A lot of starting pitchers have been traded by the A’s. Some fare great (Haren), some have mixed results (Hudson), some collapse (Mulder). But there has never been an ex-A’s starting pitcher that seems to miss the AL West as much as Chad Gaudin. While he did get crushed @ LAA, his last 3 starts @SEA, home against SEA, and @TEX have netted 21 IP / 2-1 / 2.14 ERA / 0.76 WHIP / 28 Ks. That’s a Peavian 12 K/9 IP with a K/BB ratio of 21:5. We’ve had Gaudin on a couple of deep league teams since we love NL West pitchers and it’s been hard to recommend him because he’s been so damn wild. But after these past three dominating starts (8+ Ks, 2 or less BBs), he’s a must pickup in any league format at this point. Anyway, here’s what else we saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:
Everth Cabrera – 3-for-8 this weekend, with one steal. If you need steals, don’t wait until after the 3 steal game to grab him. He may not be there.
Scott Hairston – 3-for-4 with a homer yesterday. Okay, that’s the last Padres blurb.
Aaron Cook – Effectively hittable (8 IP, 9 H, 1 ER) and liftable (9 ground balls, 10 fly balls) against Oakland, he’s now won 5 in a row and given up just 1 ER in 4 of those games. He’ll never be a fantasy ace so if you have 5 aces, don’t pick him up. Otherwise, jump on him – especially if the matchup looks good.
Jose Valverde – Perhaps stunned that Russ Ortiz carried a 3-2 lead through 7 innings against a major league team, Valgreen’s blew the save with a 2-run HR to Brandon Inge. You may have noticed LaTroy Hawkins earned the save on Saturday. What does that add up to? Eh, not much. Valverde has a long leash and will be closer for the Astros unless he gets hurt, sucks it up big time, or gets traded.
Mark DeRosa – One of the most versatile players (2B, 3B, OF) is now playing for one of the most inventive managers (Tony LaRussa). Plus, both their names refer to roses which seems romantic. DeRosa’s expected to play most of his time at 3B but his first start saw him in LF. For now, he’s batting 4th (right behind Pujols). Wouldn’t be surprised to see him hit 2nd, 5th, or 6th in upcoming games. One thing that’s safe for now is DeRosa will get his 5-6 starts a week….as long as he doesn’t impersotweet Tony L.
Khalil Greene – He was hot a little over a week ago, but he’s now 0-for his last 14. He’s the best choice to bat 2nd?
Pablo Sandoval – 3 HRs between Friday and Saturday. Stomach virus on Sunday. That virus was probably living for years in that stomach before Pablo felt it.
Carlos Carrasco – Word is that the Phil-Phil may start Car-Car on Thursday against Atlanta. He came into 2009 as the Phillies top pitching prospect (ahead of JA Happ) but his 4.92 ERA in 86 AAA IP in 2009 is a clear sign this is a callup out of necessity. If you dig into his AAA stats, though, things look a bit brighter. About 1 K an inning. A BB rate under 3 per 9 inning. His FIP is only 3.50. His strand rate of 61.7% is awfully something – awfully unlucky, awfully bad or awfully telling that he can’t pitch out of the stretch. We’d recommend giving him a game or two to prove himself before starting him (we’re still hurting from Hochevar) but if you need Ks in the worst way, go for it.
Eric Bruntlett – 1-for-11 this weekend. Rollins went oh-for-no-he-didn’t.
Jamie Moyer – 5 IP, 4 ER, but earned his 252nd win to pass Bob Gibson on the all-time list. Let the discussion now begin about who was a better pitcher — Gibson or Moyer.
Tommy Hanson – 6 IP, 0 ER. Only four baserunners vs. the Sawx. Now he’s going to be the Cy Young! Actually, prolly not. He’ll still have some rookie hiccups. (I abandoned prolly for probably for a few months to see if I could be taken more seriously by established media personalities like George Will and Ken Burns. Since I can’t spell Pulitzer without Googling it, I’m going back to prolly! I may even apostrophize, “It’s okay” as S’okay. Stay tuned!)
Jonny Gomes – Had a good run on all our teams this week with two homers. Now he’ll return to platooning and we’ll drop him.
