Would anyone in here, not do the trade I completed yesterday?

I sent:
Juan Encarnacion
Kevin Millar
Roberto Alomar (acquired off waivers, dropped Mark Loretta)
Andy Pettitte
Byung Hyun Kim

FOR

Bret Boone
Aubrey Huff
Trot Nixon (wasn't injured when I made deal, but I know he is now)
Kelvim Escobar

oh, by the way...my pitching staff after the trade is still(setup 4 SP, 3 RP, 1 P):
Roy Halladay
Mike Mussina
Tim Hudson
Jamie Moyer
Keith Foulke
Ugueth Urbina
David Riske (new closer for Indians)
Kelvim Excobar
Mike Hampton
Jon Lieber
Kaz Ishii

Originally posted by dvds4u
I sent:
Juan Encarnacion
Kevin Millar
Roberto Alomar (acquired off waivers, dropped Mark Loretta)
Andy Pettitte
Byung Hyun Kim

FOR

Bret Boone
Aubrey Huff
Trot Nixon (wasn't injured when I made deal, but I know he is now)
Kelvim Escobar
My first impression is: you abused your trade partner. :lol: But I'll go through the motions and give you my analysis.

This trade breaks down as follows:

OF: Encarnacion for Nixon
1B/OF: Millar for Huff
2B: Alomar for Boone
SP: Pettitte/Kim for Escobar

Nixon played over his head last year and I expect some regression from him. Encarnacion will be steady but lacks lineup support so his RS and RBI will suffer. But despite missing a month, I still expect Nixon to put up better numbers. Advantage: you!

Aubrey Huff is just a great hitter in his prime playing on a decent offensive team. Millar should pick it up after a disappointing second half, plays on a better offensive team and has a bit easier pitching to go against (Tampa v. Boston rotations :) ). That isn't enough to overcome the fact that Millar isn't nearly Huff's equal. Advantage: you!

Boone is possibly ready for a modest decline, and Alomar seems rejuvenated. Nevertheless, Boone will easily outperform Alomar. Advantage: you!

I don't think that highly of Escobar or the Angels (might not even break 90 wins). His peripheral numbers just haven't been that great over his career. Now that he has a steady rotation role, he might improve, but if so, it probably won't be by much. It's well known that Pettitte's record was inflated because of run support, but I think his peripherals will at least hold steady in Houston. He's a ground ball pitcher, so he should be okay in the HR department, and while Kent isn't very good, the other three infielders are good to excellent. I think he'll do fine. Kim, who knows what's gonna happen with him this year. I'll say, advantage: NOT you!

But since you have a very strong front end of your rotation, you should still be okay in the starting pitching department, so trading off better offense seems smart. Overall, I think you made a great trade.

Although it looks like you're gonna need another closer since last I heard, Urbina was very much considering playing in Japan since no one here is willing to pay him the kind of money he wants.

I actually picked up David Riske...but I am hoping Urbina signs with the Giants, A's or Minny.

In reply to your reply...also, Millar will share at-bats with Burks. Nixon is just better than encarnacion. Escobar is 26, coming into a pitcher's park, whereas Pettitte and his high ERA are moving to a horrible pitcher's park. Kim was a throw-in since I simply don't think he is a worthwhile SP and he will not close over Foulke

I recently picked up from Free Agency...

Ponson, Sideny (BAL) for Eaton, Adam (SD)

Ramizez, Aramis (CHC) for Millar, Kevin (BOS)

Hampton, Mike (ATL) for Sheet, Ben (MIL)

The transactions do not go in to effect until Monday night...

Should I follow through with these transactions or not?

I wouldn't go with Eaton over Ponson (unless Sidney has an injury I don't know about). Is Jake Peavy available? I'd take him over Eaton.

From the way he worded his post, I'm assuming he dropped Eaton and picked up Ponson in waiver wire transactions.

Joe,

I think you're looking at two pitchers that will yield about the same numbers. Eaton will rack up a few more Ks. He might get a few more wins because of the weak NL West, but Ponson goes deeper into games, so wins might even be a wash.

I would take Sheets over Hampton any day of the week. In fact, I think Sheets is the best of the 4 pitchers mentioned in your post. Last year, Hampton was possibly worth the guaranteed hit to your WHIP because Atlanta was a great team, but not this year.

Ramirez will get you a few more homers, but probably a worse batting average. Millar, though, plays on a better offensive team and I'd expect better RS and RBI numbers. Do you need another 3B on your team, or 1B/OF? Unless you want the 3B, I think I'd stick with Millar.

Here's my team...

Duca, Paul Lo C LA

Giambi, Jason 1B NYY

Durham, Ray 2B SF

Hinske, Eric 3B TOR

Furcal, Rafael SS ATL

Anderson, Garret LF ANA

Guerrero, Vladimir RF ANA

Jones, Andruw CF ATL

Millar, Kevin 1B BOS

Buehrle, Mark SP CHW

Eaton, Adam SP SD

Foulke, Keith RP BOS

Julio, Jorge RP BAL

Martinez, Pedro SP BOS

Sheets, Ben SP MIL

Wakefield, Tim SP BOS

LeCroy, Matt C MIN

Cameron, Mike CF NYM

Kearns, Austin RF CIN

Winn, Randy LF SEA

Soriano, Rafael RP SEA

Villarreal, Oscar RP ARI

Which players should I get rid of and keep? I've never participated in a league before, so I dont know what's important to look for.

Originally posted by Joe1086
I have Eric Hinske from Toronto at 3B
I really can't assess anything other than the numbers. How you construct your roster is up to you. Just remember that constructing your roster to give you maximum flexibility and injury/positional coverage is a key issue with fantasy baseball. Neither of these guys is head and shoulders above the other guy, so roster construction should factor strongly into your decision. So again, unless you'd rather have the 3B, I'd go with Millar.

As for Hinske, I haven't heard anything out of spring training about his health (no news is good news!), and he's gotten in 40 at bats, so I assume he's fine.

As much as I like Villareal on the D-backs, he's pretty much worthless in fantasy leagues. He will get an inning or two of work here and there, and he will get a few K's, and his ERA will be low, but he doesn't pitch enough to warrant keeping him on your team. He also won't get any saves. If Mantei goes down, Valverde steps into that roll.

Originally posted by Deftones, Esq
As much as I like Villareal on the D-backs, he's pretty much worthless in fantasy leagues. He will get an inning or two of work here and there, and he will get a few K's, and his ERA will be low, but he doesn't pitch enough to warrant keeping him on your team. He also won't get any saves. If Mantei goes down, Valverde steps into that roll.

Out of these players, which should I get for Villareal...

Thompson, John ATL
Lilly, Ted TOR
Leiter NYM
Lohse, Kyle MIN
Weaver, Jeff LA
Perez, Odlais LA
Penny, Brad FLA

Originally posted by Joe1086
Here's my team...

......

Which players should I get rid of and keep? I've never participated in a league before, so I dont know what's important to look for.
Sure, NOW you tell me your roster. :)

Welcome to fantasy baseball! As I said, roster flexibility is key. Others may have a different approach, but I prefer complete coverage for all positions on the field.

I'm going to assume a typical league, where you simply have OF spots, not individual LF, CF and RF spots.

You have:

C/1B
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF OF OF
1B/OF
C/1B
OF OF OF

5 SP
4 RP (2 closers)
1 SP/RP

Now look over your roster. First off, you have a surplus of OF. And you have NO backup at 2B, SS, or 3B. You're covered at C and 1B, but acknowledge that your primary 1B (Giambi) is a substantial injury risk, so you should build your team assuming time off and injuries for him. Millar has you covered there, plus both your catchers have 1B eligibility, which will help a little as well. But you should consider offing one of your outfielders and picking up coverage for the rest of your infield. Of your OF, I think Winn is the weakest, though does provide stolen bases, which unfortunately, you don't have a lot of. But given your current roster, I can't imagine you playing Winn very often. With only one player (Furcal) likely to top 20 SB (Vlad's 40/40 days are over), I think you might have to address speed at some point, perhaps adding that through a trade.

You mentioned picking Ramirez, and he covers you at 3B. So unless you can find a quality player with eligibility at 2B, SS and 3B (or even just two of them), I'd definitely try to grab him, and dump one of your OFs, but NOT Millar since he gives you 1B coverage. Ramirez doesn't cover 2B or SS, but it's better than before. If Durham or Furcal suffer an injury (Durham is more likely to go down), then you would have to address that then.

And then there's your relief corps. I'd advise getting another closer and dumping Villareal as he won't provide much value for fantasy baseball. If there are no closers available, then dump Villareal anyway and address your lack of depth at 2B and SS.

Brad Penny would be a good pickup for an SP, but I'd take DarkElf's advice and address some of your other needs. Your SP looks decent w/o making much changes. Listen to DarkElf. He's a God around here in fantasy baseball.

Originally posted by Joe1086
Out of these players, which should I get for Villareal...

Thompson, John ATL
Lilly, Ted TOR
Leiter NYM
Lohse, Kyle MIN
Weaver, Jeff LA
Perez, Odlais LA
Penny, Brad FLA
Yeah, listen to Deftones about Villareal, he should know, he's a Snakes fan. :)

There's some pretty decent talent at SP on your waiver wire! Wow. Question, what is your maximum innings pitched restriction? Often it's 1250, but I've seen leagues that allow 2000 IPs! :eek:

I remember smacking DarkElf around in fantasy Baseball. Hmph. :)

Im in the process of getting Bill Mueler for Randy Winn.

