Signings keep coming

John Smoltz is now a part of the big boys in Boston. After spending his entire career wearing a Braves uniform he is now going to, or most likely going to, finish his career as a Red Sox and maybe add another World Series ring to his collection. Even though he is going to be on the DL when the 2009 draft happens I would recommend you drafting him and placing him on your DL. Of course you can draft this guy later in drafts. He will always put up the numbers you want from a pitcher. He won't be a closer and depending on his health he could be the 5th starter behind a very strong starting rotation. Conclusion, have him on your 2009 team.

Rocco Baldelli will find himself wearing a new uniform as well after spending his entire career in Tampa Bay. Albeit a shorter career than Smoltz. Rocco will be a back-up to Ellsbury and Drew but will find plenty of at-bats against lefties and also days off from both players. Rocco has value in AL-Only leagues at the moment but if Rocco can get over his midocondria condition and find a way to hit like his rookie year he could easily take over for either Ellsbury or Drew. Plus, injuries always seem to haunt Drew making more playing time for Baldelli. AL-only guys, have Baldelli on your team. Mixed leaguers should wait.

Brad Penny finalized his contract with the Red Sox and will be in their rotation. If he can stay healthy this is a guy that can find himself very usefull to fantasy owners. With an offence like the Red Sox scoring plenty of runs expect Penny to produce plenty of wins. Penny is a guy you can grab very late in fantasy drafts and should be picked as an upside pick.

Koji Uehara is another Japanese player trying to make it big in the major leagues. After a very successful career in Japan Uehara will be making the jump at the young age of 33. This is not a guy you want to really pick for your team. In my honest opinion his numbers are great but at the age of 33 and also pitching in the toughest division in baseball and adding in a terrible offence he probably won't be getting a lot of wins.

Trevor Hoffman is staying put in the National League and will close out games for the Brewers. This is great news for fantasy owners becauase one, he is staying put in the NL where he knows the competition and two, he is still going to be a closer. As with every draft, this guy should be drafted. He is a mid-tier closer.

Jason Giambi will return to his old stomping grounds in Oakland. The A's have signed him and for fantasy owners nothing new. He should be draft but later in drafts because of his decline and lack of ability to produce a decent AVG. With the likes of Holliday in the lineup expect Giambi to produce his usual numbers, if he stays healthy.

News Worthy

Milton Bradley has signed with the Cubs. I was hoping to see Bradley land on an AL team where he could be a DH but instead he landed in the NL. Milton will be sharing time in the OF with Fukudome and Reed Johnson. As long as Bradley can stay healthy he can produce. Not a bad guy on draft day to gamble on for your 3rd OF.

Pat Burrell is now part of the Rays organization. He doesn't come with a high AVG (in the .250's over the past 3 years) but he does come with power. Burrell seems to be a lock for 25+HRs and 95RBIs. He will serve as the DH and will stand along side Upton, Crawford, Longoria, and Pena in a very potent rays lineup. He will be eligible for an OF spot so having him as your 2/3 OF will help your cause. Look for him to continue his 30/100 numbers.

Willy Taveras is part of the Reds. This guy is only on fantasy radars because of his ability to steal. These are the types of guys I hate drafting because they are only going to help you in steals and if they have a sore leg or hamstring they won't steal, losing all value. Willy should be a late fantasy pick. Do not pick him just because he had 68 steals last year. If you look at his career totals, he usually steals around 30 a year. Don't expect him to swipe another 68 bags this year.

Chris Carpenter of the Cardinals might be a closer. After a few surgeries he is still trying to recover and find a way to pitch in the bigs. As long as he is on the mound and healthy he can dominate. Keep an eye out for him because with his stuff he could be a very dominating closer just like these two starter to closer converts, Wood and Smoltz.

Smoltz and the Braves

Well, he's back, he's gone, he's back, and now he's gone again. John Smoltz of the Braves is going under the knife to try to and repair his ailing shoulder and this time it will cost him the rest of the season. Smoltz, after coming back from the DL and blowing his first save, woke up the next morning and felt discomfort in his shoulder and was unavailable to close the next game. This is terrible news for Smoltz owners because of his ability to dominate and give you great accounting numbers that are needed to win a fantasy championship.

As I mentioned in a previous post, CLICK HERE, I suggested owners to sell high on this pitcher because of his age and he was absolutely lights out at the start of the season. Owners need to really understand the concept of selling high and getting a huge return for someone who most likely won't keep up their current pace.

Now, looking at the bullpen situation for the Braves, you can easily see the value for R. Soriano has, again, gone sky high. The ones who dropped Soriano should kick themselves in their ass because he will get the majority of the save opportunities in the 9th for the Braves. M. Acosta will see the set-up duties but also see the occasional save opportunity.

Too bad for Smoltz owners and the season ending surgery.

Smoltz

After returning from the DL to work out of the bullpen, John Smoltz of the Braves blew his save chance in his first game back. With news coming out that Smoltz will throw from a different arm angle just to reduce any pain while throwing should concern owners. Even though Smoltz has been known to change his wind up and his arm angle from time to time to adjust to injuries which have seemed to hit his aging body.

For owners of Rafael Soriano make sure to keep him your daily lineup because Bobby Cox has come out and told everyone will be closing by committee so expect Soriano to receive some save opportunities until one of them takes the job.

