Midseason Trade Review

As you can all probably tell, the staff at UB has been pretty busy with their daily lives. We'll all post when we can, but forgive us if you don't see posts about certain events right away. We might be attempting to do well at out $35,000-$50,000 education.

So the Celtics made a couple trades this week, eh? Let's make a pros and cons list. Generally works for Michael Scott.

Pros:
This makes the Celtics more versatile offensively. Jeff Green can definitely score, although his shot selection is questionable at times. He can also play both forward positions. And on a number of teams, he would be a starter (he's started 261 of his 289 games with OK City Franchise).

This might have us match up better against Miami and New York. But we also beat Miami 3 times without Green., so that's not really a factor at all in my mind.

On a lesser extent, this makes the trade for Ray Allen a complete success. Ray was acquired for Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West, and our draft pick in the 2007 draft, Green. Currently, we have 3 of those players, and Wally has been out of the league for a few years.

Cons:
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. We did need some sort of help; some type of scoring punch to back-up at forward. And yes, we did live without Perk for much of this season. But how much do we really trust Shaq and Jermaine to be healthy? Can they defend Dwight, Bynum, and Pau? Granted, the road to the finals may not include Orlando this year, and the Finals might not be against the Lakers.

Secondly, the other trades made. Yes, you could make a case for why or why not the Perk trade is beneficial. But what is the reasoning for trading 3 players, including two rookies, for two 2nd round draft picks. There are sources saying that they expect the likes of Troy Murphy, Rip Hamilton, and Jason Kapono to hit the waiver wire. Great, but what if they don't? We can definitely get by without them; when healthy, the C's will have 12 players on the active roster. But health has been a major issue not only this season, but the past 3 years with this aging group.

I'm not upset about losing Harangody, Semih, or Daniels (or Nate really). Ultimately, they can be replaced. Hopefully, Danny has a plan in place to replace them and to piece this team together.
   

Fantasy Baseball: Shortstop

Today, Burga and I will finish off the infield and take a look at shortstop. This was a position that once sent 5 of it's kind to the American League team at the All-Stars game (Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Nomar Garciaparra, Miguel Tejeda, and Omar Vizquel). The turnover of new top shortstops has arrived, and they reside in the National League. Let's see what we've got.

Burga’s Rankings
Hanley Ramirez
Troy Tulowitzki
Jose Reyes
Jimmy Rollins
Elvis Andrus
Derek Jeter
Stephen Drew
Alexei Ramirez
Raphael Furcal
Alex Gonzalez

• Similar rankings again between Average Joe and I. We both have Hanley ranked over Tulo, but you’ll see plenty of owners choosing Tulowitski as the first short shop off the board. Tulo’s slight injury history and inconsistency throughout the year makes him more of a 1A to Hanley.
• Jose Reyes is healthy and in a contract year, so the makings of a big year might be in order. Batting atop the Mets order, a lot of his production depends on how players like Jason Bay and Carlos Beltran respond this year. Upside of over 100 runs and 50 steals, making him a great play at Shortstop.
• Derek Jeter is as consistent as they come, and although he’s getting up in age he still plays in a loaded Yankee lineup and a hitter-friendly park. Look for him to continue his success and consistent reliability throughout the year.
• Furcal got off to a scorching start last year, scoring 16 runs and 8 steals in April. The Dodger’s face offensive struggles ahead, but batting in front of talented guys like Ethier and Kemp he should get plenty of chances to be a good fantasy shortstop with solid numbers across the board.

Average Joe's Rankings:
Hanley Ramirez
Troy Tulowitzki
Jose Reyes
Derek Jeter
Jimmy Rollins
Stephen Drew
Elvis Andrus
Alexei Ramirez
Rafael Furcal
Starlin Castro

Key Points:
• If Tulowitzki plays like he did at the end of last season, it will make the best shortstop debate more clear. Hanley had a down year for his standards, but should still be your first choice. And Reyes had a nice bounce back year, so look for him after that.
• Jeter and Rollins had down years. Rollins was injured, while Jeter had the lowest average of his entire career. Expect their numbers to bounce back a little, but be careful; Jeter is out of his prime, and Rollins’ numbers have dropped significantly since his career year in 2007.
• Alexei Ramirez is a solid shortstop and player. He’s averaged 18 home runs and a .283 average in his 3 years in the Big Leagues. He’s only 29, so he’s got some good years ahead of him.
• If Rafael Furcal can stay healthy, you should be able to rely on him for some solid numbers. But it appears his best days are behind him, somewhere in Atlanta, Georgia. He’s only played 2 full seasons in his 5 year stay in Los Angeles.
• This guy could suffer from the sophomore slump, but Starlin Castro put together a solid season in 2010. Keep an eye on him in the future. He might go undrafted, but if he’s hanging around late and you need a shortstop, take a gamble.
  