There are no closers available...so I'm looking into SS and 2B

SS available:
Aurilia, Rich
Guzman, Christian
Eckstein, David
Valentin, Jose
Berroa, Angel M
Gonzalez, Alex

2B available:
Jimenez, D'Angelo
Relaford, Desi
Hudson, Orlando
Rivas, Luis
Hairstone, Jerry
Loretta, Mark
Vina, Fernando
Spivey, Junior
Ellis, Mark

Originally posted by El Scorcho
I remember smacking DarkElf around in fantasy Baseball. Hmph. :)

:lol: Yeah, me too.

There's understanding and knowledge, and then there's putting into practice and succeeding. The two don't always go hand in hand. :)

You know what kills me? Live drafts. I had a gruesomely bad draft last weekend. I know what to do, I just suck at it. -obfrank-

There are no closers available...so I'm looking into SS and 2B


Have you seen if Danny Graves (Reds closer), Chacon (Rockies closer) are available? Riske (Indians)? You might want to pick up Herges if Nen is going to be out for a while.

I'd pick up Berroa instantly out of that list. If Berroa is available, then Jose Reyes might also be available. Right now he only qualifies as a SS, but he'll also qualify as a 2B soon.

Originally posted by Joe1086
Im in the process of getting Bill Mueler for Randy Winn.

There are no closers available...so I'm looking into SS and 2B

SS available:
Aurilia, Rich
Guzman, Christian
Eckstein, David
Valentin, Jose
Berroa, Angel M
Gonzalez, Alex

2B available:
Jimenez, D'Angelo
Relaford, Desi
Hudson, Orlando
Rivas, Luis
Hairstone, Jerry
Loretta, Mark
Vina, Fernando
Spivey, Junior
Ellis, Mark
Okay, first off, how can Berroa possibly still be available?! :eek: He's easily a top 10 SS, and because of position scarcity, his value is even higher. Shoot, if nothing else, grab him and use him as trade bait, and I'd rank this #1 in your waiver claims. Anyone disagree?

There are plenty of closers who are likely to fall out of their role, so I guarantee that if you keep a close eye on who's lost their job, you'll be able to find closers during the year.

Mueller? What happened to Ramirez? Like Ramirez, Mueller is only eligible at 3B, so he doesn't offer the benefit of positional flexibility over Ramirez. And I think Mueller had his career year. I expect Ramirez to put up the reasonably similar numbers to Mueller, except that he'll easily get more HRs than Mueller, maybe as many as 10 more.

At 2B, you have a few guys that are reasonably close, so take your pick. Jimenez plays in a launching pad. Hudson is decent and plays for a solid offensive team. Relaford is also a good choice because of giving additional coverage at 3B, as well as OF (not that you need it). And I honestly think Loretta will put up the best numbers, EXCEPT in HRs. But nothing really jumps out here, and you will likely find some/most of these guys on the free agent list during the year. But Ramirez will put up far superior numbers than any of those 2B you list, especially in the HR department.

Of all the things to address (closer, 3B, SS, 2B), and given the list of players available, I think I'd worry about 2B last. Get Berroa and Ramirez/Mueller.

And don't forget to find out what your Innings Pitched restriction is. You really need to know that.

Originally posted by Shamu
I'd pick up Berroa instantly out of that list. If Berroa is available, then Jose Reyes might also be available. Right now he only qualifies as a SS, but he'll also qualify as a 2B soon.
Absolutely! In fact, if Reyes is available too, grab both Berroa and Reyes, keep Reyes (position flexibility AND steals, which you need), and trade Berroa. You can always find a backup 3B later.

Shit, I'm still stunned that Berroa is available. Wow, that's absolutely crazy.

Originally posted by Shamu
Have you seen if Danny Graves (Reds closer), Chacon (Rockies closer) are available? Riske (Indians)? You might want to pick up Herges if Nen is going to be out for a while.

I'd pick up Berroa instantly out of that list. If Berroa is available, then Jose Reyes might also be available. Right now he only qualifies as a SS, but he'll also qualify as a 2B soon.

Graves, Chacon, Riske, Herges are all available

Well Graves, Chacon will be the closers for their team. Riske will probably be the closer since Wickman is out. Herges will probably be the closer if Nen is out for any period of time.

And even better: Is Arthur Rhodes available? He'll be the A's closer.

Joe Nathan: He'll most likely be the Twins closer.

Pick up Rhodes and Nathan instantly if they are available.

Is Dotel available? Marte? Benitez? Cordero (TEX)? Looper? Baez? Kolb?

I put up:

Randy Winn for Jose Reyes

Oscar Villareal for Angel Berroa

Originally posted by Shamu
And even better: Is Arthur Rhodes available? He'll be the A's closer.

Joe Nathan: He'll most likely be the Twins closer.

Pick up Rhodes and Nathan instantly if they are available.

Is Dotel available? Marte? Benitez? Cordero (TEX)? Looper? Baez? Kolb?

I checked all of those suggestions, but they are all taken

Looking at your team, I see this:

C LeCroy
1B Giambi
2B Durham
SS Furcal
3B Hinske
LF Anderson
RF Vlad
CF Jones

Bench:
1B/OF Millar
C LoDuca
CF Cameron
RF Kearns
LF Winn

Rotation:
Pedro
Buehrle
Eaton
Sheets
Wakefield

Bullpen:
Foulke
Julio
Soriano
Villareal

How many spots does your league use? How many teams are there in this league? What's your scoring system like?

Without knowing much about your league or scoring system (what is it?), I'd tell you to drop Soriano and Villareal since they might not be worth much (depending on the scoring system) as regular relievers. I would also consider getting rid of LoDuca since he's not worth much in regular fantasy leagues. You need to upgrade your rotation and 3B. I'd trade away Millar to try to upgrade at one of those spots. Maybe a Hinske+Millar for a better 3B or a Millar+Sheets/Eaton/whoever for a better starting pitcher.

Is Miguel Cabrera available in your league? He'll also qualify as a 3B/LF and has tons of potential. I'd prefer him over Hinske.

Originally posted by Joe1086
I put up:

Randy Winn for Jose Reyes

Oscar Villareal for Angel Berroa

If you get both Berroa and Reyes, then you should actively try to trade away Furcal since he probably has a lot of perceived value in other people's eyes. Try to upgrade your 3B and especially your rotation.

I'm not sure what starters you can get out there that might be underrated by others, but a good 3B to try to pick up that might be underrated is Mark Teixera. He qualifies as a 1B/3B and I'm expecting monster numbers out of him this season. He put up solid numbers last season and was one of the top 3 prospects in baseball when he was in the minors. If you can get him for cheap, then go for it.

Originally posted by Shamu

How many spots does your league use? How many teams are there in this league? What's your scoring system like?

Positions: C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, OF, U and P.

10 Teams

Scoring for Batting Categories
1B - Singles 1 point
2B - Doubles 2 points
3B - Triples 3 points
BB - Walks (Batters) 1 point
HR - Home Runs 4 points
R - Runs 1 point
RBI - Runs Batted In 1 point
SB - Stolen Bases 2 points

Scoring for Pitching Categories
BBI - Walks Issued (Pitchers) -0.5 points
CG - Complete Games 5 points
ER - Earned Runs -1 point
HA - Hits Allowed -0.5 points
INN - Innings 2 points
K - Strikeouts (Pitcher) 1 point
S - Saves 10 points
W - Wins 10 points


Is Miguel Cabrera available in your league? He'll also qualify as a 3B/LF and has tons of potential. I'd prefer him over Hinske.

No he is not

Im putting up Raphael Soriano to get Danny Graves

Go through with it?

Originally posted by Joe1086
Im putting up Raphael Soriano to get Danny Graves

Go through with it?

Not in most leagues I am in.

Originally posted by Big Quasimodo
Not in most leagues I am in.

Ok, I cancelled that transaction...

So far I've done...

Duca, Paul Lo C LA
Giambi, Jason 1B NYY
Durham, Ray 2B SF
Hinske, Eric 3B TOR
Furcal, Rafael SS ATL
Anderson, Garret LF ANA
Guerrero, Vladimir RF ANA
Jones, Andruw CF ATL
Millar, Kevin 1B BOS
Buehrle, Mark SP CHW
Eaton, Adam SP SD
Foulke, Keith RP BOS
Julio, Jorge RP BAL
Martinez, Pedro SP BOS
Sheets, Ben SP MIL
Wakefield, Tim SP BOS
LeCroy, Matt C MIN
Cameron, Mike CF NYM
Kearns, Austin RF CIN
Winn, Randy LF SEA (dropped to get Jose Reyes)
Soriano, Rafael RP SEA
Villarreal, Oscar RP ARI (dropped to get Angel Berroa)

Who should I give up to get Aramis Ramirez?

Sorry I didn't respond sooner, I have my own draft I had to prepare for. :)

Originally posted by Joe1086
Positions: C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, OF, U and P.
Yes, but HOW MANY of each of those positions? For example, I assume something like 3 OF.

Anyway, I didn't know you were using fantasy points in your league. That certainly changes things. First thing that jumps out to me is that your league is hitting heavy, meaning it rewards hitters at a higher rate than pitchers. And that's largely because there are no negative categories for hitters. And it also seems to place too high an emphasis on closers. And middle relief is for all intents and purposes, useless. Only the absolute top tier setup men will be useful. Very odd.

FWIW, I ran the numbers through one of my projection systems on some of the players we've discussed. Using your point values, here are some totals I came up with:

Furcal 565
Hinske 549
Ramirez 518
Winn 506
Millar 504
Mueller 496
Berroa 491
Reyes 485
Lo Duca 391
Lecroy 359 (seems too low to me)


Graves 487
Chacon 468
Eaton 444
Soriano 277
Villarreal 214


Also, of the players over 600 points, 27 were position players, only 13 were pitchers. Over 500, we had 62 position players and around 28 pitchers. That's not very well balanced. That's something to keep in mind when evaluating players, and in working trades.

