Keepers and the trade deadline/2 month minimum

So, if I were to trade Big Papi for prospects on someone else's team, those prospects would meet the 2 month requirement even if they weren't on my team for those two months?

Andrew

Not fantasy baseball related...

But have any of you who don't live in Boston been watching the Devil Rays series this weekend on MLB.tv? They have to be among the worst announcers in the game. On Friday they got the two trades wrong, saying that Tadahito Iguchi and Kenny Lofton were traded and that Iguchi was traded for Max Ramirez. And they never corrected themselves. Ever.

Last night they complained about a bad check swing call that put Youks on base without mentioning an equally bad check swing call that allowed Upton to reach the inning before. They just wouldn't let it go and kept saying that Reyes got 5 outs to get them out of the inning (Gomes misplayed a ball in LF).

Just now in Sunday's game they complained about the fact that Kazmir didn't throw a fastball to Wily M. Pena when they thought he should have. Pena is Pedro fucking Cerrano. He cannot hit a breaking ball to save his life. He annihilates fastballs from lefties. It is the only thing he does well. Their announcing is just mind blowingly bad.

Offseason trades

So, do we want to allow trades during the offseason? Obviously it would only matter if both teams wanted to keep the players traded, but I think it could be interesting. I suppose another matter is if it will actually work with Yahoo, but I'm guessing if we got rid of the "official" trading deadline we could make it work. Is anyone else interested in this?

My two cents on roster expansion

Sorry I'm jumping in a bit late on this, but I was out in the field for the last week and a half so I didn't have much internet access. I'm all for expanding the number of starting players, but I think we might want to drop the limit on the number of moves. With a weekly line-up and a limit on the number of innings pitched I don't think streaming is an issue.

Also, I'm going to have to disagree with Caleb's statement that there isn't pitching on the waiver wire. There isn't solid starting pitching that will do everything for you (and this is right after a waiver wire run on starting pitching), but there are guys like Petitte that will get you strike outs, but might hurt you a bit on WHIP or ERA, guys like Meche who started out well but have struggled some lately, and guys who are on good teams that happen to pitching well right now (Gabbard and DiNardo). That doesn't even address the middle relievers who would help WHIP and ERA while piling up as many strikeouts as some of the lower level starters. In deeper leagues these guys would be played and it would be up to the managers to decide how to balance the various weaknesses a player has. Right now there isn't much pressure to roll the dice on marginal players, which I think is part of the game. Guys who are playing well end up as free agents forever (look how long Carlos Pena was available for absolutely nothing).

Carrying two catchers is the only spot where I could see some pretty shitty players ending up starting on rosters, but I'm not sure that it would put tons of extra value on the position.

Yahoo Ruling

Hello Spencer,

Thank you for writing to Yahoo! Sports.

I appreciate your inquiry with regards to AL/NL only player trades.

If a player in the National League is traded to the American League (or vice versa), the team that has the player in a league using National League players only will no longer accrue stats for that player.

If the player is removed from the team, he will no longer be available to the league.

Additionally, any player who is traded between leagues will be introduced to AL-only or NL-only leagues via waivers.

Regretfully, it is not possible to customize a AL or NL-only league to allow managers to continue earning stats if a player is traded out of the league.

I value your interest in Yahoo! Fantasy Sports. Whenever you have further comments or questions, please feel free to email me again.

Thank you again for contacting Yahoo! Sports.

Yo Commish

Question - I think we decided that if a player gets traded to a NL team, we get to continue getting stats for that player for this year, but obviously can't be kept if he stays there.

1) I'm not sure Yahoo! does this - I get the feeling that as soon as someone is on a NL team they won't contribute to our stats - could you e-mail them and find out?

2) If someone gets traded to an NL team and then signs as a free agent at an AL Team is he still an eligible keeper/

Expand Roster for 2008?

