
Which side?
Cruz/Greinke/Wuertz
or
Werth/Hamels/Wagner
Wait, Lidge didn’t do anything bad last month. Unless you’re referring to the fact that he can’t seem to stay off the DL.
I think J.C. Romero is ahead of Baez and Durbin in the bullpen pecking order.
@wily mo: He is quite sweet. Might strikeout 130 this year.
@The Dude: Werth side, not really close.
@Grey: I wish I would of come across Razzball during the preseason. I would have seen your riskiest pitchers post and stood away 4rm Anderson. I think it’s safe to say he’ll end up on the DL again knowing that pitching elbows aren’t things 2 b messed with. For the rest of the year, do u c Anderson coming back and being good, or do u think he’ll end up with problems the whole time thus making him unownable?
Is Sean-Rod coming around? Is he now a viable fantasy player say instead of Aviles.
@Grey: I know ur not a prophet, but ur gut feeling will b welcomed…
@Grey: My ERA, WHIP and OBPA are kind of shot from Oswalt and Cueto, would you drop Medlen after tonight’s start or Cueto to stream any one of these guys to try and get Ks and Ws up?
Cecil (NYY)
W. Davis (@TEX)
Zambrano (@HOU)
Benoit should be there for the Rays. he’s been lights out, and would prob close if Soriano went down.
Gray, I just got offered Utley and Manny for Teix and A. Hill. I want to take it but I feel like I am selling low
Oh, I have miggy cabrera as well
also i’m in love with Marmol — Grey’s preseason ranking encouraged me grab him in round 14. big ups!
I think the $12 salad thing is more about your woman eating the salad. I swear if you put some goofy-assed salad with pears and raspberry vinegrette on the menu my wife will order it every single time.
Me?
Let’s just say the only salads I eat either prominently feature fried chicken or are built on top of a pizza crust or something. And I still won’t pay $12 for it.
I did pay $12 for Valverde though. And I’m enjoying it.
Hell, I could pull weeds from my back yard and make a better salad than some of the ones my wife eats. Who the hell decided that bitter tasting arugula and raddicio is somehow yummier than iceberg lettuce.
I actually appreciate the Iceburg Wedge salad. At least that thing is the size of your head and comes with warm bacon dressing or something.
Salads piss me off. Almost as much as my craptacular team this year.
Gallardo 4 Holliday 2 much?
Hey Grey, have been working on a deal in my keeper league, was needing advice. Yahoo OPS league w/3OF. I’m in first place, first in saves, wins, RBIs, HRs, but last in ERA.
I was offered Pablo Sandoval and Cliff Lee for Ethier and Brian Wilson. I love moving the closer, and I currently have Reynolds at 3B, Pujols at 1B, Kemp, Granderson and Hart are my current OF, and my top SP are Verlander, Nolasco and Liriano. Take?
Also, Neftali aint a donkeycorn yet? I trust him more than Lindstrom and Capps
@grey: which side:
A) Andrus/Rasmus/Kershaw
or
B) Jimmy Rollins/Ellsbury…..???
@Lob Ball: aviles does nothing but give you a decent average. and unless he bats over .350 all season, he’s not gonna help you that much. i mean, he can work as a stop-gap in a pinch, but he’s hardly i guy i would sweat cutting for some upside if he was merely roster depth.
@Tony: andrus side
@tHe ShiT: hells no. if you can trade for a holliday-type bat and not give up a top 5 SP you do it without question
@ThePoonTycoon: cool, thats what i countered with…. if i’m giving up a 2nd and 3rd rounder (even tho they’re DL’d/coming back soon) i gotta get something…. andrus will get me my steals i need, rasmus some sbs plus some pop and Kershaw another solid ARM….. now who wants to deal me something for strasburg!?
@Tony: yeah, i think rasmus and kershaw are better bets than liriano and young. i am not a big ellsbury fan, if i am gonna have a sagnof, i want it to be a MI guy, not an OF. plus andrus has already shown he can take a walk better than ellsbury.
@ThePoonTycoon: Who wins on Prince 4 Ubaldo or Lincecum?
@tony I am not grey, but that’s easy Andrus side by much
@ post #33, not necessarily @tony …I can’t stand when people take draft positioning into account in regards to trades 2 months after the draft. Once the draft is over, then who cares where you took a guy? Ellsbury wasn’t a 2nd or 3rd rounder IMO going into drafts, so I didn’t take him, and wouldn’t value him as such in a trade. Again not aimed at tony, just saying, but people in my main league pull this all the time.
Oh yeah, and I’d take Andrus side too, Rollins is d-o-n-e as a top flight guy.