Fantasy Baseball: Third Base

It's getting toward the end of the month. Burga and I have been slacking somewhat on our rankings (college), but we will get them done. Today we look at the hot corner, where there are some names that probably wouldn't be on this list last year, whether it's injury, position switch, or a breakout year. Nevertheless, some of these players could be the best hitter on your team, so don't let them get by you! Here's our take on the position.

Average Joe's Rankings:
Evan Longoria
David Wright
Ryan Zimmerman
Alex Rodriguez
Kevin Youkilis
Jose Bautista
Adrian Beltre
Casey McGehee
Mark Reynolds
Aramis Ramirez

Key Points:
• Longoria has established himself as the best at this position for certain. But look out for Zimmerman. His average has increased significantly over the past 4 seasons. Without missing time like last year, his numbers across the board should increase. David Wright goes above him because he’s the more proven player.

• A-Rod is on the back nine of his career. His average is dropping, and his OPS in 2010 was his lowest since 1997 with Seattle. But he just had his 13th straight season of at least 30 home runs and 100 RBIs. He’s not going anywhere soon, but if it’s a keeper league, beware of that age.
• I am fully expecting Jose Bautista to fall off the map again. Yet I ranked him 6th, largely in part that he was arguably the most productive player last year in all of baseball. So, I’m giving him the preseason benefit of the doubt, but be cautious selecting him.
• McGehee eclipsed the 100 RBI mark in his first full MLB season last year, to go with a .285 average. At 28, expect improvement. Sandoval was tough to oversee for this list, as he is in top shape this spring. But in 2010, he did not help the World Series Champions as much as he did in 2009.

Burga’s Rankings:
Evan Longoria
Ryan Zimmerman
David Wright
Alex Rodriguez
Kevin Youkilis
Jose Bautista
Adrian Beltre
Aramis Ramirez
Mark Reynolds
Pablo Sandoval

Key Points:
• Some might wonder why Zimmerman is ranked higher than Wright or even A-Rod, but I’m extremely high on him this year. Another year old, he’s got the tools to take his game to the next level. Washington’s franchise player (Steven Strasburg and Bryce Harper are pretty good, too) should look for career highs in all categories this year and challenge Longoria for the number one spot if he stays healthy.
• Alex Rodriguez is a top 10, maybe top 5 player in all of fantasy baseball when he’s healthy, which he appears to be now. Injury history is the only thing that puts him so far down the list. He reported to training camp lighter and with lower body fat, so if he stays healthy he’ll be the cornerstone of your fantasy team.
• Jose Bautista is probably the biggest question mark coming into the season. I don’t think anyone expects a repeat of last year’s 54 homer season, but 30-35 home runs with around 100 RBIs still makes this guy a great option at third base.
• Pablo Sandoval went from being one of the best breakout players in 2009 to one of the biggest busts last year. He reportedly has dropped 40 pounds in this offseason, and he’s surrounded by a championship team so if the pieces fall together he could get his average back up over .300 and help in every category minus stolen bases.
 

New-Look Bruins Set to Battle Flames

For the first time since the flurry of transactions that took place last week, the Boston Bruins will hit the ice with their entire new-look roster intact. The missing piece from Friday night's victory in Ottawa, Rich Peverley is set to make his Bruins debut tonight against the red-hot Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary. Peverley will don the number 49 on his sweater, and he is expected to play alongside fellow newcomer Chris Kelly as well as Michael Ryder on Boston's third line.

The additions of Peverley and Kelly, combined with the departure of only Blake Wheeler, gave Claude Julien 13 forwards for only 12 spots. Reports this morning indicated that Daniel Paille will likely be the healthy scratch tonight for Boston, and rookie Tyler Seguin will be bumped down to the fourth line. Rumors were circulating that the Bruins were giving some consideration to sending Seguin back to juniors for the rest of the season, but it seems that they will avoid that course of action -- rightfully so.

