Tony takes on the most important offseason transactions.

10) Felipe Lopez: When you look at this move, people outside of the fantasy baseball spectrum yawn. As a fantasy baseball strategist, a guy with 40 stolen base potential is as appealing as the next Britney Spears video. “You, you, you are a base stealarizer baby; Oh baby hit me one more time!” See, when you love baseball comparing Felipe Lopez and Britney Spears makes sense. The middle infielder position is mighty weak in drafts of 12 or more teams. Felipe Lopez is going to belong just ahead of Placido Polanco and Jose Lopez in your draft rankings.

9) JJ Putz: What the heck is the guy writing about, isn’t Frankie Rodriguez the Mets closer? Yes he is but the trade to send Putz to New York has two consequences. The first one is obvious; who is the Seattle Mariners’ closer? Is it Brandon Morrow, Tyler Walker, Miguel Batista, Aaron Heilman or none of the above? These are questions that will leave fantasy owners grasping for Ms. Cleo’s phone number on draft day. The other question is whether the Mets protect their investment and allow JJ Putz to get the occasional save opportunity. You will see K-Rod get the nod on back to back days but do not expect 62 saves. JJ Putz will get to take a walk to the mound in the ninth inning every once in a New York moon and will deliver 5-8 saves.     

8) John Smoltz: The reason the acquisition of John Smoltz is on this list is easy: it is the unknown. John Smoltz is now the wild card in all your fantasy drafts. The Red Sox acquired a 41-year old pitcher with a long history of arm problems. This does not seem like an attractive fantasy option at face value. Are fantasy owners willing to forget the past three seasons of wondering whether Smoltz would close or start? John Smoltz will not wear a Red Sox uniform until May nor will he become a source for saves. Yet at various points in our drafts we will be wondering, “is it too early to draft John Smoltz?”

7) AJ Burnett: Any pitcher switching teams that has just nabbed 200 strikeouts in a season is a big story. This is a huge story for fantasy baseball owners due to his health concerns. It seems AJ wanted to get paid and managed to stay healthy in a contract year. So right now you have to sit and ponder, “Is this guy the next Carl Pavano or Roger Clemens.” I say Clemens, and look for AJ to rise to glory in New York. There is no denying his talent, so shoot for the stars. Are there any statues or busts in this new stadium yet? AJ Burnett will be clearly be one or the other!

6) Milton Bradley: How could I not write about my favorite player moving to a franchise that is as erratic as the player? This is a match made in heaven; Bradley is extremely talented and quite a tease for the fantasy player. Everyone in the fantasy baseball community thinks this an awful move for the Cubs. People think Bradley and Lou Piniella will co-exist like two dogs at Michael Vick’s residence. One more negative in the minds of fantasy owners is Bradley’s playing time, as there is no DH in the National League. These are legitimate concerns that make Milton Bradley a great value on draft day. When you get to the mid – teen rounds don’t hesitate, Milton is your man.

5) Huston Street: Closers, Closers, Closers.  In fantasy baseball they are the dark little secret of the fantasy baseball world. Huston Street came out of the University of Texas and immediately was a success in the closer’s role. The shine came off Street in the last two seasons and now has reemerged in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. There is a battle looming with Manny Corpas, but do not fret my fellow fantasy owners. Huston Street is back as a strong closer in fantasy baseball; look at what a change of scenery did for Brad Lidge. 

4) Pat Burrell: The Rays’ sign a big name free agent; an outstanding move from a baseball sense. This signals to the Tampa fans: “We are not a one shot wonder.” This is a team that is playing with the big boys. The fantasy owners now have a dilemma; how much did Citizens Ball Park assist Pat Burrell in those thirty plus home run seasons? Will the Rays offense provide Burrell with similar RBI opportunities as he had in Philadelphia? The answers: I look for Burrell to still hit close to 30 home runs in 2009 and have more RBI opportunities. Despite the Rays’ success last season, offensively they have several players that can improve on last season. You have to think Upton, Crawford and Pena can all improve on their 2008 season.

3) CC Sabathia: CC Sabathia is a dominating pitcher and now moves over to the American League. In most cases when a player moves from the NL to the AL his value will drop. Let’s not ignore the fact he is in New York and this team has not won a World Series since 2000. The stakes are high and fantasy owners are wondering if he can deliver. There is still a long way to go before drafts commence in the 2009 season, but mock drafters have spoken. CC is the third pitcher off the board. The detractors talk about the pressure of playing in New York, poor playoff performances, and the Oprah Winfrey waistline. I think CC will be just fine, yet I will still select Brandon Webb and Dan Haren ahead of CC Sabathia.

2) Mark Teixeira: The Yankees, the Yankees… are you tired of this article yet? It is tough for a Red Sox’ fan to write without looking for the James Jones Kool Aid. Let’s give them their due; they are doing what they think will bring a parade to New York City. I think this is a great move for the Yankees but in fantasy sense not a huge deal. In 2009 I expect Teixeira to have the same consistent numbers as the past two seasons. The only potential hit could be to his draft value as we all have a Yankees’ fan in our leagues. There are mock drafts where Mark Teixeira is now a first rounder. This seems a little too early for Tony Cincotta. (Third Person, I am now full of myself)          

1) Matt Holliday: Here we go, we have a legitimate first round fantasy baseball stud leaving Coors field for the dreariness of Oakland. So fantasy owners are now wondering how this will affect the power of one of the game’s elite. Yes, his numbers will go down and the key to the fantasy owner is how much? Fantasy owners have put Holliday in the elite based on only two seasons of 30 or more home runs and huge RBI totals in those seasons.  Matt Holliday is a mere 28 years of age and his finest seasons could be on the horizon. There is risk associated with Holliday, who is still an impending free agent. Can he cope with the rigors a possible mid season trade and playing ball for his next contract? My take is: let him go until late into the second round, let someone else roll the dice any earlier.

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Pat DiCaprio ( The King Maker)
written by tonycincotta, January 13, 2009

I want to thank Patrick Dicaprio,for the humorous and topical portion. Without his input and manipulation, my article made as much sense as Jim Bowden.

"Teixeira to new york ... does this move now have him comparing
favorably to miguel cabrera.

From the Fantasy perspective yes, from the baseball perspective as a Red Sox fan. I hope yes !

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written by big o, January 13, 2009

despite starting off with 2 people that i couldn't care less about in 2009 , brittany and placido , this article proved to be both humorous and topical.

teixeira to new york ... does this move now have him comparing favorably to miguel cabrera ?

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