Id have to put Soriano from the Rays in the Top 5. Guy is nothing but consistent and getting ready to tie a Rays franchise record ith converting 16/16 save ops with his next save……a far cry from retar Percival who always set the O/U at 3 base-runners per IP
How does Austin Jackson keep hitting. This is ridiculous.
@tHe ShiT: tough one. probably comes down to needs.
ubaldo and lincecum ARE top 5 SPs and prince is frustrating the hell out of me and his many other owners. you know (or hope) there is a 15 HR, 30 RBI type month in him. but lincecum and ubaldo can both be dominant for months at a time.
personally i don’t think there is a right or wrong answer, comes down to needs.
@tHe ShiT: I wouldn’t have owned him in the preseason and nothing’s changed for me with him.
@Lob Ball: I’d take him over Aviles.
@MattW: They’re not good options. If you’re streaming, then drop Medlen for Zambrano.
@Your mom’s corn hole: Eh
@Goose: Nice!
@uncdrew: Ha!
@tHe ShiT: Nope
@phil: I’d take Pablo there.
@Tony: A
@Mr2Bits: Hehe
@phil: rollins has played well when he’s played. i guess you can buy into injuries holding him back, but the guy obviously displayed talent and top-tier SS play when he’s played. for rollins, he’s upped his BBs this year too (small sample size, but pretty sure i read he was focusing on that after last year so seems like he was doing what he wanted).
so i wouldn’t say he’s “d-o-n-e” unless you think this calf thing is gonna be his downfall.
@ThePoonTycoon: Well I need hitting (OF) but I have Prince. The Ubaldo/Lincecum owner had Kendry go down and I was thinking of trying to get Ubaldo to strengthen my pitching staff. I would then try to trade one of my pitchers for an OF or more hitting…
Heilman or Santos for save speculation?
@Tom Emanski:
You want to talk about hitting bullshit. Your not playing a guy in H2H league that averages 14 RBI per week only to have Cantu/Ordonez driving his team to 24 this week with it only being Thursday. Add the fact his pitching staff with an average 6.00ERA/1.90WHIP has faced Pitt/Cubs/Dodgers/KC to sport a sexy 2.03/.93
This week is fucked up and is really pissing me off
@Mark Geoffriau: Heilman
@Mr2Bits: the guys i’m playing is currently sporting a .347 avg, .996 ops, 8 HRs, and 31 RBIs. he batted .500 yesterday and is batting .438 thus far today.
@ThePoonTycoon:
The guy I am playing is rocking 39 RBI, 328 AVG, 10 HR,
WTF
@Mr2Bits: @ThePoonTycoon: @Your mom’s corn hole: PEDs.
Grey, thoughts on giving up Reid Brignac and Wade Davis/CJ Wilson/Ted Lilly (pick one) for Alberto Callaspo? I can’t help but feel I’m overpaying. And if he’s willing to part with Bruce instead of Callaspo, thoughts on FraGu for Bruce? Or FraGu and one of those pitchers? Thanks!
@thepoontycoon: I don’t mean rollins is done being fantasy relevant, but he’s done being top tier or second tier at MI. His 08 and 09 seasons had their good points(SB both yrs, HR in 09) however that .250 avg last yr is troubling and he’s 32, so hopefully a bit more power, less steals as he continues. But if he can be a 20/20 guy going into his mid-thirties, that does have some value
@Ryan Beariot: I’d take Bruce, give Davis. Forget Callaspo.
@phil: i think there is a balance though.
obviously there are some guys that are off to slow starts but you fully expect to end up with high end numbers because they aren’t hurt and they aren’t old (fielder, teixeira, adgonz, holliday). these guys largely still retain their trade value in the eyes of their owner, cause you don’t sell fielder for cheap only to watch him hit 35 HRs the rest of the season.
then you have guys who are young and appear to be having breakthroughs and have elevated their value because they are young and highly regarded talents (price, ubaldo, cargo, andrus).
then you have guys who get off to a good starts but are old and have a long history of consistent numbers, and therefore, you can’t really trade them for high value cause everyone knows they will end up with the same numbers they’ve had for 8 years (konerko, alex gonzalez).
finally, you have guys that are drafted relatively high, but are struggling, and their value drops severely because they are old and/or injured, and no one will pay more than 50 cents on the dollar to see what they have left (papi, sizemore).
so yeah draft/auction value does and doesn’t always factor into trade negotiations. if someone tries to trade me luke scott for prince fielder and says their current player rating is similar so it’s a fair deal, i’m probably never making a deal with that guy.
Grey, am I giving too much?
