Jul 03 2009
- Orioles closer George Sherril may be switching his address sometime this month. Baltimore is considering trading him and the Florida Marlins have shown a lot of interest, but the O's don't really have a replacement for him, so if they do trade him, it won't be cheap. As a Sherril owner, you would like to see him on a better team, so he can get more save opportunities, but on the other hand, he's been picking up a good amount of saves so far, so a trade wouldn't really impact his value too much. Unless he was traded to a team that wanted to use him as a setup guy.
(Photo by AP)
- Great news for Josh Hamilton owners. I know, that almost sounds like an oxymoron this year. He's hoping to rejoin the Rangers tomorrow. This will give a lot of teams a much needed boost heading into the All Star break.
- Brandon Webb will not have surgery on his right shoulder, however he isn't expected to be back in the rotation until September at best. This looks like a lost season for the DBacks ace, but he should be healed and well rested for the 2010 season.
- Former Pirates outfielder, the X-Man, Xavier Nady will not be back this season despite his best efforts in trying to get back on the field. He underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this week and won't be back till the end of next year. A crushing blow to Nady as he's a UFA at the end of this season and probably won't be signed while he's in rehab. Bad luck for a good guy.
- CJ Wilson will no longer hold the closer role in Texas. Manager Ron Washington has re-installed Frank Francisco as the full time closer and Wilson will close out games here and there. For Wilson owners, it was a good ride while it lasted.
- Cole Hamels looked as though he might have turned the corner and got his season back on track, but Wednesday night he was destroyed by the Atlanta Braves, pushing his ERA back up to 4.98. Not what you want to see from a guy that you're probably counting on to be your ace. In addition to getting touched up, he's not striking out anyone either. Aside from his 10 K performance against the Orioles, he hasn't had more than 6 K's in a game for over a month.
- The Braves have a new second baseman to replace the slumping Kelly Johnson, Martin Prado. Prado batted .359 last month and was a sleeper coming into the season. It was only a matter of time before his bat got into the lineup and it looks as though it may be there for good.
- The best pitcher that no one is hearing anything about is the A's Dallas Braden. He owns a 6-7 record, but it has everything to do with the lack of run support than his pitching. Braden has given up 2 runs or less in each of his last 7 starts. Plus, except for one bad game in Detroit, he's never given up more than 3 runs in a game this season.
Jul 01 2009
Yesterday, the Pirates made a move that was surprisingly a good trade. We're so used to trades being a disaster as soon as Neal Huntington hangs up the phone, we're not really sure how to react. The Buccos acquired outfield prospect (a good prospect) Lastings Milledge and pitcher Joel Hanrahan from Washington for Nyjer Morgan and Sean Burnett.
Lastings Milledge and Joel Hanrahan to Pirates:
Milledge was the 12th overall pick in the 2003 MLB draft and a lot is expected from this potential 5 tool all star. He is a free swinger with some power and lots of speed. The Mets never really had a place for him in their outfield and was dealt to the Nationals. Last year, he had what I would consider an okay season, typical of a 23 year old. The Pirates are now getting him just as he should be entering into his All Star years. I've been looking for a reason for a long time to get excited about the Pirates. A LONG TIME and I think this is someone to get excited over. With Milledge, McCutchen, Tabata and Alvarez either on the team or within a couple seasons of entering the big leagues, the Pirates actually look as though they may actually contend within the next 5 years. Maybe its wishful thinking on my part, but this team has been bad for so long, I'll take any spark I can get. Milledge has somewhat of an attitude problem that turns off a lot of teams, but the Pirates are desperate. He may start out in the minors while he's rehabbing a broken ring finger, killing his fantasy value for the time being. Hanrahan is a hard thrower, but has control problems. If he can get better command of his pitches, he could fill the closer role someday, but for now, his fantasy value is next to nothing, even in NL only leagues.
Nyjer Morgan and Sean Burnett to Nationals:
Morgan is currently everything they wished they had with Milledge. He should be the Nats everyday centerfielder and sit in the lead off spot. He doesn't have the power Milledge did, but he's been a pretty good on base guy and good basestealer. Playing in Washington's hitter friendly park with guys like Dunn and Zimmerman batting behind him, his value gets bumped up a bit, but unless you're hurting for steals, he's not worth owning. As for Burnett, he's a former Pirates first round pick, but he's never lived up to his potential. He was a rookie in 2004, but then spent the next three years in the minors. He came back last year as a middle reliever and looked like a homerun derby pitcher. This year, he's put together a nice season with a 3.06 ERA, but he's giving up way too many free passes for my liking. Moving to Washington will hurt the little bit of value he had.
