One of the hardest things to do in a keeper league is walk that fine line of knowing when to pick-up, trade for or even to drop a potential keeper.  Of course there in no easy answer to these questions but here are some guidelines to help you make those tough decisions.

Need -  If you have Hanley Ramirez you probably won’t need Elvis Andrus or Tim Beckham.  If you have Evan Longoria, is spending your waiver pick on Mat Gamel for you bench really going to help your team?  Make sure you really need the player you are questioning.

Timing – Don’t pick up Mike Moustakas or Justin Smoak if you can not hold on to them.  If I had a nickel for every owner that picked up Justin Upton two years ago and has since dropped him because he was not willing to keep him for the long term I'd be rich.  If you were bold enough to draft Matt Wieters or Tommy Hanson, I hope you can handle the hole in your line-up until they are called up.  Conversely, anyone with David Ortiz is seriously questioning his keepability this year.  Don’t be afraid to trade a keeper for another keeper if it buys you a few extra years of prime playing time.  Be careful not to grab a player too young or hold on to someone too long.

Availability - Every league is different.  Who has the keeper you want?  Is your buddy the Met fan the owner of David Wright?  I highly doubt he will give him up.  Maybe your league has very few bench spots and a very active waiver wire.  If so, players come and go so fast that you need to monitor players' hot and cold streaks and get that keeper when he is cold or injured.

Dependability – Any player you want as a keeper should be dependable.  Of course, you cant predict injuries to Chase Utley or Alex Rodriguez.  But Joe Mauer or Magglio Ordonez seem to have some sort of trouble every year.  Regardless, if a player is injured it could also be a great time to buy, just make sure you can weather the storm.

League Settings – Obviously this is important and ultimately decides who is worthy of being a keeper or not.  Last year, Jay Bruce was grabbed instantly in every keeper league when he was called up.  However, many people didn’t end up keeping him if their league settings only allowed 5 or less keepers.  Jay Bruce, with all his upside, was just not worth keeping for many of those same owners who had five other players who should produce better.  Looking back maybe they could have used their FAAB budget or high waiver pick to get Shane Victorino instead, when some one dropped him due to a slow start.

Play to Win – This is what you normally hear the experts say during draft time: don’t load up on young guys who are going to have growing pains, when you can get a veteran who has a much safer chance of meeting his projection.  Well, the same goes during the year.  Hot prospects come and go all season long,  that doesn’t men you need to have all of them.  Your keepers should help you win this year and next.

As you play your keeper leagues, don’t get caught up with all the hot names and players of the future without first using your head.  Make sure your keeper is really a keeper.

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A few weeks ago I wrote about the iPhone App Y!fan here.  I have been informed that a major update has been submitted to Apple adding almost every feature I could imagine, including 1) Adding players from the free agent pool, 2) Making waiver requests or canceling them, 3) Making trade offers or canceling them, and 4) Reject, accept or counter trade offers that are made.  If you have a Yahoo league this update now makes this a must purchase app for you if you have an iPhone.

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