Fantasy Mailbag: Tricks of the trade
Brian Flood takes a shot at answering some of your Fantasy Baseball questions in the latest edition of the Fantasy Mailbag.
Editor's note: Each week a CBS SportsLine Fantasy writer will sift through the hundreds of e-mails from Fantasy Baseball fanatics and address a handful that will benefit all owners. Send your questions to DMFantasyBaseball@cbs.com and maybe your question will be answered in this space! Be sure to include your name and hometown.
I recently gave up Josh Beckett, Carlos Delgado, Nick Johnson and Scott Podsednik. I received Albert Pujols, Barry Zito, Austin Kearns and Kelvim Escobar. The team I traded with has a 3-8 record and obviously needs results now to make the playoffs. Half the league thinks I got the better of the deal. Half the league thinks he got the better of the deal. Who do you think got the better of the deal? - Peter Gibaldi, Toms River, NJ
B.F.: When your league members want to complain about a "lopsided" deal, but can't even agree on which side to gripe about -- that's the official sign of a fair trade. Well done. Anyway -- I like Zito better than Beckett, right now, but let's consider them a wash. I'd take Pujols over Delgado, regardless of the injury. Johnson and Podsednik have more value than Kearns and Escobar -- but who cares? You're getting Pujols. I think you got the better end of the deal, despite taking a risk on Pujols returning at full strength.
I'm in a Head-to-Head league and am blessed with owning both Joe Mauer and Victor Martinez at the catcher position. Which one should I part ways with in order to get a more productive third baseman than Aramis Ramirez? - Jeff, Barrie, Ontario
B.F.: Wow -- not a bad problem to have. You could probably land an elite third baseman for either one of them, so it all comes down to what you need. In Rotisserie formats, I would recommend hanging onto Mauer because getting such a high average from your catcher is an enormous advantage. Since you're in a Head-to-Head league, V-Mart might be the way to go because of the extra power. Offer Ramirez and whichever catcher you decide to deal in a package for a superstar third baseman.
What do you think of J.D. Drew? He does not seem to be producing lately. Do you think he is worth keeping or dropping? - Richard Cobb, Cary, NC
B.F.: How am I supposed to answer that question without knowing the size and style of your league? Every week we ignore tons of great questions because readers don't include the necessary information. As for Mr. Fragile -- he's nursing a bruised right thigh and isn't at 100 percent. He's a nice option in any league when healthy, but you should reserve him until he strings together a nice game or two. He's not due to suffer another injury until at least mid-July.
I was wondering if I should drop Randy Johnson and Eric Gagne because they are taking up roster spots and they haven't done anything. Gagne I understand because he is hurt, but I don't know if I should keep Johnson or not. Thanks for your time. - Daniel Mendez, Fillmore, CA
B.F.: Please don't be silly and drop Randy Johnson. He's looking better and still has eight wins despite all of his early struggles. With Gagne, it depends on your league. Keep him if you can reserve or DL him. It's fine to drop him if you aren't allowed to reserve players, because nobody really knows when he'll pitch again.
I'm in a 12-team Head-to-Head league. I'm considering trading Jake Peavy for Jose Reyes. Right now, I need steals and runs more than strikeouts. I've also got Jeremy Bonderman, Scott Kazmir and Francisco Liriano, along with Ben Sheets on the shelf. Would it be wise to offer Peavy for Reyes? - Corey, Denton, MD
B.F.: If you need steals, make that trade ASAP. Liriano, Bonderman and Kazmir should all continue to improve and Reyes is a legit superstar.
Editor's note: Each week a CBS SportsLine Fantasy writer will sift through the hundreds of e-mails from Fantasy Baseball fanatics and address a handful that will benefit all owners. Send your questions to DMFantasyBaseball@cbs.com and maybe your question will be answered in this space! Be sure to include your name and hometown.













