Manny & Bay

Unless you live under a rock you already know about the big deal that sent future hall of famer Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers and brought Jason Bay to the Red Sox from the Pirates in a 3-team deal. Here is a quick breakdown.

Owners of Manny who are in AL-only leagues are feeling a huge hit in their power numbers and, in most leagues, you will have the rights to Jason Bay. For owners in NL-only leagues who owned Jason Bay and have the rights to Manny should be ecstatic. Manny is going into a very explosive lineup that can provide some huge RBI chances for Manny in the 4 slot. With Pierre, Kemp, and Martin batting in front of Manny the chances of RBI's. With Manny being in a position where he is happy and motivated this could be a huge final two months to the season. Get ready for some production!!

Jason Bay is going into a very productive lineup and it is time for owners of Bay to see if he can produce on the big stage/media frenzy that comes with Red Sox nation. But with the green monster and the people that surround him in the lineup Bay could also be in for a huge 2 months. Expect a bump in runs, RBI's, and HR's if he can take advantage of the green monster.

Ichiro, Mr. 3000

Ichiro of the Mariners has reached a milestone in his career, 3,000 hits. All of these hits have not occurred while playing in the majors but over his span as a professional baseball player.

Congratulations Ichiro!!

PS. Can you tell me why the Mariners are paying this singles hitter $17million a year?!?! Yes, he does sell merchandise over in the 120million population of Japan but come on, $17million?!?!?!?

Farnsworth and Pudge Trade

The Detroit Tigers have traded Pudge to the Yankees for Kyle Farnsworth.

Fantasy wise this isn't a huge deal. Pudge is an okay catcher and only has value because he is a catcher and provides a decent average (.295). The biggest part of the deal is Farnsworth because of the closing situation in Tigers clubhouse. With the Tigers demoting Jones and promoting Rodney as a closer, they are still far from finding a solution. Farnsworth has some experience as a closer and fantasy owners should pick up Farnsworth in speculation.

Adam LaRoche

Adam LaRoche of the Pirates is headed to the DL with lower back spasms. This is the type of injury that could land LaRoche a spot on the bench for a month or even the rest of the season. As of right now there is no set timetable for his return but owners shouldn't expect much because of the situation the Pirates are in with respect to the standings.

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.

Fantasy/Real Trade Deadline

The real MLB trade deadline (non-waiver) is July 31 and well this is the time where most fantasy owners, like myself, are sweating over because players, especially closers, lose their current roles and bring owners nothing but a glorified players that don't deserve a spot on a fantasy AAA roster.

If you are about to make a deal for someone make sure there is no rumour out there or a high percentage they will be traded where their fantasy value decreases. I would personally hold off on making a huge deal that would involve players that are rumoured to be on the move especially closers.

The fantasy trade dealine in most leagues is usually around Aug. 10 or around the 20th. This gives plenty of time to see who you want and who you want to use as bait.

Trading for Pitching

If you have followed this blog for a short period of time you will surely notice that I have a bias towards hitters and how important they are to a fantasy roster. This is because pitchers are too volatile and usually end up wasting your fantasy year if you end up drafting them too high. But with only 70 games or so left in the season fantasy owners need to realize that this is the time to start making that charge for a fantasy championship and where plenty of people seem to have a problem is realizing that with 70 games left in the season starting pitchers will only be pitching 10-13 more starts. This sounds like a huge number but as I mentioned before, once you start adding up all the innings pitched it almost impossible to move the ERA/WHIP categories in significant ways. This is the time to use the remaining innings WISELY.

Take a look at your team and to see where you are particularly strong. If you are one of the individuals who draft extremely heavy on hitters, like myself, this is the time of year where you can really cash in with a trade that can boost your pitching staff. For example, I am leading in R/HR/RBI by a fair amount and I traded Manny for CC Sabathia (this was maybe a month ago) and it has only started to really show in the standings. At the time of the trade I was at the bottom in almost all my pitching categories and I was sitting in 11th out of 12 spots. Today, I have a lock on 3rd and slowly moving up into 2nd and have an outside shot at the championship. All this due to a move for ONE pitcher. But as I said, it took over a month and a bit just to find myself where I am now.

