Cardinal Impacts on Fantasy Baseball

I think there will be quite a few Cardinals that will have an impact on fantasy baseball this year. There are the obvious ones, like Pujols, Wainwright, and Glaus. I'm going to look at some of the other ones.

Chris Carpenter - Most fantasy baseball followers may pass over Carp since he hasn't been effective/healthy in 2 seasons. Because of this, he could be a late round sleeper.

Chris Perez - I think he's valuable in deep leagues, even if he isn't the closer. He'll pick up saves for sure, and, if your league has holds, he'll pick them up as well. He'll have a good strike out rate, which will help K/9 and K categories. Same will go with Jason Motte.

Joe Mather - He'll be a nice pick up and insurance for people who draft Glaus. He'll play full time for at least the first month. If he hits well, LaRussa will have to keep his name in the lineup.

Khalil Greene - There are 2 reasons - he's in a contract year and he's not playing in Petco any more. He's see an increase in power numbers and should also get on base better.

Here are a few that I'd avoid:
Yadier Molina - He had a pretty good year with the bat last year, but I don't think he's worth owning even if he duplicates that production. He was middle of the pack for catchers, so there are a lot of better options.

Kyle Lohse - I think last year was a fluke, since he pitched much better than his career line. He's also starting to pitch under his multi-year contract, so the urgency for a great season isn't there.

Colby Rasmus - I want to preface this one by saying he's worth getting in keeper league - I took him with my first minor pick in my keeper league. In non-keeper ones, this is probably the year to avoid him. He's a slow starter, so he's definitely not worth having until May to June. He's also not guaranteed a roster spot yet. You'll find that one prospect guy that will draft him earlier than he should in most drafts. There is also a good chance he could be plucked off the waiver wires when he's either called up, or some one give up on him too early.

David Freese - This is probably a non-issue now since he's back in minor league camp, but I don't see the upside that others do. He had a great year in Memphis, but I don't see him sticking in the majors. I hope he proves me wrong, but I'm playing my feeling here.

Guys for Minor League Drafts:
Colby - Enough said.

Brett Wallace - I probably took him early (11th overall), but I had 2 first round picks and he was the first pick of the second round, where I had another 2 picks. He can rake. The position is a question, but his bat will work in the outfield and first base as well.

Bryan Anderson - If/When he gets his shot, he could be a sleeper. Even with the lack of power, his numbers so far would make him a solid catcher in most leagues. He's get you BA and OBP, and possibly some R and RBIs.

Allen Craig - The guy is proving this spring that he can hit. His position is a question mark; he's a third baseman that's block (Wallace, Freese), but is seeing time at first (blocked again) and the outfield (it's crowded before he's added to the mix). I think he'll be trade bait, but could be a minor league sleeper.

7 and 4...

7 games back of the Cubs for first and 4 back of the Brewers for the Wild Card - not insurmountable odds, but I'm not feeling optomistic. It doesn't help that Kyle Lohse and Todd Wellemeyer are looking like the pitchers they were prior to this season, Chris Carpenter will miss a start or 2, and Albert Pujols is having elbow pains.

Rather than continue through this, why not take a gamble.

Lohse's value has to be slipping recently; now would be a perfect time to place him on waivers to see who bites. You'd think any contender would like to add him for a prospect or 2. This month, his numbers aren't good - his ERA has climbed and he's not getting the groundballs he was getting earlier in the season, resulting in more home runs. He'll also probably get a 4 year deal; something that the Cardinals need to pass on.

Braden Looper is also struggling a little; he's got a lot of wins, so someone would be interested. He'd work as a starter or a reliever. We wouldn't get as much for him, but if a prospect were to equal a sandwich pick, I'd take it (especially considering they won't offer him arbitration, so they won't get a pick for him).

Cesar Izturis and Aaron Miles would also have some value on the market. Neither should be considered in the long term plans and someone could take a chance for the penant run. Izturis is an excellent defensive player; he's also getting on base decently. Miles is having a hot year as a part time player, so a contender may be willing to add him. Both wouldn't net you much, but it's better than getting nothing when they leave.

There is the possibility that someone would also want Russ Springer. I'd consider him with Izturis and Miles for what we'd get in return. I'm more interested in opening a roster spot.

The last trade, and probably the easiest, is moving Josh Phelps. He doesn't have to clear waivers (since he's not on the 40-man roster) and give a team a MLB power bat off the bench. He's probably going to get you as much as Springer, Miles, or Izturis, which would be good for a guy in Triple A.

If you could move these 5, you'd open spots for Adam Wainwright and Mitchell Boggs in the rotation, Jason Motte in the bullpen, and Jarrett Hoffpauir and Brendan Ryan on the bench (or Brian Barden when he gets back from the Olympics).

I don't think these move will hurt the team any; in fact, I'd see over all improvements in the rotation, bullpen, and bench (if Barden were the one promoted). You could also use Felipe Lopez at shortstop, where he is more of an asset then left field.