Giving: J. Bay, H. Pence, D. Price
Getting: M. Holliday
H2H league w/OBP
@phil: well rollins’ babip was a big problem last year. and 20-20 with a .280 avg and above avg Rs and RBIs for a MI is 1st or 2nd tier MI. hell, jeter is still considered 2nd tier MI and he doesn’t do that.
like i said, small sample size, but rollins had 10 BB in 12 games after saying he was gonna try to be more patient this season, so when he’s played, he was being more selective.
oh good, they took weaver out. 5 baserunners and 9ks over 7 scoreless. if only all my pitchers could face the royals every day.
@Joe: Yup
@brad: Hehe, agreed.
@Joe: Way too much! Any two of those guys would be enough. Price and Bay is too much.
What’s your take on Garza v. Bills? I’m trying to get Garza in a deal and he wants to give me Bills instead. Is he back to last year’s pre-All Star break form, or what? I know he mowed down the D-Backkkkkks last time out, but do you think that was an abberration?
Here’s the deal: Carp/JJ/Cantu for Cain/Bills/Wright (I turned down the offer that had Capps instead of Bills and countered with Garza – he countered with Bills or Grandy/Cain/Garza). What say you, sir? 16 Team H2H Keeper. Oh, and sorry for beating a dead horse about this 16 Team trade deal – I’ve been fighting with the same guy (childhood friend, for about a week).
@Wilsonian: Garza or Bills, doesn’t matter. Wright’s a huge upgrade take the deal.
@Grey: OK – I was just writing a lengthy and well-argued comment at the last post. I suggest you read it.
WTF just happend in Houston? Lst time I looked, Capps had two outs.
I’d like to nominate Fuentes for Brain Freeze status.
@Steve: He got Guzman’d in right. I read the comment on the other post. Was just unfortunate this close play happened when it did. Keep replay out of baseball! And get off my lawn!
@Kazmere: Ha! Yeah, wasn’t pretty.
just to explain my comments on Smoak
The interest comes from the fact that i have him in both my $$ teams also keeper leagues.
I have recieved a number of trade offers in the last month ….all lowbuys.
I was encouraged by the fact that he hit on Tuesday after beginning the game on the bench ……If I was in that situation i’m sure I would have pressed at the plate and been a K victim ……Seven innings on the bench is more than enough to foster trepidation…..yesterday a start and a couple of walks , showing us patience …….Fantasy rewards are coming
Just a note too about the blown call yesterday , It has actually reached the mainstream NZ sports media here today. Normally US sports don’t rate unless its Finals / World series time.
As commissioner do I have any grounds to reverse the following: David Price and Elvis Andrus in exchange for Hanley Ramirez? Just looking for some feedback. Thanks.
I’m in a 13 team 5×5 roto league. Im about a point outa first and need to improve in HR, RBI, AVG. I was thinking of picking up H. Matsui, francoeur, kouzmanoff. Who should I drop. Where do you think I need to improve?
C Mike Napoli
1B Mark Teixeira
2B Brandon Phillips
3B Evan Longoria
SS Felipe Lopez
2B/SS Starlin Castro
1B/3B David Freese
OF Adam Jones
OF Josh Hamilton
OF Curtis Granderson
OF Brett Gardner
OF Corey Hart
UTIL Buster Posey
DL Miguel Montero
Jon Lester
Joakim Soria
Chad Qualls
David Price
Ryan Franklin
Jon Rauch
Jeff Niemann
Johnny Cueto
Jaime Garcia
Bench Mike Pelfrey
Bench Javier Vazquez
Bench Edwin Jackson
@d2bnz: Not sure what comments you’re referring to… That’s crazy NZ heard about the blown call.
@Eric H.: Nope
@Front Butt: If this isn’t a keeper… Lose Freese for Kouz. And trade one of your catchers. Don’t carry two.
@Grey: Yeah, that’s often the way, though, isn’t it?
I think we’ve had this discussion before, but I think replay has to be all in, or all out. It still nags at me the ONLY people involved in a given game that don’t have access to a replay of some sort are the guys charged with making the right call.
Guzman drop a ball or something?
20 team league rigid OF alignment LF/CF/RF
i give sheilds i get Zobrist 2b/ss/cf/rf
current rotation kershaw price lester buccholz sheilds arroyo harden chacin
current CF morgan SS H ramirez 2b Kelly rf pence 2b/ss f lopez
could i use the upgrade over morgan in center
other CF im considering hamilton granderson rasmus borbon hunter
should i go for zobrist or put in offers for hammy and grandy first or stand pat
@Eric H.: no,a emerging ace and a sb and obp machine for a great player is really fair depending on needs
@d2bnz: You need to tell Grey that we have electricity here, too ;-)
@Grey: ended up doing the deal. Tossed in C.Lewis too and got Capps. Probably overspent there but I don’t trust Lewis to continue his good numbers with the hot Arlington ballpark and Axford is my only closer at the present, so thought Capps (despite those last two blown saves that have basically been blown by his defense) would help me out more than Lewis.
