MLB thoughts to eat fried chicken by

Written by Xach on May 31, 2005

Good afternoon, campers.

This past week was an interesting one for me from a fantasy sports perspective. We're reaching that point in the fantasy season where each of us looks at his or her team and assesses its shortcomings for real. From a non-fantasy sports perspective, things have been less interesting. I basically just slept a lot. In fact, I'm pretty sure my cat is finally getting less sleep than I do. As a next step, maybe I'll start waking him up when he's sleeping and telling him to feed me. We'll see how he likes being pestered out of his slumber every day. My my, how quickly fortunes can change.

Speaking of changing fortunes (cue groovy segue music) ... it seems fortunes have been changing quickly in the baseball world as well. As I was saying a couple sentences ago, before my feline oriented digression, Memorial Day has come and gone and owners who have seen nothing but slumps for the past two months are finally about ready to part ways with their under achieving stars and slow starting rookies -- self proclaimed fantasy experts, actual experts and novices alike. Just this past week, in fact, Rotogods you know and love parted ways with the likes of Todd Helton, Edgar Renteria and Aubrey Huff. And for each player who got sold at his low water mark there were plenty of other players who got sold at their perceived peaks (see: Dontrelle Willis, Johnny Damon and Pat Burrell).

Yep, for most fantasy baseball leagues trading season has begun. So get your orange vest, your Timberlands and your shotgun. It's hunting season.

You might still be in time to trade for the following players whose fortunes may yet be about to change:

• Travis Hafner: He can definitely be had for pennies on the pre-season dollar. I recently came to the conclusion that he is not likely to approach last season's numbers. But for those who have faith in Mr. Hafner, now is the time to strike. Almost any useful cog will do in exchange. Even if he turns up the heat, Cleveland's offense is terrible at best right now.


• Sammy Sosa: Sammy's getting old, folks. And while I think he's likely to stay old, he may be even cheaper than you expect. You won't likely see 30 homers from Sammy this season (call it a hunch), but like Crazy Eddie used to say: "These prices are so low, it's INSANE!"


• Todd Helton: Now here's an intriguing player to grab for yourself. While we may be able to point to Travis Hafner as a possible one year wonder or call Sammy Sosa over the hill, it's nearly impossible to say either of these things about Todd Helton. I can't remember a season in which he didn't seem like a legitimate threat to win the batting title, get 100 RBI or score 100 runs. But here we are on the brink of June and he's miserably off pace for all three of those marks. Buried as my team has been, I parted ways with Helton the other day. I simply couldn't hack it any more, so I cashed him in for Gary Sheffield. Expect current Helton owners to drive an extremely hard bargain for this perennial top five hitter, but also know this: every Helton owner on the planet will listen to a reasonable offer right now. He has been that bad.


• Jim Thome: See: Todd Helton, above. Although the tag "over the hill" could be applied, depending what you think of his back problems.


• Aramis Ramirez: I'm putting Aramis on this list because I think you may still have another couple of days to fetch him for a better than fair price. Yes, there has been some talk of playing through a back injury, but he looked good this past weekend. Am I sure he'll turn his season around? No. But is his owner sure yet? No. If you think he will, now is the time pull the trigger. Whether he keeps it up all season or not, a continued hot streak from Aramis will have his value sky high again by the end of the week.

• Pat Burrell: Pat the Bat has been even better than advertised so far. History suggests a slump is in order. Years of hype, his perceived talent level and his current numbers, however, suggest an owner who has been struggling with slumping players for the past two months will be more than happy to take on a player who is actually performing. Such a player is Pat Burrell. I have no clue whether he will actually do worse as the season goes on (although my hunch says he will), but the point is: he can't possibly do much better.


• Dontrelle Willis: It doesn't take a genius to figure out that Willis has been one of the most inconsistent starters in baseball during the past couple seasons. He has performed this well for extended stretches in the past only to break down later. Willis is young and talented. He should only get better for years to come. But since you can pretty much get the more proven player of your choice in exchange for Willis right now, I suggest you do so immediately.


• Brian Roberts: With just three homers in May, the power numbers are already starting to fade. Sell immediately for a more proven commodity. But for crying out loud, DON'T SELL HIM TOO CHEAP. The idea is to get a more proven player, not a crappier one. That said, his value is going down, not up.


• Troy Glaus: Glaus definitely has the talent to perform at his current level for a whole season. But, um, when was the last time we saw him play for a full season? Injuries and endurance could both be factors. Why not sell him now when he's worth a bundle?


• Clint Barnes: No matter how good they are, unproven players and rookies cannot be trusted to keep performing like this. Not even in Colorado. But chances are, someone else will pay handsomely in more established goods.


• Brett Myers: A phenomenal talent. But he finally reminded us that he's still young and still human. Why worry when you could have Roger Clemens?

• Edgar Renteria


• Marcus Giles


• Jim Edmonds


• Vernon Wells


• Rafael Furcal

Sure, there's a number of other players who belong in the three lists above, but how can I possibly be expected to stay at my desk on a day like this?

Want a solid rock and roll recommendation? Check out Stereophonics if you haven't yet. They're not brand new on the scene or anything, but they are damn good. Much better than their crappy Flash website, in fact. But hey, click on the link anyway. You just might like what you find.

Looking for a good drama? Check out The Assassination of Richard Nixon. Not exactly the most uplifting movie you'll ever see, but if you like Sean Penn, this is up there with his strongest performances.

Looking to reach me? For comments, suggestions, or to find out how you can make a non-tax deductible donation to Drunks for a New New American Century, you can send me an E-mail or post a comment below.

-- Written by Xach on May 31, 2005