Around the Majors

Troy Percival of the Rays is back on the DL for the third time this season. The closer is suffering from an injury to his right knee. The Rays will have a closer by committee. This is the worst case scenario for any owners who are in a battle for saves. If you have a chance go out and grab these guys Wheeler, Balfour, Howell, and even Miller. The most likely candidate will be Wheeler, who owns 4 saves this year, and is the only one who has major league experience in the closer position prior to this season.

Chris Carpenter of the Cardinals is back on the DL and for owners who thought he might give you a boost for stretch run just got hit hard. This former CY Young winner in 2005 now finds himself trying to recover from a shoulder strain. All owners should drop him ASAP and find another player. If he he outs the minimum 15 days, which I doubt he will, he will only give you 2/3 starts maximum. Plus, with his history of injury the Cards will most likely shut him down for the rest of the season.

Melky Cabrera of the Yankees is now finding a life outside the historic gates of Yankee Stadium and now catching fly balls in the minors. He was demoted after a terrible slump which has lasted since May. After a hot start in which he hit 7HRs he is not just hitting .240AVG. He should not be on any teams except AL-Only leagues but after his demotion he should be on the wire in all leagues.

Tom Glavine of the Braves is back on the DL. Owners, just drop him.

Billy Wagner of the Mets is scheduled to return to the bullpen on Monday when he is allowed to be activated. This is not soon enough for a bullpen that has been shelled in his absence.

Mike Lowell

It seems the Red Sox aren't immune to the injury bug either. The Sox have just placed veteran Mike Lowell on the 15Day DL with a strained left oblique muscle. This is an injury you need to monitor very closely because an injury of this calibre can turn into a problem that might linger and keep him out of the lineup for 3-4 weeks.

If you are an owner make sure to monitor his status and if something happens where he won't be coming back for 3-6 weeks, it is wise to drop him and find a replacement if you need room on your roster.

Official

News coming out of Tampa Bay is telling the world Carl Crawford will be out 6-8 weeks which means he is going to finished for the fantasy world. This comes at a terrible especially since owners have no time or chance to find a replacement for his statistics.

Even with the poor year Crawford is having statistically he is still producing at a 3rd outfielder pace and if you have him at the 3rd OF spot you are not doing so badly.

As I mentioned before with Carlos Lee this is the time for individuals in keeper leagues to take notice and maybe acquire Crawford for a lower price then you if he was healthy. If an owner in your league is in contention for the championship go out and try to send him an offer and see if you can grab him and stash him as a keeper for 2009.

Remember, if you are in contention and have Crawford trade him away now because you need stats now and who gives a rats ass if you lose a keeper for next year, this is now and winning a championship holds higher priority than your 2009 season.

The lesson is WIN NOW!!

Mr. Street

Huston Street of the A's is now just another RP in the fantasy world. He has fallen hard from former years where he posted nice fantasy numbers which owners could be satisfied with. Turn to 2008 and this closer, now former, is just throwing innings that seem to be extremely irrelevant in the whole grand scheme of things. The A's GM, Billy Beane, has put Street on waivers, rumour has it and it seems no one is opening up their clubhouse doors to this ex-closer.

Now for current fantasy owners who need help in their saves category you might want to go ahead and pick up Ziegler who is dominating hitters after making a trip from the bullpen to the mound. The only way Street will find his spot in the 9th inning in the near future is if Ziegler falls apart and Street starts to throw pitches that don't end up over the fence but instead in the catchers mitt.

Adam Dunn

Now that the Diamondbacks have acquired the services of Adam Dunn from the Reds lets talk about the fantasy impact this has on both teams. Lets begin with the Reds.

With the absence of Griffey and Dunn from the lineup individuals like Bruce, Phillips, and Encarnicion will lose some protection that Dunn offered in the lineup. I don't see a huge hit in numbers for these players because they are all solid hitters at the plate but as of right now I don't think this deal helps them.