Brandon Phillips – 3-for-5, 3 Runs, 3 RBIs and his 11th steal. Taking the slow boat to 20/20. S’okay, as long as he stays healthy, he’ll get there.
Asdrubal Cabrera – Hehe. Asdrubal’s back. Hehe.
Aaron Hill – 2 HRs yesterday to bring his total to 19. Could get to 30. No reason you have to think at any moment the indigestion’s coming on.
Mike MacDougal – Got his third save for the Nats and started selling iced mochas just like McDonald’s. But he spells mocha with a K.
Josh Willingham – 3-for-4 yesterday and .389 in the last week. You can grab ‘ham while he’s hot, but if you have an erection for longer than 4 hours after doing so, you may want to seek a doctor’s advice.
Andrew McCutchen – Has 2 steals and 5 Runs in the last week. S’not terrible, but schmohawk behind door number three can probably give you the same. The Dread Pirate should give you something in a trade though, so I’d explore those options. (I might rethink “S’not.”)
David Price – 6 1/3 IP, 1 ER. But at what price? 5 walks.
Andrew Miller – 6 1/3 IP, 5 ER. Miller’s like a boba that clogs your straw. Just pull the straw out and shoot that oversized boba into the garbage. It’ll choke you out.
Alfonso Soriano – His forties haven’t been kind to him. Yesterday, 2-for-4, no Runs scored or RBIs or steals. It’s bad when that’s a good day.
John Danks – 7 IP, 0 ER. He’s at 4.08 ERA on the year with a 1.28 WHIP. That sounds about right. I don’t think he suddenly becomes a number one or two, but prolly a solid number 3.
Ryan Sadowski – 6 IP, 0 ER. He was a 4 ERA pitcher in Triple A, isn’t an overwhelming strikeout guy and walks hitters. Sadowski is the new blech.
Francisco Liriano – 7 IP, 2 ER. More impressively, he only walked two and one of those was Pujols. The Cards, with the pitcher batting, aren’t exactly Murderer’s Row, more like Ripping A Tag Off A Mattress Row, but it’s a step in the right direction for Liriano.
Adrian Beltre – If you missed the news over the weekend, he’s going to be out for 2 months with shoulder surgery being performed by, oddly enough, an Angels’ doctor. You think the Angels would’ve offered to work on Ichiro. Beltre’s droppable outside of deep AL-Only leagues.
Jose Lopez – 3-for-4 and stole his first base of the season. As of late, he’s one of the hottest hitters and should not be on waivers in any league.
Chien-Ming Wang – 5 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 7 baserunners, 3 Ks for his first Win on the season. “If this is a breakthrough, color me bored.” — Appropriate here, but it’s also a quote from Thomas Edison’s overdemanding mother.
Mariano Rivera – 500th career save @ Metco and 1st career RBI (bases loaded walk against K-Rod). If I owned the Mets, I would do three things. 1) Get Michael Jackson’s old hyperbaric chamber for Jose Reyes’s hamstring, 2) Change financial advisors, and 3) Campaign MLB to spread out the embarrassment of playing the Yanks to once every 4 years.
John Maine – Rehab is suspended because there’s a pinched nerve in Maine’s shoulder. I once suffered from a pinched finger from a Maine lobster. Which finger? The same one that’s getting prepared to click the mouse in shallow leagues where I own Maine….
just read over your enthusiasm towards Gaudin, so here it is:
Gaudin over Guthrie? or keep Guthrie?
Lose Matt Wieters to pick up either R. Soriano or JP Howell? I have Brandon Inge (currently playing only against lefties and Russ Ortiz), but it seems like a waste of roster space. I carried Wieters for so long that it’s hard to say goodbye so soon – though he’s trying to make it easier on me, bless his switch-hittin’ heart.
And I know he has like a 1:1 K/BB, but Tommy “Mmm-bop” Hanson looked brilliant against the Sawx yesterday.
first off id like to thank u for tellin me to keep hanley. u went from bein the man to bein THE man. now 3 quick questions.
