This season, my team is great on paper, but is inevitably not going to win. Head-scratching H2H outcomes and injuries have doomed my team. However, my league allows us to keep 3 players and my top guns are healthy and producing. Because I can virtually out-offer any other team in the league for a specific player (other contenders would greatly compromise their chances of winning if they competed), I am prepared to target 1-2 bonafide studs and splurge on them.
In my H2H points league, ace SP's usually score the most total pts (the caveat is one bad/mediocre start stings while top hitters are much more consistent). Stud sluggers are very valuable as well, but lets put it this way: Pujols led hitters with 609 pts last year. Four SP's had a better total. Prince Fielder was second for hitters with 544 pts. He would have been the ninth best SP. Again though, top hitters are a valuable commodity because of their consistency and position scarcity.
Anyways, how do you rank these SP's as keepers following this season: -Lincecum (on my roster) -J. Johnson (on my roster) -Strasburg (dynamite start, but will he be one of the top 3 SP in baseball) -King Felix (attainable, but team is out of contention so it might be a little trickier) -Jimenez (may be toughest to acquire, he wants at least Johnson for Ubaldo)
My other "ace" is Matt Cain, but he'll serve as one of my major trade chips. Lincecum is most likely the safest keeper bet for my team provided he gets himself back on track. Johnson is pitching like a sure keeper...but is he more valuable than Strasburg OR Felix? I will either keep 3 aces, or keep 2 aces and trade for Longoria (only 24, plays a thin 3B position) or the god-like Pujols, who is 30. (Hanley is off-limits and Braun isn't attainable).
If you could hold onto them, I definitely like you holding onto Lincecum and Josh Johnson while packaging Matt Cain and others to make a play for Longoria. He's going to be a stud for a long time, and you balance your keepers by including at least one stud hitter.
My order for those 5 SPs would be : Lincecum, Johnson, Felix, Jimenez, Strasburg.
I have Strasburg at the bottom because I think the Nationals are extra extra cautious with him the next few seasons (probably until they think they're ready to compete). While I think he'll be as effective as anyone in the innings he does get, I don't think he gets the workload to be that top guy you're looking for (and you'll probably have to pay close to 150 cents on the dollar to get him).
I'd definitely go after Longoria. Pujols may have the better next 3 or 4 seasons, but I don't think the difference is big enough to pass on a guy who could be your cornerstone for the next 10 seasons.
BUMP lol...this thread could also turn into "who are the top 5 keeper SP's in baseball" so other viewers will find is useful too. But the consensus seems to be keep 2 SP and then trade for Longoria. Of course, depends which 2 SP I want .
Lincecum with another poor outing tonight, while Johnson tosses another beauty. My supposed ace is making this very tough due to the subpar play lately. Could he be among those traded? I could potentially trade all three of my aces in separate deals, but prefer to trade only 1-2.
Cain is definitely on the move. Lincecum is the best in the game when he's on, but lately it is Johnson who has been on while Lincecum struggles. Strasburg intrigues just about everyone because he is 21 and we've seen how dominant he is. Felix is only 24 and just shut out the Yankees in the Bronx. Ubaldo is unattainable (the other owner wants too much), so it's two of those four at most.
Longoria I feel I can acquire - top young 3B in baseball. Pujols is great, but 1B is a deep position and he's 30. So many ways to go...
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by Fantasy GM » Thu Jul 01, 2010 7:58 pm 
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