Anthony Bass or...?

George asks:

I’m in an N.L. league and someone inexplicably dropped (Anthony) Bass. The pitchers I could drop to pick him up are Joe Weiland, (Andrew) Cashner, or (Sergio) Romo. Who would you drop?

I looked at Bass last week. He had a great outing last night, but this doesn't change my opinion about him. Below is a brief review of the other three pitchers.

Joe Wieland
The Texas Rangers don't make too many mistakes, but flipping Wieland and Robbie Erlin for Mike Adams could be a huge steal for the Padres if even one of these young arms turns out right. Long term, Wieland probably projects out as a #3 or #4 starter. His fastball sits at 88-92 MPH, but John Sickels says that Wieland offsets this with terrific command and control of his secondary pitches. After struggling in his initial start at the Dodgers, Wieland has been solid at home against the Phillies and the Nationals. Therein lies the problem. Wieland might be a match-up play right now. I'd like to see some success on the road before buying in.

Andrew Cashner
Cashner was one of everyone's favorite closer-in-waiting darlings this winter. So far, the command problems that have plagued him throughout his career seem to have returned in full force. The sample size is small, but sometimes we have to make calls based on small sample sizes, and what this tells me it that even if Huston Street does get flipped in July there are no guarantees that Cashner and his 100 MPH fastball take the job.

Sergio Romo
Romo continues to be his boring, reliable, profitable self. His WHIP isn't great, but we're talking about five innings not 50, and Romo's MLB track record of K/IP is absurdly great. In retrospect, the closer talk was probably overblown, given Bruce Bochy's usage patterns for Romo. Romo has averaged 0.86 IP per appearance in his career, and while he's not a true LOOGY, the Giants don’t view him as a 1+ inning option. Santiago Casilla could lose the job, but I wouldn't place a big FAAB bet on it.

If it were my choice, I'd probably drop Wieland for Bass, unless I desperately needed to dig myself out of a wins/strikeouts hole. Bass seems like a more polished product than Wieland right now and I'm not sure how well Wieland will hold up outside if Petco. If 2013 is a consideration, then I'd be more inclined to toss Romo overboard and hope that the Padres trio all build up dump value as the season moves along.