Jun 30 2009
As if it couldn't get any worse for the New York Mets... the New York Post is reporting that Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran is getting a second opinion on his right knee. Its possible that he will need to have microfracture knee surgery, which has not worked out well for other athletes such as Terrell Brandon and Jamal Mashburn of the NBA. Both of them had this surgery and were forced into early retirement. Whether he plays for your team or not, keep your fingers crossed and hope for the best for Beltran as its never a good thing to see an athlete get forced into retirement.
(Photo by Chuck Solomon / Sports Illustrated)
UPDATE: According to the NY Daily News, Beltran could be ready to return to the Mets after the All Star Break. He was examined by Dr Richard Steadman and determined that the Mets centerfielder should rest the knee and that he should be good to go after getting a a couple weeks of rest.
Jun 29 2009
KevinZuk acquires Jimmy Rollins and David Aardsma:
KevinZuk's collection of 5 tool (or potential 5 tool) players continued this weekend when he traded hitting machine Ichiro Suzuki and the hot hitting Jason Bartlett for former NL MVP Jimmy Rollins and Mariners closer David Aardsma. Ichiro, who was just acquired a little over a month ago, became expendable with the emergence of Andrew McCutchen and the return of Manny Ramirez. He brings in a talented, yet slumping, SS Jimmy Rollins and a hard throwing closer that has looked very impressive this season, especially over the past month. He now has a nice trio of closers with Heath Bell, Brian Wilson and now Aardsma.
Barry's Juice acquires Ichiro Suzuki and Jason Bartlett:
Aside from Grady Sizemore, Barry's Juice has some question marks in his outfield. He also has Cody Ross and Juan Rivera in the outfield. Both are solid hitters at this point, but remains to be seen as to whether they can keep it up all season. With uncertainty in the outfield, he picks up the most consistent hitter in baseball, Ichiro Suzuki. In addition to Ichiro, he acquires Jason Bartlett who is having a career year in Tampa.
Trade Analysis:
Its a decent trade for both sides, but I'm giving the edge to KevinZuk. Jimmy Rollins isn't this bad. He's going to come out of it eventually and when he does, I think he makes for great trade bait as KevinZuk already owns Hanley Ramirez or just hang onto him and ride out his hot streak. He also gets another quality closer in Aardsma who may just be the best closer in the AL this year. Ichiro will give Barry's Juice more consistency in his outfield, but he's simply not a big point producer. He gets on base, but doesn't have a great offense behind him to get him home. Plus, he's not a big homerun hitter and doesn't pick up a lot of RBI so his value is really limited. If he played on a different team, I might be singing a different song.
Now I'll turn it over to the Fantasy Factor jury. Who wins in this trade?
Jun 26 2009
Buy - Scott Rolen (3B) - I said it back in April and I'm saying it now, Scott Rolen is back. He still has one of the sweetest swings in baseball and looks every bit as good as he was in his prime and is batting .330 on the season (.397 in June). The only knock against him is that his power numbers are down, but the Jays have been moving him up the order and now sits in the clean up spot and his RBI numbers are slowly rising. Rolen is playing on one of the best offensive teams in the league and if he stays in the clean up spot, he could be a candidate for second half MVP.
(Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images Sport)
Buy - Michael Bourn (OF) - Earlier this week, I read an article in which Astros manager Cecil Cooper proclaimed that Bourn is the team's MVP so far. High praise for a guy that's still available in almost 1/3 of leagues across ESPN fantasy baseball. Bourn's strength is in his base stealing, but he's also a solid hitter and has scored a lot of runs. Who couldn't use a guy like this in their lineup? Especially in head to head and roto leagues.
Sell - Daisuke Matsuzaka (SP) - You can put him on your DL if you want, but I don't see his condition improving this year. For the second time this year, he's on the DL with shoulder tiredness or as they're officially calling it a "mild shoulder strain". Dead arm pitchers don't suddenly come back and pitch well. I don't foresee Dice-K returning to form this year and therefore I feel he should be sold.
