Fantasy Baseball: News and Notes

I know, it's not close to baseball season, but there continue to be more developments that we need to keep our eyes on. Even early in this week, we've seen some moves made. Here's how they could impact your fantasy season.

• Pat Burrell signed a two-year contract with the Rays yesterday that will help Tampa fill a huge hole in the middle of the lineup. Burrell can certainly hit the long-ball, something that we didn't see Carlos Pena do with enough regularity last season. Look for Burrell to spend most of the season in the DH role, as every Philly fan will attest to his prowess in the outfield. He gives Pena much better protection, and could boost the first basemen's numbers as much as anything else.
• Burrell signing with the Rays likely ends any chance that Ken Griffey had at ending up with the Tampa club. Griffey considered Tampa because he lives just two hours away in Orlando. Issue now is that he and Burrell would play the same position.
• Andy Pettitte turned down a one-year offer worth $10 million, according to New York papers. If the report is true, this should lead you to believe that Pettitte has decided that he's hanging it up. Given the starters that have been signed by the Yankees this offseason, that shouldn't be a major setback. What would have been interesting is seeing Pettitte's numbers as a number four starter, since Wang, Sabathia, and Burnett would certainly be throwing in front of him. The veteran lefty would have seen much better matchups.
• Andruw Jones has restructured his contract to defer much of his annual salary and provide an easier path for a trade. Jones struggled during his final season in Atlanta and then went on to hit .158 for the Dodgers this season. He ended the year on the bench. At $5 million, Jones has more value than at $17 million, but I wouldn't anticipate the Dodgers seeing high-level prospects in a trade. Jones knows he has no place with the Dodgers, and his next situation will determine how he's viewed down the line for fantasy purposes. Wait on him and either draft him as a flier in the late-late rounds, or see what he does over the first month of the season.
• Milton Bradley has found a home in the Cubs lineup, signing a three-year deal that gives Chicago a huge bat in the middle of the order to break up the righties. Bradley will need to pass a physical but should primarily serve in left field. This has impact in a couple ways. First, Kosuke Fukudome becomes a bench player for the Cubs and fantasy irrelevant for the time being. Second, Bradley will have to prove he can stay healthy while playing the field. He was fine in San Diego, but has had a string of bad luck. SABR leagues should like the .436 OBP of Bradley, as well as the .321 AVG from last season. .300 isn't out of the question this year, especially hitting around Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez.
• The Cardinals have stated that they may use Chris Carpenter to close if that's the best way to keep him on the mound. Tough call here, and we'll have to monitor as we move into spring training. Chris Perez got the job at the end of last season, and recorded seven saves in 11 chances as a rookie. It's hard to believe that Carpenter would incur less wear on his arm being used this way. Still, it could make for a split situation and one that you'd want to leave until later rounds regardless.
• I'm baffled by the Red Sox's signing of Brad Penny. It's a low-cost-high-upside move, but I will fully admit to bashing Penny around every corner last season and not understanding the fantasy infatuation with such a poor pitcher who was obviously injured. I'm sure you can find the quotes if you search for his tag on this site. Now, in 2006 and 2007 he recorded 16 wins each year. His career, though, shows a 4.04 ERA and 1.34 WHIP. I'll admit that 2007 was stellar, and you hope he's closer to that, but I don't think that moving to a hitter's park is going to help his numbers. The N.L. West was littered with pitcher's parks, not so in his new division. Buyer beware.
• Watch out for Coco Crisp in Kansas City. Crisp is moving to a familiar division, and in 2008 he had his best season since coming to Boston. Crisp was expendable only because the Red Sox front office strongly believes in Jacoby Ellsbury. Crisp can still play, and there should be no doubt about that. He'll get time with the Royals, be allowed to steal, and show the skill that he flashed this past season. As an extra outfielder in deep leagues, Crisp has upside.
• We've talked briefly about the trade before, but beware Matt Holliday this season. Holliday had dramatic home/road splits, where his numbers were much stronger at Coors Field. Moving to Oakland is going to negatively impact his stats. Oakland's park is much bigger, has more foul territory, and could create some major issues for the slugger this season. Not only that, there is limited to no protection in the A's lineup, making him much easier to pitch around.
• Keep an eye on the WBC rosters as they come out. We saw many players struggle after participating the last time, as they miss some spring training time. Might not be the case in every situation, but it's something to keep in mind as a tiebreaker when making drafting decisions.

Back as the need arises!