1.thoughts/predictions on scott kazmir the rest of the way
2. put these in order realest to fake. and will any of them fade terribly. a.hill, j.rivera, zobrilla, olivo(shot at 25homers?)
3. in a pitcher friendly league. how many (if any) of these pitchers can b servicable #4 or 5 type guys for the next month- cahill, andrew miller, perkins, car-car, de la rosa
thanx!
Gaudin over Jordan Zimmerman or Kevin Correia?
It’s rumoured that W.F. Buckley used “prolly” in several articles, to be released posthumously.
The Mets, one hit Sat vs Burnett and an assemblage of Yankee relievers, actually made Wang look adequate yesterday. It’s looking like a long year for us Met fans. Oh well, at least we won’t have to endure another Sept. collapse. BTW, isn’t Wright having one of the weirdest years on record? I believe that his BABIP is the highest since Ruth, but with 3 dingers and a projected 80 RBI’s.
Ass-Dribble likely completely unaware of the humorous connotations of his name. As was J.J. Putz, until he was picked up by the Mets, and exposed to the Yiddish usage.
Gaudin over Correia?
BTW, smokin’ hot review. Prolly s’not likely to be criticized, even by Ken Burns, who is considering having you as a ghostwriter for Baseball- Inning 10
Everyone’s talkin’ about Gaudin’!
Drop Meyer for him? It’s the ol’ H2H where I already have Qualls, F-Cord, Bailey and Sherrill for Saves.
Yeah, that´s a serious question. What to do with Wieters. I have Sandokan playing catcher for me, with Morneau at 1B and Wright at 3B. As Sandokan is 1B,3B eligible on Yahoo. And obviously Sandokan is playing better than both of them at the moment but still Wieters is sucking monkey balls. I very much doubt that anyone would trade for Wieters but come on, should I drop the biggest prospect in baseball in decades, as they say, don´t know why though?
“Let the discussion now begin about who was a better pitcher — Gibson or Moyer.”
Haha. Nice.
@sickmangarner: Zimmermann is a keeper. If you have to drop one of the two, I’d drop Correia.
Gaudin over Jobacum? His WHIPping post performance yesterday was tough to watch.
@Elbert: @sickmangarner: @Steve: I’d take Gaudin over Guthrie, Correja, any MR other than Rafael Soriano and just slightly over Zimmermann. JZ is close as he has similar K rates to Gaudin but I’m concerned he’ll tire or get shut down later this year whereas Gaudin won’t have any restrictions.
@Lines: @anoraxx: If you’re in a 10-12 team 1C league and have a strong Catcher, there’s nothing wrong with dropping Wieters. His value is greatly reduced if you don’t need him at C. But in keeper leagues or deeper C leagues, I wouldn’t drop him just yet…
Andrew Miller has actually developed a fairly reliable home/road split this year. He’s been nigh on dominant at the Fishery:
6 starts (8 appearances), he’s put up a 3.11/1.22, 8.12 k/9, (perhaps most importantly) a 2.27 k:bb, and he’s held opponents to a .223 BAA.
This week he’s got the Pirates at home (NL 13th in road OPS), so if you need a spot start he’s a real solid option…
@Dingo: I trust Jobacum more than Gaudin. He didn’t have his best day yesterday but would’ve thrown a quality start if the AZ defense cooperated. But Jobacum does warrant similar concerns I mentioned above re: JZ (he’ll be shut down at some point) so the difference isn’t that great…
@Tarasco’sSecretStash: Good stuff on Andrew Miller!
should i drop zambrano to take a chance on gaudin?
I just found this, and it amused me so much I’m gonna hold off on dropping Matt Wieters for a few more 1-for-4’s.
Enjoy – http://www.mattwietersfacts.com
now that gomes is going to platoon, who would you grab?
reimold, rasmus, and scott hairston are all free in my league.
Would you drop Jurrjens for Gaudin?
If attempts at dealing Liriano and/or Price continue to be fruitless, are either outright droppable for The Great Gaudin? Clasic hype versus substance.
gaudin gets the dodgers next then arizona then colorado at pedco
Beltre owner here, looking to add Wright. I offered soria/sizemore/wainright for santana/Wright, but he rejected due to avg. hit.