Originally posted by Joe1086
Winn, Randy LF SEA (dropped to get Jose Reyes)
Soriano, Rafael RP SEA
Villarreal, Oscar RP ARI (dropped to get Angel Berroa)

Who should I give up to get Aramis Ramirez?

If my previous post didn't make that choice obvious, I'll say it here: Soriano. Your league doesn't reward the middle relief pitchers, and as of right now, Soriano isn't going to close, and he's not projected to be a starter right away. He will probably get some spot starts to fill in for injury, but you shouldn't keep Soriano, waiting for him to see value as a starter.

Also, as you can see, based on your scoring system, Winn has more value than we previously thought. Shamu would probably recommend dropping Lo Duca instead of Winn, and that is definitely something to consider. As an alternative, you could possibly look to trade Lo Duca as well since many people overvalue him because of his one really good year.

Good luck. I'm going to bed now. :)

I should keep Matt LeCroy over Lo Duca in my pursuit of Ramirez?

I changed my Add/Drop of Reyes and switched to drop Soriano and to keep Winn.

Originally posted by Joe1086
I should keep Matt LeCroy over Lo Duca in my pursuit of Ramirez?

I changed my Add/Drop of Reyes and switched to drop Soriano and to keep Winn.
Well, here's my approach to fantasy baseball advice. Generally, I don't want to tell you what to do. It's your team, and whatever success and failure you have should be a result of your decisions, and will help you get better and better at this stuff. I really prefer to shower people with numbers and ideas and let them make the decisions.

Here are two "professional" sets of projections for the two players. As you can see, they differ substantially, especially with Lecroy and his playing time. It's a good example why you can't only rely on projections, but instead, to use them as a tool in making your own decisions about players. You also have to rely on your own baseball knowledge and instincts. You can also read the various opinions around the web.

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbspPA&nbsp&nbsp&nbspAVG&nbspR&nbsp&nbspHR&nbsp&nbspRBI&nbspSB&nbsp&nbspOBP&nbsp&nbspSLG
Lo&nbspDuca&nbsp&nbsp625&nbsp.271&nbsp73&nbsp13&nbsp&nbsp66&nbsp&nbsp1&nbsp&nbsp.331&nbsp.400
Lecroy&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp543&nbsp.263&nbsp70&nbsp21&nbsp&nbsp78&nbsp&nbsp1&nbsp&nbsp.322&nbsp.450

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbspAB&nbsp&nbsp&nbspAVG&nbspR&nbsp&nbspHR&nbsp&nbspRBI&nbspSB&nbsp&nbspOBP&nbsp&nbspSLG
Lo&nbspDuca&nbsp&nbsp573&nbsp.277&nbsp70&nbsp&nbsp8&nbsp&nbsp55&nbsp&nbsp2&nbsp&nbsp.326&nbsp.386
Lecroy&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp416&nbsp.281&nbsp47&nbsp20&nbsp&nbsp77&nbsp&nbsp0&nbsp&nbsp.334&nbsp.486

So you have to use these numbers and decide whether you think Lecroy will get more playing time or not. That depends on a number of factors, one of which is how well you think Mauer will do in his rookie year. If he stinks up the joint, the Twins may elect to put Lecroy behind the plate more often. I tend to think Lecroy will get more at bats, but that is pure speculation on my part. And if he does, he should put up better numbers than Lo Duca simply because he's a superior hitter. But Lo Duca will see some time away from behind the plate this year, and that may help him avoid the 2nd half dropoff he's famous for.

Hope that helps.

Originally posted by DarkElf


And don't forget to find out what your Innings Pitched restriction is. You really need to know that.

I sent an email so I could find out and I got a reply saying that this rule doesn't apply to head to head points league.

Here's my draft -- critique as you will. Number after the player is the round drafted. 10 teams, I had draft slot #9.

1B Lee, Derrick 10
2B Kent, Jeff 6
3B Blalock, Hank 5
SS Cintron, Alex 16
C Lopez, Javy 4
OF Beltran, Carlos 1
OF Patterson, Corey 12
OF Gonzalez, Juan 13
UTIL Hunter, Torii 15

SP Martinez, Pedro 2
SP Schmidt, Jason 3
RP Guardado, Eddie 7
RP Mantei, Matt 11
P Webb, Brandon 8
P Pettitte, Andy 9
P Pineiro, Joel 14

Bench Klesko, Ryan 17
Bench Martinez, Edgar 18
Bench Redman, Mark 19
Bench Jenkins, Geoff 20
Bench Nen, Robb 21

*claps like a retard* for El Shorto.

I desperately need another closer, and the only ones available are Graves and Chacon...which will get more save opportunities/saves...should I give up Wakefield to get either of them or stick with my two closers (Foulke, Jorge)

Originally posted by Joe1086
Graves, Chacon, Riske, Herges are all available


Originally posted by Joe1086
I desperately need another closer, and the only ones available are Graves and Chacon...which will get more save opportunities/saves...should I give up Wakefield to get either of them or stick with my two closers (Foulke, Jorge)

Strictly in terms of playing time and saves opportunity, of the two you mention, I think Chacon is a better choice because he IS the closer and unless he sucks in that role, he'll remain the closer. Meanwhile, Graves has Ryan Wagner (a better pitcher) breathing down his neck and _could_ lose his job later in the season. And balancing off team quality and # of close games, I think they'll be pretty close in save opportunities.

Frankly, though, I think Riske and Herges will be better in the short term, but long term, hard to say. Riske is closing while Wickman is on the DL, but he's good enough that he might never lose the job. Herges should do fine as well, but if Nen comes back, the Giants will probably give the closer job back to Nen.

The main question is whether you "desperately" need another closer or not. From the bits and pieces you've posted, I'm assuming now that this is a weekly head to head league using fantasy points.

Plugging in the same numbers as I did before:
Graves 487
Chacon 468
Wakefield 451
Eaton 444
Soriano 277
Villarreal 214

That amounts to roughly one extra point per week. So I'm not sure how "desperate" your situation is. :)

Note that this isn't my favorite source for projections, but my favorite one doesn't do fantasy point calculations.

I've gotten advice to make a deal for one of my big bats to upgrade my starting rotation...instead of going after Chacon/Graves...should I go after a big name closer/starter and give up some bats?

My team:
Jimenez, D'Angelo 2B CIN
Giambi, Jason 1B NYY
Durham, Ray 2B SF
Hinske, Eric 3B TOR
Furcal, Rafael SS ATL
Anderson, Garret LF ANA
Guerrero, Vladimir RF ANA
Jones, Andruw CF ATL
Palmeiro, Raphael 1B/DH BAL
Buehrle, Mark SP CHW
Eaton, Adam SP SD
Foulke, Keith RP BOS
Julio, Jorge RP BAL
Martinez, Pedro SP BOS
Sheets, Ben SP MIL (dropping for Contreras)
Wakefield, Tim SP BOS
LeCroy, Matt C MIN
Cameron, Mike CF NYM
Kearns, Austin RF CIN (dropping for Posednik)
Winn, Randy LF SEA
Ramirez, Aramis 3B CHC
Berroa, Angel SS KC

I'd try to shop Palmeiro out for a starter and get rid of Wakefield.

Originally posted by Joe1086
I've gotten advice to make a deal for one of my big bats to upgrade my starting rotation...instead of going after Chacon/Graves...should I go after a big name closer/starter and give up some bats?

In general, without an upper limit on innings pitched, then yes, cram your team with pitching as much as possible. Just make sure you have a good starting lineup.

We didn't know your league setup until recently, so some of the earlier advice we gave you is obsolete. Given that it's a fantasy points, weekly head to head league, with no limit on innings pitched (as expected), a bench is less important than just cramming your team with pitching. Why? Because the few extra points you might gain from one of those benchies filling in for a regular during his off day is a pittance compared to the points another pitcher can generate.

However, I'll repeat an early post, to make sure you get it because it's important.

Originally posted by DarkElf
Anyway, I didn't know you were using fantasy points in your league. That certainly changes things. First thing that jumps out to me is that your league is hitting heavy, meaning it rewards hitters at a higher rate than pitchers. And that's largely because there are no negative categories for hitters. And it also seems to place too high an emphasis on closers. And middle relief is for all intents and purposes, useless. Only the absolute top tier setup men will be useful. Very odd.

Also, of the players over 600 points, 27 were position players, only 13 were pitchers. Over 500, we had 62 position players and around 28 pitchers. That's not very well balanced. That's something to keep in mind when evaluating players, and in working trades.

For instance, using your point system, there are 21 hitters who are projected to rack up more points that Pedro Martinez.

Taking El Scorcho's suggestion of Raphael Palmeiro, using your point system, Palmeiro has about as much point generating capability as pitchers like Barry Zito, Matt Morris, and John Smoltz.

Your league places more value on hitting. That's a fact you have to keep in mind when making trades. It's also a fact that will hurt you in trades where you're shopping for quality pitching because you have to convince people that, for instance, Palmeiro and Zito have equal point generating capability, and unless someone really analyzes the point system, they won't believe you.

Originally posted by Joe1086

My team:

Kearns, Austin RF CIN (dropping for Posednik)
WOAH! Bad idea! Kearns is a great sleeper. I would rather have Kearns than Mike Cameron or Randy Winn. I'd drop Cameron for Podsednik because he's switching leagues and not going to a hitter's park. Cameron does have more upside than Randy Winn, but you can count on Winn to hit for average and get a decent number of steals in a better lineup than the Mets.

