Trade PUJOLS?!

[Fantasy GM]

I am in a H2H points keeper league, we keep up to 4 players. Right now, my team is in a nice situation, with Verlander, Halladay, CLee and then Pujols. The only negative with these guys is that, well, it's not the youngest group of guys. Only Verlander is under 30. I just traded for Halladay; he is 34, but continues to be spectacular. Lee is 33, also very good, but probably my #3 SP now. If I traded a SP, he would be the one, but I kinda like my Big 3. This leaves me with my one hitter, Albert. He continues to rake, but is 32, plays with injuries and the Angels don't have a lot of lineup support.

Would it be wise to deal Albert for nearly any hitter/player in the league and maybe receive a little draft pick compensation along the way? While some players will still be untouchable due to their owners not willing to trade, would any of the following players make sense?
-CC (he would be my #4 SP and my staff would be insane, but you wonder if all his IP's will wear him down)
-Strasburg (a little worried with the TJ surgery and inning limit)
-Tulo (best SS in fantasy and only 27, but streaky/injury risk)
-Justin Upton (only 24 years old, but not certain if he will be fantastic or just really good - remember its Pujols here)
-Jose Bautista (purely due to 3B eligibility, but 31 years old and other team wants pitching).
-Any 2B (Cano, Pedroia)
-Other 1B except M-Cab (Prince, A-Gon, Votto [Votto may not net me much compensation though])
---M-Cab/Braun/Longoria/Kemp/Kershaw/Felix/Lincecum are not available for trade.

What do you think? I would probably not trade Pujols for any player straight up and am happy to have him, but if I can net some draft compensation, it could be a possibility.

[lane_anasazi2]

I'd trade one of your pitchers instead. Halladay and Cliff Lee seem like known quantities to me, but Verlander's value will never be higher. If you can get a top 10 hitter for him (if I were in your league I wouldn't trade you one, but I'm not everybody), I'd do it. I'm not thrilled with 3/4 of your keepers being pitchers.

This is all contingent on your points system, though. Maybe it heavily favors SP. Who were the top 10 points earners last year?

[Fantasy GM]

Ace SP score the most points overall (top 6-10 SP's), as they average between 18-20 points a start. The top hitters average between 3.0- 3.5 points/game. The top hitters aren't so far behind the aces, but the stud aces carry an edge. The average hitter = average SP.

[raiders_umpire]

I would have no problem with Pujols on my team for several more years.

[Deswannie]

I would go heavy after tulo if you can get Tulo+ for Albert I would see it as a huge+, if you can find a capable 1b once you lose Albert

[ensanimal]

I would have no problem with Pujols on my team for several more years.

Agreed.

I would definitely look towards the owner that has Bautista and is looking for pitching as a possible match.

[Fantasy GM]

So if I trade a SP instead, which one?
- Halladay is the oldest of the 3, but he's a beast every year.
- Verlander is the youngest and just came off a monster season. He carries the most value, but this is a keeper league.
- Lee is who I think is the #3 SP here. Therefore he may be the one to trade?

Pujols I have no problem holding onto, just was seeing if I would get a king's ransom. If a SP being traded is better, which one?

[Fantasy GM]

UPDATE

Tulo team could send me the star SS + 2nd round pick for Pujols + 8th round pick (we keep 4 remember, so this is Rounds 2 and 8 out of 19). Intriguing. Pujols is the king of stability, Tulo dominates a weak position. Not sure what 1B or SS are available come draft time.

[fast dogs]

thats not a bad return but with 1 hitter why not leave it as is? if u were somehow in a pinch and needed to get what you could for Pujols thats a fair deal but you're not and I wouldn't

[MaudDib]

Ace SP score the most points overall (top 6-10 SP's), as they average between 18-20 points a start. The top hitters average between 3.0- 3.5 points/game. The top hitters aren't so far behind the aces, but the stud aces carry an edge. The average hitter = average SP.

I play in a similar type of league and SP do give you the most points but they are also the most volitale. The top SP vary year to year where as the top hitters don't. While there are of course exceptions (Halladay being one of them) you can't judge it just on points. Many people would have had Felix as an Ace pitcher last year but he didn't give you the points to justify it. Again there exceptions (Hanley being a hitter that didn't give you what you thought he would), hitters are more stable year to year to year than SP generally are.

So I would agree that trading one of your SP is your best move. While the trade for Tulo is a fair trade, I don't really see the point. Pujols has more value than Tulo and while you don't get the top player at a weak position, Pujols is more likely to give you elite points for as a hitter than Tulo. On top of that Pujols now gets to DH (he should continue to be eligible at 1B for many years) this should help keep his body and his numbers elite longer than he might have if he was on the field every day.