Andruw Jones to the Mets Rumored

ESPN.com's Buster Olney is reporting that the Mets and L.A. Dodgers are discussing a deal that would send the much maligned Andruw Jones out of L.A. and to New York. The deal makes sense for the Dodgers as it would allow them to free up some cash and room in their already crowded outfield, to sign Adam Dunn.

Jones was once looked at by many as a sure fire first ballot Hall of Fame player. He played a gold glove center field and hit 20+ homeruns for 10 straight seasons. However, an ever increasing decline in his offensive production, defensive range and an increase in his waste size have caused many to question if he can still play the game effectively.

If he can get himself back into playing shape and has clear up the knee injuries that plagued him for much of the '08 season, the move would give the Mets a very good sleeper candidate in right field to start next season.

FANTASY IMPACT

If the Dodgers do sign Dunn I think his value stays the same. Granted Dunn goes into a much bigger home ballpark, but he also goes into a better contact line up, that will be less prone to prolinged slumps. Also, most of Dunn's homeruns go a very long way and would leave the ballpark, no matter how big it is.

Andruw Jones would be on more or less be on his last chance. The Mets might be a good place for him to try and regain his swing and bravado on the playing field. The Mets showed their patience with Carlos Delgado last season and allowed him to work through his struggles at the plate, when many felt his career as a power hitting first baseman was over. The Mets patience paid off and they were handsomely rewarded when Delgado came onto be the hottest hitter in the majors over the last few months of the '08 season. They might need to be ready to wait out Jones to see if he can regain his homerun swing from yesteryear. The move to right field would allow him less wear and tare on his legs over the course of a long season and should only benefit him.

Come draft time take Dunn where you normally would. With Jones take him late, as a sleeper, but be ready to go through some early down periods early on. Don't expect great things out of the gate, but it could certainly be worth it to stash him. It will probably take him a while before he is able to swing the bat the way he once did.

Dodgers Dunn With Manny?

Sources had told ESPN.com's Jason Stark that the L.A. Dodgers have been in contact with with the agents for free agent slugger, Adam Dunn. The move signals that the Dodgers are not going to wait around to hear back from Manny Ramirez and his future intentions.

The Dodgers have many, many fine young hitters in their line up, from catcher Russel Martin, to first baseman James Loney, to outfielders Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier. They also have fine roll players in Casey Blake and Blake DeWitt manning third and second base respectively. Dunn would add a veteran presence to the line up and legit source of serious power, that the Dodgers hadn't seen for years, until the mid Summer deal that brought Manny to town was completed.

This could be big trouble in waiting for another free agent. Manny Ramirez. Manny burst on the scene in L.A. delivering clutch RBIs and timely hitting for his 2 months tenure in L.A. It seemed like the Dodgers would be a slam dunk to resigning, but after their early efforts to sign him were rebuffed the Dodgers have been waiting back to see what develops with Manny and where the market takes his value.

The addition of Dunn will also make an already crowded outfield situation in L.A. even more unsettled. Young sluggers Kemp and Ethier are going to play everyday, because they produce and should be playing everyday. That leaves left field to be patrolled with either Juan Pierre, Andruw Jones or Dunn if the Dodgers sign him.

Andruw Jones is perhaps the biggest piece of this puzzle. The once sure fire first ballot Hall of Famer has slumped miserably the last two seasons. His 2008 season was a joke. In 209 at bats he hit .158 with 3HR and 14RBI. The Dodgers seem to have come to terms with the idea that his signing was a mistake and they are going to have to eat the remaining $14 million or so he still has awaiting him for the 2009 season.

If Manny doesn't wind up going to the Dodgers, then where will he wind up? We examine the team that is the best fit for Manny here.

Mangini Out of a Job

Fitting that the coach who once made a cameo on "The Soprano's" coached his last game against, the Miami Dolphins and head coach Tony Sparano. Various sources around New York are reporting that Jets' head coach Eric Mangini will not be returning to coach the team again next season. The announcement is to come at a news conference the Jets have scheduled for today at 10a.m.

