Usually I start my day eating breakfast while reading Grey’s excellent daily posts (suck up alert!). I’ve been doing this for god knows how many years, at least a decade it seems. Anyhoo, I usually look through the comments and see this comment (in various forms), “Player A for Player B. Who wins?” and part of that just bugs me. Not the asking for advice of course, because that’s the main point of the site. I’m talking about the winning part. Maybe it’s the current American winning obsession because to some we’re winning too much, others not at all (and that’s as far as I’ll dip my foot in the political pool). I think it goes back to the idea that trading, in the minds of some, is a zero-sum game. Someone has to win and someone has to lose. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Can’t a trade help both teams so they both win? Absolutely.
When you’re making an offer, at least look at the team you’re making the offer to. I know you want the Kenley Jansen/Max Scherzer/top guy because you’re team needs saves/Ks/whatever and you have too many OFs so don’t offer one of your OFs if the guy already has too many, you know? Look at his roster, alright? Alas (such a melodramatic word) I get offers like these too often. Though if I get an offer, I’m going to consider it, always, and usually counter. Remember to give any offer a couple of days, be patient. Assume that others have as many teams as you do, remember they have lives as well, as busy or busier than yours, and it’ll help, I promise. Just keep making those offers.
Now that that’s out of the way, I’m going to try a format. Nothing crazy, really just using bold. We’ll see how it goes. First up looking at the top OPS hitters in the past two weeks.
Top OPS past 14 days (min 30 ABs as of this writing):
Who stands out: First off, Buster Posey is leading the league with a 1.374 OPS, five homers, and 2.0% K%. Too bad I never draft him. If you own him trade him. Now. Next! How many guys have a .111 BABIP and a 1.291 OPS? None other than Mike Trout. That is straight nutrageous. Next! It’s amazing that Mark Reynolds put up a 44 homer, 24 steal season almost a decade ago. Less amazing is the long, strange trip he took to get to Colorado. It only took him a season to get accumulated to the air up in Denver; he hit 14 homers in 441 PAs in 2016 and has 12 in 157 thus far this season, 4 in the past couple weeks to go with a 1.111. He should finish with 30+ and worth acquiring if power is a need because he might come cheaper than anticipated.
Others: Tommy Joseph has a 1.275 OPS, owned in only 15% of ESPN and 21% of Yahoo! leagues, and should be gone in your league (if it’s competitive) but if he’s not make the move immediately. Still loving Marcell Ozuna (1.168 OPS) and Aaron Altherr (1.192 OPS) am disappointed I don’t own him on more teams; I would hold on both. Hosmer has a 1.104 OPS but only one homer and is a big time sell for me, as he has name value and piddling power; offer him for Joseph and a mid-to-low tier closer and it’ll work out well for you.
When we lower it to 20 ABs the top guy with a 1.696 OPS over the last couple weeks is Cactus Jesus Aguilar. If you own Marcus Thames you should already know about him; there’s no way he plays more than as a bench bat unless Thames gets hurt; so as soon as that happens next (if it happens) hit that waiver wire posthaste and add up the big fella. He’ll be there, only owned in 1% of ESPN and Yahoo leagues.
Lastly: It’s the weekly Ryon Healy and Josh Bell buy section. I just watched Bell jack a three-run homer (on TV) so now he’s up to eight and three in the last week and I ask: is that not good enough to add? In average leagues he should be gone yet he’s still only owned in 30% of Yahoo leagues and only 13% of ESPN ones. Bell is home against the Phillies and then heads to Atlanta this week. Healy, owned in 53% of Yahoo! and 23% of ESPN leagues, holds an .873 OPS in May, hit a 443-foot bomb on Tuesday, and has seven homers thus far on the season. His A’s are home against Boston and Miami before going to New York to play the Yankees.
So work on those trade offers, don’t take yourself to seriously, eat an apple a day to keep the doctor away, and always be closing. Keep it real, too. And definitely don’t take any wooden nickels. Or maybe you should as I’ve never seen one and maybe they’re valuable, like Silver certificates. Did I cover enough sayings there? You want some more? Tough titty. That’s enough of me for this week, enjoy the weekend Razzballers and Razzballettes!
