Fantasy Baseball: Time for a midseason checkup

By Jeremy Tiermini

Another All-Star Game has come and gone, and Major League Baseball teams turn their attention towards the second half of the season and towards the upcoming trade deadline. For those that play fantasy baseball, the All-Star break afforded you the same opportunity. While some MLB teams have already come to the realization that there is no shot at a championship, active fantasy owners can still make some adjustments to their rosters in an attempt at winning their league. If they have not already done so, owners should make an honest assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of their respective teams and develop a plan for the second half of the season. Here are some tips that owners, specifically in rotisserie leagues, can use to start the second half of the fantasy season.

Research: By this point in the season, owners should be very aware of the league rules, including the exact date of the league’s trade deadline. If your league has game limits for offensive positions or innings limits for pitchers (or a similar rule) you should review these for EVERY team in the league. Most owners know how their own team stands in relation to these limits, but a few minutes spent researching your opponents can pay big dividends when trying to make a trade. For many fantasy leagues the trading deadline is less than a month away so the opportunity to acquire talent via trade will soon pass.

For rotisserie leagues, owners also need to take a look at the standings to see what categories should be attacked to gain the most possible points; trade from areas of strength to shore up categories of weakness and target teams that need what you have to offer. Also make sure to check the point values of the owners near you in the standings, especially if you are trying to catch them in the standings. If you are trying to pass “Owner A” in the standings and “Owner A” is in a tight race with “Owner B” over saves, take a look at “Owner B’s” roster; can you deal a closer to “Owner B” to help move that team past “Owner A” in saves? If you can, you can help take points away from an opponent you are trying to pass; as the proverb goes, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

Announce your Intentions: After you have done your research let your opponents know you are willing to wheel and deal, but don’t just offer up your worst players while refusing to trade your big-name players. The biggest mistake an owner can make when trying to make a trade is to declare a player “untouchable.” If you are trying to WIN then no player should be untouchable; remember, to win your league you need the best statistics, not the players with the best name recognition. Remember the Texas Rangers with Alex Rodriguez: the best player in baseball and a last place finish. If you are in striking distance and you can improve your starting lineup by moving a big name, don’t be afraid to go for it. For example, if you own Chase Utley, can you turn that into Aaron Hill and a starting pitcher like Chad Billingsley? Hill is a step down from Utley, but if you need a boost at SP this is the type of deal to look for. And what if you are in a keeper league, you say? Think about why you play…are you playing to acquire the best keepers or are you playing to win the league?

When making trade offers, don’t forget your research. If you are well under your innings limit and are lagging in pitching categories, look to make a 2-for-1 deal. Tim Lincecum is absolutely a stud, but if you are under your innings limit the odds are Lincecum, by himself, won’t be enough. Can you deal “The Freak” and get two starting pitchers in return? Perhaps a player is well over in innings and has Chad Billingsley and Jon Lester; would this owner move those two for Lincecum? You are absolutely giving up the best player in the deal, but this move might also give you the best chance to compete for the championship.

Use a 2-Pronged Approach: Successful MLB teams are the ones that know how to add talent in multiple ways, be it by draft, trade, or free agency. Fantasy owners also need to be adept at scouting the free agent market, especially if the right trade does not come along. Research again comes into play; if you have a weak position on your roster keep tabs of the free agents of that position and grab the guy that is on a hot streak. When he cools off, dump him and grab the next hot hand. Some owners do not like this strategy of “streaming” but if there are no rules against it then this can be a viable strategy to help you accumulate stats, especially on Mondays and Thursday, when many MLB teams have off-days.

Let’s use 2B as an example. I drafted Mike Aviles as my 2B, hoping he would continue to build on his 2008 season. That didn’t happen, as he struggled right up until he went on the DL. Enter Rickie Weeks as a free agent pick-up. He was great, right up until his DL stint. Then I grabbed Akinori Iwamura and he was productive for me for a few days…then he hit the DL. Luckily I was carrying Derek Jeter and Troy Tulowitzki at SS. I was able to move Tulo for Orlando Hudson as a temporary measure. However, I had been eyeing Chase Utley, who was on a team that was weak in saves. As soon as I acquired Hudson I put him and Jonathan Papelbon (since I was well stocked with closers) in an offer for Utley. The other owner accepted and I have been saying prayers ever since that Utley doesn’t follow my team’s trend of second basemen on the DL.

So what do you do if you can’t pull off a trade? I just checked the free agent list in one of my leagues and found the following players available:

Admittedly, none of these players is going to boost your team over the top but, if you do your research, you might be able to capitalize on their hot streaks. With Ian Stewart you can ride his hot streaks for a boost to your HR totals. Throughout his career Kazuo Matsui has a better batting average after the All-Star Break, going from .263 (pre-All-Star Break) to .298; his OBP also goes from .319 (pre-All-Star Break) to .350. Again, not at superstar level, but he can be useful contributor of runs, stolen bases and batting average.

Be Persistent: Most fantasy players check their rosters daily. When you do, take a few minutes to review the standings to monitor your team’s progress; check and see if you need to modify any of the your strategies based on changes in the standings. Also, don’t forget why you are playing fantasy baseball in the first place: because you enjoy baseball. Take a few minutes every day to see what is happening around MLB. Was there a significant injury last night? Can you swing a deal with the owner that just lost that player? Was there a player called up from the minors, like Clay Buchholz for the Red Sox on Friday? He may have been sent back down, but if you grabbed him for the one start you snagged yourself a win. A few minutes catching up on the MLB news of the day can pay big dividends in your title quest.