Adding Dunn to the Diamondbacks lineup gives them a bat that can change a game with one swing, positively and negatively. Dunn is the prototypical hit or miss kind of hitter. He either hits a HR or finds a seat after putting up a K. Look for Jackson, Young, and Reynolds to see more hittable pitches in the near future because of the protection Dunn offers. This trade seems to offer a third punch after the likes of Webb and Haren.

Update on Previous Post

The injuries to Crawford and Longoria will most likely keep them out for 3-4 weeks but if the Rays some how fall out of contention they will most likely be rested and told to stay home for the season. There is no reason in the world to risk further damage to these two players since they will be the cornerstone to their franchise.

PS. Rocco Baldelli is back in the Rays lineup. If he is available, which he shouldn't be, go out and obtain his services.

Keeper League Advice

All of a sudden star players are hitting the DL with season ending injuries, or close to it, and for individuals who are not in contention for a fantasy championship this season this is a great opportunity to cash in.

If you are in a keeper league and are sitting in the "build for next year" mode please take note. Guys like Carlos Lee, Evan Longoria, and Carl Crawford are names that have found themselves on the DL as of late and this is the time to try and trade for them.

If owners who are in contention for a championship own these guys try and make an offer for one of them. These players are all keeper worthy players and if their owners are serious about winning a championship, this year, will gladly trade them away for players who are producing now. Lets be real here, you can not go out onto the wire and replace a Lee, Longoria, and a Crawford.

Instead of just sitting and waiting for the year to end go out and see if you can build a strong keeper list for the 2009 season and hopefully you'll be in contention this time next season instead of worrying about your keeper list.

Quick Tip

The final stretch of the season is quickly approaching and this is the time of year where name value is thrown out the window. When you are looking for players, just cover up the names and take the stats for what they are...STATS. This is what will separate winners from the lower tier fantasy players. Who cares about name value right now when some no name dude is hitting .310AVG for the past 2 months.

This is the time of year when every stat counts and every stat left on the waiver wire will haunt the owners who were contemplating of picking them up but was afraid to drop a player just because of his name. So, go out there and see who is on the wire that has been lighting things up on the field. If you don't take the chance now you'll be sitting in your chair in the off-season thinking of how lame it feels to finish second when you had a golden opportunity to finish first.

A Few Things to Take Note of...

CC Sabathia of the Brewers is still cruising after being traded from the Indians. He is now 6-0 with his new team and has, alone, completely turned my one of my fantasy teams from being a bottom feeder to a contender. I don't see him turning into a terrible pitcher, like his start to the season, but if you are pretty solid in pitching but need some help in hitting go out and see if you can grab one of those great bats out there. Guys like Hanley, Wright, A-Rod, Holliday, and Sizemore are guys that should be in your trade negotiations.

Billy Wagner of the Mets is still recovering from a left arm strain and should be coming back from the DL when he is scheduled to but you never know with arm injuries. The bullpen is kind of in trouble so if you are in dyer need of saves look to Heilman or Kunz but at this moment your guess is as good as anyones since their bullpen sucks!

Carlos Zambrano of the Cubs has hit his 3rd HR of the season.

A-Rod of the Yankees is struggling but if you are in need of a hitter see if you can grab him from a disgruntled owner. You won't get him on a HUGE significant discount but you might find it a little easier to grab him.

Mike Aviles of the Royals continues to hit. In his past ten games he has raised his AVG from .314 to .341 while collecting 21Hs with 2HRs. This is a guy you want on your team RIGHT NOW!

Teams to Pick On

If you are in need of pitching but can not afford to trade away hitters for pitchers I have a plan for you. Go to the waiver wire and see who are the probable pitchers for the next day. Make sure to grab some pitchers who are pitching against the following teams.

A's - .244BA
Pirates - .245BA
Nationals - .245BA
Giants - .254BA

On top of the poor team batting averages these teams struggle to score runs (minus the Pirates). So if you are in need of pitching help try and see who is pitching against these clubs and pick them up. This is the time to gamble and see if you can rise in the pitching standings.