Buy - Gavin Floyd (SP) - I can't believe I'm going to do this, but here goes... its okay to pickup Gavin Floyd. Whew! That wasn't so bad. Floyd pitched like a homerun derby pitcher in the first two months of the season, but since May 22nd when he shutout the Pirates, he's been phenomenal. In the month of June, he owns a 1.56 ERA and has struck out 25 batters in 34.2 innings. I think it may be safe to say that he's back. If you're desperate for pitching, pick him up and hope that a boost in confidence was all he needed.
Sell - Kelly Johnson (2B) - I used to be pretty high on this guy, but since the McLouth trade he's lost his spot in the lineup and apparently lost his ability to make contact with the baseball. Johnson is batting .132 this month and while he can be a streaky player, you can do better than him at second.
Sell - Kosuke Fukudome (OF) - Similar to the way he jumped out of the gate early last year, he's slowing down again this year. Fukudome's numbers have just been dropping and dropping and now he's sitting on a .154 BA with 2 RBI in his last 18 games. You may have a big game here and there out of him down the line, but I think it may be safe to say at this point that he's not a second half player.
Sell - Chris Davis (1B / 3B / OF) - Well I guess the heavier bats didn't help him either. After starting off slow, he switched to heavier bats and the ball started flying out of the park. Unfortunately, that didn't last and now his BA is below the mendoza line. He has 1 HR in his last 19 games, so I think it may be time to send this Ranger off into the sunset.
Buy - Juan Rivera (OF) - Talk about coming out of nowhere. Rivera burst onto the scene, is now batting 5th in the Angels lineup and is suddenly the hot pickup around fantasy leagues. He had a solid May, but is having an even more productive June with 6 HR and 19 RBI in the last 20 games. With outfielders dropping like flies this year, he's a nice part time pickup.
Buy - Cody Ross (OF) - I wasn't too sure about this one a few weeks back, but I think its about time he's made it to the Buy list. Ross has looked very good over the past couple months and seems to only be getting better and better. Reaching the 100 RBI plateau seems likely at this point.
Buy - Scott Richmond (SP) - With the exception of just one bad outing, Richmond has been very good in his last 8 starts including an 11 strikeout gem in Philadelphia on June 17th. He's looked pretty good as a starter, its when he's come out of the bullpen, that's he's had trouble.
Buy - Tommy Hanson (SP) - After getting lite up for 6 runs in his MLB debut, Hanson has given up just 2 runs in his last 3 games (17 IP). His strikeout numbers are not exactly dazzling and his control seems a bit spotty, but you can't argue with the results as he's 3-0 this year.
Jun 24 2009
According to the Arizona Republic, Diamondbacks ace, Brandon Webb may need surgery and would be done for the year.
Wow, talk about a situation going from bad to worse... to a nightmare. Webb, who only pitched on opening day this season, is going to get a second opinion on whether or not he needs surgery on his right shoulder. If he does, he'll be out for the year and he'll under go a nine month rehab process. For you patient owners out there that were hoping you would get a boost in pitching in the second half, things are looking bleak. If there's any silver lining you can take from this its that, this has been a very injury plagued season and odds are despite not having your 2nd or 3rd round pick (which is around the time Webb was usually selected), you're not as far out of contention as you would be in most seasons. For Webb owners, keep your eyes peeled as we should start to see pitchers coming up out of the minors in August and September and that will be looking to win a spot on their roster next year. You could find a diamond in the rough that will soften the loss of Webb.
(Photo by AP)
Jun 23 2009
The list of walking wounded for this season continues to grow as Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran will go on the DL with a bruised right knee. The Mets needed this injury like they need a hole in their head while fantasy owners continue to raid their leagues waiver wire as yet another star rides the pine. So far we've seen A-Rod, Manny Ramirez, Josh Hamilton, Raul Ibanez, Carlos Delgado, Jose Reyes, Brandon Webb, Roy Halladay, Jake Peavy, Grady Sizemore, Joe Mauer, Vlad Guerrero, Brian McCann, Chipper Jones, and Aramis Ramirez all off the field for extended periods of time and we're only two and half months into the season. This season is really going to test your fantasy baseball skills.
