Need Advice Please Help

[erb8472]

Ok I'm in a keeper league where you must keep five guys, but can keep up to seven.

My five keepers last year were: Sizemore, Johan, Pujols, Vlad, and Wright

I recently traded for Hamels who I'm considering keeping.

Would you trade Vernon Wells for Justin Upton and Willy Taveras? Taveras is basically a toss in in the trade in my opinion. I like the start Justin Upton got off to. Is this what we can expect from him though? Is he going to be better than Wells. I think if I make this trade it would be to keep Upton.

My roster is:

C- Towles, Molina
1B - Pujols, Kotchman
2B - Kinsler
3B - Wright
SS - Tejada
OF - Sizemore, Vlad, Hermedia, Wells, Drew
UT - Thomas

SP - Hamels, Santana, Myers, Cain, Saunders, Bannister, Vasquez, Maddux
RP - Rivera, Soria, Nathan, Capps
DL - Gallardo, Harden

So if you make the trade who would you drop. I really don't want to drop Towles, so I think I'd drop Molina. I'm also going to have to drop somebody pretty soon when Gallardo comes back probably will be Saunders. What do you think?

[Lt Melmo]

Upton >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Wells

Especially in a keeper league. The kid's gonna be a superstar. He might already be a superstar.

[erb8472]

Upton >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Wells

Especially in a keeper league. The kid's gonna be a superstar. He might already be a superstar.

I went ahead an accepted the deal. I decided to drop Molina, and go with Towles at catcher. I really am not hurting in offensive production for the games that Towles sits and Ausmus starts. I just like Towles more than Molina because of the OBP, which is one of our stats.

I'll probably end up dropping Saunders when Gallardo comes back, and probably drop Taveras whenever Harden comes back.

Taveras's only value to me is stolen bases and runs.

[erb8472]

I'm still interested in getting other peoples opinion's on this trade.

I think it's a pretty nice gamble for me that Upton pays off and is a keeper. Plus I can afford to take a gamble since I have a pretty solid offensive team.

[AVencill]

I think you will really enjoy having Upton on your team. I picked him up on waivers over 10 days ago and I am not regretting it all. While Upton will cool down eventually, he will still have a much better 2008 than Wells.

[allstar1579]

I think you will really enjoy having Upton on your team. I picked him up on waivers over 10 days ago and I am not regretting it all. While Upton will cool down eventually, he will still have a much better 2008 than Wells.

Upton over Wells is a great upside deal for you. I would think really carefully about dropping Saunders over Maddux though. Might even want to drop Tavares for Gallardo and buy some time to evaluate Saunders before Harden comes back.

Maddux is in a great pitchers park, but is on the back end of his career, and is in a division with ARI and COL who both look amazing. TEX, OAK, and SEA all look really weak in the AL-W and Saunders might build a great season with some confidence.

[Lt Melmo]

Saunders: BABIP this season is 100 points lower than his career, 10:6 K:BB
Maddux: highest ERA since 1987 was a 4.24, nearly guaranteed to give you a good WHIP, double-digit wins and a hundred K's for good measure.

[Baltimoron]

I'm still interested in getting other peoples opinion's on this trade.

I think it's a pretty nice gamble for me that Upton pays off and is a keeper. Plus I can afford to take a gamble since I have a pretty solid offensive team.

The gamble is betting against Upton in a keeper league. Favoring Upton is the safe play.

[allstar1579]

Saunders: BABIP this season is 100 points lower than his career, 10:6 K:BB
Maddux: highest ERA since 1987 was a 4.24, nearly guaranteed to give you a good WHIP, double-digit wins and a hundred K's for good measure.

True, but that is ignoring the fact that Saunders is a developing player and Maddux is a declining player. Not that I think Maddux will be awful, but with those starters he can afford to gamble a bit, worst case, it doesn't work out, and he picks up another success story on waivers in a month or so...there will be more, there always is.

[Lt Melmo]

The difference is Saunders is developing from being an average pitcher at age 27 and Maddux is declining from being one of the greatest pitchers ever at an extremely durable 42. I'd gamble on the old guy.

Seriously, the guy has a .210 BABIP and crappy K:BB. Cueto, Bannister, Marcum, maybe even Cliff Lee, are all worth dropping Maddux. Saunders isn't.

[allstar1579]

The difference is Saunders is developing from being an average pitcher at age 27 and Maddux is declining from being one of the greatest pitchers ever at an extremely durable 42. I'd gamble on the old guy.

Seriously, the guy has a .210 BABIP and crappy K:BB. Cueto, Bannister, Marcum, maybe even Cliff Lee, are all worth dropping Maddux. Saunders isn't.

Except that that fatigue thing from the night before I was talking about, SD didn't score a run, and Maddux gave up 9 ER. Saunders wasn't great, but got the win. Don't get me wrong, I agree with you, it's just really hard to tell when a pitcher is going to fall apart when they are on the wrong side of 40. I got shelled with Matt Cain giving up 9 so it all balances out I suppose.

[erb8472]

Upton is having hamstring issues, and hasn't done a thing since I made this trade. I'm still not worried, but hope he doesn't have to have stint on the DL and can get the bat going again.

[allstar1579]

Upton is having hamstring issues, and hasn't done a thing since I made this trade. I'm still not worried, but hope he doesn't have to have stint on the DL and can get the bat going again.

Have faith, he will be ok, he's going to have some ups and downs this season, just ride it out, it will be worth it all in the end.