Wright/Cain/Bills/Capps for Cantu/JJ/Carp/Lewis
Solid overall deal with the inclusion of Capps?
@ Grey – Would you trade McCutchen and Wright for Tulo and Gallardo?
@poontycoon-you’re right on, and what it comes down to is perceived value. In my rankings a guy like Ellsbury i didn’t have highly rated, but I made offers for him in one league(about a month ago, i offered morneau for him, thank god the guy rejected it), so his perceived value of Ellsbury was still in line with his draft projections, even though Morneau was taken only a round later.
It’s almost impossible to do a “fair” trade, but i like to make trades where both teams improve. In my keeper league there’s a pending trade of Rolen/Gregg for Zimmerman. I made a league post about the guy giving up Zim is giving up on the season, which shouldn’t happen in june. i think that’s the fantasy football mentality-where if you’re a 1/3 of the way through the season and you’re 1-5 the season is over. Sorry for rambling.
@Steve: Bad misplay, yeah. I think it should be all out. Calls are missed, these things happen. Works out both ways for teams over the course of the season.
@barker: I’d take Zobrist.
@Steve: Ha!
@Wilsonian: Yeah, you did fine.
@Fletch: Sure
Is it too early to trade posey? Whats a fair target. Im in a keeper league where you keep 3 players. I’m not going to keep freeze so ill drop him for Kouz. Thanks
Is Brett Anderson droppable? 16 team h2h mixed league
@Grey: Yeah, I’m a traditionalist too, but I still think it’s important to get the calls (big and small) right.
That said, and as I hinted at in the other post, MLB umpires (to me at least) do get it right more often than one could reasonably expect given the closeness of so many plays.
@Steve: yes and its nearly impossible to watch two feet on a bag and a ball in the glove at the same time,the cardinals lost a world series on the same play
@Front Butt: Trade Posey for #2 outfielder or #2 SP.
@tHe ShiT: Eh, wait for news at this point.
@Steve: Can’t get every call right, the game will slow to 5 hours and not just for the Yanks vs. Red Sox ones.
@Grey: Will do. I have a feeling he’s gna need TJ. No, not a trip to Tijuana to visit the famous whorehouse. Although it is only a few hours 4rm Oakland… Anyway, he’ll need Tommy John surgery. I got that feeling once I read your riskiest pitchers thing when Anderson first went down a month ago…
@Grey: As the blind man said, we shall c.
@tHe ShiT: As the blind man said as he walked into the door.
@wily mo wish I’d seen you preaching Dotel patience. I had him in about six leagues and dropped him in most after getting fed up pretty quickly of the damage he was causing my ERA / WHIP. Of course, he’s been brilliant since.
@Grey or anyone else: Holds question – which one of these would you take for holds: Hanrahan, Marshall, Duensing, Meek, Massett, Santos, Wuertz, Belisle or Storen.
TIA
@Grey: is aramis worth holding on to? i have rolen(injury prone himself)and keep wanting to drop aramis(no trade value at all)but i keep thinking ,the windy wrigley days will see him hot at some point.but the strikeouts are crazy from him this year
Looking for a spot start, low in K’s. Anyone starting Scherzer against KC tomorrow?
@Grey: The revolving door that just happened to go around at the right speed for him to make it through unscathed…
@ Grey – Who do you like the rest of the year out of Nolasco and Shields?
@Fletch: Take it from me, even if it’s Shields, Grey will say Nolasco.
And I support him 100%.
@beetley: Wuertz
@AL KOHOLIC: Yeah, he really should be better, but it depends on how bad you need that roster spot.
@Infamy707: I’d start him.
@tHe ShiT: Ha
@Fletch: Nolasco
Hey Grey, I saw you said Sean Rod over Aviles. You think he’ll continue to get playing time when Bartlett comes back.
Thanks.
@Grey: just got offered utley for ubaldo and stewart. No brainer? Or should I be concerned about utley’s recent struggles?
What about Nady becoming the Angels 1st baseman?
@Donnie Baseball: Bartlett’s proabbly going on the DL, so worth a shot.
@sucklingduck: Not a no-brainer, it’s fair. Depends on needs. I wouldn’t worry about Utley.
@Donnie Baseball: Wait, did he get traded?
@Grey:
No just a rumor, they’re saying it’s a possibility. Sorry.