The announcement ends weeks of speculation about Mangini's job status that has been up in the air ever since the Jets entered their late season swoon. Entering week 13 the Jets sat alone a top the AFC East at 8-3. Then came a disastrous stretch where the Jets lost 4 out of their last 5 games, including a pivotal loss to a Seattle Seahawks team that finished the season 3-13.

Mangini early on in his Jet tenure was nick named "Man-Genious" for his coaching decisions and highly touted offense. However, the nick name wore off fast as many of his decisions over the last few weeks have been greatly scrutinized, highlighted when the Jets went for a first down on a 4th and 2 from their own 20 with over 2 minutes to play in the Seattle game. The Jets were only down by a touch down at the time, however the turn over on downs so deep in their own territory led to an easy field goal for Seattle and put the Jets chances to win the game and make the playoffs out of reach.

Sox Close to Picking Up Penny: Fantasy Impact

Foxsports.com's Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Red Sox and free agent Brad Penny are close to agreeing on a one year deal pending some contract details and a physical. The latter could be the more difficult part for Penny given his injury plagued 2008 campaign.

(Update: WBZ TV's Dan Roche confirmed the Penny deal to be for, one year at $5 million, with another $3 million in potential incentives. The deal, however is still pending a physical.)

Penny won 16 games for the L.A. Dodgers in 2006 and again in 2007. In 2006 he was the starting pitcher for the N.L. All Star team. It looked as if he was going to cash it in following the 2008 season, however shoulder injuries derailed his season and he finished 6-9 with an ERA over 6.00. The fact that the Dodgers turned down a single season, market value option on him, perhaps hints that they weren't totally convinced his shoulder issues are behind him.

The deal is reminiscent of the one the Sox signed Bartolo Colon to last season. An All Star pitcher, who has been battling injury, given a one year contract to try and increase their market value, following a few injuries


FANTASY IMPACT

I find it a bit disconcerting that Penny fought shoulder injuries all last season, and there was no sort of surgery or rehab done during the season that was able to diagnose and fix exactly what was wrong with him. If there was something that wasn't serious wouldn't the Dodgers have resigned him? They could use the starter with Derek Lowe leaving via free agency and the young Clayton Kershaw still being limited in the amount of innings they want him to throw.

The Red Sox aren't exactly taking a risk here, and it is a bit too early to tell if Penny is healthy enough to hold up over the long haul of a full baseball season. What it does show is that the Sox want to be patient with Clay Buchholz and his development, and probably want to try and use Justin Masterson in a variety of ways, as an arm out of the bullpen and spot starter when needed.

So basically what we learned is; take Penny late in your draft as a sleeper. However this could change come March as we learn more about how healthy he is. He has ace type stuff and could wind up being the 3 or 4 starter, which will favor him greatly in most match ups. The Red Sox are not yet ready to let The Buccholz train leave the station. They don't want to rush him and have him take a step back like he did in 2008 again, so the signing of a veteran like Penny can give him some more time to develop in the minors. That being said, Buchholz is still a great prospect and is worth a late round pick, as he'll get the first call to the majors when a Red Sox starter goes down with an injury.

Willy Taveras to the Reds: Fantasy Impact

The Cincinnati Reds and center fielder Willy Taveras agreed to a two-year contract on Saturday. Taveras is coming off of a mediocre 2008 season where he only managed to hit a paltry .251 with a .308 on-base percentage, making him expendable for his former team, the Colorado Rockies. Despite the rather down season Taveras still managed to lead all of baseball with 68 stolen bases in 75 attempts.

FANTASY IMPACT

Taveras needs to stay healthy and show he can play everyday. The move away from Coors Field could actually help Taveras' numbers this season. Coors Field has quite an expansive outfield, that combined with the thin air and Taveras' thin frame probably made it difficult for his body to recuperate properly and added to the wear and tare his body went through. Moving to a smaller outfield that is actually located at sea level should help Taveras stay healthier than he has over the last few seasons.