Claude Julien already expressed his feelings regarding Seguin's recently improved play. You have to believe that if anyone on that third unit consistently fails to pull their own weight, Julien would have no problem sliding Seguin back into that spot. Currently, according to Naoko Funayama, Seguin is slated to remain at center on the fourth unit, sliding Gregory Campbell to the wing opposite Shawn Thornton. While some might object to Seguin playing on that unit, one must realize that Boston's fourth line isn't the stereotypical trio of meat heads that some teams feature; Campbell and Thornton have combined for 17 goals and 36 points this season, and each of them have a rating of +6. Ice time is ice time, and Seguin will still be able to learn and develop each time he gets on the ice. Additionally, Julien explained that he plans to use Seguin in various situations on various different lines, especially coming off of power plays and penalty kills when the line combinations may be slightly dismantled. Hopefully the B's will continue to see improvement out of their prized youngster.

Speaking of power play situations, the third Boston newcomer -- defenseman Tomas Kaberle -- seems to be fitting in perfectly, and he is garnering praise from his teammates. His impact on the club has been evident from the start, and Bruins fans will hope to see more of what we got a sneak peek of Friday night. Kaberle's tremendous vision and ability to see the ice will help the offense and, in turn, prevent some of the turnovers the Bruins have been haunted by while breaking out of their own zone. Everyone is saying that these acquisitions have made the Bruins a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. I can only hope they are correct.

As for tonight's game, Tim Thomas was the first goalie off the ice at the morning skate and is expected to be back between the pipes. By all indications, the healthy scratches will be the aforementioned Daniel Paille and defenseman Steven Kampfer. Here are the projected line combinations for the B's.

Lucic-Krejci-Horton

Marchand-Bergeron-Recchi

Peverley-Kelly-Ryder

Campbell-Seguin-Thornton

Chara-Boychuk

Kaberle-Seidenberg

Ference-McQuaid

Tim Thomas

Catch all the action starting at 9 PM ET as the Bruins try to knock off the Flames, who are 7-1-2 in their last 10 games.

 

Tek Embracing Role for Sox

If the Red Sox decided to strip Jason Varitek of the "C" on his jersey, it would only be because he is no longer an everyday player. But if you asked any of the players in that clubhouse who their leaders are, I still have a feeling the guys would put 'Tek right into the discussion.

Varitek, who turns 39 this April, has transitioned rather smoothly into his new role as a backup catcher to Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Each season prior to starting his training, the Sox all-time leader in games caught has a procedure he goes through to see whether or not he's ready to start training. If he can walk down a set of stairs straight, he's ready. If he's walking down them a little bit sideways, he needs more recovery time. This season was the earliest he was ever walking straight, indicating he was fresh and ready to go. Why is that so, being nearly 40 years old already?

'Tek is coming off one of the less strenuous seasons of his career, surrendering his starting duties to Victor Martinez last year. Even though Martinez is gone, Jarrod Saltalamacchia figures to step in as Boston's everyday catcher this season, leaving Varitek to, essentially, be Tim Wakefield's designated catcher. Given the emotional tension at the end of last season, when Varitek wasn't even sure he was staying in Beantown, it's a role he's willing and happy to take on.

"My kids were upset for a good two hours after I got done with icing and talking to the media and doing those things after [the last game of 2010], and I realized that they grew up here," Varitek explained. "It wasn't just me that grew up here. It presented me with an emotional time, but at that point, it was out of my control. I did things well enough and got better in enough areas where I knew there was a good chance I could help a team. Hopefully it was going to be here, and it turned out to be that way."

It's like Boston has added a player and a coach in one roster spot. Varitek may only play one out of every five days this year, but he is the most valuable mentor that Saltalamacchia will have in his developing years. The same goes for any other young player looking for advice in the day-to-day endeavors of a major league baseball player. Getting your body ready and healthy, keeping your mental health stable, and enduring the other rigors in the life of a major leaguer. Hell, Varitek knows a little bit about that -- having caught 1,421 games, the 39-year-old is still chugging along and looking to join the likes of Carlton Fisk and Bob Boone, who each caught for the Sox into their 40s.

If you ask me, there's no doubt that Varitek will manage someday. He has a brilliant baseball mind, and that's part of the reason you can put him into the discussion regarding the best Red Sox catchers in the last century. Sure, his offensive numbers have never been stellar. But for a guy who has caught so many no-hitters, so many special pitching performances, donned the "C" on his jersey for such an historic franchise, and led his squad to two World Series championships -- why not?

Either way, the Red Sox and Red Sox nation alike are proud to have #33 suiting up for them again this season, doing the things he always has done to help his teammates grow and improve.