Originally posted by Roto
WOAH! Bad idea! Kearns is a great sleeper. I would rather have Kearns than Mike Cameron or Randy Winn. I'd drop Cameron for Podsednik because he's switching leagues and not going to a hitter's park. Cameron does have more upside than Randy Winn, but you can count on Winn to hit for average and get a decent number of steals in a better lineup than the Mets.

Kearns hasn't even played a full season in the MLB yet. While he might have upside, he surely hasn't done anything to warrant high praises.

Originally posted by Deftones, Esq
Kearns hasn't even played a full season in the MLB yet. While he might have upside, he surely hasn't done anything to warrant high praises.
Maybe so, but Cameron hits about .250 and the last couple years averages around 80 runs and 80 RBI. On the plus side you could get 25 homeruns and 30 steals from him, but with his poor average and high number of strikeouts the homeruns and steals aren't as valuable as they appear. If he could lower his strikeouts to around 100 and get his average to .275 it would make a huge difference.

On the other hand you know exactly what you get with Randy Winn. Nothing glamorous, but he doesn't hurt you in any category except maybe homeruns which he'll only get about a dozen.

I think if you are picking up Podsednik you don't need both Cameron and Winn because they are all base stealers first and foremost.

Kearns has looked very good when healthy. Health would be my only concern with him. Just look at the stretch from July, 2002-May, 2003. He was playing injured after that until they finally had him go get surgery. At 24 years old I'd take the chance on him.

Roto, I think I might disagree with you, at least on who to drop.

Keeping in mind the point system, Cameron's lower batting average and high strike out matter squat (though Kearns is almost as bad as Cameron in the K department: 2003 K rates of 4.4 AB/K for Kearns v. 4.9 for Cameron*). There are no negative categories for the hitters, you just gotta rack up the positive points. I think Cameron and Kearns are fairly even, but I'll also give the edge to Kearns. Kearns will put up better general numbers, except for stolen bases, but due to injury risk, Cameron (despite the toe) will probably get more at bats to more or less balance it out. Of course, I'm banking on Kearns having no _major_ injuries...

For me, it really comes down to Podsednik and Winn. They're both pseudo punch and judy hitters (12 HRs), but Podsednik has the edge because he will get 10+ more stolen bases, which at 2 points each, makes him the slightly better choice IMO.

I agree with you that picking up Podsednik is good, and that keeping Kearns is also a must, but if he's going to pick up Podsednik, I'd drop Winn, not Cameron.

* = Cameron's 2002 K numbers were well above his career norm, whereas 2003 saw his K numbers come back down to his career norm.

I don't recommend Podsednik. His season last year was somewhat of a fluke, as he suddenly went from being a career mediocre minor league hitter to a successful major league hitter in a short period of time. I don't buy it. He won't hit .315 or so again.

And because of that, he won't be on base as much. Which means he won't steal as much.

No, you're right, unless he's one of those somewhat rare late bloomers, he won't hit .315 again this year and some of the projections I've seen for him are way too optimistic IMO. He'll probably hit something more like .270, and maybe get 30-35 SBs. I don't see Winn hitting too much higher (.285?) than that though, and maybe around 20 SBs.

Using his points system, I don't know, they're probably pretty close, say, within 10-15 points of each other, so I don't think it's worth Joe losing sleep over. :) I'll stick with my pick of Podsednik, but it depends on how much of a collapse we see out of Podsednik. If he hits .280, he'll beat Winn. If he hits .260, he won't. I'll give you 10 points and take Podsednik. :)

I wouldn't drop Kearns either. That would be a very stupid move. He's a good hitter in a good hitter's park...if he's healthy, I would expect very solid numbers from him.

any thoughts on this trade proposal?

i give:

posada C
hudson SP
bagwell 1B

i get

r hernandez C
colon sp
s green of
m lowell 3b

It was an autodraft standard yahoo roto league.

Tomorrow hopefully some of my waiver requests go through. and this is what my team looks (or will look) like. any problem areas you folks can point out? my waiver requests look good? should I drop Urbina for Biddle? Thanks!

C J. Posada (NYY - C)
1B T. Lee (NYY - 1B) (dropping for D Jimenez 2B)
2B R. Durham (SF - 2B)
3B T. Batista (Mon - 3B) (dropping for Alex Cintron SS)
SS R. Furcal (Atl - SS)
OF M. Ordóñez (CWS - RF)
OF A. Huff (TB - 1B,RF,DH) OF
OF K. Lofton (NYY - CF) OF (dropping for Milton Bradley OF)
Util J. Bagwell (Hou - 1B)
BN A. Pujols (StL - 1B,LF)
BN M. Grissom (SF - CF) (dropping for Jody Gerut OF)



SP T. Hudson (Oak - SP)
SP M. Mulder (Oak - SP)
RP U. Urbina (Det - RP)
RP B. Looper (NYM - RP)
P F. García (Sea - SP)
P T. Gordon (NYY - RP) (dropping for Danny Kolb RP)
P D. Riske (Cle - RP)
BN D. Wells (SD - SP)
BN B. Anderson (KC - SP)
BN J. Suppan (StL - SP)

Trade Offer

I get:
Matt Clement SP CHC - Projected Points: 499.5
Mark Redman SP OAK - Projected Points: 451.2

for:
Vladimir Guerrero RF ANA - Projected Points: 707.0

Originally posted by Joe1086
Trade Offer

I get:
Matt Clement SP CHC - Projected Points: 499.5
Mark Redman SP OAK - Projected Points: 451.2

for:
Vladimir Guerrero RF ANA - Projected Points: 707.0


NO!!! don't give up Vlad unless you get a stud pitcher in return.

Originally posted by Joe1086
Trade Offer

I get:
Matt Clement SP CHC - Projected Points: 499.5
Mark Redman SP OAK - Projected Points: 451.2

for:
Vladimir Guerrero RF ANA - Projected Points: 707.0

He's just trying to overwhelm quantity of alright players for your quality players. Don't do it.

in case you missed it, I proposed a question in the last post of page 2 if anyone can help me out.

db27, I say no freaking way you do that trade. Darkelf will break it down for you.
:lol:

Originally posted by Deftones, Esq
db27, I say no freaking way you do that trade. Darkelf will break it down for you.
:lol:

thanks for that, I was feeling bad about the offer, which is why I posted it here for reassurance.

what about my team, my waiver requests, weak spots etc? any thoughts?

Originally posted by db27

C J. Posada (NYY - C)
1B T. Lee (NYY - 1B) (dropping for D Jimenez 2B)
2B R. Durham (SF - 2B)
3B T. Batista (Mon - 3B) (dropping for Alex Cintron SS)
SS R. Furcal (Atl - SS)
OF M. Ordóñez (CWS - RF)
OF A. Huff (TB - 1B,RF,DH) OF
OF K. Lofton (NYY - CF) OF (dropping for Milton Bradley OF)
Util J. Bagwell (Hou - 1B)
BN A. Pujols (StL - 1B,LF)
BN M. Grissom (SF - CF) (dropping for Jody Gerut OF)



SP T. Hudson (Oak - SP)
SP M. Mulder (Oak - SP)
RP U. Urbina (Det - RP)
RP B. Looper (NYM - RP)
P F. García (Sea - SP)
P T. Gordon (NYY - RP) (dropping for Danny Kolb RP)
P D. Riske (Cle - RP)
BN D. Wells (SD - SP)
BN B. Anderson (KC - SP)
BN J. Suppan (StL - SP)

I think you should take Pujols off the bench and start him. ;)

The Cintron pick up will pay dividends. He's hitting in the 5 slot behind Gonzo and Sexson. He hit .317 last season w/ 12 HR in about 117 games. I predict he'll drop under .300, but his HR and RBI totals will be much higher. I'd say your only real weakness is your RP.

re: Joe's trade.

God, I _hate_ when I get trade a 2-for-1 offer. :mad: "Let me take your superstar, and I'll give you two average guys." Quantity doesn't make up for quality. Usually....

I'm going to give my thinking here, and I'd like some people to point out what I'm missing. I _must_ be missing something here. I think I'm pretty good at analyzing players, but I suck at trades, which is why I make so few.

This league is unusual. Fantasy points h2h league, so you don't need great balance between hitting and pitching, you just need to rack up the points. Remember, with limited starting lineup spots, position bench players don't contribute much. But with no IP limit, starting pitchers on the bench DO contribute considerably. That's why I agree with El Scorcho's view to load up on (quality) starting pitching.

If he trades Vlad, who would he put into the everyday lineup to take his place? Let's say it's Cameron. I have Vlad at 699 points and Cameron at 546. That's a 153 point point difference, so for the trade to work in his favor, he have to make up more than 153 points with the acquisition of Redman and Clement.

First off, he has to drop someone from his team. Let's say it was Eaton at 434 projected points. Redman takes his place at 461, which is a gain of 27 points. 153 - 27 = 126 point shortfall so far. Now we have Clement on the team too at 497 projected points. 497 - 126 = 371 point improvement.

I understand that by putting Cameron into his everyday lineup, his bench is weaker, so there's some more loss in points there. But it surely can't be anywhere close to a 371 point loss.

If this was a roto league, I'd say no way because you need good balance and solid numbers in nearly every category to win. But it's fantasy points. You just need to grind out points in whatever way you can.

What am I missing? :confused:

Originally posted by Deftones, Esq
I think you should take Pujols off the bench and start him. ;)



rotfl, don't worry he won't actually be on my bench!

and yeah, my rp's aren't great. I'm thinking of grabbing Biddle of the wire for Urbina.

