Damn Yankees

The virtual ink was just drying on my post about my strict no-Yankees policy on my fantasy teams, when something ironic happened: Yankees GM Brian Cashman took a real-life interest in two of my Flyin' Squirrels, OF Xavier Nady and closer Damaso Marte, and put them in pinstripes. Now, this is a quandary. I do go out of my way to avoid acquiring Yankees for my fantasy teams, but what do I do when the Yankees acquire heretofore unspoilt players, like my poor unsuspecting former Pittsburgh Pirates?

Well, in Marte's case, it's simple. His value was as a closer, and I needed saves from him. But with that pesky #42 still occupying that role in the Bronx bullpen, my decision was made for me: Drop him. He has only the most minimal fantasy value at this point. I added back Okajima, who admittedly may not have much more value than Marte, but at least he's one of the good guys.

With Nady, it's not so cut-and-dried. Or is it? One of my best FA acquisitions of the season (I picked him up in week 1 after someone dropped him), I've grown accustomed to his face -- and his excellent production: 51 runs, 13 HRs, 57 RBI, .327 BA. But with his outstanding first half now in the bank, if you look at his averages and projections, I can really only expect 7 more HRs from him. He's not going to steal me any bases, which I desperately need. And his average can be expected to fall back toward the .280 area, and switching leagues isn't likely to help. Mr. Nady, as much as I've enjoyed having him as a Squirrel, will now become trade-bait in fantasyland, too.

It's 3AM. Do you know where your closer is?

Awoken at 3AM and not able to go back to sleep, I got up to check the late scores, and what to my bleary eyes did appear? News that a closer on both the teams I manage, Jon Rauch, had been dealt from Washington to Arizona! This is an unexpected and most unpleasant development. But the good news is, due to my insomnia, I was the early bird on this news. We knew Chad Cordero isn't coming through that door, and ESPN wasn't sure who the heir apparent to Rauch would be for the Nationals. But a report in the Washington Post indicated that Joel Hanrahan (I'll admit it, I had never heard of him, but then I'm an AL guy) would be the man. And OwnersEdge from Fanball had this to say about that:

With Jon Rauch traded to Arizona, Joel Hanrahan is likely to be the new closer in Washington. Hanrahan holds a 3.94 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 9.9 K/9 rate on the year, but walks have been a problem (4.9 BB/9). Our View: Hanrahan has failed in his chances as a starter but has appeared to found his niche in the bullpen. He is a must-add in all formats.

So I added him for my ESPN league team and dropped Hiroki Kuroda, who I really like, but he got lit up in his last start and his next start is in Colorado, so his roster spot was dead to me for about 10 days. I hope to pick him up again when Kerry Wood returns from the DL, which will render my temporary saves-hunting pickup of Bobby Howry moot. In my Fanball league, saves are nowhere near as big of a deal, so closers remain on the waiver wire. I added Mike Gonzalez (who I also own on my ESPN team) to replace Rauch. Did you know Gonzalez has yet to walk a batter this year? 16 Ks, 12.2 IP, 0 walks.

Anyway, meet Joel Hanrahan, and wish him luck!

A-Rod Goes Deep, Wang Hurt

Ah, one of life's little joys is those unintentionally funny headlines that sometimes get past the editors and into print.

But it reminds me of Skwirl's Rules of Fantasy Baseball #1. I run my fantasy teams with the emphasis on fantasy, which means I generally field teams with players I, well, like. And let me tell ya Mac, as a loyal die-hard Red Sox fan, there are no A-Rods or Wangs on my teams. In fact, aside from a final day of the season when I held my nose and added Kyle Farnsworth in a desperate attempt for one last save, I have not sullied my fantasy teams with any NY Yankees. I field very competitive teams every year, and there are no Yankees in my fantasy midst!