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