You can e-mail your Fantasy Baseball questions to DMFantasyBaseball@cbs.com. Be sure to put Dear Mr. Fantasy in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state.
The approaching MLB trade deadline means the Fantasy trade deadline will soon follow. And as many of you in keeper leagues wrestle with the decision to go for the glory or rebuild, don't forget you have the support of Mr. Fantasy at your fingertips.
And you also have me. I can help a little too.
I'm in a Head-to-Head league, and I was thinking of trading Alex Rodriguez for Chone Figgins, Carlos Beltran and Zack Greinke. Tell me what you think. -- Kenny Calderoni, South Plainfield, N.J.
SW: Sure thing, Kenny. I think I wouldn't do it, at least generally speaking. Obviously, I don't know your specific needs, but the clincher for me is Figgins and just how far he has fallen since the beginning of the season. Consider him a poster child for the dangers of elevating a player to elite status based solely on stolen bases. Not much has to go wrong to make that player totally worthless. This year, Figgins actually trails A-Rod in stolen bases and has only .313 slugging percentage to boot. Yes, I said slugging percentage, as in move over Willie Bloomquist. Sure, Greinke would probably do more good than harm for your pitching staff, but the step back from A-Rod to Beltran still seems like too much for me to give this trade my approval.
I have an outfield that includes Carlos Quentin, Milton Bradley, Ryan Ludwick, Lance Berkman and Rick Ankiel. I am thinking of dropping Ankiel for Brad Hawpe because Hawpe has a higher on-base percentage. What do you think? Should I drop someone else? -- Eudemar Maldonado
SW: If you isolated Ankiel's numbers in July, you'd probably decide for yourself to drop somebody else. He has a .353 batting average and seven home runs, which suggests a possible breakout for a player of his inexperience. Surely, he'll slow down some, but I don't suspect he'll become the same .239 hitter we saw in May and June. As for Hawpe, I appreciate on-base percentage as much anyone who assesses baseball statistics for a living, but I think you'd lose too much by giving up any of your outfielders for the Rockies slugger. Don't forget about him, though. I could see any of Bradley, Ludwick or Ankiel eventually slowing down enough to justify the move.
I'm in a 12-team Head-to-Head keeper league. We have a "keep" ratio of 4-to-3 for batters and pitchers. I was thinking of trading B.J. Upton for Joba Chamberlin. Do you think that is fair? What kind of keeper value does Upton have, or should I not trade him? I was really hoping for more than six home runs and 46 RBI this far into the season. -- Michael Snyder, Macomb, Mich.
SW: I think everyone was, Michael. You certainly wouldn't start verbal spats by calling Upton a disappointment, and his Fantasy value only decreases when he loses second base eligibility next season. But let's not overlook the positives. He's on pace to more than double his stolen bases from a year ago and has improved his on-base ability. Plus, the power potential remains. He did hit 15 of last year's 24 home runs in the second half. While Chamberlain hasn't done anything to disappoint in his transition to the rotation, striking out more than a batter per inning with a 2.30 ERA, I'd rather have Upton in most cases because hitters remain more predictable and less susceptible to injury than pitchers. But the trade seems fair, reasonable and advisable considering you have to keep a certain number of pitchers.
I am in a 10-team mixed Head-to-Head categorical (as opposed to points) league. My offense is great, but my pitching struggles. We can change our lineups daily, and I've recently begun "streaming" three pitching spots to near guarantee strikeouts and wins. I've been told by another owner who has one rotating spot that three is too many. My thinking is though I gain those two categories, I still have a very high chance of losing ERA and WHIP every week. And beyond that, why should three streaming slots be any different than one? Is this strategy shady? -- Grant Johnson, Schaumburg, Ill.
SW: Well, the owner criticizing you has committed a certain hypocrisy. He thinks he can get away with streaming pitchers "just a little" but somehow decided you do it "too much." What kind of moral justification is that? That's like him sneaking up to the salad bar to get a plate of croutons and then reporting you when you go for the works. Stealing is stealing, streaming is streaming, and you either allow it or you don't. To counteract it, your league needs to make a rule limiting the number of innings allowed, but until they do, I say stream away.
I'm in a 10-team Rotisserie league, and I need a catcher. So far I have Chris Iannetta, Kenji Johjima and Matt Wieters. Will Johjima turn it around, and will Matt Wieters get called up in the next week? If not, who is the best overall catcher out of Jesus Flores, John Buck, Mike Napoli, Jeff Mathis, Rod Barajas, Chris Coste and Paul Lo Duca? -- Kevin LeBlanc, Charlton, Mass.
SW: Time to give up on Johjima. I don't know what happened to him, but he hasn't shown any remote signs of a turnaround. The Mariners don't even play him that regularly anymore. As for Wieters, I wish the Orioles would go with him behind the plate. His minor-league numbers are nothing short of frightening, with a 1.000 OPS and 1-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. But he has yet to advance beyond Class A, and teams rarely force prospects to make such a dramatic leap to the majors for fear of rushing their development. Of the alternative catchers you listed, Flores has the best combination of upside and playing time. Go with him.
I am in a 10-team dynasty keeper league, and due to my pitching, I am out of it for this year. So I have started to think about next year. Out of Ryan Howard, Prince Fielder and Chris Davis, which two should I keep, and who should I shop around? -- Scott Taraszka, Chicago
SW: Don't get cute here, Scott. Wait, Scott? That's my name. How cute. Anyway, don't get cute here. Sure, Howard and Fielder have disappointed to a certain extent this season, but they still have a longer history of success than Davis and all of his 100 at-bats. If you can keep all three players on equal footing, meaning Howard and Fielder won't cost you more of your auction budget or a higher draft pick than Davis, why not go with the proven commodities? On the other hand, let's say you can keep Davis for $1 and Howard and Fielder each for $35. Suddenly, you have a tougher decision to make. I'd probably keep Davis unless his performance dramatically changes over the final two months and opt for Howard over Fielder because his power has proven less hit-or-miss.
I am having trouble with a person in my Fantasy league with a trade. I am trading Jason Bay, Hunter Pence, Jason Giambi, Scott Kazmir and James Shields for Josh Hamilton and Kyle Lohse. He thinks this is an unfair trade, calling some of my guys second-rate players. He keeps rejecting the deal. Do you think this is a good deal to make? Who gets the better end of it? Thanks for your support. -- William Carraway, Valdosta, Ga.
SW: Ah, Valdosta. I covered a high school football game there once back in my pre-CBS days. Anyway, stop wasting your time, William. Your opponent clearly overvalues Hamilton, who I admit is the best player involved in the deal, but Bay doesn't trail him by much. Quite honestly, I'd have reservations about trading just Kazmir and Shields for Hamilton and Lohse, and then you throw in all those hitters. At this rate, you might have to include your whole team. Look, I understand Hamilton put on a ridiculous show at the Home Run Derby and has a certain set of skills you can't teach, but he can still only accumulate so many numbers. He's hitting only .206 since the break. Don't dismantle your whole team for Hamilton. You'll do all right without him.
You can e-mail your Fantasy Baseball questions to DMFantasyBaseball@cbs.com. Be sure to put Dear Mr. Fantasy in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state.
