Wednesday, May 12, 2010

More on Starlin Castro

A reader asks via e-mail:
I have Starlin Castro. I'm in first place so I'm not rebuilding. If I activate him he stays activated (can't send him down to the minors). I could keep him on reserve if it came to that.....or activate him next year. Your thoughts?
Without knowing who my reader has on his active roster, I'm in the dark about whether or not Castro would be an upgrade on who he currently has at middle infield or utility.

If he is considering activating Castro, though, I have to assume that he has a hole somewhere and that Castro would be an improvement. From that standpoint, I would recommend activating him. Worry about next year - and losing a year off of Castro's contract - next year, particularly if you're in contention.

On the other hand, I don't know what the dump culture is like in this reader's league. What is the rate of return on a player like Castro as a farm player versus the rate of return if he's in the second year of a Rotisserie contract next year?

The dilemma here boils down to how much Castro's stats will help now versus how much flipping Castro would help out in a dump deal now. I don't like the idea of simply holding on to Castro in the hopes that you'll win this year and have Castro for next year's title run. Too much can go wrong between May 11 and the end of the 2010 season.

Improve your team if you can and worry about next year next year. If Castro on your team today is the best way to improve your team, then activate him immediately. If you can get much more for Castro in a dump deal if he's still a farm player, then work the e-mails and trade him as soon as you can.

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