After a few ups and downs with my pitching staff in the opening weeks, I'm now sitting in 3rd place in my league, which is next to meaningless this early in the season. But I am glad to see so many of my players are off to a good start. However, I haven't gotten much production out of some of my top picks, as Yu Darvish has yet to take the mound and Edwin Encarnacion is mired in a mini-slump. But I have no doubt they'll come around in time. I believe Darvish will be returning from the DL today, so that should definitely give me a boost.
As for the rest of my pitching staff -- I am, admittedly, a little nervous about Shelby Miller, as he looked awful against the Pirates on Friday, giving up 3 long balls and walking 3 over 5.1 IPs. But, he has had problems with the Pittsburg lineup in the past, so I'm hoping it's just a bump in the road. A rather disconcerting bump, but a bump nonetheless. Similarly, Hyun-Jin Ryu, who has pitched extremely well up until this point, also fell apart on Friday, surrendering 6 ERs over a measly 2 IPs, which really did some damage to my ERA and WHIP. So, between those two, and a blown save from Papelbon, my pitching took a hit this week. If it wasn't for my Mariners -- King Felix and Erasmo -- I'd be in real trouble. But overall, I actually think pitching will be a strength for me this season, once I get Darvish & Minor back into the fold.
With that being said, I've still been fiddling with my roster. Patience is usually key this early in the season, but my situation is an exception. I had the oldest team in my league, by far, and plenty of injury risk as well, so I felt like I needed to cut the dead weight, and grab a few high-upside guys off the waiver-wire before they're all gone.
Current roster:
C - Yadier Molina, STL
C - Devin Mesoraco, CIN
1B - Edwin Encarnacion, TOR
2B - Robinson Cano, SEA
3B - Ryan Zimmerman, WSH
SS - Ian Desmond, WSH
CI - Adrian Gonzalez, LAD
MI - Brandon Phillips, CIN
OF - Wil Myers, TB
OF - Michael Cuddyer, COL
OF - Michael Bourn, CLE
OF - Coco Crisp, OAK
OF - Rajai Davis, DET
UT - Anthony Rizzo, CHC
P - Yu Darvish, TEX
P - Felix Hernandez, SEA
P - Shelby Miller, STL
P - Hyun-Jin Ryu, LAD
P - Erasmo Ramirez, SEA
P - Joe Nathan, DET
P - Jonathan Papelbon, PHI
P - Grant Balfour, TB
P - Francisco Rodriguez, MIL
Bench - Mike Minor, ATL
Bench - Dillon Gee, NYM
Bench - Charlie Morton, PIT
Bench - Tyler Skaggs, LAA
Bench - Shane Victorino, BOS
Bench - Abraham Almonte, SEA
My transactions:
-Added Devin Mesoraco (C - CIN); dropped AJ Pierzynski (C - BOS)
Since this is a roto league that requires 2 catchers, they are far more valuable than they are in standard leagues. So, it's surprising that either of these guys ended up on waivers. And I did think about keeping Pierzynski on my bench as an insurance policy, in case Mesoraco flops -- which is very well possible -- but I feel like I made a fairly equal exchange here. Except, Mesoraco offers exponentially more upside, especially if he hits in the middle of the Reds' lineup. Although currently on the DL, he'll be activated on either Monday or Tuesday, according to reports, and will start games immediately. As for Pierzynski, he should hit double-digit HRs, like he usually does, but at the ripe old age of 37, he's not getting any younger, especially for a catcher. And it's not as if Boston can DH him, with Big Papi on the roster. So I think he'll either sink or swim in BOS. He swings at everything, and the Sawks have a very capable backup in David Ross. So, I'd rather not get stuck with him if this is the season he finally flatlines.
-Added Charlie Morton (SP - PIT); dropped Chris Owings (SS - ARI)
This was a tough call, as I really like Owings and think he'll become a serviceable mixed-league starter this year, but I didn't have a place for him on my roster and was only carrying him as insurance for Cano/Desmond/Phillips. And I needed to shore up the bottom end of my pitching staff, so Morton made sense. He has all-star potential, and is equally matched with Owings, in terms of value. So, if it had been a trade, it would've been a fair one. Granted, Morton is more of an injury risk (as most pitchers are), but his upside is just as high.