(Photo by Reuters Pictures)
Jun 22 2009
- Alex Rodriguez has been feeling fatigued and will be given a day off each week to help combat it. A-Rod has been less than spectacular since returning from his injury batting .213, but has decent power numbers with 9 HR and 28 RBI in 40 games. If he's doing that well tired, just imagine how good he can be if he's fully healthy.
(Photo by AP)
- Indians centerfielder Grady Sizemore is expected to be back in action tomorrow, so make plans to activate him soon.
- CC Sabathia left his last start early due to "bicep tightness". The team doesn't seem to be all that concerned, but as a fantasy owner you may need to worry a little. He's not been all that great this year and now he's dealing arms problems.
- I hope you weren't depending on Daisuke Matsuzaka doing anything for you this year. He's headed back to the DL with "shoulder weakness". This isn't the stock market report, but I'm pretty sure you can sell him now.
- Phillies slugging monster Ryan Howard could be out for a few more games with the flu. He had a body temperature of 104 on Friday, but is on antibiotics now and could potentially be in the lineup as soon as tomorrow.
- Young budding star Clayton Kershaw put together his second straight good performance yesterday in a win over the Angels. Kershaw has gone 12.2 innings without giving up an earned run. He's also struck out 13 batters during that streak.
Jun 18 2009
UPDATE:
- NL MVP leader Raul Ibanez will hit the 15 day DL with a strained groin. This injury pretty much came out of left field, no pun intended. This is a crushing blow to a lot of teams for the next couple weeks, but at least its only a couple weeks and not longer. Having said that, groin injuries have the tendency to reoccur and this could be a problem all season long.
- I'm becoming a big fan of Max Scherzer of the DBacks. If you throw out his one bad performance against the Braves, he's given up just 4 runs in his last 25.2 IP. He's also pretty good with strikeouts as well with 73 K's in 73 IP this season. If he's available in your league, you need to give this guy a chance.
(Photo by AP)
- Those of you that were starting to wonder about Yankees SS Derek Jeter can relax now. An MRI on his ankle showed no damage and he expects to play tonight.
- The news isn't so good for a pair of Blue Jays pitchers. Ace Roy Halladay and closer Scott Downs will both go on the 15 day DL a groin strain and a sprained right big toe respectively.
- Another big strikeout pitching ace that will hit the DL this week is the Mariners Erik Bedard. Bedard has a left shoulder inflammation and is going to see Dr James Andrews which usually is never a good thing so you may want to start to figure out your long term plans for life without him.
- Manny Ramirez is heading to Single A to begin his rehab assignment starting June 25th. His 50 game suspension is nearing an end so anyone that's desperate for an outfielder, now is your time to pick him up if he's on waivers.
- Pedro Martinez is looking to get back into the majors and he's talking with the Cubs and Rays right now. The knock against Pedro is that he wouldn't be able to handle a whole season, but he won't need to and could make a big impact in the second half, which would make him valuable on a lot of fantasy teams for the playoffs.
- As I mentioned in my stock market report, Jose Lopez is a streaky hitter and is back on a hot streak for the month of June batting .309 with 5 HR's and 16 RBI in just 14 games. Pick him up now ride out the streak and maybe cash in on him via trade and let someone else deal with his cold streaks.
- The up and down adventures of David Price continued last night. Price gave up 5 ER in 7 IP while striking out 5 batters and walking no one. It was good to see him regain some control, but giving up 5 runs isn't good, although maybe you can give him a free pass here since it was in Colorado.
Jun 15 2009
- Toronto ace Roy Halladay will not pitch again till next weekend at the earliest with a mild groin strain. They're probably just being extra cautious with him, but still it will hurt quite a few fantasy teams out there to not have one of the best fantasy pitchers in baseball on the shelf for that long.
- Another big strikeout pitcher, Jake Peavy of the Padres will also be out of action but its far worse. Peavy has a strained tendon in his right ankle and has been moved to the 15 day DL however, the Padres expect him to miss at least a month. The good news is he'll be on the DL, so you'll be able to pickup a replacement for him. The bad news, you're probably not going to find anyone that can actually replace him and what he can do for your team. Your best course of action is simply take the best strikeout pitcher on your waiver wire, drop excess position players and pickup middle relievers with low ERA's and good K numbers.
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