*offers DarkElf Jose Cruz Jr., Rich Aurilia, Enrique Wilson, and John Franco for Prior*

;)

My Team After Draft Day:

Duca, Paul Lo C LA
Giambi, Jason 1B NYY
Durham, Ray 2B SF
Hinske, Eric 3B TOR
Furcal, Rafael SS ATL
Anderson, Garret LF ANA
Guerrero, Vladimir RF ANA
Jones, Andruw CF ATL
Millar, Kevin 1B BOS
Buehrle, Mark SP CHW
Eaton, Adam SP SD
Foulke, Keith RP BOS
Julio, Jorge RP BAL
Martinez, Pedro SP BOS
Sheets, Ben SP MIL
Wakefield, Tim SP BOS
LeCroy, Matt C MIN
Cameron, Mike CF NYM
Kearns, Austin RF CIN
Winn, Randy LF SEA
Soriano, Rafael RP SEA
Villarreal, Oscar RP ARI

My Current Team:

Jimenez, D'Angelo 2B CIN
Giambi, Jason 1B NYY
Durham, Ray 2B SF
Hinske, Eric 3B TOR
Furcal, Rafael SS ATL
Anderson, Garret LF ANA
Guerrero, Vladimir RF ANA
Jones, Andruw CF ATL
Palmeiro, Raphael 1B/DH BAL
Buehrle, Mark SP CHW
Eaton, Adam SP SD
Foulke, Keith RP BOS
Julio, Jorge RP BAL
Martinez, Pedro SP BOS
Contreras, Jose RP NYY
Wakefield, Tim SP BOS
LeCroy, Matt C MIN
Cameron, Mike CF NYM
Posednik, Scott CF MIL
Kearns, Austin RF CIN
Ramirez, Aramis 3B CHC
Berroa, Angel SS KC

Have I gotten considerably better? Where do I still need improvement?

Your SP is a craps shoot.

Pedro's arm's due to completely vaporize any day now. Wakefield, Buerhle, Contreras, and Eaton could have great years and they could have lousy years. You have what us experts refer to as a "Wait and see" pitching staff.

That is, you could do awesome or do really shitty.

:)

Originally posted by Joe1086
My Team After Draft Day:
Jimenez, D'Angelo 2B CIN
Cameron, Mike CF NYM
Posednik, Scott CF MIL
Kearns, Austin RF CIN
Ramirez, Aramis 3B CHC
Berroa, Angel SS KC

Have I gotten considerably better? Where do I still need improvement?
LOOK at all that talent sitting on the bench, pleading with management to be traded. :)

Unless someone disagrees with the strategy of loading up on starting pitching in your particular league, I think you NEED to trade some of that bench talent for starting pitching.

Remember, you acquired Berroa so that you could trade either him or Furcal. They are too good to be rotting on your bench. Both are top 10 (at least) SS, and one of them should be traded. Maybe try to package Berroa and an outfielder?

Originally posted by DarkElf
LOOK at all that talent sitting on the bench, pleading with management to be traded. :)

Unless someone disagrees with the strategy of loading up on starting pitching in your particular league, I think you NEED to trade some of that bench talent for starting pitching.

Remember, you acquired Berroa so that you could trade either him or Furcal. They are too good to be rotting on your bench. Both are top 10 (at least) SS, and one of them should be traded. Maybe try to package Berroa and an outfielder?


agreed, trade Furcal imo just cuz he is old and could break and is generally valued high. should get a decent pitcher from a team that has a starting SS that sucks!

Originally posted by db27
agreed, trade Furcal imo just cuz he is old and could break and is generally valued high. should get a decent pitcher from a team that has a starting SS that sucks!

Furcal isn't even in his 30's yet. :lol:

Originally posted by Joe1086
Trade Offer

I get:
Matt Clement SP CHC - Projected Points: 499.5
Mark Redman SP OAK - Projected Points: 451.2

for:
Vladimir Guerrero RF ANA - Projected Points: 707.0
I get so sick of people making me offers like this. In this case it's eaven easier to turn down because Vlad's 707 points plus any poor schlub's 250 points would come out ahead. They are counting on you not realizing that you'll have to drop one of your players when you take a 2 for 1. I always try to counter these offers with a 2 for 2 deal.

:lol:@Furcal being old. He may just seem that way because he came up when he was 19.

Originally posted by DarkElf
re: Joe's trade.

God, I _hate_ when I get trade a 2-for-1 offer. :mad: "Let me take your superstar, and I'll give you two average guys." Quantity doesn't make up for quality. Usually....

I'm going to give my thinking here, and I'd like some people to point out what I'm missing. I _must_ be missing something here. I think I'm pretty good at analyzing players, but I suck at trades, which is why I make so few.

This league is unusual. Fantasy points h2h league, so you don't need great balance between hitting and pitching, you just need to rack up the points. Remember, with limited starting lineup spots, position bench players don't contribute much. But with no IP limit, starting pitchers on the bench DO contribute considerably. That's why I agree with El Scorcho's view to load up on (quality) starting pitching.

If he trades Vlad, who would he put into the everyday lineup to take his place? Let's say it's Cameron. I have Vlad at 699 points and Cameron at 546. That's a 153 point point difference, so for the trade to work in his favor, he have to make up more than 153 points with the acquisition of Redman and Clement.

First off, he has to drop someone from his team. Let's say it was Eaton at 434 projected points. Redman takes his place at 461, which is a gain of 27 points. 153 - 27 = 126 point shortfall so far. Now we have Clement on the team too at 497 projected points. 497 - 126 = 371 point improvement.

I understand that by putting Cameron into his everyday lineup, his bench is weaker, so there's some more loss in points there. But it surely can't be anywhere close to a 371 point loss.

If this was a roto league, I'd say no way because you need good balance and solid numbers in nearly every category to win. But it's fantasy points. You just need to grind out points in whatever way you can.

What am I missing? :confused:

Do you still think its a worthy investment to give up Vlad in this trade? There are some that disagree with you, but I have valued your opinion heavily in constructing my team

New Trade Offer:

Nomar Garciaparra, Braden Looper and Hideo Nomo
for
Garret Anderson and Keith Foulke.

* I dont need another SS, I dont trust Looper too much, and Foulke is my best closer, which is important...Am I wrong?

Originally posted by Joe1086
Do you still think its a worthy investment to give up Vlad in this trade? There are some that disagree with you, but I have valued your opinion heavily in constructing my team
I'm certainly not recommending that you accept the trade unless other people agree. So don't do it.

Strictly from a numbers POV, it _appears_ to make sense. So far, everyone is against the trade, yet no one is willing to point out what must be an obvious flaw in my reasoning. If the trade is so obviously a bad idea (my initial reaction too BTW), then it should be EASY to identify why, and therefore even EASIER to identify the flaw in my logic.


Originally posted by Joe1086
New Trade Offer:

Nomar Garciaparra, Braden Looper and Hideo Nomo
for
Garret Anderson and Keith Foulke.

* I dont need another SS, I dont trust Looper too much, and Foulke is my best closer, which is important...Am I wrong?

This is another example of a trade I hate. Stupid ass people offering you a top player at a position where you already have a top player. Did that person even bother to notice that you have TWO top-10 SS on your team already? THINK, you idiot!

Originally posted by Joe1086
Do you still think its a worthy investment to give up Vlad in this trade? There are some that disagree with you, but I have valued your opinion heavily in constructing my team

New Trade Offer:

Nomar Garciaparra, Braden Looper and Hideo Nomo
for
Garret Anderson and Keith Foulke.

* I dont need another SS, I dont trust Looper too much, and Foulke is my best closer, which is important...Am I wrong?

You answered the question for yourself. Great closers are hard to come by. I'd say Foulke is in the top 5-7 in MLB. Coupled with the fact that Nomar is starting the season on the DL and you already have a SS, I wouldn't do the trade. Who is your SS, btw?

[Edit] Nevermind, I see who your SS's are. Definately don't do this trade

I wouldn't do that trade either.

Garret's going to be a stud this year and Foulke is a top 3 closer.

Originally posted by Joe1086

New Trade Offer:

Nomar Garciaparra, Braden Looper and Hideo Nomo
for
Garret Anderson and Keith Foulke.

* I dont need another SS, I dont trust Looper too much, and Foulke is my best closer, which is important...Am I wrong?
I wouldn't do this one. You already have one extra SS that you should trade away. This is a fair trade but it doesn't help you when you have to move another good shortstop to the bench.

You should be looking to trade your excess positions for starting pitchers.

Joe, tell me how many active roster spots you have in your league for pitchers. A popular configuration is SP SP RP RP P P P. What is yours? This is a key bit of required info to make or break my logic.

Guys, think about this for a minute. The conclusion I'm coming to in all this is how important it is to load up on starting pitchers in this league. And anyone who does this should blow everyone else away.

You only have 9 spots on the active roster for position players. Just keeping things simple here, guys on your bench will only get to play if one of those 9 have an off day, aren't starting that day, or are injured. So with your current team, a guy like Berroa only gets started once, maybe twice a week. Let's say that's 25% of the time. 25% of his projected points value is roughly 125 points.

Relief pitchers must always be in the active lineup (except when their team has an off day) because you can't predict when they will get into a game. If you have 7 active roster spots for pitchers (often you see SP SP RP RP P P P), that means that on a typical day, you can insert into your starting lineup a maximum of five pitchers who are starting that day. That's a lot. That means that in all liklihood, you will be able to swap your starting pitchers into the lineup whenever they get a start. Thus, any starting pitcher you have on your team will yield nearly his full potential for points. Even a mediocre starting pitcher will give you 300+ points over the season, which is far and a way better than what Berroa gives in his limited active roster time. And so, it seems obvious to me to replace that bench position player with a starting pitcher.

