Fantasy 411 Q&A: June 22, 2009

Good Morning Gentlemen - i'm sure you'll get asked this question a lot over the next week... should I go ahead and cut the slumping Pierre now and pick up Taveras, Dukes, Rasmus, Coghlan, or Carlos Gonzalez in a NL only league? I'm in 1st place and lead the league in hr's & steals but am near the bottom in rbi's. I have Ramirez & Jose Reyes on the DL. Thanks!

Hey guys I have some weak pitching, but they are giving me enough to help out and win some weeks. Who should I start this week? I am definitely starting Lester, Kershaw, and Edwin Jackson, but with 2 spots left to fill I have 3 so-so pitchers with Porcello (at Cubs) Wolf (at White Sox) and Blackburn (at Brewers). Which of those 3 should sit this week?

Thanks as always

Fellas,

Trying to score a closer in an NL-only 10-team keeper auction league. I'm in 2nd and can make up a lot of ground in saves. Second to last team has both Broxton and F. Cordero. I was thinking of offering either $12 Harang or $14 Wandy Rodriguez for Broxton. I'd love to hear your thoughts... thanks!

OG

Just been offered another interesting deal. 8 man HTH keeper league. I give Wieters, beckett and Hanson for VMART, Edwin Jackson and Zobrist.

Current pitching staff should be: Josh Johnson, Gallardo, Cain, Zimmermann, Porcello, Blackburn, Duke and Bastardo. Closers: Hoffman, Nathan and Jenks.

correction. Had to drop Bastardo to make the other deal.

Line up Wieters C, Morneau 1B, Kinsler 2B, Tulo SS, Bay LF, Adam Jones CF, Nelson Cruz RF, Victorino Utility, Ellsbury Utility.

Bench: Carlos Lee, Huff, Reynolds, Carlos Gonzalez, Barmes.

DL: Reyes, Delgado and Asdrubal Cabrera

Hey Guys,
As I was thinking over trade offers that I could propose, I was thinking of using Chad Billingsley to buy me the upgrade of Prince Fielder to Albert Pujols. However, as I was considering this trade offer, keeper contracts crossed my mind. I could keep Prince Fielder for $28 or I could trade for Albert Pujols who would cost $44. My question is, at what point in the season do trade negotiations become relevant?
Thanks, Davis in Mass

Hey guys,

Fukudome got dropped and is off waivers. Is it worth dropping Spilborghs to snag him? It's a 12 team H2H league. Thanks for the help!

Everett in Oregon

Hey Guys,

What do you think of JA Happ in a 15 tm mixed non-keeper? Roster worthy or POD? Would you drop a 6th OF such as David Murphy for Happ? With a 1500IP limit, I am behind the pace right now by -100 IP.

Thanks,
Neighbor Steve

Hey guys,
Absolutely hate when this happens, but one of the managers in my league is apparently calling it quits and has dumped all of his players on to the waiver wire--at least those he could cut. I especially hate this b/c I'm currently in first place. Assuming I can get some of these players, here would be some choices I'd be faced with. SP: I have Wandy, Buerhle, Carpenter, Lilly, Lackey (driving me crazy), Webb (is it time to give up on his return?); now available on waivers are Shields, Meche, Kershaw, Slowey. Should I swap anyone out? Also, how about S. Drew for Theriot or Sandoval for Zimmerman?
Thanks,
B in C

Horgan, if it is a Yahoo! league you can report it and all of his players will we returned to him and his roster will be locked.

I have to choose one of thse two guys to start this week. Which would be the better option?

James Shields vs Fla (Josh Johnson)
Johnny Ceuto @ Tor (Brett Cecil)

I believe Sheilds has the tougher opponent, but both have been pretty good lately.

Thanks!

Hey guys - In 12team 5x5 keeper league. Have a 3B question (no CI position in league)- I have Lowell and C. Davis. What do you guys think of Sandoval? Will the average hold up? Have an opportunity to trade for him and thought it could be a good hedge with Lowell's hip being sore, Davis striking out all the time. Thanks! Chris

