Fantasy Baseball 2012: The Ryan Braun Trade-Value Conundrum

I love how the fantasy gods occasionally throw me a bone, when desperate for a timely, superstar-driven blog entry.

On Monday night, Ryan Braun became the first player in 37 years to belt three homers and one triple in the same game (Fred Lynn, 1975). He also became the first-ever major leaguer to hit three homers in San Diego's spacious Petco Park.

As a result, a more appealing trade market has suddenly opened up for Braun's owners...at least the ones seeking out a blockbuster deal to revive a moribund roster. (As stated many times, there is never any harm in floating a trade trial balloon to your fellow owners.)

Braun's April production (seven HRs, 17 RBI, 16 runs, three steals, .294 batting) may appear tame when compared to Matt Kemp's all-world numbers (12 HRs, 25 RBI, 24 runs, two steals, .425 batting, 1.383 OPS); but his stats aren't that far off from last year's MVP pace.

In fact, it's a little better than what I had tabbed for Braun back in March, when the outfielder was due for a karmic setback after curiously, shamelessly throwing a urine-sample collector under the bus—the main culprit of an alleged failed-PED-test conspiracy during the offseason (at least in Braun's eyes).

Mini-rant aside, let's break down Braun's newly adjusted trade value in 12-team leagues:

1-for-1
Miguel Cabrera

1-for-2
Braun for Yu Darvish/Jay Bruce
Braun for James Shields/Michael Bourn
Braun for Jered Weaver/Andre Ethier
Braun for Johnny Cueto/Adam Jones

2-for-2
Braun/CC Sabathia for Roy Halladay/Adrian Gonzalez
Braun/Craig Kimbrel for Josh Hamilton/Grant Balfour
Braun/David Price for Cole Hamels/David Wright

2-for-3
Braun/Jordan Zimmermann for Ian Kinsler/Ryan Zimmerman/Drew Smyly
Braun/Matt Cain for Pablo Sandoval/Felix Hernandez/Freddie Freeman
Braun/Max Scherzer for Colby Lewis/Wandy Rodriguez/Austin Jackson
Braun/Matt Garza for Troy Tulowitzki/Brandon Phillips/Anthony Bass

2-for-4
Braun/Zack Greinke for Gio Gonzalez/Jacoby Ellsbury/Jose Altuve/Ivan Nova
Braun/Chase Headley for Cliff Lee/Ryan Roberts/Mike Trout/Jake Arrieta
Braun/Billy Butler for Shin-Soo Choo/Mat Latos/Mike Moustakas/Chris Perez
Braun/Kyle Lohse for Jose Reyes/Michael Cuddyer/Cory Luebke/Anibal Sanchez

Jay Clemons can be reached on Twitter, day or night, at @ATL_JayClemons.