The 2008 season was a bit of an anomaly as he had his career worst season with the bat, yet had a career year using his speed, doubling his previous single season stolen base total. This could be seen as a fluke or it could be looked at as a player finally developing what he does best as a baseball player and playing to his strength, like we have seen Juan Pierre do for years.

The young Reds team that will surround him in the line up could also be a detriment. No one will doubt the talent of the players that will surround him. Guys like Brandon Phillips, Joey Votto and Jay Bruce are some of the finest rising stars in the game. However, they are still young and will be prone to some ups and downs and inconsistencies throughout a long baseball season.

Taveras, despite being a speedster and lead off man for the majority of his career, has never scored 100 runs in a season or collected more than 180 hits. Before 2008 he had never stolen more than 34 bases in a season and has yet to drive in more than 30RBIs in a season. Granted in the NL it's tougher for a lead off man to drive in runs with the pitcher hitting in front of him, but still at some point you'd expect to see better production in at least one season.

Taveras is strictly a stolen base threat at this point and should be looked at as nothing else. He could, at best, steal 60 bases again and score close to 100 runs and finish with a .300AVG. At worst he gets nicked up again, misses time and winds up with around 70runs scored and 35SB.

Come draft day I would avoid taking him out of necessity. That meaning, don't draft a line up full of strictly sluggers and then bank on Taveras to go out there and make up the difference. His numbers have been rather inconsistent and you don't know how much time he'll spend on the ball field. If you can grab him as a guy to bolster your stolen base numbers and to compliment other stolen base threats you have, you'll be in a much more stable position.

Randy Johnson Signs With Giants

The Big Unit will give it another go in the NL West next season in his question for 300. The 45-year-old, five time Cy Young Award winner signed a one year, $8 million contract with the San Fransisco Giants Friday night. The contract joins Johnson with an already formidable Giants staff that features former Cy Young winners Tim Lincecum, Barry Zito as well as the highly touted Matt Cain.

FANTASY IMPACT

Johnson has gone to a very good place and this really helps his fantasy value for next season. While the Giants' offense is nothing to write home about (in fact it's nothing to write anywhere about) the Big Unit should see similar success to what he saw in the second half of last season with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Don't be totally fooled by Johnson's overall numbers, his second half numbers showed flashes of the Unit of old we are used to seeing.

First half

Wins- 6
Losses- 7
ERA- 5.23
Strikeouts- 95
Innings Pitched- 98
Games- 17

Second Half

Wins-5
Losses- 3
ERA-2.41
Strikeouts- 78
Innings Pitched- 86
Games- 13

Clearly Johnson's numbers picked up in the second half as he got healthier and came to terms with what he now is as a pitcher. Less power, more finesse, pitching more to contact and allowing the defense to do their jobs really allowed Johnson to thrive. If you add that to the fact that he'll be going from a good hitter's park to a good pitcher's park, you could have yourself a five time Cy Young Award winner, with over 4,700K's who could be a draft day steal.

He isn't the dominant ace he once was in years past, but you can still expect near 15 wins, 175Ks and an ERA in the low 3.00s. Before last season's draft I would have told you to avoid Johnson because he was such a health risk. However, he really seems to have righted himself and has his back issues in check, so I don't think he'll be somebody you have to worry about breaking down too early in the season and losing him for an extended period of time. Think of taking him around the same time an A.J. Burnett or Scott Shields might get drafted.

Hot or Not

Welcome back to another edition of Hot or Not. We've got Hotness, we've got Notness, and we've got an emotional good-bye to...Billy Butler. Let's get to it.

Hot Bats

Milton Bradley

Stats over the last 7 days: 5 HR, 4 SB, .478 BA

If the Texas Rangers were a woman, they'd be the one that always dates Guys With Problems, convinced that they can save them. Amazingly, it's paying off - Bradley and Josh Hamilton have been great (we'll pretend Sidney Ponson never happened). How much longer until they swing a three-way trade for Delmon and Dmitri Young?! Or how about acquiring a certain relief pitcher?