@Donnie Baseball: Oh, wasn’t sure cause I would’ve grabbed him if he were. Yeah, be great for his value.
@Grey: Just trying to fix my sister’s half-autodrafted team in our H2H league. She has Beckham, Freddy Sanchez and Kendrick as 2B options.
Who do you like going forward?
7 Keeper league, ten team:
Fielder and a catcher (Posey or Napoli) for J. Heyward and B. Butler
@Steve: Kendrick, but bleh.
@Snot Boogie: Give him Napoli and I’ll like the Heyward side.
I was offered Papelbon and Nolasco for my Jimenez. There is no way that I will take that offer even though I am second to last in saves. I am thinking about counter offering Papelbon and Cliff Lee for Jimenez. Is that fair enough?
16 team h2h pts keeper league. (pts skewed to pitchers that can complete games)
Should I trade Votto for Greinke?
Have Smoak to fill in for Votto and my SP is lacking a bit.
@Grey: I know. She has an over-supply of great OF (she stuck to the Albright 300 for the first few rounds but then lost interest!), so maybe we can work a trade for an upgrade.
Not that anyone in this league will be trading with me, or anyone connected with me, ever again, though.
@Kc: Still not fair enough.
What do all of these pitchers have in common?
Nick Hill: 15.88 ERA
Justin Cassel: 3.38 ERA
Dallas Buck: 6.29 ERA
Sean Watson: 18.47 ERA
Curtis Partch: 21.00 ERA- Made a spot start in Double-A, then sent back to High-A
Richard Sullivan: 4.07 ERA
Jacob Thompson: 6.28 ERA
Thomas Palica: 6.57 ERA
To those of you who guessed, “Victims of Mike Stanton moon shots this season
@Arrec Bardwin: I’d want Votto.
@Steve: Ha!
@mr baseball: Ah….
@mr baseball: Lot of big names on that list. Dallas Buck!
For tomorrow only – Anibal @Metco or Maxie von Schnitzel @KC?
i know u said to not draft mauer but he was there relatively late 14th pick so i took him —- now frustrated with him what can i reasonably expect in return in a 12-teamer getting a 1b would be ideal for my team needs berkman/dunn at first (why didnt i draft a 1b) or should i wait till his value rises a bit. i could package him with a P i got lincecum garza zito pelfrey liriano latos kershaw soriano lindstrom dotel hoffman DL bedard webb who are prolly not comin back
and i recently picked up napoli and montero to fill a dl slot — so a C in return is not necessary or i could just drop both those schmos and keep mauer
thanks grey u da man — sorry for the long post shoulda taken ur advice from the beginning
@TastelessGarbage: Maxie
@Steve: Nice, that’s great!
@barker: You have three catchers? Ugh… Trade Mauer and Berkman for a top 1st baseman. Start at Pujols and work your way down until you get someone to bite. Don’t go below Votto.
yea three Cs is tough but i did with eyes towards trading mauer only been 2 days and i figure i can choose who to drop between MMontero and MNapoli when the time comes — and montero is in the DL slot for now and i own him a few places
grey 12 team h2h cecil or blanton?
@Grey:
Thoughts on Cantu so far?
@Grey – After reading the news about Carlos Santana… I traded away Casey McGehee for Matt Wieters… please tell me something nice about Matt Wieters other than “he’s a nice fella”
I feel like living in Baltimore skewed my view on Wieters a little bit. But anyway, is there any hope that Wieters can turn his season around?
@ Grey – I just pulled the trigger and accepted the trade. I get Tulo and Gallardo and I send him Wright (along with his K’s) and McCutchen. I traded S. Drew for McCutchen straight up earlier this year so I basically managed to turn Drew into Tulo at SS.
Now to replace Wright at 3rd which 2 do you like out of Beltre, Headley, Beckham and Glaus?
Replace McCutchen with Hart or Pence?
Thanks!
What should I do with Ubaldo? If I traded him for a hitter, who should I target (deep enough lineups that I could put anyone into my lineup)?
@Grey:
I had Orlando Hudson on my squad and he did wonders for me last week. The wrist thing really sucked, and with Coghlan really heating up do you think they’re interchangeable? Or should I wait out Hudson?
@Fletch: beltre and glaus,pence all around but hart while he is on fire,but he k,s a bunch and wont keep it up
@Grey: Y’know, I read a comment in the previous post that read, “I don’t know of anyone that is against instant replay.” I didn’t bother replying, since this new post was already up by the time I read it, but since you bring it up…
You can put me down as a firm “against instant replay” in baseball… all of it. Part of the charm of the game is the human element being involved. You start with using replay for HR calls, now we’re talking about using it for “game changing” calls. All in the name of what? You don’t want the game to be decided by an incorrect call? Well, hate to break the news to you, but an incorrect HR call can make as large an impact on the outcome of a game as an incorrect ball/strike call. The last out of a perfect game is just as important as any of the other 26.