-Added Tyler Skaggs (SP - LAA); dropped Jim Henderson (RP - MIL)
I had been hanging on to Henderson as closer insurance for K-Rod, especially after Brewers' manager, Ron Roenicke, publicly proclaimed his intention to return Henderson to the role, but when given the ball in the sixth inning yesterday, he looked absolutely pathetic, and K-Rod has been lights-out, so I really don't foresee them making a change anytime soon. And after Skaggs dominated the Astros (which, admittedly, isn't the toughest lineup in the league), I felt like I had to pounce. Because Skaggs' upside is sky-high. Probably higher than Morton's, or even higher than Erasmo Ramirez's. But he has had control issues in the past, so he is still a bit of a risk. But, as of now, Henderson shouldn't even be on a fantasy roster, until he gets it together (and even then, it's questionable as to whether he'll ever be a closer again). So it was an easy decision.
-Claimed Rajai Davis (OF - DET) off waivers; dropped JJ Hoover (RP - CIN)
Technically, I dropped JJ Hoover for Jenrry Mejia (SP - NYM), and then dropped Mejia for Davis, which is a much more equal trade, as Hoover now has absolutely no value whatsoever anymore. Granted, Mejia did look good the other night -- he has huge strikeout potential -- but I doubt he'll amass many wins pitching in the 5th spot for the lowly Mets, and his WHIP may be a bit shaky as well. But overall, I think he'll be pretty good. So it may be a move that will come back to bite me. But Rajai Davis is definitely worth it... in a roto league, at least. Stolen bases count just as much as HRs do, so a guy like Davis, who could potentially swipe 45+ bags, carries almost as much value as Chris Davis (not quite, but almost). And I had needed SB help pretty badly, so Davis should really shore that up for me.
-Added Abraham Almonte (OF - SEA); dropped Rex Brothers (RP - COL)
As much as I'd like to hang on to the closer insurance, the more I started to research Almonte, the more I realized I had to add him ASAP. The guy is an on-base machine, and he is hitting at the top of a fairly formidable SEA lineup. And, I'm not so sure Brothers will deliver as many saves as some people think. Managers are usually hesitant to use lefties in the role, and Brothers does have control issues. And so long as Nathan, Papelbon & Balfour do a decent enough job and hold down the fort, I shouldn't need him. But Almonte could become very valuable very quickly. So I couldn't pass that up, especially since I could use an extra OF or two. But, not only can he get on-base at an extremely high rate, he can swipe bags and hit for avg/power. So he's a legit 5-tool player. And those are few and far between.
League transactions (excluding my own):
--Added
Tim Hudson, SP - SF
James Loney, 1B - TB
Nolan Arenado, 3B - COL
Rick Porcello, SP - DET
Casey McGehee, 1B - MIA
Mark Buehrle, SP - TOR
Torii Hunter, OF - DET
Chris Owings, SS - ARI
Jenrry Mejia, SP - NYM
Jake Odorizzi, SP - TB
Adeiny Hechavarria, SS - MIA
Charlie Blackmon, OF - COL
JJ Hoover, RP - CIN
Alejandro De Aza, OF - CWS
Nate Eovaldi, SP - MIA
Carlos Ruiz, C - PHI
Michael Brantley, OF - CLE
James Paxton, SP - SEA
--Dropped
Asdrubal Cabrera, SS - CLE
Josh Reddick, OF - OAK
Kelly Johnson, 2B - NYY
Bobby Parnell, RP - NYM
Carlos Martinez, SP - STL
Mike Moustakas, 3B - KC
Brandon Morrow, SP - TOR
Denard Span, OF - WSH
Mike Olt, 1B - CHC
Nate Jones, RP - CWS
Peter Bourjos, OF - STL
Mike Zunino, C - SEA
Henderson Alvarez, SP - MIA
