Fantasy Mailbag: Filling the Void

Question: My recent pick-ups, Nathan Eovaldi and Erasmo Ramirez, didn't work out too well. I was wondering how you would rank the following: John Danks, Ramirez, Eovaldi and Corey Kluber). And, just as important, how many of them would you start in a two-start week over one start from, say, Francisco Liriano, Alex Cobb, or Anibal Sanchez? That last answer helps me determine if they are even worth owning. I'm not really chasing anything like strikeouts or wins right now and don't want to get blown up in WHIP or ERA.

Answer: I would rank these pitchers Kluber, Ramirez, Eovaldi, and Danks. I'd prefer Liriano and Sanchez in any 1-start match-up to these guys. With Cobb it’s hard to bank on a guy who is hurt right now with so much uncertainty around his injury recovery time.

Question: This is a H2H, 16-team dynasty league (H, R, 2B, 3B, HR, RBI, BB, K, SB, IP, H, ER, HR, BB,K, QS, SV, HD) I'm selling this season, as there is no possible way I can make the playoffs.

Below are the player's salaries and free agent dates. Everyone had a $200 budget at the beginning of the year. I get Cole Hamels ($23, 2019), Chris Getz ($1,2015), Nick Castellanos ($1, Rookie), and David Wright ($44, 2021)

For Nelson Cruz ($13, 2014), Omar Infante ($5, 2014), Juan Pierre ($1, 2014), Jon Lester ($14, 2014 team option), and Adam Wainwright ($18, 2019)

I don't like the smell of this. I'm dealing away power with Cruz, steals with Pierre, and a Cy Young pitcher in Wainwright for the downside of Hamels, the downside of Wright, Chris Getz, and a solid prospect. I'm hesitant to include Wainwright for Wright because I could get more value for Wainwright elsewhere. Wright plays in a pitchers' park and is on the downside of his peak.

His rookies are Trevor Rosenthal, Castellanos, Wily Peralta, Rob Brantley, Martin Perez, Jake Odorizzi, Jarrod Cosart, Pete Kozma, and Hak-Ju Lee.

Answer: I'd rather just hold Wainwright if it's Waino-for-Wright. I’m not sure you're getting the downside of Hamels. He's struggled some this year, but the skills are still brilliant so let's not paint with too broad a brush. If you can eliminate that part and maybe squeeze another rookie out of him, I like it. I love getting Castellanos so keep him in at all costs. I'm not bugging out on anything you're giving up besides Waino, so adjust that and then go!

Question: Garza was traded out of my NL-only league, so I'm scrambling for a replacement. I'm in first place by a fair margin, so I'm thinking of the best long-term solution, meaning a DL stash that could contribute in the playoffs would be fine by me. Would you mind doing a rough rank of the following options? It's a 6×6 league with ERA, WHIP, Ks, and Wins as the SP categories.

• Jonathon Niese
• Chris Carpenter
• Roy Halladay
• Wily Peralta
• Edwin Jackson
• Wandy Rodriguez
• Michael Wacha
• Nate Eovaldi

Answer: Ouch that is tough. I'd go Peralta, Eovaldi, Edwin.

Question: We are in a league where the keeper system is as follows: First year after a player is drafted, you get to keep the player at the Draft Price. After the first year you have to choose whether to offer one-, two-, or three-year contracts at $5 per year, but you have to pay that full contract amount each year. For example:

Draft Price: $1

1st year: $1 – then afterward sign to 2 year contract

2nd Year: $11

3rd Year: $11

4th Year: Free Agent

With that in mind, my season is done this year, and I am trying to unload any player I can for future assets. I am currently weighing two offers:

• First offer: I give Shin-Soo Choo and Eric Hosmer for Kris Medlen $1 (contract decision must be made after this year), and Joe Mauer $10 (draft price).
• Second offer: I give Choo and pitcher X (low level) for Anthony Rizzo $1 (contract decision must be made after this year).
• Third offer: I give Choo and pitcher X or another piece to a team that has Everth Cabrera $2 (contract decision must be made after this year), Logan Morrison $2 (contract decision must be made after this year), Dexter Fowler $7 (contract decision must be made after this year), and Johnny Cueto $9 (contract decision must be made after this year).

I am leaning toward Rizzo over Medlen and Mauer, but am wondering what combo of the Fowler, Cueto, Morriso,n and Cabrera group it would take to trump Rizzo? Alternatively, I could take Mauer and Medlen.

Also what kind of keeper value do you think Jurickson Profar has for next year. I am being offered him separately, but would have to make a contract decision on him and am having so much trouble knowing what to expect from him in the next two years.

Answer: I prefer delving into offer 3 out of all of them, but offer 2 comes in second, as I don't want to give Medlen a contract and Mauer still has the issues of durability plus lingering concerns of how long he'll be a catcher, though he has reached the threshold for catcher eligibility next year.

I prefer Cabrera, Fowler, LoMo and Cueto in that order in trade 3. I love Cueto, but I'm nervous about contracting any pitcher really let alone one with some durability concerns of his own.

Profar is probably super cheap based on these other prices so he seems like someone worth giving at least two years to if not the full three.

Question: Trade question for you of the hardest kind: pitcher for hitter.

My current starting offense is:

• C Mike Napoli
• 1B Albert Pujols
• 2B Jason Kipnis
• SS Everth Cabrera
• 3B Ryan Zimmerman
• OF Bryce Harper
• OF Carlos Beltran
• OF Alex Rios

I then have these players to fill in at my two UT spots each night: Starling Marte, Yoenis Cespedes Billy Butler, Adam Dunn, or Alex Gordon. Gordon, Cespedes, or Marte sometimes take Rios' spot depending on streakiness.

I think it makes sense to trade at least one of my outfielders, because they're wasting on the bench (granted it's an eight team league, so there's always going to be talent sitting on the bench).

I have been offered Julio Teheran for Marte. Do you think this is enough? I could use another starter because mine are somewhat wishy-washy. I'm obviously losing speed, but I just traded for Kipnis so I will be getting new speed from him, and Harper seems to be running more, as well as Cespedes.

Answer: I really like Teheran, but I think I'd want someone a little more sturdy (think Mat Latos). I don't foresee Teheran just collapsing, but it wouldn't thoroughly surprise me, either.