What if I added my Beltran for his N.Cruz?
(wainright/soria/sizemore/beltran for n.cruz/santana/wright?
I could try for derosa too if I fail, what would his price be?
Im kinda missing the whole Gaudin love fest –
I get that he’s had 2 great starts in a row but I still gotta ask: Why is everyone so in love with him? His numbers on the year are very rocky and inconsistent. I get that he pitches in a good park against weak opponents – but what makes him a better option over Correia? who has 8 of his last 10 starts go for quality starts and he pitches in the same park.
So why such ringing endorsements for Gaudin?
Another Guadin – drop Petite, Kuroda, or Lannan?
i too have the dilemma of holding wieters with sandoval as my catcher in a 12 team h2h league. right now wieters is in my util spot, but i’d like some more offense in there and don’t think i can wait around to see if he turns into a stud. should i drop wieters for adam laroche or jose lopez to slot them into the util spot? grey told me to pick up laroche, but i didn’t explicitly state the situation…
Greene going on DL with anxiety issues.
after 3 good starts , expecting more is like closing the barn door after the cows have gotten out .
y’all be …. waiting for gaud-ot .
the prince and the panda .
maybe if pablo played in a band-box , the difference wouldn’t be so noticeable.
cust twain-in’ .
Pick one for the rest of the year: Meche or Zimmermann?
Would you trade away Chris Volstad for Jordan Zimmermann?
I’d be giving up some wins, but picking up a much better source of Ks. Also, Zimmermann seems to be picking up steam while Volstad is going in the opposite direction.
@jk: uh no.
@Travis: uh no.
guys, gaudin is a nice guy to grab as potentially your #4/5 SP. you can drop your john maine’s and aaron cook’s and maybe even your liriano’s (though i’m still holding out hope with mine), but zambrano is pitching decent enough (3.50ish era) to not contemplate dropping him. so what if the cubs can’t score runs, not his fault. and jurrjens has been solid too (is his era still sub-3.00?). i know gaudin’s K rate is enticing, but it’s not like zambrano or jurrjens are killing you in the K department.
@jp: i like zimmermann more than volstad, but the fact that zimmermann may be shut down or at least have starts skipped come fantasy playoff time scares me.
Zombie:You can’t be seriousl;y considering dropping Price or Liriano for Gaudin, can you?
What are the chances Everth Cabrera is actually playable going forward?
Starting Floyd tonight against Cleveland on the road?
Drop Cantu for Branyan?
thought this was interesting from Rotoworld —
Jake Peavy (ankle) is hoping to begin a rehab assignment in three weeks.
It’s quite the lofty goal for a guy who hasn’t even thrown off a mound once since hitting the disabled list on June 9. Peavy is scheduled to be examined by Padres medical director Dr. Steven Copp on Tuesday, and is hoping the doc will give him the green light to begin throwing and working out.
Source: Padres.mlb.com
I hope it is true.
@ JPH: not if you can trade him for…….. anybody! but yes.
@Paulie Allnuts: Ha, some funny stuff there. Gaudin over Correia.
@jersey mike: Hill, Zobrist, Rivera, Olivo. Olivo can get 20+, but it’ll be an ugly 20+. Kaz is worth owning, but it’s too soon to be predicting on the year what he’s going to do since he just returned from his issues. Cahill and De La Rosa.
@jk: Nope
@Lines: Nice!
@black love: Hairston
@Travis: Nope
@zombie: I wouldn’t drop either for Gaudin.
@Ethan: I’d lose Pettitte.
@Schatzi: I’d add in Beltran too. DeRosa should get a a third starter. Think Kershaw.
@Teef: Gaudin’s a 5th starter. Not much love fest on my end, but he’s worth a grab. Same with Correia. I wouldn’t trust either further than one or two bad starts.
@nick m.: I wouldn’t drop Wieters. I’d trade whatever catcher is clogging up your catcher spot.
@Doc: Thanks for the heads up!
@bobbo: Meche
@jp: I would.
@DT: Wouldn’t drop anyone too worthwhile for Everth, but if you need speed he’s worth a flier.
