Break is Over

The break is over and I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year! I hope 2009 brings everyone in the world what they have always wanted. Now, time for fantasy baseball.

Mark Teixeira - Nothing to report with him. He is a Yankee and can hit anywhere in the world. His value has not changed.

Brian Fuentes - He is now an Angel and will replace K-Rod as their new closer. This is great news because Fuentes will now be a full time closer and 82Ks in 62.2 innings is nice for owners but some owners but be a little worried with his ability to adjust the AL hitters. He isn't in the elite tier of closers but he should be drafted in the mid second tier closers.

Andruw Jones - Remember when this guy was a fantasy stud. Well, those days seem so long ago. He is not going to find himself playing in the Dodger blue anymore and for fantasy owners he is nothing more than a distant memory.

Big Tex with Nats?

I just came across a rumour that the Washington Nationals, yes the Nationals, have sent an offer to big time switch hitting Mark Teixeira. The contract would total $160million over 8 years.

Why would Tex even bother going to the Nationals and playing there? As a free agent high profile sought-after free agent, wouldn't he leverage that into a deal so you could sign with a team that has a legitimate chance at winning the World Series. It is a lot of money but this guy can get this kind of money with any team, all he has to do is choose which team he wants to play for and that team will most likely show him the money.

If this rumour is true, I can't believe the Nats even bothered to send him an offer. Maybe they just want to make the fans of Washington feel like they are doing something to improve their team.

Free Agency

Well Manny and Big Tex didn't waste anytime filing for Free Agency. Both sluggers are on the free market and will garner loads of attention and even more $$$$$$$. From a fantasy point, Big Tex is a guy you want on your team and should be willing to draft fairly high but on the other hand Manny is a different story.

Manny is coming off a huge/monster year where it seems he planned everything to a T. Making/playing himself out of Boston and onto a another roster, this Boras client is now trying to grab a fat contract on the free market. As a fantasy owner I don't care if he gets paid $1 or $1trillion. The only thing that matters in my eyes is productivity. This guy is climbing the ladder of age and with all hitters the mind is there but the body doesn't seem to want to react as quickly. Look for Manny to have a good year but don't expect him to replicate his 2008 season. I am an owner of Manny in a keeper league and I would personally have traded him before making him a keeper but there were no takers in my league. All repsonded by saying, "Enjoy watching him fall apart." I don't agree with that statement since he hasn't really shown and huge sign of decline but don't let this year fool you, he is in decline. Make sure he is on your team but don't let this season blind you into making him a top 2/3 round pick.

Big Tex on The Move

Mark Teixera is on the move and is now, according to news outlets, an Angel. We all knew that the Braves were going to be sellers at the deadline after placing Chipper and Hudson on the DL and by looks of the standing the Braves were a team looking from the outside in.

For fantasy owners this is good news because of the situation Tex will be in when he is slotted into the Angels lineup. With the likes of Vlad, Figgins, Kendrick, and Hunter Big Tex will have plenty of protection and tons of opportunities for RBI's.

Since Tex is known to be a second half player expect him to put up some big numbers in an Angels uniform because of the players listed above and the fact that the Angels are play-off bound, maybe even World Series bound.

The only problem in this deal is for owners who are in NL-Only leagues. Since this is an inter-league trade owners who own Tex in the NL will lose his services depending on your league rules.

The player going the other way is Casey Kotchman. Fantasy wise this isn't a big blow and with his current numbers .287, 12HR, 54RBI. He is a viable option as a fantasy player but 12HR and 54RBI as a 1B just doesn't cut it.

Tex and Fielder

Mark Teixeira of the Braves just went off with 3HR in his last game. Even though his season has been a disappointment for fantasy owners but you need to remember that Tex is a second half wonder. If you are not an owner of Tex see if you can grab Tex from another owner as a buy low opportunity.

Prince Fielder of the Brewers seems to have found his HR swing after a very slow start to the season. After hitting 2HR's in his last game and 6HR's in his last 10 games. He is on pace for a 34HR season which is far from his 50HR season of 2007 but owners should not expect him to have another 50HR season. Owners should expect him to hit HR's in the high 30's and maybe even in the low 40's. This kid can hit but owners, don't expect him to hit 50 every season.