MLB Fantasy Baseball: Monday News and Notes

• The Sabathia trade obviously leads the way. From a pure baseball perspective, I hope Milwaukee can sign him, or they run the chance of losing both Sheets, a top prospect in Matt LaPorta, and Sabathia at the end of the year. Sabathia's value increases in the NL because he gets to face lineups that are slightly weaker in the bottom third. This is especially true in the weaker Central and West divisions.
• I'm not normally one to talk about personal problems in relation to fantasy sports, but we have seen they can have an impact. Alex Rodriguez getting dragged through a divorce could very well be a distraction he's not ready to deal with. It may not bother him at all, but I'd watch very closely over the next month. We've seen family problems impact much stronger players than Rodriguez.
• Johnny Damon is hitting the disabled list for the first time in his career. The outfielder was among the most consistent players in New York, and he is worth keeping on the DL if you have the spot for it. He'll be back and should be fine.
• Roy Oswalt's start against the Braves was pushed back to Tuesday, and now it has been pushed back again. Oswalt is still being bothered by the hip inflammation from his last outing. The Astros are being cautious, as they should be. Don't be surprised if this ends up as a DL stint, should he not be able to go this week.
• Troy Tulowitzki ended up with a weird injury that will see him on the DL as well. Tulo slammed a bat following a strikeout. When the bat shattered, a piece scratched his hand and resulted in 16 stitches. He's expected to be out just the two weeks, but if this isn't another case to get rid of these maple bats, I don't know what is.
• Erik Bedard may be done until after the break after experiencing tightness in his pitching shoulder. Bedard hasn't really been healthy all season, experiencing back and hip problems, as well as the shoulder. They may use this time to get him fully healthy.
• Felix Hernandez should be back in the rotation for Seattle on Thursday or Friday of this week. Good news for the Mariners, as their ace threw a successful bullpen session over the weekend. J.J. Putz is also closer to returning. I'd expect his return at the end of the month at this point.
• I hope everyone has enjoyed what they've seen of Milton Bradley. He's been good, and now he's injured again. Bradley left last night's game with tendonitis in his knee. This is the same knee he had repaired during the offseason. Bradley's problem has never been talent as much as it has been his ability to stay off the DL and out of trouble in the clubhouse. This will be how his whole season goes.
• Nick Markakis has started to turn it on. He's good once the calendar hits July, and that's what we're seeing. Markakis is at .387 in his last seven games, with a home run and eight RBI. He's a second-half player and a perfect guy to try to get right now.
• Just when you think it's ok to trust Jeff Suppan at home, he lays an egg like yesterday. Suppan only went three innings, giving up six runs on five hits while walking two more. The Pirates did not come into this game swinging well against Suppan, with their stars all well below the .250 mark. I'll chalk this up to a bad game and will likely put him back out again for his next home start.
• J.J. Hardy continues to swing the bat well, knocking two more home runs. Hardy is a hot-and-cold guy who is as ho

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