Fantasy Baseball Showdown: BJ Upton for Nick Markakis and Clayton Kershaw?

Q: I'm being offered Clayton Kershaw and Nick Markakis for BJ Upton. Do you think I should make this trade?

A: I think that in the end, this should make your team better, if you're deep enough at second base to cover it.

Kershaw has been highly touted for a while, and his debut didn't provide anything to make people think otherwise. He was solid, showing a fastball in the mid-90s mixed with an excellent curveball. Kershaw immediately becomes the first or second option to own in the Dodger rotation, just behind Billingsley. To me, he has more polish than Johnny Cueto or Edinson Volquez, and more maturity than Max Scherzer. Not to mention, he's left-handed. That always seems to help in making an adjustment.

Markakis has struggled, but if you look at his numbers pre- and post-All Star break for the last two seasons, you'll notice that he's a much better second-half player. In 2007, he was hitting .279-9-51 prior to the break, and after it went .325-14-61. In 2006, he was .268-2-21 and after was .311-14-31.

Taking that information, you'd think that his numbers in the coming months should be much better than what he has shown to this point in the season. No doubt he's struggled, but he has shown April and May to be his worst month's of the season each year. His numbers from June to the end of the season are much better. As the weather heats up, so does Markakis.

Upton is hot right now, he's a .285 career hitter that's hitting 20 points above that mark right now. In his last seven games, his numbers are crazy. But his numbers in the second half of the year have done the opposite of Markakis.

The problem with the trade here is that second base is a VERY thin position, outside the top few. If you drafted an option like Ryan Theriot, Yunel Escobar, Orlando Hudson, or even Rickie Weeks, then this is a good move. 

No doubt a risk, but one worth taking if you're other options at second base can help pick up the slack.

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