Jorge Cantu

Stats over the last 7 days: 3 HR, 7 RBI, .407 BA

Did you know that Cantu was named the Devil Rays' team MVP in 2005? Check his bio - it's true. What do you think that award looks like? Probably a lot like one of those plaques they give to the coach of a 6-and-under soccer team at the end of the season.

Joe Mauer

Stats over the last 7 days: 2 HR, 6 RBI, .450 BA

Mauer may be third in the AL in batting average, but he leads the league in sideburns donated to small children.

Also Hot:

Manny Ramirez - 3 HR, 9 RBI, .381 BA

JD Drew - 3 HR, 7 RBI, .500 BA

Joe Crede - 5 HR, 12 RBI, .611 BA

Hot Arms

David Price

Stats over the last 7 days: 0 W, 0 K, 0.00 ERA

He's already owned in 30% of Sportsline leagues. Carlos Silva is available in 81% of leagues. I guess that sums up the difference between Tampa Bay and Seattle's seasons - even the Rays' prospects are hotter than the Mariners' everyday players.

Kerry Wood, Matt Capps, George Sherrill

Stats over the last 7 days: 4 S, 0.00 ERA each

Meanwhile, Eric Gagne lasted 1 2/3, giving up four runs and six hits while playing as himself yesterday in MLB 2K8.

JP Howell

Stats over the last 7 days: 2 W, 1 ER, 4 2/3 IP

This is the second time THIS SEASON that Howell's won two games in a week. Eric Bedard's only won four games all season. I guess that sums up the difference... 

Not Hot 

Billy Butler

Stats over the last 7 days: Who cares

I don't like to get emotional about guys on my team, but here we go...

We drafted Billy Butler in like the 14th or 15th round this season and thought we had ourselves a sleeper. Played on an up-and-coming team with some decent protection in the lineup. Hit for good average and decent power. Had a slight weight problem, but seemed relatively nimble - we were optimistically drawing Tony Gwynn comparisons at the time.

The first week of the season Butler hit .400 and drove in 3 runs. I remember thinking that Billy Butler might win a batting title one year. Then I thought that maybe that year was THIS YEAR. Why not? There was no law that said Billy Butler couldn't win the batting title this year. This was 2008. Things were wide open. This was The Year of Billy Butler!

Things, of course, did not turn out as I hoped. Butler apparently forgot that there was no rule against hitting a ball out of the park. Or that one was allowed to generate runs during plate appearances. At the end of May, Butler was unceremoniously shipped back to the minors. I haven't really gotten over it.

Phil, my colleague here at FSE, argued in a post last week that Billy Butler was worth stashing on your bench in deep leagues. I beg to differ. Billy Butler is a DH who hits for decent average, no power, and breaks owners' hearts. Do not keep him on your team unless you are prepared to deal with significant emotional torment throughout the season.

Wow, that was not easy. But I feel better. Good to get that out there.

I'm off to watch the Royals v. Tigers game from 4/3/08. Have it on the Tivo. See you next week...

Top Pickups Around The Diamond & On the Mound - 6/8/08

Another week, another time for me to spend 2 hours checking the minor league stats of Rod Barajas.

Around The Diamond...

C- Rod Barajas

Barajas had a few good seasons with Texas and since then has been relegated to back up duty and has not been a fantasy worthy name. In 92 at bats this season, Barajas is doing his best to make himself relevant again. He has 5HR to go along with 17RBI and 12R, for the Toronto Blue Jays, and has found himself as the everyday starter with regular Greg Zaun on the DL. He is having a far superior season to Zaun and might have found himself a way to remain in the line up at C or even DH when Zaun returns.

VERDICT

Barajas might actually be a decent addition as the Blue Jays are starved for offense and he will get at bats so long he produces. if you are hard up for catching help go out and grab Barajas, who still might be able to reproduce the effectiveness he showed in seasons past.