Is there any desire in the league to expand the rosters? I feel like everyone here is astute enough to handle it, the question is whether it would make the league better. With only 6 teams there are a lot of good players on each team. Forcing each team to go "deeper" into the player pool would definitely add a larger element of manager/scouting. We have deep benches as it is, so what if we converted some of those bench spots to starting spots?

Additional positions to consider:
4th or 5th outfielders, middle infield (2b/ss), corner infield (1b/3b), additional pitchers, second catcher.

We would have to increase the number of moves significantly, but I would still be in favor of having a limit. My biggest complaint right now is people having "dead" spots on their roster. With a big bench and limited moves, you end up carrying players that you don't really want or need. The alternative would be to decrease the size of the bench but keep the same starting roster spots.

I'm not married to the idea... just thinking of improvements. Thoughts?

There's Always Next Year.

I'm giving up on this season everybody so I will be trading players off for keeper talent. First I have a couple questions about the keeper rules:

1) What happens if after a trade you happen to have two players who were drafted in the same round and you want to keep both of them? If they were both drafted in say round 5 would you lose that pick and round 6 too?

2) What happens when you keep a player who you picked up on waivers? Do you only lose your last pick?

Anyway, Lee, Mussina, Santana, Colon, Damon, Ellis, Varitek, and Inge are all available for not much. Pretty much everyone else other than Guillen, Kazmir and Matsuzaka are available at a higher price, and those other 3 aren't out of the question if it's a good enough offer. I'm looking for good keepers who were drafted late.

Quick pitch for just going with the three years

I'd suggest that we go with every player only being kept for 3 years, vs having the 4 years for the later rounds.

I think it's reasonably unlikely that anyone would really "dominate" the league with 5 keepers, but the most likely scenario for domination is a team with stud players that they managed to pick up in the later rounds - if Andrew Miller, Phillip Hughes, and Billy Butler end up as Johan Santana, C.C. Sabathia, and A-Rod over the next year or so, then Andrew will be set, not just because he took great keepers, but because he still has his earliest picks in the draft intact. Letting him keep those players for 4 years vs 3 seems more likely to me to put us in a position where one team has a huge advantage.

I'd suggest three years being the max for everyone.

Projected Standings - Second Half

The second half of the season (well 46.3%) will bring fame, fortune, and glory to one owner and shame, misery, and debt to 5 others. The tension is at an all time high. Your fate is revealed...

Last time I ran these projections, Bill was on top of a tight race with 40 points. The projections were not kind to Caleb, showing a huge drop off in HR and RBI rates. This time around a few roster changes and a couple of injuries have shaken up the projected order of finish slightly.

Right now, the biggest injury concerns at the top of the projections are between two righties with shoulder issues. The status of AJ Burnett and Curt Schilling are very much up in the air right now and their respective returns to action could be pivotal in a tight race.

Pete Rose and Marginally Effective are given an outside shot at the title, while Warning Track Power plummets mightily. Pete Rose will need a big second half from Richie Sexson. Chone Figgins has been a pleasant surprise after starting out slow coming back from injury. Warning Track can take solace in the fact that a large part of his projected decline has to do with Sheffield who, with one more homerun, will double his projected HR total for the year. My concern would be more with A-Rod who may or may not remain motivated in playing baseball once the Yankees are realistically eliminated from the playoffs (especially if his hammy is still tight). Marginally Effective has dug a bit of a hole for himself and will need to make some upgrades to his pitching staff thought trades or savvy free agent signings. He may have already found that guy in Andrew Miller who undoubtedly get more production than his 44 projected innings allow for. Will it be enough?

As is, the projections are run with Burnett and Schilling on the active roster. Both could be back late July/early August... or not at all.