Because of what seems like an obvious strategy, that Guerrero trade isn't so crazy (because he has _quality_ OFers on the bench). If he could trade guys like Cameron and Kearns for quality starting pitcher, then even better! Otherwise, he would have either keep them on his bench, earning 25% of the value (hell, let's even go as high as 40%, which is still under 200 points), or just dump them to the free agent list and pick up starting pitching.

Am I right? If so, this is a critical flaw in the league construction that is easy to exploit, and to exploit in a totally legal and fair way. You're just choosing to construct your roster with a lot of starting pitching. You're keeping all your hitting positions filled and you're not cycling starting pitchers on and off the team. And I have to hope they have a maximum number of transactions for this league.

I still think that DarkElf needs a job. ;)

DarkElf, that is probably the most eloquent explanation of your cheat method of adding pitchers and dropping that I've ever seen. :lol:

Originally posted by Deftones, Esq
DarkElf, that is probably the most eloquent explanation of your cheat method of adding pitchers and dropping that I've ever seen. :lol:

WTF are you talking about? I distinctly said there is NO CYCLING whatsoever.

He has a 22 player roster which appears to break down like this: 9 position players, 7 pitchers, 6 bench. Go with 9 position players, 2-3 relievers, 2 bench position players and 8-9 starting pitchers. It's just a matter of how you choose to distribute your players. Or is that cheating too? -rolleyes-

Cycling would in fact blow the league apart, which is why I said I have to hope there is a transaction limit.

He gets defensive when you bring up player cycling. ;)

I have been offered the following trade:

G. Jenkins & J. Mesa for C. Beltran

Would you go for it?

Only if I was at least half-retarded.

And only if I was completely retarded and it was a keeper league.

Originally posted by Deftones, Esq
Furcal isn't even in his 30's yet. :lol:

oops!! I still think he is overvalued!!!

Originally posted by Alyoshka
I have been offered the following trade:

G. Jenkins & J. Mesa for C. Beltran

Would you go for it?

Beltran is a FANTASY STUD, Jenkins is nothing great and Mesa doesn't even have a lock on a closer role!

NO WAY!

Originally posted by Roto


:lol:@Furcal being old. He may just seem that way because he came up when he was 19.

go ahead rub it in!!!! he looks old!!!!

Originally posted by Joe1086
New Trade Offer:

Nomar Garciaparra, Braden Looper and Hideo Nomo
for
Garret Anderson and Keith Foulke.

* I dont need another SS, I dont trust Looper too much, and Foulke is my best closer, which is important...Am I wrong?

He withdrew the trade offer, so he saved me the time to reject it

Originally posted by Alyoshka
I have been offered the following trade:

G. Jenkins & J. Mesa for C. Beltran

Would you go for it?

What a horrible trade. Beltran is one of the most valuable hitters. Jenkins has serious injury history and Mesa is a turd.

Originally posted by Shamu
What a horrible trade. Beltran is one of the most valuable hitters. Jenkins has serious injury history and Mesa is a turd.

I have you guys to thank. I seriously know *nothing* about fantasy baseball. I was considering going for it. I'll reject it with a "friendly" comment. ;)

Originally posted by DarkElf
Joe, tell me how many active roster spots you have in your league for pitchers. A popular configuration is SP SP RP RP P P P. What is yours? This is a key bit of required info to make or break my logic.

Roster Limits
Active P : 5 MIN 7 MAX

Originally posted by DarkElf
Cycling would in fact blow the league apart, which is why I said I have to hope there is a transaction limit.

What is cycling?

Originally posted by Joe1086
Roster Limits
Active P : 5 MIN 7 MAX



What is cycling?

when a fantasy manager, has one roster spot that he continues to change for a fresh guy off the wire throughout the season.

I think :) DarkElf will provide you with a more concise answer in all probability.

I'd guess that cycling is when a league has no limits on innings pitched and is points based and a manager keeps dropping/picking up starting pitchers when it's their turn to pitch. That way you'll have tons of innings pitched which would result in a ton of points.

Going to add another pitcher to my rotation...

I found someone willing to give up either:
- Escobar, Kelvim SP ANA (will he start?)
- Padilla, Vicente SP PHI
- Hernandez, Livan SP
- Nathan, Joe RP MIN
- Cordero, Chad RP MON
- Lidge, Brad RP HOU

I think they're most likely to want an outfielder from me

Without holds being a component in your point system, middle relievers and setup men have little value. Lidge has a shot at closing games, but only if Dotel bombs (not expected). Cordero has a better chance at winning the closer role because Biddle's role as closer is tenuous at best. Of the three relievers, Nathan is by far the best bet because he doesn't have to unseat an established closer, but he does have to continue to fend off Romero (which he should do). Assuming he is the closer all year, pencil him in for maybe 525 points in your league. I'd only consider Nathan from this group.

Meanwhile, you know my position on stocking up on quality starting pitching in your league. :)

I have Hernandez at 490, Padilla at 480, Escobar (yes, he'll start) at 470. Hernandez is an innings horse, which your league rewards, so that's why he comes out the best of those three. Not much difference there though. Hernandez has the best shot at throwing complete games, which I'm not factoring into the point projections, so that starts to separate Hernandez from the others.

So, either Nathan or Hernandez. You only have two closers and five starters on your team, so you still have room on your _active_ roster for another closer. You can do _better_ than Nathan, but you can also do worse, so it's just up to you if you want to grab Nathan or wait for someone better down the road. I'm pretty non-committal on this, so definitely wait to see what other opinions you get.

As for who to give up, just keep in mind the projected points and try to give up someone in the 500-525 range. Unless someone proves me wrong, I still advocate stockpiling the pitchers, and trading a position player and getting an arm of reasonably equal value in return will net you more points in the end.

Negotiated a trade, but have not made the final move yet...

I get Livan Hernandez for Scott Posednik, who is going to be on my bench

Someone offered me Lowe and Jay Gibbons for Vlad

Originally posted by DarkElf
WTF are you talking about? I distinctly said there is NO CYCLING whatsoever.

He has a 22 player roster which appears to break down like this: 9 position players, 7 pitchers, 6 bench. Go with 9 position players, 2-3 relievers, 2 bench position players and 8-9 starting pitchers. It's just a matter of how you choose to distribute your players. Or is that cheating too? -rolleyes-

Cycling would in fact blow the league apart, which is why I said I have to hope there is a transaction limit.

dude, chill. it was a total joke. btw, I have no problem with cycling of pitchers.

Okay, I need some major help from some of you pros out there. I've been doing football and basketball for years, but this is my first season with baseball. I know I want/need more pitching, and I know I have the bench players to make some deals. Problem is, I dont really know how to value my players. For example, if I were to trade Delgado/Durham/Vidro etc...., what are some pitchers that would be the equivalent to these guys' point potentials? (individually of course, not all three in one trade)

I've listed my current lineup below. My yahoo group is based on 14 offensive category and 10 pitching categories. Any help is greatly appreciated. If anyone needs more info, just ask. Thanks.


C J. Posada NYY
1B T. Helton Col
2B B. Boone Sea
3B M. Ensberg Hou
SS M. Tejada Bal
OF B. Abreu Phi
OF A. Huff TB
OF L. Berkman Hou
Util C. Delgado Tor
Util S. Green LA
2B J. Vidro Mon
2B R. Durham SF
OF J. Burnitz Col
3B C. Koskie Min
SS Á. Berroa KC


SP M. Prior ChC
SP J. Vázquez NYY
RP A. Rhodes Oak
RP A. Benítez Fla
SP J. Beckett Fla
SP K. Brown NYY
SP J. Weaver LA

OK...here is the deal

I get

Barry Zito
Mike Piazza
for
Toby Hall
Roy Halladay

Should I do?

Originally posted by Dorsalphin
Okay, I need some major help from some of you pros out there. I've been doing football and basketball for years, but this is my first season with baseball. I know I want/need more pitching, and I know I have the bench players to make some deals. Problem is, I dont really know how to value my players. For example, if I were to trade Delgado/Durham/Vidro etc...., what are some pitchers that would be the equivalent to these guys' point potentials? (individually of course, not all three in one trade)

I've listed my current lineup below. My yahoo group is based on 14 offensive category and 10 pitching categories. Any help is greatly appreciated. If anyone needs more info, just ask. Thanks.


C J. Posada NYY
1B T. Helton Col
2B B. Boone Sea
3B M. Ensberg Hou
SS M. Tejada Bal
OF B. Abreu Phi
OF A. Huff TB
OF L. Berkman Hou
Util C. Delgado Tor
Util S. Green LA
2B J. Vidro Mon
2B R. Durham SF
OF J. Burnitz Col
3B C. Koskie Min
SS Á. Berroa KC


SP M. Prior ChC
SP J. Vázquez NYY
RP A. Rhodes Oak
RP A. Benítez Fla
SP J. Beckett Fla
SP K. Brown NYY
SP J. Weaver LA

Dorsalfin, your have great pitching already. There aren't many guys you could get that are better than who you already have. Prior is out until May, so you could try to put him on a DL spot and pick up another pitcher. Weaver is definately your weakest link.

You have the luxury of bargaining a great deal because you have 2 of the best 1B in the game and several other great players on your bench. You could try for a Pedro or a Halladay, but honestly I don't think you'd need it. Your RP is a bit lacking, as neither Rhodes or Benitez are premium RP.

Originally posted by dvds4u
OK...here is the deal

I get

Barry Zito
Mike Piazza
for
Toby Hall
Roy Halladay

Should I do?

I think this is almost a no brainer. Zito had an off year last year, just like Halladay had a career year. I see Zito getting closer to what he was in years past, while Halladay won't have quite the year he did last year.