Hey itaintsoto,
Slumping Pierre? He has a five-game hitting streak with five base hits in his last two games. I understand the need to plan ahead, but Pierre is the best of those six options. He might not be an RBI hog, but he'll help build your stolen base lead while contributing a solid batting average. Look to Dukes or Rasmus once Manny Ramirez returns to push Pierre out of the lineup.
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Hey Ed,
Wolf has a 2.28 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP in seven starts, so you have to run him out there. Go with Blackburn over Porcello -- neither is striking out many batters lately Porcello (nine K's in last 22 innings), Blackburn (seven K's in last 30 innings), but Blackburn has a slight matchup edge. Milwaukee has struck out the fourth-most times of any team, and they're hitting just .238 at Miller Park.
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Hi OG,
Go for Harang. Wandy turned it on again yesterday (7 IP, 1 ER, 8 K), so he looks back on track. Harang has been good as well, but Wandy's strikeout upside is a little higher.
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Hey wallyhalo,
I wouldn't do the deal for this reason: If I were to recommend the trade, it would be to attain a player of extreme position versatility like Zobrist. Yet, your pitching would take a downgrade and it's arguable that your catcher wouldn't improve. (Not that you would downgrade your position, but Wieters could be as good as VMart the rest of the year.) Perhaps you have other motives, but I think Wieters/Beckett will be just as good, if not better, than VMart/Jackson moving forward.
Kyle

Hey Davis,
Well, trade discussions are relevant at any time if you're in a keeper league. There are obvious buying and selling points of a season. In your case, it might be worth keeping Billingsley and Fielder, who isn't such a bad option at first. Save yourself the $14 you seem willing to consider spending and use that on a different part of the roster that truly needs an upgrade.
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Hi Everett
Yikes, at this point I'd rather have Spilborghs. Fukudome's slumps are just spell-bounding, aren't they? He's 6 for his last 43 (.140) as this season is an emulation of last year's campaign: A hot start to the year has given way to a total breakdown in performance. At least Spilborghs is more consistent at the plate and will even give you decent speed (7 SB).
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Hey Steve,
Oh, he's a POD for sure. He slated to start June 26 at Rogers Centre against a Blue Jays squad whose offense certainly isn't churning at the same high level it was in April. He could be worth a turn, but primarily if you have an open roster spot. I can't endorse dropping Murphy for him. Happ shouldn't be considered a potential long-term member of your team this year -- Murphy should.
Kyle

Hey B in C,
Wow, that's frustrating. Not even a nice enough guy to let you find a replacement owner, huh? Yeah, I'd dump Lackey for Shields. They're almost on equal footing when both are at the top of their games. Webb is a tough predicament. It's easy to lose patience with his status, but there's so much more time left in the year that it's difficult to axe him even before we hit July.
Definitely go for Drew over Theriot -- that's a gift. Keep Zimmerman. He has greater homer potential.
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Hey,
Yeah, there's not much difference between Shields and Johnson. Shields is slightly better at home (3.07 ERA, 1.22 WHIP) than Johnson is on the road (3.82 ERA, 1.25 WHIP). The Rays also are better overall, giving Shields the upper hand at a possible win. Go with Shields.
No question you go with Cueto, who's been dynamite on the road (1.53 ERA, 1.00 WHIP).
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Hey Chris,
Sandoval sure seems like a reliable batting average contributor. His line drive percentage is actually down quite a bit -- to 17.8 percentage from last year's 25.9 -- but the percentage has picked up after his early-season struggles. He's walking more and surely isn't striking out at the rate Davis is. (Then again, nobody is.) He's a good buy.
Kyle

Beltran going to the DL will seriously hurt my offense. Who would you put in to replace him? Tulowitzki, Stewart, or Fowler? I'm thinking one of the first 2 because Fowler will be dropped when my DL clears out.

Glenn--NY

Jay Bruce was dropped in an 11 team keeper league. I'm last in HR so Bruce would probably help me there, but with an outfield of McCutchen, Abreu, Victorino, Kemp, and Juan Rivera, it's tough to make room. I also have Wieters in a UTIL spot because McCann is at C. Without dropping pitching not really an option, who would you drop out of those guys, if any? Thanks!

Brian

Hey guys, just got offered this trade and want to know what you think. I would get Dan Haren and Juan Pierre (not worth much on account of Manny getting back soon) for Nelson Cruz. It's a 5X5 mixed league. My other outfielders are Ichiro, Torii Hunter and McCutchen is on the bench. Reasonably well off for power but my pitching is pretty weak.

Cheers,

Simon

Glenn,

Taking the position factor out of the equation, I'll go Stewart. He has the higher power upside, and while his overall batting average is low, he's hitting .300 in June, so there's reason for hope.
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Brian,

Bruce is a must-add in a keeper, and I think Rivera's the guy to drop. He's having a nice season but I just don't see the upside.
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Simon,

Yeah, I think that's a nice trade for you. I cannot possibly imagine Cruz's value getting any higher than it is right now and think of it as if you're getting Haren and McCutchen for Cruz. Solid move.

Zach