MLB Trade Rumors: Beltre, DeRosa and Washburn
Posted by Anthony Stalter (06/23/2009 @ 1:45 pm)

– According to SI.com, the Mariners have yet to receive any interest for third baseman Adrian Beltre, who Seattle would love to move because he’s in the last year of his $64 million contract.
– One name that continues to be involved almost daily on the rumor mill is Indians utility man Mark DeRosa. According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the Cardinals and Yankees have expressed interest in DeRosa, but neither are willing to give up young pitching like Cleveland covets.
– The Mets are rumored to be interested in DeRosa, Nationals first baseman Nick Johnson and Orioles one-bagger Aubrey Huff, but Newsday’s Ken Davidoff writes that the club shouldn’t make any stupid trades just to fill a spot while Carlos Beltran is on the DL.
– MLB.com reports that the Diamondbacks could become sellers soon and that pitchers Doug Davis and Jon Garland, as well as second baseman Felipe Lopez could all be on the trade block.
– The Phillies want to add an arm, but the pitchers they’re looking at (Erik Bedard, Jake Peavy, Aaron Harang, Bronson Arroyo and Jason Marquis) are either hurt or playing for contending teams.
– The Dodgers have interest in Seattle pitcher Jarrod Washburn according to MLB Fanhouse and Juan Pierre’s name has come up as a potential trade piece.
Posted in: MLB
Tags: Aaron Harang, Adrian Beltre, Aubrey Huff, Bronson Arroyo, Doug Davis, Erik Bedard, Felipe Lopez, Jake Peavy, Jason Marquis, Jon Garland, Mark DeRosa, Nick Johnson
2009 MLB Preview: #26 Seattle Mariners
Posted by Anthony Stalter (03/18/2009 @ 1:00 pm)

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Offseason Movement: The M’s will bring back a familiar face this season after signing OF/DH Ken Griffey Jr. The club also made a slew of trades, adding outfielders Franklin Gutierrez (Indians) and Endy Chavez (Mets), as well as pitchers David Aardsma (Red Sox) and Garrett Olson (Cubs). Seattle also signed free agents Tyler Johnson, Tyler Walker and Russell Branyan.
Top Prospect: Greg Halman, OF
Some feel as though infielder Carlos Triunfel is the Mariners’ best long-term prospect and that very well might be the case, but Halman is closer to making an impact at the big league level at this point. Halman has flashed an outstanding array of power and speed and with Seattle not expected to contend this year, he could be a late season call up. Along with Halman and Triunfel, pitcher Phillippe Aumont is another prospect worthy of keeping an eye on.
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Posted in: MLB
Tags: 2009 MLB Predictions, 2009 MLB Preview, 2009 MLB Team Previews, Adrian Beltre, Brandon Morrow, Erik Bedard, Felix Hernandez, Franklin Gutierrez, Ichrio, Ken Griffey Jr, MLB Preview 2009, Yuniesky Betancourt
Bargain hunting for starting pitchers
Posted by Jamey Codding (03/08/2009 @ 5:00 pm)

All 2009 Fantasy Articles | 2009 Position Rankings
As someone who loyally subscribes to the “wait for pitching” strategy on draft day, I’m always on the lookout for value starters. Experience has shown me that there are plenty of nice starting pitching bargains in the middle and late rounds every year, and if I’m diligent enough, I can also add pitching via the waiver wire during the season. All of which allows me to load up on as much hitting as I can in the early rounds, understanding that the more offensive firepower I have on my roster, the easier it will be to trade for a top-line starter should I find myself in need of reinforcements for the stretch run.
Of course, that doesn’t mean I ignore pitching on draft day. Far from it. Those SP bargains I mentioned above are available each year, if you know what to look for. Sure, it’s nice to have a reliable horse like Johan Santana or Brandon Webb anchoring your pitching staff, but the cost of adding someone like that is usually a little too steep for my tastes. So instead, my goal is to take five to seven solid starters who can deliver quality ratios while racking up strikeouts. Ideally, I also look for guys who pitch for successful teams, hoping that will translate to wins for my team.
The guys I target tend to fall into one of four categories: Young Guns, Rebound Vets, Undervalued Arms and Late Steals. As I’ve admitted in previous posts, I’m a sucker for upside but that doesn’t mean I’ll fall for any promising youngster with a lively arm. I’m also a sucker for a good revival story so I’m always looking for veterans with a solid track record whose stock has fallen because of an off year, while guys in the undervalued category tend to fly under the radar despite their consistent production. Finally, I try to wrap up every draft with one or two late-round picks that could pay off big in the long run.
Below, I’ve listed several pitchers I’ve got my eye on in each of these four categories, using the Average Draft Position (ADP) from ESPN’s draft kit as a guide. I’ve included the ADP as well as the SP rank (SP13, for example) for each of the 16 starters below. These aren’t, of course, the only guys who would qualify in these categories, just the ones at the top of my list. If you’re thinking about stockpiling bats early in your draft, maybe they should be at the top of your list too.
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Posted in: Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Football, General Sports, MLB
Tags: Aaron Harang, best starting pitchers, Brett Myers, Chris Young, draft strategy, draft tips, drafting starting pitchers, Edinson Volquez, Erik Bedard, Felix Hernandez, Francisco Liriano, Javier Vazquez, John Maine, John Smoltz, Johnny Cueto, Josh Beckett, Justin Verlander, Kelvim Escobar, Max Scherzer, pitching values, Randy Johnson, starting pitcher values, starting pitchers, Yovani Gallardo