If you truly want to insure a missed call doesn’t affect the outcome of a game, you can’t stop at HRs and “game changing” calls. You’ll need to use replay for checking if a runner tagged up… use it to see if a batter went around… check if the runner avoided a tag… double-check that balk call. How about when technology advances to where sensors can judge whether a runner’s foot hits the bag before the ball hits the fielder’s glove, or when we’ve got lasers and gizmos that can measure the strike zone? All in the name of getting the correct call every time, right?
How about this… everyone remembers that it’s a GAME and we just enjoy it. All this discussion and outrage tells me that the priorities of sports fans are incredibly out of whack. Did I think it sucked major balls when I saw the blown call? Absolutely. Did I feel bad for Galarraga for a bit? You bet. Then I did the same thing that Galarraga himself did, I said, “Nobody’s perfect” and moved on with my life.
Harvey Haddix was mentioned in the previous post. He received a letter after his near perfect game that simply read, “Dear Harvey, Tough shit.” I’d like to send that same letter to everyone who’s still upset and looking for further response to last night’s blown call.
@Awesomus Maximus: when football started the instant replay,5 minutes was the time frame allowed,bye the end of the year we would wait up to 15 minutes for a call
@Grey: use your powers and tell us why alcides wont run,do you see him running enough from here on to be a sb threa 15+ from here on?
threat that is
@Awesomus Maximus: Couldn’t agree more. I made the same “slippery slope” argument the league was considering adopting the HR replay rule, and expect to be proven right very soon.
Another aspect of baseball I’ll miss once we have instant replays or what have you is the classic Weaver-esque freak outs. Although I suppose managers could freak out after the umps refused to overturn a call, but I doubt they’ll be able to muster as much piss and vinegar when they know that they’re very likely wrong.
@mikey boy324: Cecil
@Eddy: He’s hit 3 homers since April and he’s batting around .270. Eh…
@Fletch: Nice! Agree with AL… Beltre, Glaus, Hart…
@Eddy: Go with Coghlan.
@Awesomus Maximus: Nice letter and great rant. Agree wholeheartedly…
@AL KOHOLIC: He should be a 40 SBs guy, so I’m as confused as anyone. Hopefully 15 SBs at this point.
@Grey – Thoughts on Wieters? Think he’ll turn his season around?
@Zipzoomer: I would want at least a 2nd round hitter but I’d go for a 1st rounder, uh, 1st.
@William: I almost made him the lead Buy in tomorrow’s Buy/Sell, so yeah I have hope for him still.
@Grey – I traded Casey McGehee for Weiters. Kelly Johnson becomes my full time 2B… should I keep a close eye on Jose Lopez?
Bartlett to DL per NBC.
@William: Yeah, I would.
@TastelessGarbage: Thanks for the heads up!
Sit one: Ian Kennedy vs Rox, Clay [email protected], Scott [email protected], Mat [email protected]
@Grey – are you going to do a write up on Dallas Buck tommorrow
@Dim: Latos…
@mr baseball: Ha… Yeah, probably not.
Quentin finally hitting bombs
Pick two to own from here on out of Willingham, A. Jones, Damon, Span.
@Awesomus Maximus: Or do you like Stanton over any of them?
Hey Guys,
Marcum or Shields the rest of the way?
@Awesomus Maximus:
Count me strongly in the against replay crowd. Over 162 games the bad calls even out. In any case, considering how many people are misread, misunderstood, misrepesented and mistaken in everyday life, baseball’s occasional gaffes are forgivable. I could go on but you get the idea.
@Tom Emanski: About time.
@Awesomus Maximus: Adam Jones? Andruw?
@KarlJ.: Marcum
@Grey: My bad… Adam Jones.
@Awesomus Maximus: Good sense from a not-unexpected source.
If only everyone dealt with this things with the same attitude as yourself – and Galarraga for that matter. I’ve still got a nag about replay which I went into above, but I think you’ve pretty much hit the nail on the head.
@Grey: Pavano. Is it time to look elsewhere?
@Awesomus Maximus: Adam for RBIs and HRs, Span for Runs and average… I’d go with Adam. Though Stanton over all of them for upside if you have bench room.
@Steve: Yeah, forget Pavano.
grey. who do you think is more likely to get some saves throughout the year?
storen or hoffman?
also do you think simon or gonzalez ends up with the gig in balt?
@chrisbenson: Hoffman… Gonzalez.