Projected Standings

	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	W	SV	K	ERA	WHIP	Total
Licker Store AllStars	6.0	6.0	6.0	5.0	2.0	1.0	3.0	5.0	3.0	5.0	42.0
Berkeley Hoboes	2.0	5.0	4.0	4.0	1.0	6.0	4.0	4.0	6.0	6.0	42.0
Marginally Effective	4.0	4.0	5.0	2.0	4.0	3.0	6.0	2.0	5.0	3.0	38.0
The Pete Rose Legacy	1.0	1.0	1.0	6.0	5.0	4.0	5.0	3.0	4.0	4.0	34.0
Warning Track Power	3.0	2.0	2.0	3.0	6.0	5.0	2.0	1.0	2.0	2.0	28.0
YOOOUUUK!	5.0	3.0	3.0	1.0	3.0	2.0	1.0	6.0	1.0	1.0	26.0

Projected +/- by category

	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	W	SV	K	ERA	WHIP	Total
Licker Store AllStars	1.0	1.0	1.0	-1.0	-1.0	0.0	-2.0	-1.0	-2.0	-1.0	-5.0
Berkeley Hoboes	1.0	2.0	3.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	8.0
Marginally Effective	1.0	2.0	3.0	-1.0	0.0	-1.0	2.0	0.0	2.0	1.0	9.0
The Pete Rose Legacy	-1.0	0.0	-3.0	1.0	0.0	1.0	-1.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	-3.0
Warning Track Power	-3.0	-4.0	-4.0	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	-1.0	-11.0
YOOOUUUK!	1.0	-1.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	0.0	0.0	2.0

Official Rules

As we move through the all-star break and start to think about, this year, next year, keepers, prospects etc - can we get clarification on all the various rules? I believe some things were left up in the air. Things I'm thinking about are

1) trading deadline
2) what happens to an AL player traded to the NL, this year and beyond
3) Prospect pick - can you re-iterate those rules, and what was the logic for requiring them to have to be on an ML roster for 2 months?
4) Is the keeper rule a maximum of 3 years

etc.

Durham Plays for Keeps
Mid-Season Report

The mid summer classic is upon us, giving a few days of fantasy rest. Take a shower. Go for a walk. Floss.

Here is my arbitrary mid-season all-value fantasy team. No one picked lower than the 10th round is on the team and I’m pretty sure it would be competitive, but I’d have to run the numbers. B.J. Upton is on the list but injured. If you want, you can sub in Polanco (14th round, 82 overall). Who did I snub? Who is in there that shouldn’t be? Take your best shot.

2007 Mid-Season All-Value Team (round.overall)

C - Jorge Posada (25.146)
1b – Kevin Youkilis (10.57)
2b – B.J. Upton (18.107)
SS – Orlando Cabrera (25.150)
3B – Mike Lowell (ufa)
OF – Magglio Ordonez (14.84)
OF – Torii Hunter (14.80)
OF – Curtis Granderson (13.77)
DH – Alex Rios (11.63)

SP – Mark Buehrle (13.75)
SP – Eric Bedard (11.66)
RP – J.J. Putz (10.55)
RP – Hideki Okajima (ufa)
P – Joe Blanton (ufa)
P – James Shields (21.121)
P – Kelvim Escobar (13.74)

*Blog interruption: Did anyone see saw that catch by Granderson on Willy Mo? Holy shit. That guy is quickly becoming one my favorite outfielders in the AL. Also, I really hate Sheffield. Never met or will meet the guy but I’m 99.9% positive he is a complete asshole. I’d bet Okajima’s good karma necklace on it.

Given that the all-star game is coming up, we can take a look at how well the selections translate to our fantasy league. The most obvious flaws are players picked because to represent their woeful team. Michael Young, Gil Meche, and Bobby Jenks fit this category. The rest of the selections mostly deserved it.

Licker Store All Stars (5)
Victor Martinez (C), Justin Morneau (1B), Brian Roberts (2B), Grady Sizemore (OF), J.J. Putz (RP)

If I had to pick my top 5 players on my team, this would be the group. Hands down. Eric Bedard is the most obvious snub (has a chance at 300 Ks this season) but overall I can’t be disappointed with the first half. Delmon Young and Felix Hernandez looked like locks for keepers at the beginning of the year, but injuries and inconsistent play have kept them at a distance behind the all-star group.

