Best...renaming...ever

Mark takes the prize with his recent renaming, "Reduced to Refuse." It shows a wonderful sense of humor in what has been a difficult season for his team.

Calling it Quits

Alright, I'm packing it in for the year. I made some deals and finally assembled a team that can hit home runs, but I'm afraid it's too little, too late, and that now my pitching sucks. So, all my 2011 contributors are up for grabs and I'm looking for some stellar keepers for next year. Things to know, however, are that I need to get rid of Hughes and Liriano in order to make room for other keepers. Also, Pineda, Trumbo, Kinsler, and Peralta are all guys that I'd like to keep, so I wouldn't be able to include them in any deals (except maybe Kinsler for the right keeper *COUGHCOUGHJOSEBAUTISTACOUGHCOUGH*). Upton, Arencibia, Wells, Hardy, Kubel, Dunn, Fister, CJ Wilson, Gregg, Francisco, Paulino, and Jackson are all available though.

Mid level keepers

I'm looking to deal mid-level keeper prospects (Quentin at $13, Brantley at $2, A-Rod at $27, Santos at $10 - though I'd need another closer in return) in exchange for rentals. They're not super stars, value wise, but they're a great way to shore up the back end of a set of keepers, particularly for folks who need 5. I'm also willing to take on keeper contracts you'd like to get out of. I'm looking to improve my 3B situation and power overall.

Right now, I just can't see myself dealing Carlos Santana or Eric Hosmer. Blame Caleb's dominant team.

Outfielder for a Pitcher?

Anybody want to trade me an outfielder for one of my starting pitchers? Jackson, Fister, Paulino, and Hughes are all available.

Breaking down the trades

Now that we're past the unofficial half way point, I thought I'd take a look at all the different trades, and try and decide who the winners were. As I mentioned in the post about JJ Hardy and Vernon Wells, I have no idea who "won" most of Luke's trades, since guys were always coming and going...

March

Bill trades David DeJesus to Mark for Michael Brantley

Winner: Bill

DeJesus never really got on track this year, failing to build on what had been looking like a career year in 2010 before getting cut short by injury. Brantley, on the other hand, filled in admirably for Grady Sizemore in center field and has been an all around contributor, on pace for 10 home runs and 20 stolen bases.

April

Caleb trades Daniel Bard to Spencer for Josh Willingham

Winner: Spencer

Middle relievers are usually a dime a dozen, but Bard is special for a couple of reasons. First of all, he's putting up spectacular ratios and impressive strikeout numbers. Secondly, he's the closer in waiting for the Red Sox. At $8, that's a solid value for Spencer next year.

Mark trades Vlad Guerrero and Jake Peavy for Aaron Hill

Winner: Push

Vlad has been a disappointment, and now is on the DL. Peavy has been effective off and on, but Luke spun him off in a later deal with Spencer. Just in time, too, as he may be pushed to the bullpen with the return of Danks. Despite two underwhelming performances, Mark didn't win this trade because Hill hasn't been impressive either. A .255 average is about expected, but only 4 home runs doesn't cut it, even at 2B.

Spencer trades Matt LaPorta to Luke for Vernon Wells

Winner: Who knows

Luke traded LaPorta to Andrew in a larger deal for Kinsler, and Spencer traded Vernon Wells back to Luke.

Bill trades Jason Kubel and Orlando Cabrera to Luke for Derek Jeter

Winner: Bill

I filled a big hole at short stop with this deal, and O-Cab quickly came back to earth. Kubel has been hot when he's playing, but an ankle injury has limited his playing time. Jeter hasn't been particularly impressive, excepting his 5/5 day with a home run and a steal to put him over 3,000 hits, but he is racking up the runs.

Spencer trades Justin Morneau to Caleb for Brian Roberts

Winner: Push

Another trade that didn't make much of a difference. Both players have been injured for most of the season, and Roberts has barely played for Caleb. I almost made Spencer the winner based on Morneau's three home runs, but Roberts did contribute three stolen bases for Caleb.

