Jorge Cantu $49. Other bids: $22, $18, $16, $12, $1.
Cantu sure wasn't the player I thought I'd be leading off with here this week. He inexplicably went to a non-contender who won't be able to trade him post unrestricted trade deadline. Cantu is solid but isn't doing much better than a mid-tier A.L.-only option like Kevin Kouzmanoff and probably isn't going to be much of an upgrade for most A.L.-only contenders in carry over leagues at this point.
Matt Capps $35. Other bids: $28, $27, $22, $20, $14, $11, $4.
I covered this ground on Friday, so won't repeat myself here. Capps is the closer for the Twins going forward and while he's not going to be a shutdown, top-tier option he should be acceptable as a middle-of-the-road type guy. I doubt the Twins will have a short leash since they just traded for him, so Capps is worth a big bid if you have the money.
Lance Berkman $32. Other bids: $27, $22, $20, $19, $18, $16, $14.
Berkman's slipped quite a bit this year, and while he should be a productive bat for the Yankees, I wouldn't expect him to return to his prior All-Star levels just because he's in a better line-up. He hasn't been hitting RHP at all this year and there's a good chance he could slip into a platoon role if Nick Johnson ever gets healthy. If you buy him, there's obviously a lot of upside here, but don't be shocked if he disappoints or even winds up in a part-time role.
Ryan Kalish $22. Other bids $10, $4, $4.
Kalish is a solid prospect whose stock has risen the last two years and looks like he could be a more-than-solid everyday player in the bigs. With Mike Cameron ailing, I wouldn't be surprised to see Kalish hang on to an everyday role even after Jacoby Ellsbury returns. Kalish is not a big-time power guy, but a 15-20 HR, 30 SB peak wouldn't surprise me at all. If you're playing for this year, you might not want to take the risk, but Kalish is definitely worth watching.
Edwin Jackson $16. Other bids $2, $1.
After a strong year last season that looked like a breakout, Jackson has regressed thus far in a big way in 2010. However, his xFIP say that he's about as unlucky this year as he was lucky last year. I don't think it's all luck and that the higher walk total is a sign of poorer control/command, but I could see a scenario where Jackson almost gets better by default. That being said, he's moving to a tough venue in Chicago and could continue to take a beating, especially now that he's back in the American League.
Mitch Moreland $10. Other bids $10, $6.
One problem Cantu has is that Moreland could wind up being the good end of a 1B platoon for the Rangers. However, Moreland hardly dominated AAA the way he dominated AA in 2009 and at the Age of 24 he's been old for every level he's played at. This doesn't mean that Moreland might not wind up wresting the 1B AB away from Cantu, but I think it's more likely he gets demoted later this month if/when Ian Kinsler comes back.
3 comments:
Wow! Cantu went more than Berkman!?! Cantu was really struggling before the trade. Berkman's numbers are down because of his knee injury. Slow recovery but should have more upside the rest of the way than Cantu.
i wouldn't be so dismissive of moreland's potential - looking closer at his 2010 AAA numbers, he got off to a slow start in april, but his production (and his power) increased significantly across the board every month after that. in july he hit .320/.393/.520. nothing to sneeze at, to be sure.
i also bet that he sticks when kinsler comes back. the 1B job in texas is wide open, and cantu is no permanent solution - the rangers have had suffered at 1B for a couple years now, and just want a RH/LH platoon at this point. if moreland hits, then he will stay.
For our cockamamie rules, we cannot bid in the alternate. So this week, for instance, if you have $50 left, you cannot bid say, $35 on Capps and if not get him $35 on Berkman. So the guessing is not just about the money but who to bid on, you only get one shot at a large number bid. Bad for a week where Kalish, now Bourjos (don't ask) and Jeanmar Gomez are all available.
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