Smoltz

John Smoltz of the Braves threw 12 pitches in a rehab start, 8 for strikes, and felt no discomfort in his shoulder. The Braves will decide to re-activate or send him to another rehab start on Monday. For owners who have R. Soriano, this is some news that will keep you on the edge of your seat. If Smoltz returns and goes to the bullpen the closing duties will immediately fall into the lap of Smoltz.

If you have Soriano wait for the Smoltz news because if he returns and goes to the bullpen, Soriano is droppable. There is no point in hanging on to Soriano due to the effectiveness of Smoltz as a closer.

Smoltz

Smoltz of the Braves is still feeling discomfort and has inflammation in his right shoulder and is unsure on when he will be returning to the mound as a starter or a closer. Nothing to do for owners except wait it out. This pitcher is not droppable and is worth the wait no matter if he comes back as a closer or as a starter.

Smoltz to Bullpen

John Smoltz of the Braves will most likely go to the bullpen after recovering from his current injury to his shoulder. According to coach Bobby Cox, Smoltz will most likely return to the bullpen and I would assume the closer role immediately after his return. The bullpen is a mess at the moment with R. Soriano on the DL and Boyer and Acosta trying to hold things down.

This is great news for owners who need a closer and already have Smoltz on their team. For owners who have a strangle hold on saves in their league, this just gives them a great chance to obtain help in other categories by putting Smoltz or another closer on the trade market. Owners, keep Smoltz on your team until he comes back.

Owners who do not have Smoltz on their teams should try and trade for him. The ability to close out games with high strikeout totals is an addition that all teams need.

DL Update

It seems like the DL is swallowing plenty of players on a daily basis.

Troy Tulowitzki SS Rockies hasn't been officially been placed on the DL just yet but it seems highly because of his quadricep or hip flexor. You might be wondering why an injury hasn't been officially been diagnosed. Well, according to Tulo he doesn't even know what the problem might be. Owners should stash him on the DL or if you are in a tight roster position try to add him into a trade to someone who has an available DL spot. His sophomore season just isn't working out.

Phil Hughes SP Yankees was placed on the 15Day-DL with a strained right oblique. Hughes was a highly touted pitcher coming into the season but has pitched more like a glorified minor leaguer in 2008. With an ERA of 9.00 in 22 innings, this is a great chance for him to rest and see if he can solve something that isn't working. You should only keep this pitcher on your roster if you are in a dynasty league or if you have a huge bench. In most leagues, he's cut ASAP.

John Smoltz SP Braves, as you know, is already on the DL. The bigs news is he might return as a closer. Yes, you read that right. There is talk about him coming back as a closer to reduce the amount of stress on the old body. During his stint as a closer he had 154 saves in 4 seasons...impressive! So, for you owners who are in search of a closer, try and trade for Smoltz now when his value might be a little lower than what it should be. Even if he comes back as a starter he's still a dominant pitcher in all leagues/formats.

Yankee DL + Smoltz

After J. Posada fell to the DL news has just hit my ears with A-Rod hitting the 15Day-DL too. For owners who drafted him with their first overall pick, basically everyone did, you shouldn't be worried just yet. Just put him in the DL spot or on the bench. You can't do a thing about this injury. Just ride it out.

John Smoltz of the Braves is on the 15Day-DL as well. The discomfort in his shoulder was severe enough to land him on the DL. Owners should be worried and should have sold him while he was sizzling hot to start the season. The only thing you can do now is sit on the bench or DL. Most owners will not give you full value for Smoltz since his age isn't on the junior side.

Smoltz

John Smoltz of the Braves has lost his past two starts after starting out 3-0. In his latest loss he allowed 4ER's in 4 innings. But what hurts owners the most is the fact he has some discomfort in his right shoulder. This wouldn't be a big concern since Smoltz is a veteran who knows his body but he has already started this season on the DL with discomfort in the same shoulder.

As I mentioned in an earlier post I recommended you to trade Smoltz while he was hot and high in value. Now, owners can't do much because of the news with his shoulder. Just have to wait until more news comes out concerning the discomfort.

Smoltz

J. Smoltz of the Braves is cruising to start the 2008 season. In his first three starts of the season Smoltz has the following numbers; 3-0, 16IP, 10H, 1ER, 6BB, 21K, and a 0.56ERA.

Absolutely smoking numbers for a 40 year old, who is about to turn 41 in May. There are some things to note about Smoltz. He's throwing 5 to 6 innings per game which isn't ideal for owners but this veteran chooses when to go deep into games. What does that mean? Well, if the Braves are leading by a few runs and it doesn't seem like Smoltz is going to be needed, Smoltz moves on and allows the bullpen to finish the game. With Smoltz it isn't about throwing a CG every time he goes out but rather giving the Braves a chance to win. Smoltz is the epitome of a smart, witty, veteran.

Advice...owners should really consider if they need Smoltz in their lineup. He definitely will benefit you but if Smoltz is your 2-3 starter you might want to trade Smoltz, when his value is at his highest, and grab a top-tier closer or a premium bat. This is a great time for you to shop him around. There is no way Smoltz will continue at this pace so if you have a chance go out and grab some high value help in other categories. As long as you are okay in the pitching categories.