@Grey: Yeah, f*** him.
One of those guys you kind of forget about until he s**** on you from a great height.
also, what would you trade in addition to holliday to get votto in a keeper?
@Steve: Thanks! Though, I think we’re preaching to the choir. Razzball.com is probably not where this type of common sense needs to be spread.
@Grey: I think I may have lost you on the original question when I failed to specify the Jones involved. It was a “pick two from here on out” (unless your answer was Jones/Span, and I misunderstood)… Willingham, Adam Jones, Damon, Span, Stanton. And no, holding Stanton for a bit won’t be a problem, so that’s not a factor.
@Steve: Yup
@chrisbenson: I’d want Votto.
@Awesomus Maximus: Oh, yeah, you did lose me. Stanton and Jones…
yeah, so what should you trade to get him…holli pluS???
12 teams, H2H, 5×5, Non Keeper
Nolasco and Nunez for Greinke… Fair trade? Which side would you prefer?
@chrisbenson: I wouldn’t give much of anything else. Holliday’s enough. Maybe throw in a brain freeze.
@Vince: I’d take Greinke, but it’s not a trade I’d make.
@Grey: Thanks!
@Grey: Back on my sister’s team, she’s got Holliday, Hamilton, Werth and Rios to fill 3 OF spots (Howard at Util).
Which of those might have a chance of landing Pedroia? I hate that little prick (he doesn’t read books), but we do count OBP and he’s good for that.
yahoo still doesnt have bartlett d.l. eligible
@Steve: id try hamilton
@Grey: Thanks… and sorry for the confusion.
@Vince: I’m a Greinke owner in many leagues, and I’m almost hoping for a decent trade offer to come my way so I can be done with him. That said, I don’t think I could pull the trigger on that trade unless I was in desperate need of saves.
@chrisbenson: Why add anything? Holliday was a 2nd round pick this year, and it’s not like he’s been atrocious… plus he’s got some pretty good hitters around him… plus he’s been heating up the past couple weeks… plus Votto just missed a handful of games.
Jose Lopez 3 run shot tonight.
JLo or McGehee going forward?
@Awesomus Maximus: @Steve: Not to keep beating a dead horse, but I hate Selig. He made the right call not overturning it, but does he have to give such cryptic responses like he’s holed up in a cavern somewhere like he’s Mr. Burns.
@Steve: I agree with AL. Knew he had a pedophile brother, had never read that he didn’t read. Irony.
@Kazmere: I like Lopez now, but I’d hold McGehee.
@Grey: Yeah – I thought the head of a major organisation was supposed to be accountable for the odd thing, yet nothing that has happened on his watch seems to have been his fault.
Re: Pedroia, yeah I knew about his brother and I posted a link to some Q and A with him a long time back that showed him to be the total douchebag I’d long suspected him to be. I’ll try and find it, but don’t hold your breath.
Re: Lopez – he’s been the mainstay of my Fantasy Razzball team for a long time. His time might be up, though. Thanks to him and Scutaro I’m -37 today.
Re: Pavano – I’ll give him this (I’ve just dropped his ass for Myers), he’s prepared to stick around and sweep up after himself. Did it last start, done it again today.
That is all. I’ve been drinking, and I talk a bit more when I’ve been doing that.
“Latin (Fill in Age) Link – Whatever the age, add 3-4 years. In honor of the many Latin players who have lied about their age and got caught (Alfonso Soriano) as well as the many players who sure look older than they claim (Renteria, Ortiz, Pujols).”
Did I miss a scandal? Shouldn’t that be Tejada and not Soriano?
@Grey Is Brett Anderson going to be one of those pitchers who spend more time on the DL than I do on the computer? Is Galaraga for real?
I am slightly disturbed by events unfolding in Los Angeles.
But then Moylan is an Australian. What do you expect?
What’s up with Saito in for the save? Wagner hurt or just needing a rest?
@Grey: My world is rocked. So that’s why he seemed to get old so fast after the yankees traded him.
@Grey & All Others – Markakis just hit the waiver wire in my 12 team dynasty league. Current OF is Braun, Quentin, CarGo, & Rasmus w/Krispie on the bench. Think I should drop any of them for Markakis or just stand pat. Only other non-pitcher on my bench is Beltre. Thanks!
@Bill Lumbergh:
I’d say drop Krispie, but who are the pitchers you could cut?
14 team H2H keeper that’s 6×6 (OPS and QS)
Would you offer Lind for Liriano? Lind is probably more valuable if he gets back to what he did last year, but I’m not sure if the BA is coming back, while Liriano is probably safer in the long run.
