Add Alert - Rafael Betancourt Closing In Cleveland; Joe Borowski On The DL

Joe Borowski was placed on the 15-day DL today with strained triceps. The move comes less than 24 hours after Borowski blew his 3rd save of the season, surrendering a go ahead 2 run homerun to Manny Ramirez in the top of the ninth in a 6-4 Cleveland loss. According to the team, Borowski's velocity has been down over his last few outings which they cite as the primary cause of his ineffectiveness in the early going. With Borowski out, setup man Rafael Betancourt will work the ninth inning for Cleveland.

Fantasy Impact

Rafael Betancourt was arguably the top setup man in all of baseball last year finishing the season with 31 holds - 6th best in baseball. Betancourt's numbers were simply dominating as he went 5-1 with a 1.47 ERA, 0.76 WHIP and struck out 80 batters in 79.1 innings of work. He also vultured three saves in 2007 and has 12 saves over his 6 year career.

Although he has been a bit more hittable in the early going in 2008, Betancourt certainly has the makeup to thrive in the closer role. The Indians are a contender in the American League and a team that traditionally plays a lot of tight ballgames, so he should receive plenty of save opportunities.

Given Borowski's immense struggles thus far, there is a chance that if Betancourt pitches well enough, Eric Wedge may opt to keep him as the closer even when Borowski returns in 2 weeks. If Betancourt should struggle, the team might turn to Raphael Perez or Masahide Kobayashi as a short-term ninth inning solution.

3B Sleeper Alert - Jorge Cantu

The Florida Marlins have placed 3B Jose Castillo on waivers, more or less guaranteeing the starting job to Jorge Cantu. The thought was early on that Castillo and Cantu would split time at 3B with Castillo being used more for his defense and Cantu positioned there more for his bat, than his glove.

FANTASY IMPACT

We have been high on Cantu winning this job this spring, but never expected the Marlins to dump Castillo in the process. Cantu last had a good season in 2005, when he hit.286 with 28HR and 117RBI. Since then a combination of injuries, bad luck and depth in front of him have cost him playing time. If he is indeed the Marlins starting 3B and getting consistent at bats to boot, he should have a very fine fantasy season.

The Marlins will struggle a bit offensively, between the loss of Miguel Cabrera and the constant struggle for Jeremy Hermida to stay healthy, so Cantu could wind up being a significant piece to the offensive puzzle in Florida. Don't expect 2005 numbers again, but 20HR and 80RBI certainly are not out of the question. Fine numbers especially for someone who by now, has been forgotten by many fantasy owners and can be had cheaply come draft time.