May

Bill trades Jordan Walden to Kate for Brett Anderson

Bill trades Brett Anderson and Brandon McCarthy to Mark for CC Sabathia

Winner: Bill and Kate

I lumped these two trades together, as Anderson never actually pitched for me. Trading away Anderson for Walden allowed Kate to pick up an extra five points in saves. It hasn't cost me any points in saves, but if I had held on to Anderson this trade would look very different. Instead, I was able to package Anderson, a potential keeper, and a resurgent Brandon McCarthy to Mark for CC Sabathia. Mark's pitching had been devastated by injuries, so he needed the depth, but Anderson and McCarthy both quickly got hurt. Mccarthy has since returned, but in the mean time, CC has piled up lots of innings with great ratios.

Luke trades Delmon Young and JJ Hardy to Spencer for Jhonny Peralta and Brandon Webb

Winner: Who knows

Another head scratcher from Luke and Spencer. Hardy was rostered by Spencer for awhile, before being sent back to Luke as part of a deal for Ichiro. Spencer did manage to turn JJ Hardy in to a high level outfielder, but Peralta has been great for Luke. If I had to pick something, I'd call it a push.

Andrew trades Ian Kinsler and Edwin Jackson to Luke for Ricky Romero, Kyle Farnsworth, and Matt LaPorta

Winner: Push

Kinsler has been great for Luke, putting up 10 home runs, 12 stolen bases, and boat loads of runs. Jackson has been okay (3.68 ERA, 1.39 WHIP), but in limited duty. Romero has been good for Andrew (3.07 ERA, 1.30 WHIP) and he hasn't been spot started, accumulating twice as many innings as Jackson has for Luke. Farnsworth has been great for Andrew, accumulating 11 saves and upping his strikeout rate to 7/9 IP. Without Farnsworth, Andrew would be last in saves, so he probably comes out ahead in 2011 value. Kinsler is looking like a solid one or two year keeper though, so Luke is ahead keeper wise. This one looks like a win-win.

Spencer trades John Lackey to Taylor for Justin Duchscherer

Winner: Spencer

Spencer no longer has John Lackey on his team. No, Duchscherer hasn't contributed anything, but the 26 IP of 6+ ERA that Lackey has "contributed" to Taylor's team is worth less than nothing.

June

The June trades are probably too early to evaluate, but for posterity's sake, here they are...

Bill trades Abreu and Jon Rauch to Caleb for Carlos Quentin

Taylor trades David Ortiz to Luke for Vlad Guerrero and Jeremy Hellickson

Spencer trades JJ Hardy and Vernon Wells to Luke for Ichiro, Marco Scutaro, and Jake Peavy. Though we'll probably never be able to figure out who won this one...

How to finish last in home runs

Jose Bautista: 31 HR

Bills entire current starting outfield (Markakis, Snider, Gardner, Quentin): 30 HR

Shit.

What a long, strange trip it's been

March 14 - Luke keeps Vernon Wells.

March 22 - Spencer drafts JJ Hardy.

April 15 - Luke trades Vernon Wells to Spencer for Matt LaPorta.

April 17 - Spencer drops JJ Hardy.

May 7 - Luke adds JJ Hardy.

May 12 - Spencer trades Brandon Webb and Jhonny Peralta to Luke for JJ Hardy and Delmon Young.

July 8 - Spencer trades JJ Hardy and Vernon Wells to Luke for Ichiro, Jake Peavy, and Marco Scutaro.

Looking to deal 2-1 OF

I'm looking to deal 2-1 with outfielders, although I might be able to include an infielder like Billy Butler in the right deal. Obviously who I end up with depends on who I include in the deal (Markakis and Quentin will yield a lot more than Brantley and Snider), but I'm looking for someone who will be a solid starter for me.

Ichiro for power?

Looking to trade Ichiro for an outfielder with some power. Any takers?