I’d really like to thank my team for going 6/57 over the last two days with 3 runs, no homers, 3 rbi
these are the times that try men’s souls.
@poot: Thanks for the reply. Reserve SP are Dice-K, Kennedy, and Wandy. Pitching is at a premium in this league, so I would hate to lose an SP, but Markakis for the long term is too good to pass up. Right?
@poot: I am a Liriano fan – the guy has all the talent in the world. Sluggers like Lind, seem to come along every year. Get Liriano if you need him.
@mauledbypandas: Yeah, that’s annoying.
@Bill Lumbergh: I’d lose Dice-K for Markakis.
@poot: Agree with Bill. If you need Liriano, it’s fair.
@Steve: Sit him in Philly.
@Bill Lumbergh:
No problem.
Anyway, I don’t think Markakis will ever grow into an elite power hitter (And I love the doode), but if you can spare the speed, he’ll definitely be more valuable.
I don’t know how much of a premium pitching is, but it can’t be that hard to get someone more valuable than Dice-k, no? If possible, I’d cut him before Krispie.
The thing is, with OPS, elite hitters are the premium in this league, and it’s usually easier to get a decent upside pitcher each year.
@Grey: The dude I proposed sending Gallardo 4 Holliday rejected the offer cuz he says hes got help comin june 8th. FWIW, he said it was a legit offer… and so i move on to dropping Anderson soon as I figure out what OF 2 pick up
I have Napoli and Posey in a 13 team 5×5 with 1 catcher spot. nobody trades in the league. Is Napoli dropable? Nobody wants to trade for him. Or should i use him at util till he stops hitting?
@tHe ShiT: Gotcha…
@front butt: Depends who you’d replace Napoli with. You can’t trade Posey either?
what about posey and price or lester for ethier? is that fair
@Grey: Check out this message i just posted 2 the dude who rejected my Holliday 4 Gallardo offer. I feel like an asshole but i felt i had to tell him this:
Well thx 4 replying with honesty, its appreciated. 2 b real honest, and im not trying to bash ur team cuz u rejected my offer, i think u could use an upgrade over Hanson n Nolasco. Hanson will not be Hanson of last year times 2. Nolasco is kinda struggling 2 regain that mojo that carried him post demotion last year and into spring training this yr. As a baseball fan and Nolasco owner in other leagues, it worries the hell out of me cuz hes 2 gd 2 b crapping his pants like this. Nolasco and Hanson r injury risks cuz of the amount of breaking (curve, slider) pitches they threw/throw. Marcum is gd, kinda like my Liriano, but well have 2 c if they both hold up the whole yr and dont fizzle out down the stretch come fantasy playoff time. As 4 Strasburg, ill b watching next wk as u will, but u kinda hv 2 temper ur expectations a bit cuz hes a rookie. Can he do wut Hanson did last year? Yeah. But he could easily b like David Price and not do much. Your staff is filled with upside that can end up leading u 2 the ship, but, and its a BIG BUT, these guys can flop and you will b left with no stability. Just my 2,3,4,5,6 cents bro. This is not meant as an insult 2 u, cuz i acutally really like ur team, just dropping some knowledge im sure u already hv. Good luck the rest of the way and for the time being, Gallardo will b available 2 u should u change ur mind. Hit me up if it does…
Correct anything i said that is wrong plz…
Hey Grey,
Kind of off topic but…
Alexi Ramirez is driving me crazy! Should I finally cut bait and add some other schmohawk like Scutaro, Brignac, Guzman, Ocab, etc? Or should I just ride out Alexi as he tortoises me to a .265 12/15 type season?
P.s. I truly love the site. Best advice out IMO!
Thanks,
Bryan
I was just offered this trade: I give Dotel, Lidge, and Span and I get Carlos Pena,Chris Young, And Greinke. I kinda feel bad accepting this. Is this a really really good deal even tho I’m kinda lacking on steals? To Add I also Have Marmol Aardsma and Nunez as my other closers
@Grey: I always like reading these pieces just to re-read the definition of a Donkey Corn, but they (like just about any other Closer column) don’t really help my decision making. I mean, I know Mariano is really good AND I don’t have him.
What would be more useful is some sort of ranking or breakdown of the setup guys who are rosterable because:
1. First string guy sucks and might lose his job
2. First string guy is very likely going to be traded this season by July 31 (this is what I could really use right now)
3. Setup guy is super good and helps your team in Ks, ERA, and WHIP with a minimum amount of IP (useful in leagues with IP limits), eg. Evan Meek
I have Chris Perez on my roster right now and I’m wondering if I should have dropped him for Frasor or Heilman. Stuff like that.
Grey, choo know what I mean, meng?