Piazza is a much better player than Hall is. If he stays healthy, he puts up great numbers. The question is, can he stay healthy. It's a risk you might have to take.

Piazza vs. Hall is the dealbreaker, as ZIto vs. Halladay is a wash.

Take Piazza and Zito.

Originally posted by Deftones, Esq
Dorsalfin, your have great pitching already. There aren't many guys you could get that are better than who you already have. Prior is out until May, so you could try to put him on a DL spot and pick up another pitcher. Weaver is definately your weakest link.

You have the luxury of bargaining a great deal because you have 2 of the best 1B in the game and several other great players on your bench. You could try for a Pedro or a Halladay, but honestly I don't think you'd need it. Your RP is a bit lacking, as neither Rhodes or Benitez are premium RP.
I agree, your pitching looks great. I'm jealous :p Actually your whole team looks really good. You could probably use an extra closer more than a starter, depending on the scoring system. How many teams are in your league, Dorsalphin?

I think you can probably just go ahead and drop Durham. He had a particularly poor season last year, but I was just looking yesterday and he hasn't really done anything impressive for about 4 years. You probably won't even need Vidro, but he's worth keeping for trade bait if his numbers get back to normal. I don't even see a hole in your lineup other than counting on Berkman and Green to get back to normal. Nice draft!

Another "I'd like an evaluation" ... this is an ESPN 5x5 Head-to-Head league

C Mike Lieberthal, Phi
1B Derrek Lee, ChC
2B Alfonso Soriano, Tex
3B Eric Hinske, Tor
SS Edgar Renteria, StL
OF Juan Pierre, Fla
OF Rocco Baldelli, Tam
OF Torii Hunter, Min
OF Mike Cameron, NYM
OF Marlon Byrd, Phi
MI Angel Berroa, KC
CI Nick Johnson, Mon
Util Raul Ibanez, Sea

SP Roy Halladay, Tor
SP Tim Hudson, Oak
SP Barry Zito, Oak
SP Odalis Perez, LA
SP Jake Peavy, SD
RP Jason Isringhausen, StL
RP Arthur Rhodes, Oak
RP Armando Benitez, Fla
RP Joe Nathan, Min

Bench C.C. Sabathia, Cle
Bench Edgardo Alfonzo, SF
Bench Brad Fullmer, Tex

Wildcat:

You're heavily weak in the HR department and between Pierre, Baldelli, Cameron, Soriano, Lee, and Renteria should end up with about 183 steals per week.

I'd ship off Baldelli and Pierre if I could and get one big home run threat, especially at 3B where you're lacking (Alfonzo sucks, and Hinske isn't really a stud either).

Shipping off Baldelli and Pierre would still leave you in great shape in the steals department. Try to trade them away for a top 3B.

Yeah, I've already put Pierre on the trading block. I could always throw the HR category (never kills you to throw one category), but I'd like a few (especially with people like Soriano and Lee, where I might actually be able to contend for HRs)

You never want to intentionally throw a category.

in a 5x5 head to head category, this automatically makes you down 1-0 before you even start. And with HR's closely tied to RBI, you could very well be down 2-0 most weeks.

This means that your opponent only has to win 3 of the remaining categories to ensure a tie.

Bulk up your lineup a bit. While you may not dominate the HR category, you should at least give yourself a decent chance to win it some weeks.

Originally posted by El Scorcho
Wildcat:

You're heavily weak in the HR department and between Pierre, Baldelli, Cameron, Soriano, Lee, and Renteria should end up with about 183 steals per week.
:lol: You are definitely lacking in power in your outfield. You should be able to get a good power hitter for Juan Pierre. There's probably a couple teams that have virtually no base stealers since you horded them all. One guy like Pierre can move someone at the bottom in steals to middle of the pack.

No way do you want to drop Homeruns because it affects too many other categories. It's not a good idea to drop any category, especially before the season starts. I did get away with that once, but I don't remember if I dropped steals or saves. Whichever it was, nobody wanted to help me out with a trade but I managed to win anyway.

Okay so here is a pitching question for the fantasy pros. I have the following pitchers on my roster:

R. Clemens (Hou - SP)
F. García (Sea - SP)
J. Peavy (SD - SP)
E. Gagne (LA - RP)
K. Foulke (Bos - RP)
T. Percival (Ana - RP)
J. Nathan (Min - RP)
R. Wagner (Cin - RP)
C. Bradford (Oak - RP)
E. Milton (Phi - SP)
B. Weber (Ana - RP)
M. Herges (SF - RP)
R. Franklin (Sea - SP)

In the leauge I am in we have Ks, ERA, W, Holds, Saves, and WHIP. I have bolded those that I know I should/want to keep, but I dont know about the others. Im hoping for a 5 SP, 3 Closers, and 3 Middle Relief staff. Thoughts are appreciated.

You should definitely hang on to Joe Nathan for the moment. Everything I've read says he's the Twins closer.
Herges is Nen's backup, so I'd also keep him around for now.

All of your middle relievers are good, but I don't think you'll need that many. You have tons of saves. If I were you I would trade Gagne or Foulke for a top line starter in 2 or 3 months if you have got yourself a nice cushion in the saves category. You could use another starter or two to get you Ks and Ws. I would try to get someone the level of Kerry Wood or higher at some point.

Originally posted by Roto
If I were you I would trade Gagne or Foulke for a top line closer in 2 or 3 months if you have got yourself a nice cushion in the saves category.

Thank you for the information, but Im a bit confused by the above statement. Im trading a 'top line' closer for another 'top line' closer?

And so should Weber and Wagner be cut loose to the masses?

Hows this trade...
I get Livan Hernandez for Scott Posednik, who is going to be on my bench anyways and will not rack up any points, but I only have to use Hernandez when he starts

Someone also offered me Lowe and Jay Gibbons for Vlad

Originally posted by Joe1086
Hows this trade...
I get Livan Hernandez for Scott Posednik, who is going to be on my bench anyways and will not rack up any points, but I only have to use Hernandez when he starts

Someone also offered me Lowe and Jay Gibbons for Vlad

Without putting any real thought into it, just giving a reaction, I like the first trade (for the reasons you state), but don't like the second one. Can't go into why because I need to head up to LA now.

Who's the moron that greenlit "Holds" as a fantasy category in your league?

Though it was not I, I plead the 5th on answering that.

We have had them for two (2) or three (3) years now. My first year in the league I won the Saves category running away because thats all I had were seven (7) relievers. After that 'they' adjusted it so that no one could do that again.

But in the process you lost wins and K's by hoarding relievers and in weeks where a reliever or two got shelled, probably lost ERA and maybe WHIP.

Originally posted by Roto
I agree, your pitching looks great. I'm jealous :p Actually your whole team looks really good. You could probably use an extra closer more than a starter, depending on the scoring system. How many teams are in your league, Dorsalphin?

I think you can probably just go ahead and drop Durham. He had a particularly poor season last year, but I was just looking yesterday and he hasn't really done anything impressive for about 4 years. You probably won't even need Vidro, but he's worth keeping for trade bait if his numbers get back to normal. I don't even see a hole in your lineup other than counting on Berkman and Green to get back to normal. Nice draft!


Roto, it's a pretty small league (I think).... only 6 or 7 teams. As far as Durham and Vidro go, I'm hoping to trade both relatively soon. I'd really like to add at least one more SP and RP, as I have absolutely no bench as far as pitching goes.

Originally posted by retihsuhnt
Thank you for the information, but Im a bit confused by the above statement. Im trading a 'top line' closer for another 'top line' closer?

And so should Weber and Wagner be cut loose to the masses?
Oops meant to say trade the top line closer for a top line starter :o

As far as Weber and Wagner, I wouldn't be afraid to drop middle relievers for someone that you think can help you off the waiver wire. Even when holds are a category. Last season was the first time I ever was in a league that used holds and they were really hard to predict. Even the best middle relievers end up with only about 30 holds, so they aren't like saves at all. You have so many relievers, I would only keep the guys that are closers and backup closers who could steal the job before the season is over. If you fall behind in holds I would think there would be players available during the season.

The first thing I consider before waiving someone is if there is any other team that wants this guy. Unless their team stinks you can probably get a better player in return from a trade than the waiver wire.

OK, now that I've ruined several teams with my advice, my turn for a question. :)

How do you think Tim Wakefield will do this year? Is he actually going to stay in the rotation this year?

Jerome Williams is having a horrible Spring and was rumored to get sent down (though he won't be) I had him on my team at the end of last year and he was really good, but I've never actually seen him pitch. Anyone have any opinions on him?

And of course the big question, who's this year's Esteban Loaiza? :D

Anyone know what's up with John Burkett from the Red Sox? Yahoo has him listed as NA and I don't seem him on the Red Sox's roster (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/roster?team=bos), but I didn't see him cut in any of the news or notes...just curious :)

Originally posted by Roto
Oops meant to say trade the top line closer for a top line starter :o

As far as Weber and Wagner, I wouldn't be afraid to drop middle relievers for someone that you think can help you off the waiver wire.

Thanks for the assist. I just dropped Wagner for Pedro Feliz (3B [and more] for SF) (hopefully spelled that right). I didnt want to wait to long on that pick up. For some reason MRs arent hot commodities when it comes to trades in my league. Im still waiting on Weber, might be able to package him for someone.