1B- Chad Tracy

Tracy came on a few seasons ago and had a huge first year. Since then he hasn't done a whole lot and has become a utility player as Conor Jackson and Mark Reynolds now man the corner infield spots for Arizona. Thus far in only 20 at bats, he is hitting an even .300 with 2HR and 3RBI, prompting many to add him in their league in the hopes he can reclaim the magic he showed in season past.

VERDICT

I am not buying the hot start. He won't be starting once Connor Jackson comes back and the talk of him moving to the outfield will fizzle when Eric Byrnes comes back healthy as well. He is going to have to hit to earn his way back into the everyday line up and that will be difficult for him when he is constantly shifting to different positions as a super utility man.

2B Alexi Casilla

Casilla has had a few cups of coffee in the majors over the last two seasons and is now getting the everyday starting job at 2B while hitting second in the line up to help Carlos Gomez provide a spark and speed at the top. Casilla can steal a bag and knows how to draw a walk, making him serviceable at least in most leagues, especially if your current 2B is injured or struggling. He needs the everyday at bats to keep the average up and the stolen bases should come at a greater frequency oce he gets settled in. Believe it or not the one thing that could slow his speed down is having Carlos Gomez on base ahead of him, as the Twins would be more reluctant to have him run if it's a double steal, and the risk to be thrown out at third grows.

VERDICT

I like Casilla. I checked out the numbers and think he can do some things out there. Don't expect the power he has flashed early on, but he can slap the ball around and plays well hitting in front of Joe Mauer, and Justin Morneau. While the RBIs will slow down, he will still get a decent amount because of the aforementioned Gomez, and his speed in front of him.

3B Ian Stewart

Listed at 3B and playing 2B, this is another example of an immensely talented young player on Colorado's roster. The Rox have been trying to find a place for him on the big league roster, but he has been blocked by incumbent Garret Atkins. The banged up middle infield finally gave Stewart enough of a shot to get in there and Colorado seems bent on giving him every opportunity to succeed and show what he can do there.

VERDICT

Based on his minor league stats Stewart is a threat to hit the long ball, and also be able steal a base. He has some very good numbers in the minors, but the change of position in addition to the adjustment of going from hitting minor league pitching to major league pitching might be abit more than Steart can handle this early in his young career. Don't expect great things from him yet, but next season he might be a great young sleeper pick, who is both 3B
and 2B eligible.

SS Jhonny Peralta

Can hit the long ball and finish with a decent amount of RBI but does nothing to distinguish himself as a SS. In 2005 many thought his 21HR, 78 RBI campaign was a precursor of things to come with the next great SS. Instead all that season did was serve as was a reason for Peralta owners to get frustrated and bewildered by hsi lack of ability to grow as a hitter, to the point where he actually regressed.

The 11HR look good this season, but he only has 20RBI total to go along with a .241AVG. He is currently in a hot streak where he has collected hits and scored runs by the bunches and has given fantasy owners yet another reason to believe.

VERDICT

Don't buy the hot streak. Peralta will frustrate you more often than not and you are better off find a guy who can go out there and put up some consistent numbers for you throughout the season, even if it means sacrificing the power numbers he puts up.

OF Carlos Gonzalez

A young player on Oakland... HE MUST BE GOOD! This far Gonzalez has 19AB in the bigs has not done anything overly impressive to warrant him being added like he has been. The A's are getting ready for OF Ryan Sweeney to get healthy at which point either Gonzalez or Travis Buck will be bound for AAA. At this point I think Gonzalez will be the one headed back down because Buck has more experience and given the early indications Gonzo could use a bit more seasoning.

VERDICT

Maybe down the road, but not yet. Perhaps in September or August as a late season call up depending on where Oakland is in the standings at that point in time.

Marcus Thames

Has it gotten this bad for added outfielders? Thames is nothing more than a guy who can deliver cheap power. Low batting average, not a lot of RBI, and will have to do something to impress Jim Leyland if he wants to stay in the line up. He did hit 2HR in a game last week, but other than that there isn't a whole lot going on for him.