@steamer: Sure
@Doc: That would be nice.
Thanks Grey. Also, Choo or Matt Kemp? (Almost wrote Shawn there)
Last question for the day I think, Cueto or Wainwright?
@Ethan: Kemp
@Ethan: Wainwright
I stockpile pitchers. Please help me pick three for this week:
1. Scherzer @ COL (vs. Cook) – I don’t like the @ COL or Cook part
2. Zimmermann @ FLA (rookie pitcher West) – Zimmermann has a 9 K/9 and a K/BB of 3.45(!). One of the more unluckier pitchers in baseball this year. Bonus – FLA strikes out a lot.
3. Smoltz @ BAL (Rich Hill) – I like me my Smoltz and the BoSox bats
4. Randy Wells vs. Pit (some rookie pitcher) – Wells’ control is fantastic (K/BB greater than 3.0), he gets ground balls and the Pirates have a lackluster offense
5. Tommy Hanson vs. WAS – I know he is 4-0 and is the first rookie pitcher since 1900 to start 4-0 or pitch three scoreless starts in a row (or something like that), but his control is terrible, the Ks aren’t there, he’s been extremely lucky with his strand rate and BABIP and his FIP is 5.12
I’m leaning towards the unconventional: Smoltz, Zimmermann, Wells
I’m sure most others would take Scherzer, Hanson and someone else.
Thank you!
@Ethan: Kemp, no question
my nelson cruz, lance berkman and yovani gallardo for his pujols and victorino?
@Broadstreetbrawler: of course!
@grey: hilariously informative as usual.
They’ve got the Big Mac; we’ve got the Big Mic
They’ve got the golden arches; we’ve got the golden archs
Should I give up Scutaro to get Ludwick? Im up on runs but I do need some power and upgrade OF depth. pull trigger?
@Neil: I’d start Hanson too, but if only three Zimmermann, Wells and Smoltz makes sense.
@Broadstreetbrawler: It’s close, but I’d go Pujols side.
@sean: Thanks! That would be a great tag line — Razzball, Hilariously Informative.
@G: I’d take Ludwick there.
@Grey: My staff is C-Bills, Gallardo, Slowey, Oswalt, Hanson and Gavin Floyd. My OF is Holliday, Bruce, Dye, with Reimold and Maggs benched. I need HRs.
Do I trade C-Bills for Carlos Lee?
Also: The guy in my league with Beltre has no 3B. Do I offer Wright/Something for Utley/Dunn?
Who wins Wright/Phillips/Dye for Utley/Dunn/Ellsbury?
Gracias.
@Grey: Please pick one:
Morrow @ Yanks and BoSox,
Carrasco @ ATL,
Jordan Zimmerman @ Fla, or
Scherzer @ Col?
In case it matters, the other guys I’m starting are Dempster, Johnson, Millwood, and Lackey.
@Baron Von Vulturewins: I think you can do better than Lee for Bills. I’d do the Wright/Something trade first before the Bills for Something trade.
I’d take the Utley side.
@Xar: Zimmermann
@Grey and all: Beltre owner (AL Only, 5×5) looking for rest-of-year replacement from an ugly list (I have Inge, can shift to 3B – that’s why I’m listing catchers, too).
Best Available – Johjima, Navarro, Wigginton, Millar, N. Green, Carroll, Bloomquist.
I’m thinking Johjima or Wigginton (?)
@Mike D.: Wigginton
@Grey: How do you see the AL East standings panning out by the end of the season? 1.,2., 3.
@Rick Dempsey: Rays, Sawx, Yanks…
@Quintero: Interesting, thanks for sharing!
12 team keeper league, keep 10 players. Trying to get keepers for next year, so which group would you prefer to have as your keepers:
Wieters
Berkman
BJ Upton
Zach Greinke
Jose Reyes
Alexei Ramirez
Nick Markakis
Josh Johnson
Adam Jones
One of Porcello/Stephen Drew/Chris Davis/Reimold
OR
Wieters
Berkman
BJ Upton
Zach Greinke
Jose Reyes
Alexei Ramirez
Johan Santana
Evan Longoria
Matt Holliday
One of Stephen Drew/Chris Davis
@Grey: Thanks kindly.