Trade Offer: Eric Hinske for Hideo Nomo

My Team:
Garret Anderson
Angel M. Berroa
Mark Buehrle
Mike Cameron
Jose Contreras
Ray Durham
Adam Eaton
Keith Foulke
Rafael Furcal
Jason Giambi
Vladimir Guerrero
Eric Hinske
D'Angelo Jimenez
Andruw Jones
Jorge Julio
Austin Kearns
Matt LeCroy
Pedro Martinez
Rafael Palmeiro
Scott Podsednik
Aramis Ramirez
Tim Wakefield

Jeriome Williams was traded to Cleveland and will start at AAA and then to the bullpen. He may steal a rotation spot on a bad team, cut bait.

Wakefield will be average as usual.

Burkett is missing everywhere. I don't think he made the team.

Originally posted by retihsuhnt
For some reason MRs arent hot commodities when it comes to trades in my league.
See? Even when holds are a category, middle relievers are still worthless :D Some people swear by them because they can help your ERA and WHIP, but when they only pitch 70 innings and take up a roster spot, they don't help all that much.

dvds4u: I think you meant Jeriome Robertson(?) was traded to Cleveland. Jerome Williams starts for the Giants and just came up to the bigs during last season. He's been mostly ignored in my drafts.

The reason I have Wakefield is because on that particular team Ks and K/9 innings are important. I'm mostly wondering if he will be starting all year. He always seems to get shuffled around.

Originally posted by Joe1086
Trade Offer: Eric Hinske for Hideo Nomo


I'd do that trade in a second. You have Aramis Ramirez to take over at third. I don't really like Ramirez because he's so inconsistent, but it fits his age I suppose. He's probably a safer bet than Hinske this year anyway.

I'm preparing for my fourth and final draft, and in the process of pre-ranking players for this very deep league, I think there's some f***ed up shit going on with Yahoo. The following players are no longer in the system:

M Herges
B Santiago
R Soriano
J D'Amico
D Kolb
K Matsui

Among many others. Can you guys in Yahoo leagues verify for me? If you drafted any of these players, check your team to see if you still have them. But I think Yahoo deleted a bunch of players by accident b/c a search for these guys on ALL players in the system shows nothing.

Thanks.

All those players are gone for me as well.

Just got offered Berkman, Mondesi, and Borowski for Beltran and Webb.

I declined, knowing full well that this is a keeper league and Beltran and Webb will be around for quite a while. Plus Beltran is the one guy I wanted to make sure to get in the draft.

Originally posted by El Scorcho
All those players are gone for me as well.
You know, in one of the leagues this morning, I noticed someone signed a guy called -empty-. I wondered what was going on, and now it's making some sense. Great...

Originally posted by El Scorcho
Just got offered Berkman, Mondesi, and Borowski for Beltran and Webb.

I declined, knowing full well that this is a keeper league and Beltran and Webb will be around for quite a while. Plus Beltran is the one guy I wanted to make sure to get in the draft.

No ****ing way in hell should you do that deal. That is probably one of the most lopsided deals I've ever seen.

First time on yahoo Fantasy draft, how did I do?
Where am I hurting? Anything desperately needed improvement?

C J. Kendall (Pit - C)

1B P. Nevin (SD - 1B,RF)

2B J. Spivey (Mil - 2B)

3B E. Chávez (Oak - 3B)

SS B. Crosby (Oak - SS)

CI S. Casey (Cin - 1B)

MI J. Valentín (CWS - SS)

OF B. Bonds (SF - LF)

OF S. Green (LA - RF)

OF J. Edmonds (StL - CF)

OF K. Griffey Jr. (Cin - CF)

OF J. Dye (Oak - RF)

Util J. Cruz (TB - RF)

BN J. Gerut (Cle - LF,RF)

Pos Pitchers
P B. Zito (Oak - SP)

P M. Rivera (NYY - RP)

P B. Colón (Ana - SP)

P K. Millwood (Phi - SP)

P R. Ortiz (Atl - SP)

P F. García (Sea - SP)

P G. Mota (LA - RP)

P --empty--
P --empty--
BN L. Carter (TB - RP)

BN A. López (Tor - RP)

BN M. Herges (SF - RP)

What scoring system is there? What are the categories? How many teams are there in the league?

Without knowing anything, all I can say is that I think your team is poor. However, I have no idea how many teams there are in this league. Your lineup has serious injury issues with Nevin, Green, Griffey, Dye. Spivey is questionable on how he'll do, Casey sucks, your SS is a rookie that I think will be fine.

It's kind of hard to say anything without knowing your scoring system, categories, and # of teams.

tucker, I'd say that you are lacking in RP. Rivera is the best, but you don't have another decent closer.

Also, Nevin is hurt right now and may not be ready by opening day. He is injury prone, so I'd very much look into getting another 1B. You have 2 extra OFs on your bench, so I'd get rid of someone for another 1B.

damn, 3 drafts and I've ended up drafting either last or 2nd to last in all of them. :lol:

I just totally got F***ED and I'm entirely pissed off about it.


Yahoo's piece of shit draft browser froze on me and now it won't let me back into my own F'N live draft. I died on about round 10.

F'n aholes.

Originally posted by tucker
First time on yahoo Fantasy draft, how did I do?
Where am I hurting? Anything desperately needed improvement?

C J. Kendall (Pit - C)
1B P. Nevin (SD - 1B,RF)
2B J. Spivey (Mil - 2B)
3B E. Chávez (Oak - 3B)
SS B. Crosby (Oak - SS)
CI S. Casey (Cin - 1B)
MI J. Valentín (CWS - SS)
OF B. Bonds (SF - LF)
OF S. Green (LA - RF)
OF J. Edmonds (StL - CF)
OF K. Griffey Jr. (Cin - CF)
OF J. Dye (Oak - RF)
Util J. Cruz (TB - RF)
BN J. Gerut (Cle - LF,RF)
P B. Zito (Oak - SP)
P M. Rivera (NYY - RP)
P B. Colón (Ana - SP)
P K. Millwood (Phi - SP)
P R. Ortiz (Atl - SP)
P F. García (Sea - SP)
P G. Mota (LA - RP)
P --empty--
P --empty--
BN L. Carter (TB - RP)
BN A. López (Tor - RP)
BN M. Herges (SF - RP)

I have to agree with Shamu, and there's no easy way to put it. You don't have a very good team. Judging from your players, your league probably drafted somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 players, which is pretty deep (my draft yesterday was 336 players, so I think I have a feel for how strong your team should be).

Many of the things I noticed have been pointed out, and these are all just general comments that would apply to most scoring systems. In general, you need strong comeback seasons from a lot of players, and if everything goes right for you, you might do okay in your league.

You're relying on 2 first basemen who are moderate to major injury risks. In fact, you have major injury risks throughout your team, which would be fine if you had a deep bench, but it appears you only have TWO bench spots, which is really small.

In my 336 player draft yesterday where we have 1B, MI and Util, Casey still went undrafted. There has to be someone better you can get.

You need 2 more closers since Mota is strictly a setup man (do holds count in your league), Herges's closing duties are probably temporary, Carter _might_ become the closer if Baez flames out, and Lopez has a shot at claiming the closer role in Toronto, but none of them are likely to become full-time closers. Of these, Herges is the best bet to get the most saves for you, and I'd hold onto him. Keep a sharp eye on the teams where the closer role is unstable (Toronto, Chicago WS, Montreal for instance) and be ready to grab someone if a new player emerges out of the wreckage.

You have no team speed at all. If you're in a roto league, you will mostly likely finish near the bottom. Even if you can grab a punch and judy hitter like Alex Sanchez or Dave Roberts, that will help you if steals are a specific category. If you're in a points league, then it's much less of an issue.

But because your league is pretty deep, it's going to be very hard for you to get impact players unless you get them through the trade route. Keep an eye on rookies and mid-season call ups.

Good luck!

I'm not usually one to ask for advice, but I'm thinking about trying to do a trade that might be risky.

In one of my leagues OF positions are set up by specific position rather than OF. So I don't have a great RF. I've got Manny, R. Winn, Carl Crawford, Rocco Baldelli and Jose Cruz Jr. I'm thinking of attempting a trade and offering Manny for Vlad. I figure I won't be giving up a ton in terms of stats, and that way I could get rid of Cruz as my starting RF. I could always slide Crawford in Manny's place.

Thoughts? Comments?

Here's my yahoo roto league draft. Did ok, I'll probably waive Hinske and maybe Lugo if I can find better replacements. Team hits for average and pitching is fairly solid but weak on closers. I'll also try Chacon for Lawrence.

M. Piazza
J. Conine
M. Loretta
H. Blalock
J. Lugo
B. Bonds
L. Gonzalez
J. Pierre
J. Damon
E. Alfonzo BN
E. Hinske BN

P. Martinez
M. Mussina
M. Herges
S. Williamson
W. Williams
R. Oswalt
B. Tomko
R. Soriano BN
B. Lawrence BN
B. Myers BN

OK guys, so this is my ramble. I had a team that I missed the draft for, saw my roster and hated it. My goal was to trade my entire roster and rebuild it, into a team i liked. The first column is the draft position and player taken, and from there, what that pick turned into.

1. Sheffield->Arod
2. Halladay->Zito
3. Foulke
4. Mussina
5. Hudson
6. Moyer
7. Pettitte->Escobar
8. BYung Hyun Kim->Riske
9. Damon
10. Urbina
11. Juan Encarnacion->Trot Nixon (DL)->Dye
12. Carl Everett
13. Millar->Huff
14.Conine
15. Mueller
16. Brad Wilkerson-> Juan Gonzalez
17. Koskie->Bobby Crosby
18. Loretta->Alomar->Boone
19. Lugo->Crosby->Jose Valentin->OPEN NOW
20. Molina->Toby Hall->Piazza
21. Brian Anderson->Ishii
22. Scot Shields->Mike Hampton
23. John Lackey->Lieber-&g