VERDICT

I know he is a hitter on Detroit and people have fallen in love with that line up, but please in this case it's nothing to get excited about.

Cody Ross

Speaking of cheap power... Ross had a remarkable May, managing only 14 hits, but 10 of those hits managed to leave the ballpark. For the majority of his career, Ross has only managed fill in duty and the power display he put on in May helped earn him a bit more playing time, which helped his numbers a bit.

VERDICT

It is a nice story, but this seems more Shane Spencer than Sammy Sosa. If he was going to hit 10HR every month it would be one thing, but this power was way to fluky and in no way is demonstrative of what he has done throughout the course of his career. Stay away and don't bother.

On The Mound...

Justin Masterson

With Daisuke Matsuzaka on the shelf for a bit, Masterson gets the call from the minor leagues and of course as a Red Sock with limited experience he is pitching like a seasoned veteran. It is not exactly sure how many more starts Masterson will actually get, as it depends on the ability of Clay Buccholz and Matsuzaka to get healthy and get back into the rotation.

VERDICT

If you have unlimited roster moves he might be a good bet to ride while he is hot. If you are limited or already have a full staff, don't bother, he won't be around in the majors that much longer.

Homer Bailey

Cincinnati's most coveted and hyped pitching prospect makes his debut Thusday, playing at Philadelphia. Let me repeat, young pitcher, coming up to the majors for his first start of the season, AT PHILADELPHIA.

VERDICT

He has enough talent to merit an addition to most fantasy squads in most leagues. However, I would not go near having him start in his big league debut against Philly. Grab him and stash him so you can see what you will potentially get out of him down the road.

Rafael Soriano

With John Smoltz being lost to the DL for the rest of the season, someone has to close in the ATL. Soriano was the closer early in the season, but after one save he wound up in a familiar place, on the DL nursing elbow soreness. After locking down two saves it appeared Soriano had turned the corner; however, he was unable to pitch this weekend due to elbow tendinitis.

VERDICT

Manny Acosta did a fine job of blowing the lead and the game on Wednesday, so don't expect to see him get the ball in any pressure situations any time soon. Soriano has said he just needs a few days to rest and will return for week 11. He will close, so long as he is healthy. Keep an eye on Mike Gonzalez who's return is getting cl0ser.

Dan Wheeler/ Salomon Torres

Wheeler will get save opportunities while Troy Percival remains on the shelf. Torres will get save opportunities while Eric Gagne remains on the shelf, and will probably continue to do so afterward as well.

VERDICT

Torres is probably the better bet to be closing a month or two from now, so if you have to choose between the two, go with him.

Joel Zumaya

The once dominant set up man was beset by injuries in 2007 and so far in the beginning of 2008. He has been rehabbing his arm and in his last appearance he touched 100MPH on the gun, something many thought he might never do again.

VERDICT

Could be a great source of ERA, WHP and Ks for your fantasy team. Todd Jones is pretty well entrenched in the closer's role there, so don't expect him to take any chances away from him.

Bonderman's Season Over: FANTASY IMPACT

According to Baseball Prospectus.com's Will Carrol, Jeremy Bonderman has under gone surgery to correct the clotting problem that has arisen in his shoulder. The surgery ends Bonderman's season as the recovery time is listed as being between 6-12months.

This is a big blow for the Tiger's rotation as it seemed as if Bonderman was just getting it going. It looks like this means more turns in the rotation for upstart Armando Gallaraga and professional disaster Dontrelle Willis. Gallaraga is a decent starting option, but it's obvious the Tigers have lost faith in Willis and are reluctant to start him on a consistent basis.


FANTASY IMPACT

Bonderman really isn't that good, and is generally one of the more overrated pitchers come draft day, He was awful to start the season and while he has pitched better of late, the WHIP remained high and his struggles to locate his pitches remained. This shouldn't be a big blow to most fantasy owners, as Bonderman's number can be easily replaced by guys like Aaron Laffey, Jason Bergmann, or Jeremy Guthrie.