Hector Santiago, SP - LAA
Nick Castellanos, OF - DET
Tanner Roark, SP - WSH
My watch list (based on free agents in my league)
C
-AJ Pierzynski, BOS
-Mike Zunino, SEA
-Tyler Flowers, CWS
-Josmil Pinto, MIN
-John Jaso, OAK
-Alex Avila, DET
-Hank Conger, LAA
-Derek Norris, OAK
-Geovany Soto, TEX
-Francisco Cervelli, NYY
1B
-Adam LaRoche, WSH
-Adam Lind, TOR
-Mike Olt, CHC
-Chris Colabello, MIN
-Justin Morneau, COL
-Ike Davis, NYM
-Mark Reynolds, MIL
-Kendrys Morales, FA
-Jon Singleton, HOU
-Garrett Jones, MIA
-Yonder Alonso, SD
-Logan Morrison, SEA
2B
-Kelly Johnson, NYY
-Neil Walker, PIT
-Omar Infante, KC
-Josh Rutledge, COL
-Nick Franklin, SEA
-Gordon Beckham, CWS
-Tommy La Stella, ATL
-Scooter Gennett, MIL
-Jurickson Profar, TEX
-Jemile Weeks, BAL
-Marco Scutaro, SF
3B
-Trevor Plouffe, MIN
-Mike Moustakas, KC
-Chris Johnson, ATL
-Lonnie Chisenhall, CLE
-Marcus Semien, CWS
-Wilmer Flores, NYM
-David Freese, LAA
-Cody Asche, PHI
-Matt Davidson, CWS
-Miguel Sano, MIN
-Garin Cecchini, BOS
-Maikel Franco, PHI
SS
-Asdrubal Cabrera, CLE
-Erick Aybar, LAA
-Stephen Drew, FA
-Derek Jeter, NYY
-Alcides Escobar, KC
-Pedro Florimon, MIN
-Jordy Mercer, PIT
-Zack Cozart, CIN
-Carlos Correa, HOU
OF
-Alejandro De Aza, CWS
-Will Venable, SD
-Lorenzo Cain, KC
-Oswaldo Arcia, MIN
-Michael Morse, SF
-Matt Joyce, TB
-Josh Reddick, OAK
-Avisail Garcia, CWS
-Byron Buxton, MIN
-Cameron Maybin, SD
-Denard Span, WSH
-Junior Lake, CHC
-Oscar Tavares, STL
-Nick Castellanos, DET
-Nate Schierholtz, CHC
-Andre Ethier, LAD
-Corey Dickerson, COL
-Juan Lagares, NYM
-Aaron Hicks, MIN
-Andrew Lambo, PIT
-BJ Upton, ATL
-Josh Willingham, MIN
-Michael Choice, TEX
-Dayan Viciedo, CWS
-Jarrod Dyson, KC
-Ryan Ludwick, CIN
-Marcell Ozuna, MIA
-Michael Saunders, SEA
-Jason Kubel, MIN
-Gregory Polanco, PIT
-Peter Bourjos, STL
-Jake Marisnick, MIA
-Joc Pederson, LAD
-Chris Young, NYM
SP
-Jarred Cosart, HOU
-Garrett Richards, LAA
-Jason Vargas, KC
-Juan Nicasio, COL
-Martin Perez, TEX
-Scott Feldman, HOU
-Kyle Gibson, MIN
-Wade Miley, ARI
-Jonathon Niese, NYM
-Ricky Nolasco, MIN
-Henderson Alvarez, MIA
-Mike Leake, CIN
-Phil Hughes, MIN
-AJ Griffin, OAK
-Carlos Martinez, STL
-Jhoulys Chacin, COL
-Felix Doubront, BOS
-Wei-Yin Chen, BAL
-Hector Santiago, LAA
-Tanner Scheppers, TEX
-Wandy Rodriguez, PIT
-Wily Peralta, MIL
-Erik Johnson, CWS
-Zach McAllister, CLE
-Tanner Roark, WSH
-Josh Johnson, SD
-Felipe Paulino, CWS
-Edwin Jackson, CHC
-Jorge De La Rosa, COL
-Jeremy Hellickson, TB
-Brandon Morrow, TOR
-Ian Kennedy, SD
-Tyler Chatwood, COL
-John Danks, CWS
-Jake Arrieta, CHC
-Randall Delgado, ARI
-Kevin Gausman, BAL
-Jameson Taillon, PIT
-Brett Anderson, COL
-Noah Syndergaard, NYM
-Josh Beckett, LAD
-Tommy Milone, OAK
-Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez, PHI
-Jesse Chavez, OAK
-Jacob Turner, MIA
-Alfredo Simon, CIN
-Robbie Erlin, SD
-Taylor Jordan, WSH
-Danny Duffy, KC
-Aaron Harang, ATL
-Tyler Thornburg, MIL
-Bronson Arroyo, ARI
-Derek Holland, TEX
-Gavin Floyd, ATL
RP
-Cody Allen, CLE
-Rex Brothers, COL
-LaTroy Hawkins, COL
-Tyler Clippard, WSH
-Nate Jones, CWS
-Darren O'Day, BAL
-Jesse Crain, HOU
-Jim Henderson, MIL
-Pedro Strop, CHC
-Drew Storen, WSH
-Neftali Feliz, TEX
-Kelvin Herrera, KC
-Sean Marshall, CIN
-Danny Farquhar, SEA
-Zach Britton, BAL
-Vic Black, NYM
-Jason Motte, STL
-Junichi Tazawa, BOS
-Chad Qualls, HOU
-Mark Melancon, PIT
-Neal Cotts, TEX
-Jake McGee, TB
+MLB
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