What to do with all these catchers?

[EugeneStyles]

Hi... I just registered here, and I hope you don't mind another "rate my team" post... The league is NL-only, H2H (CBS.Sportsline). The subject line is kinda facetious, as I have an idea what I should do, and that's trade Lo Duca or Sean Casey for a good #2 pitcher, although the team that both needs a catcher and has a pitcher in the right price range missed the live draft, and hasn't logged on since, so I dunno if I'll get him to respond to the trade. But anyway...

C - Paul Lo Duca
1B - Sean Casey
2B - Edgardo Alfonzo
3B - Todd Zeile
SS - Rafael Furcal
OF - Steve Finley
OF - Vladimir Guerrero
OF - Alex Ochoa
U - Eli Marrero
P - Greg Maddux
P - Shane Reynolds
P - Jason Bere
P - Woody Williams
P - Kirk Reuter
P - John Smoltz
P - Octavio Dotel

Reserves -
C - Todd Hundley
2B - Eric Young
OF - Todd Hollandsworth
OF - Jay Payton
P - Jason Middlebrook
P - Graeme Lloyd

I know that it's a fair number of people who have had a good first couple of weeks and may not pan out (Lloyd, Hundley, Marrero, Ochoa, Finley), but that's mainly because the draft was run 2 days ago, and all of them fell pretty far (Lloyd I actually got in free agency, so he was worth it; Marrero was in the 3rd to last round, just before Middlebrook and Payton).

[Arlo]

Welcome aboard, Eugene! This looks like a greta team to me if your starting pitching comes through for you. The players you mentioned who may or may not pan out don't concern me too much - they're all good risks to take.

I assume you mean trade LoDuca or Hundley? If you can get a #2, perhaps even a #3 sp for Hundley, that would be a huge move for you. Hope the other guy isn't inactive...

Your starters do have a lot of question marks. Keep your fingers crossed that Maddux will be all right, and hope for Williams and Bere to perform the way you expect. I'm not sure I trust Reynolds - let's hope he keeps up the good work. Smoltz will hopefully settle down, and Lloyd was a nice pickup. If you can get that #2 starter, your pitching staff will look solid.

The one other small adjustment is picking up a second 3b. Zeile is still a huge question mark, both in terms of performance and playing time. Even if he is the everyday starter, as expected, he may turn in Cirillo-ish home-road splits. Having a backup that you can platoon depending on whether Zeile is at home or not would be reassuring. Payton might be the guy to drop in this case.

But apart from these minor details, this squad looks excellent, especially if a couple of the risks you took go your way.

[EugeneStyles]

I assume you mean trade LoDuca or Hundley? If you can get a #2, perhaps even a #3 sp for Hundley, that would be a huge move for you. Hope the other guy isn't inactive...

Actually, I meant LoDuca or Casey. LoDuca can play 1B (and Marrero should be eligible there within a week as well), so trading Casey would solve the catching problem as well. I wouldn't mind trading Hundley except a) I expect him to have a better year than the projections. He ended last year on a big upswing, and he has been healthy and productive so far. and b) I probably couldn't get a Russ Ortiz/Wade Miller sort for Hundley, which is about what I'm aiming for with LoDuca or Casey (with one of my lesser pitchers as a throw-in).

It's a 10-team league with only one starting catcher, so I don't think there's really much demand for Hundley, but LoDuca is probably the #3 catcher right now, so he should fetch at least something in a trade.

Anyway, thanks for the words of encouragement. I have high hopes for this team.

Oh, and good point about 3B. I'm not sure who's still available though. Maybe Placido Polanco?

[Arlo]

Ah - sorry about that. The bit about the other team needing a catcher made me jump to conclusions. Trading either of those guys makes sense, though. An Ortiz/Miller type is certainly not unreasonable in return for either Casey or LoDuca, and would help your team considerably. LoDuca might fetch a bit more than Casey, but that depends on the needs of the teams you want to deal with.

Polanco wouldn't be a bad platoon choice. He won't post great power numbers, but he'll be decent otherwise, and with any luck, Zeile will give you some power at Coors. Plus, Polanco's position flexibility is worth quite a bit when your bench is small. If he's still out there, this would be another good move.

Anyway, your high hopes are certainly justified. In a 10-team NL league, this roster has to put you among the favorites. Let us know what moves you make!

[EugeneStyles]

Well, an update... I tried trading LoDuca and Farnsworth (who I've subsequently dropped) for Kerry Wood, with no response after 2 days. I also offered LoDuca and Eric Young for Oswalt and Greg Norton (if I'm backing up Zeile, might as well choose his backup in Colorado, right?). Also no response.

I have another trade offer on the table with LoDuca and Smoltz for Brad Penny and Mike Williams. Penny is a little bit of a question mark, but the team I'm offering this one to is a little weak, so he doesn't have much to choose from. I'm also hoping that he'll see Smoltz as an upgrade from Williams, whereas personally I value them approximately the same. We'll see if he bites.

The free agrent 3B pool was a little thin. Polanco was not available, but Morgan Ensburg was, so I grabbed him and dropped Payton. I realized that the reason I didn't care about a backup at 3B was because Alfonzo was my backup, with Young available to play 2B. Marcus Giles, Junior Spivey, Mark Grudzielanek, Jose Ortiz, and Terry Shumpert are all available in the free agent pool as well. None of them are the hitter that Alfonzo is, but they're basically all respectable backups. But anyway, since Ensburg was available, no reason not to hold him in reserve and see what he does this year.

I really wish I could get rid of Casey, but I can't imagine that anyone else wants him any more than I do. That was certainly a wasted pick. I took him in like the 4th round and I don't even like him, but the first basemen were dwindling at that point.

[Arlo]

One of the most frustrating things in fantasy baseball is playing in leagues with inactive owners (or those who just don't reply to mail or trade offers). Still, you have to try... (Note to self: maybe we should form a league or two for cafe regulars next year).

Both of the offers you made sound good, although I don't think Norton would help you very much unless he wins the starting nod from Zeile on a permanent basis, which doesn't look likely. A straight LoDuca for Oswalt offer might benefit you more, especially with Ensberg in the fold (good move). Now, when Zeile is on the road, you can either play the young Astro, or shift Alfonzo and go with Young at 2b.

And speaking of 2b, I'd pick up Jose Ortiz if you have any room to spare. He has the potential to be a monster, and you could use him in a similar Rockie platoon as you would Zeile.

You're right, round 4 is too early for Casey, but I don't see him as a complete waste. His average should be fine, at the very least. Oh well.