Weekly lineups, points h2h league. Who would you start at Util. Bourn Identity, Krush Davis, or Krispie Young?
@bpasinko: The second group.
@bpasinko: 2nd group, Drew.
@brad: Bourn for steals, if you need that. Davis for power, if you need that.
Was offered Verlander for H. Bell.
I have 5 closers, where most teams just have 2 or 3 so Im definitely in a position of strength there, and I could use the SP.
Seems like a no brainer for me to accept… right?
Yunel was dropped to the ww. Assuming his hip is ok, he’s the better choice over the rest of the schmohawks available like Andrus, Guzman and Felipe Lopez, right?
Thanks Grey, and Brad. I think I’ll go ahead and do the trades to get to the 2nd group of keepers.
@Grey: Thanks.
Vultures circling (don’t you love this) over Beltre’s body –
I was just offered The Giambino and his .203 BA for JD Drew.
Should I take it? I can play David Murphy in Drew’s spot. Is Giambi/Murphy better than Wigginton/Drew for the rest of the year?
Man, I hate Adrian Beltre. Why does he hurt me so?
@Nick0rz: No brainer, get Verlander.
@john: Eh, besides Guzman, they’re all close. Him and Felipe are very close. Really a coin flip.
@Mike D.: I’d go Giambi/Murphy.
@john: Lopez has steal potential and Guzman hits for average with both hitting in front of fairly good hitting. Andrus seems mired in a slump, but overall I’d hold on to escobar unless you need help in those two other categories.
@Grey: What do you think Denard Span will produce for the rest of the way… is he going to lose time in the Twins cluttered outfield or will he be the consistent leadoff hitter for them… I am intrigued by the steals, but wasn’t he just hurt? holla back.
@Grey: 8 pts for HRs, 5 pts for steals. Go with Davis over Bourn?
@Joe B: Span starts 5 to 6 times a week when healthy. He’s a decent source of average, Runs and steals. Not that exciting. Think of him as a rich man’s Nyjer.
@brad: Sure
10 team keeper league: I just traded Kemp, Billingsley, & Morals for Pujols then turned around and trade McCann & McCuthen for Hamels & Victorino who were both in last year of contract on last place team.
New Lineup: Ianneta, Morneau, Kinsler, A-Ram, Theirot, Lopez, Pujols, Hamilton, Carlos Lee, Either, Abreu, Werth, Victorino, Bradley. Hamels, Oswalt, Haren, Cliff Lee, Danks/Hanson. Rivera, Fuentes, Aardsma, Nunez.
I have no bench (playing Scutaro and Kouzmanoff until A-Ram and Hamilton get back). Do I need to make any other moves?
@Nick0rz: absolutely, no brainer. Even if you only had one closer.
@Dom: Maybe try trading for your morals back.
@Grey: I’m considering offering Prince for Wright, wise?
Balfour or Belisario in a holds league?
My team needs batting average quite badly. I’m trailing in that category (last in the league) but have solid hitting numbers across the board.
Jimmy Rollins is killing my average and should improve. Lance Berkman is the same. Kinsler might boost his average a bit.
Guys like Cruz, Werth, McCann, Kemp, are hitting right where I’d expect them. Reynolds is probably due for a regression.
Was thinking of dangling Berkman for a package like Suzuki and Verlander.
Obviously it’s not an awesome deal, but rZips has Suzuki batting .320 with lots of ABs for the rest of the season. Berkman is at .288 with lots of walks. Interestingly, Berkman and Reynolds are almost dead even on rZips, so I’m inclined to hold on Reynolds, who isn’t getting me the value I’d like from such a hitter.
Is that even a smart deal for me?
@Nick0rz: verlander
@Doug Ault: Sure, it’s fair. Depends on needs.
@cubbies299: Belisario
@Joel: It’s a decent deal for you.
*****There’s a new post for followups.**********
Drop Meche for Gaudin?
@The Dude: Meche is struggling with a dead arm right now, so it’s fine to make that switch if you like, but Meche will have more value over the course of the rest of the year.
*****There’s a new post for followups.**********