Scott Rolen trade

[EugeneStyles]

I've been offerred Brian Jordan, Austin Kearns, and Carlos E. Hernandez (the one on the Astros) for Scott Rolen. On the face of it, it looks like a great deal, but all three offerred have the possibility of losing playing time. I have Rob Mackowiak who can fill in at 3rd. He's had similar numbers to Rolen so far, although Rolen obviously has more upside.

I need the outfielders, so I'm leaning toward accepting this one. Any other opinions?

[Arlo]

Rolen certainly isn't setting the world on fire, but Mackowiak's average is downright painful. I like Kearns and Hernandez, and think they'll continue to get solid playing time, even in light of the Reds current crowded of, but Jordan's injury scares me a bit.

If you can find some other option at 3b - a free agent, or the other team's current 3b - then this deal looks great. If not, it probably depends on who you'd be dropping to make room on your roster. If you'd have to waive someone useful, I'd decline and look to negotiate a little more.

[EugeneStyles]

Well, Mackowiak is moving from OF to 3B (I told you, I needed outfielders). I may be able to pick someone up, but even if not, Mackowiak was already in the lineup.

I'll be dropping Randy Wolf (most likely) to make room for Hernandez... that's pretty much an even trade right there, although i think Hernandez has more upside. I also have 3 closers, so I might be able to trade Jimenez or Kim to make room for another starter.

In the OF, I'll most likely be dropping Bubba Trammel. Although if Jordan is indeed injured, he can go straight to the DL with Danny Bautista. I should have almost a full week to decide, so if he goes on the DL before that, I'll be able to make the move. This is in a league without a bench, so the decisions are sort of tough. However, considering the weakness of my OF (both Kevin Millar and Danny Bautista injured, and I was missing a strong 5th outfielder even before that), I'm not sure I have much choice.

Anyway, I guess I'm going to accept this trade, as it seems like it can only help. Wish me luck, and thanks for the advice, even though I'm not taking it.

I may pick up Bill Mueller or someone similar at 3B, if Mackowiak really hurts my average too much. The other team's current 3B is Aaron Boone, and if worst comes to worst, I'll pick him up off waivers when the other guy drops him.

[Arlo]

Sure thing - hope it works out. You're right - those benchless leagues are very tricky. Boone might actually be an option for you - let's hope the talk of moving Encarnacion or Kearns to third can light a fire under him.

[EugeneStyles]

In case you were wondering....

Before the trade went off, the other guy dropped Austin Kearns to make room for another OF (idiot!). This caused the trade to become illegal, and he tried offering me just Carlos Hernandez and Brian Jordan for Scott Rolen. I said no deal, but he was able to pick Kearns back up off waivers (he had higher priority than me). Now he doesn't want to do the deal.

With Rolen getting 2 HR's last night, I'm not sure I want to either.

Anyway, I picked up Troy O'Leary and dropped Bubba Trammel, and am busy looking for a replacement for Mackowiak (could be real tough, but if I have to have a low-average outfielder, I'd rather have it be a utility man like Mackowiak than an everyday player). Also unfortunately lost Kevin Millar to waivers when I needed to make room on the DL for Danny Bautista. Oops. So basically, my outfield is a mess right now when it looked so good at season's start, at least considering that I picked my first OF in the 8th round.

[Arlo]

You're right: without Kearns, the deal no longer looks good for you.

Dealing with owners like that can be one of the most frustrating aspects of fantasy ball...