The lesson here is you need to go out and try and find a pitcher that can make a fantasy impact. Pitchers like Johan, CC, Halladay, Haren, Webb, and even Harden are the ones you need to target because they are the guys that can strong together 8-10 starts that will turn your fantasy pitching rotation from a glorified AAA team to a fantasy contender.

By making a trade right now, it gives you the time to slowly move up in the standings because with pitching it takes time. Your stud pitchers only pitch every 5 days compared to your stud hitters who contribute every single day.

Go back to your fantasy team and see who you can part with. See if you can trade a Pujols for a Santana and a respectable hitter. Maybe Beltran for a Harden. Even Carlos Lee for Webb. Make sure to go out and see who can help you and remember DO NOT WASTE anymore time by sitting and hoping your current crop of pitchers can turn things around and bring you a fantasy championship. The more time you sit there and hope the more quality starts are wasted and calculated for other fantasy owners.

Kershaw/Big Unit

Quick player note.

Clayton Kershaw - Last game 6IP, 4Hs, 0ER, 1BB, and 5Ks. Even though he is going to be a strict pitch count and will most likely only last 6 innings, at most, he is still worth a look.

Big Unit - Last 4 starts. 4-0, 26.1IP, 5ERs, 3HRs, 2BBs, and 19Ks. This is the time to ride him to some solid fantasy stats.

Forget The Name Value

The fantasy season is coming to a close with 70 games remaining in the 2008 season. Yes, I know 70 games is almost half the season but this is a very important time of the year for all owners who are in contention for a championship. Also, this is the time of year where some players who have slumped are at the point where it is going to be an off year in their careers. Owners need to really understand that some players are not worth holding on to just because they have name value.

One of the biggest names that comes to mind is Derek Jeter of the Yankees. He is having his worst season as a pro this season and is worth a trade to another team. These guys are great to trade because other owners place large value on name brand players. Even though Jeter is having a terrible season people will just forget about the numbers in front of them and think about all those years where he was a fantasy changer.

The moral of the story is you need to look at your roster now and realize which players are worth a drop or a trade (please lean towards the trade option) because these players are not worth a penny in your lineup dragging your fantasy points to the bottom. So, go out there and try to make some offers that will help you make your fantasy team better.

"Everyone is expendable, as long as they make your team better."

Here are a few players, who are not of brand name value, that you should really consider because they are putting up the numbers.

Fernando Tatis (Mets) - Yes, he hasn't played since 2006 but he's producing. Over the last month is hitting .394AVG, 6HRss, and 16RBIs.

Juan Rivera (Angles) - Over the last month .328AVG, 5HRs, and 12RBIs.

Gregor Blanco (Braves) - Last month he is hitting .292AVG, 9RBIs, with 4SBs.

Mike Aviles (Royals) - This guy should be owned in almost all formats right now. Last month he is hitting .301AVG, 2HRs, 12RBIs, and 1SB.

Aaron Miles (Phillies) - Last month, .338AVG, 2HRs, and 12RBIs.

Those are just a few players who have no name brand value but are producing like one. Go out and check your waiver wire to see who is producing and remember to cover the name so you don't get all bias with name value. Fantasy production at this time of year is all you are looking for. The brand name value glasses are now gone!

McGowan

Dustin McGowan of the Blue Jays is out for the season after an MRI revealed a torn labrum in his shoulder. Fantasy wise this isn't the biggest news of the day but for some owners who have him as a 3/4th starter this is a decent blow to your team. This young pitcher has the ability to throw a high K-rate and give owners a decent option for wins.

Keeper leagues should keep an eye out for this guy because his injury will not keep him out of the 2009 season.