Key waiver wire additions: Gary Mathews Jr., Joe Blanton

Warning Track Power (8)
Placido Polanco (2B), Alex Rodriquez (3B), Michael Young (SS), Alex Rios (OF), Josh Beckett (SP), Gil Meche (SP), Justin Verlander (SP), Hideki Okajima (RP)

The number of all-stars is a bit more impressive than the actual group but you can’t find too many flaws up and down the Warning Track’s lineup. A-Rod has been the first half MVP and Beckett’s 12 wins has him front running for the Cy Young. Meche and Young were throw-ins but picking up Pedrioa and Polanco off the waiver wire was smart. Both no-hitters thrown this year (Buherle and Verlander) are in Warning Track’s rotation. As much as I hate him, Sheffield is deserving of an all-star spot too.

Key waiver wire additions: Polanco, Dustin Pedrioa

The Pete Rose Legacy (8)
Ivan Rodriguez (C), Derek Jeter (SS), Mike Lowell (3B), Ichiro Suzuki (OF), Magglio Ordonez (OF), Bobby Jenks (RP), Francisco Rodriguez (RP), Johan Santana (SP)

With the exception of Jenks, Pete Rose Legacy has a well deserving group of players going to the all-star game. Johan may not be pitching at sub 2 ERA levels, but 10 wins and 125 Ks is nothing to be unhappy about. Lots of good wavier wire additions has kept Pete Rose in the race. Mike Lowell has provided a huge lift in the power numbers but will need to keep producing if Pete Rose has a shot at contending in the second half. A lot of points can be gained in the HR and R category, but it looks like another trade will have to be in order. Trade acquisistions Jermaine Dye and Julio Lugo have been busts and won’t add the power and run support Pete Rose had hoped for.

Key waiver wire additions: Lowell, Sammy Sosa, Jeremy Guthrie

Berkeley Hoboes (5)
Jorge Posada (C), Carl Crawford (OF), Manny Ramirez (OF), Dan Haren (SP), C.C. Sabathia (SP)

The Hoboes season has been marred by some first half disappointments and injuries. Wells and Konerko look as it they are turning things around and starting pitching has held strong all season. If someone can emerge as a consistent starter at third, there may be enough kick left to contend late in the season.

Key waiver wire additions: Al Reyes

Marginally Effective (5)
David Ortiz (1B), Vladimir Guerrero (OF), Torii Hunter (OF), John Lackey (SP), Jonathan Papelbon (RP)

Looking at the group of all-stars here you might expect more from the 5th place team. It’s hard to say what has gone wrong here, but perhaps asking why Torii Hunter has sat on Andrew’s bench for 81 at bats this season is a good place to begin. To be fair, injuries have played no small part in the lack-luster 1st half performance but something feels amiss here.

Key waiver wire additions: Akinori Iwamura

Yooouuuk!!! (1)
Carlos Guillen (SS)

Not much to say about this team other than there’s always next year. The one all-star representative was acquired through a trade. Ironically, Kevin Youkilis is the best player on this team and good value for a keeper if he keeps his 3B eligibility. Trading Rivera for Guillen has worked out so far (.386, 5 Hr). A strong draft with the right keepers will put Youk right back on track for 2008.

Key waiver wire additions: Chad Gaudin

Look out Youuuuk

* Alex Rodriguez left Tuesday's game after six innings with a strained hamstring thanks to a collision at first base with Justin Morneau, but returned to the lineup Wednesday by going 0-for-4 as the Yankees' designated hitter. After extending his slump to 0-for-19 with eight strikeouts in a loss to the Twins, Rodriguez said that he may sit out the All-Star game and also indicated that he could be forced out of the lineup before then.

Caleb's team just got 80% worse.