American League Bail Bait

With half the season passed, the temptation to bail on the 2008 fantasy baseball season becomes very hard to resist.  If you've watched you players under-perform, get hurt, be victimized over and over again by their bullpen, you likely are fed-up.  With fantasy football kicking into gear, the hopes of fantasy victory are being rekindled.

Before bailing, make sure you know who is worth trying to obtain.  For me, I look for players who are likely to maintain their value throughout the off-season and into next year.  For me, this tends to eliminate any half-season pitching flashes in the pan.  I cannot guess that a pitcher with a 3.00 ERA now will not see that rise to a 4.00 by season's end.  Nor can I forecast an injury cropping-up that will put his 2009 in doubt.

I like minor league players but only if i project them to still have significant trade value even if they do not make the Opening Day rosters in 2009.  This doesn't mean I won't take other less glamourous minor leaguers, it just means I don't want them as the centerpieces of the bail trade.

Hitters generally alleviate these concerns.  While an injury to a player like Jacoby Ellsbury hurts, one does not typically lose an entire season when hurt like an ulnar collateral injury will for a pitcher or a shoulder surgery.  Nor does a hitter's injury typically make them persona non-grata on the trade market. 

Here is a list of players I consider good bail pieces going into next season.  As a rule, I tried to include just those players who would have ben inexpensive at this year's drafts or last year's ones.  All of them will have more value in an AL-Only format, but many will have value in mixed leagues based on where they were drafted.

For the list,

AL East:
Boston Red Sox:
CF Jacoby Ellsbury
SS Jered Lowrie
Tampa Bay Rays:
3B Evan Longoria
FM LHP David Price
New York Yankees:
SP Joba Chamberlain
Baltimore Orioles:
LF Luke Scott
CF Adam Jones
FM C Matt Wieters
Toronto Blue Jays:
LF Adam Lind
FM OF Travis Snider

AL Central:
Chicago White Sox:
LF Carlos Quentin
2B Alexi Ramirez
Minnesota Twins:
CF Carlos Gomez
2B Alexi Casilla
Detroit Tigers:
RP Joel Zumaya
Cleveland Indians:
LF Ben Francisco
Kansas City Royals:
SS Mike Aviles
3B Alex Gordon
OF Joey Gathwright

AL West:
Los Angeles Angels: None
Oakland A's:
C  Kurt Suzuki
LF Carlos Gonzalez
CF Ryan Sweeney
Texas Rangers:
2B Ian Kinsler
1B Chris Davis
CF Josh Hamilton
C  Max Ramirez
Seattle Mariners:
C  Jeff Clement
RP Brandon Morrow