A's to Rockies

Now that the deal for Holliday is complete let's take a look at the players going to the Rockies and how they will impact your fantasy team.

Huston Street - A former closer who lost his job in 2008 will not find any closing duties for the Rockies. From what I have heard, the Rockies will give Corpas the job for 2009. The value for Street is, at the moment, very low. But, there are teams out there who need a closer and most likely Street will find a place somewhere else.

Carlos Gonzalez - He did not have a great rookie season with the A's but expect him to play full-time with the Rockies in 2009. He should only matter to owners who are in extremely deep leagues or NL-only ones.

Greg Smith - Pitched 190.1 innings in 2008 as a rookie which seems a little high in my eyes. He should benefit from the NL lineups but we'll see how he can survive in Coors Field. He is nothing to really jump on for drafts.

In the end, the only person that has value is Street.

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.

Watch the Radar

Here are a few guys you need to keep an eye out and make sure they don't leave your radar.

Andruw Jones of the Braves. He is expected to return after the All-Star break if all goes well. Currently, he is in the minors for a rehab stint. Most owners cut him loose and he should be sitting on the FA list. If you have a spot on your bench or a DL spot go out and grab him and stash him away. If he can live up to his old power and the $18million contract, he could be a steal for the second half.

Chris Carpenter of the Cardinals is recovering from right elbow surgery and should have returned by the All-Star break but has recently hit a snag in his recovery. It seem like the Cardinals are going to take things extremely slow and hope he can come back for the stretch run. If the Cardinals are in a play-off race you will Carpenter back but if they are completely out Carpenter will be a sleeper for the 2009 fantasy season.

Fuentes and Street of the Rockies and A's respectively are both rumoured to be on the trading block. This is terrible news for owners because if they are traded they will most likely turn into set-up men and would destroy all fantasy value. If you have either player I would try to and see if anyone wants to take their services off your hands. Try to sell these guys to another team that is on the bottom of the saves category, don't sell to the competition. Make sure to keep an eye out on this situation.

Moises Alou of the Mets is suppose to return to the lineup in the next week or two but the Mets are going to take extreme caution with this player...he is old and brittle. If you have room on your team try and pick him up because when he is not injured he produces for fantasy owners. He is available in almost all leagues. Take a quick peak on the FA list and see if he is there, if so, take a chance on him.

Richie Sexson of the Mariners is not finding it pleasant due to the fact that rumours are swirling that he is going to be out very soon. So far this season he hasn't produced and many owners have cut ties with him a long time ago. If you look at his stats he is a .284 hitter after the All-Star break and .244 before so if you have a spot on your bench maybe this is the time to grab him and stash him there and see if he gets hot. If he can go on one of his tears he can easily hit 15-20HR's in the second half and still give you the decent AVG (.284) as well. If you are in desperate need of power this guy might be your solution.

Kenny Lofton is still sitting on the side and waiting for a contract to be handed to him. This guy, even at the ripe age of 41, still has something in him to help fantasy owners. Last season, at 40 years of age, he produced 23SB's and hit .296 in 490AB's. Looking at those numbers, I am curious on the reason why he hasn't been dealt a contract. As a veteran he can still produce on the field and hopefully could still help the younger guys out. I have that he is demanding too much money and when his price goes down teams will be there with the paper and pen. Owners, make sure to keep an eye out for Lofton because he can easily put up 10-15SB's in the second of the season while hitting .275.

Barry Bonds is sitting, just like Lofton, without a contract this season. After finishing his legal issues for this year (he has court dates set for 2009) Bonds is waiting for a club to offer him a contract. The problem is no one is willing to go out and sign this homerun king (I use the term loosely) because of what their fans might do. Honestly, I think it is a mistake in not signing him. Bonds is still able to produce as a DH (2007: .276, 28HRs, 66RBIs, 132BBs, 5SBs, and only 54Ks in 340AB's) and would bring a team a left handed bat. If he is signed, ALL fantasy owners should pick him up ASAP.

Rocco Baldelli of the Rays is still trying to make his way back to the Majors after being sidelined with a mitocondrial disorder that cause fatigue in his legs. This guy, if healthy, has the potential to produce 20HRs and 20SB's but the problem is inability to stay healthy. Just keep him in the back of your mind just in case he finds a way to get healthy and stay healthy.

Street and Fuentes

Closers Huston Street of the A's and Brian Fuentes of the Rockies have been rumoured to be on the trade block and the possible destination would be New York. For owners who have any or both of these guys, which I do, this is troubling news. If one of them or even both are traded to New York, they would lose complete value since the closer, Mariano Rivera, is not going anywhere. Both Street and/or Fuentes would be middle/set-up men for Rivera.

Owners, if you have Street or Fuentes start to shop them around and see if they garner any attention and if they do, see if the trade will benefit you. For now, just make sure to take note of this rumour because as with all "rumours" they are just that...rumours.

Closers

H. Street of the A's had a 4 out save with 1K. Owners, just hope he has turned the corner from a poor start to the season. Street has value and should be kept in your line up.

Brad Lidge of the Phillies recorded save and finished a nicely pitched game from teammate B. Myers. Remember when Lidge was on the DL and how crap Gordon was pitching? Well, no more Gordon and hopefully more of Lidge. Owners...Lidge is a good closer but seems to have periods of inconsistency. Keep him in your lineup though.

B. Wagner of the Mets recorded his first save of the season by pitching a perfect 9th. Owners should be happy with Wagner and there isn't much to say about him except he is one of the elite closers in the bigs.

Moylan of the Braves recorded the save and might be the newly crowned closer after Soriano was placed on the DL. As I said in a previous post, make sure to pick up Moylan and Boyer top hedge your risk.

Closer

Accardo of the Blue Jays blew a save allowing 4ER's with 0.1IP. Ouch. Owners, don't worry. He's fine for now. A blown save here and there is no biggey.

Street of the A's had a nice save and no ER's, yay (sarcasm)!

Wood of the Cubs...Blown save. Short and I mean short leash!