Beginners Luck! now I need advise

[stlredbirds]

I am a newbie, but I seem to be doing well. Currently I am a game out of first. I need help getting my team into first. Thanks.

Head to Head, 5X5, 8 team league

SP: rotate 2 off bench accordingly. Sometimes I stream a pitcher off waivers, dropping my offense bench guy.
Derek Lowe
Hideo Nomo
Kerry Wood
Barry Zito
Roy Halladay
Randy Wolf
Mark Prior

Closers: always going
Braden Looper
Mike Williams
Joe Borowski
Rod Beck

IR:
Randy Johnson

C- Javy Lopez
1B- Mark Teixeira
2B- Bret Boone
3B- Hank Blalock
SS- Miguel Tejada
OF- Corey Patterson
OF- Torii Hunter
OF- Hideki Matsui
OF- Luis Gonzalez
OF- Eric Byrnes
2B/SS- Aaron Boone
1B/3B- Mike Lowell
UTIL- Craig Biggio
Bench- Richard Hidalgo

Main questions:
Should I be looking for a different 1B? Is Teixeira really going to start pounding the ball?
Available 1B – b. wilkerson, j. conine, m. tucker.

Other weaknesses? Biggio? Byrnes? Hidalgo?

I know my closers are ugly. I don’t have too many other options.

Any other thoughts? Thanks

[hayseed]

pick up conine. trade one of ur SP for a closer. other than that nice team

[biglfty]

micheal tucker would probably be better on the bench as an OF than richard hidalgo.

[TheRock]

Awesome pitching staff. Probably better than you need, actually. I agree with hayseed, try trading for a top closer. Of that bunch, I'd say Nomo is a good candidate to fall off a bit in the 2nd half.

could also use another bat or two. You should have a much better OF in an 8 team league, and in that small a league I would think you'd need to do better than Teixeira at first. Keep Byrnes while he's hot, I like Hidalgo. Obviously, you now need to replace Patterson. Biggio ok, but I'd think there'd be better players available.

[BigStick78]

I think getting another bat via trade would probably be a good idea. You could definitely withstand the loss of one of your great starting pitchers. Trade one of them and get a big bopper if you can.

[stlredbirds]

Wow. Thanks for all the advice.

So far I have picked up Conine.
and
I have been offered Beltran for Zito.

I will try and take TheRock's advise and offer Nomo instead. But i think i would go with Zito if need be. I need speed with Patterson gone. (shoot, i liked patterson)

however, I know Zito can turn it up second half but...
unless you all say no, i think i will go for it.

no one is looking to get rid of their closers yet. but i will keep looking.

thanks again