Well, more than a dollar. I'm in Vegas for a PBA Regional event, and you know how Vegas goes. My apologies for my tardiness, and to all of you who have been frantically clicking on CREATiVESPORTS.com incessantly waiting for a new Outside the [Batter's] Box to appear, well, I'll make it up to you. This week's belated column will be even better than the past few weeks–combined! Yes, that's right, a classic Buster column. I'd tell you to bet on it, but nothing that I have bet on all week has won, so I wouldn't take my advice.
On that topic, what are the odds that the two Chicago teams (with Carlos Zambrano and Gavin Floyd starting) are both going to lose on the same day (Saturday)? Against Houston and Kansas City? Come on, really?
I was smart enough not to bet on Cleveland, because we all know that they are not going to win too often for the rest of the year. Well, Cleveland won, but only because they were playing Seattle, who is even worse than Cleveland. The Indians aren't going to be winning much the rest of the way, making them a great source of players who may be traded, and others who might get a real shot.
Victor Martinez is due back in mid-August, but why bother? The Indians have no shot whatsoever, and it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to play him much even after his return. Expect Martinez to get a couple of starts per week at catcher, and the rest at first base. This means that Kelly Shoppach is going to continue to have some real value for the rest of the year.
Shin-Soo Choo is going to see a lot more starts throughout the rest of the season, and could be a real find for someone in need of some instant offense. I doubt that he is going to do much for your team' batting average, but he should help some with RBI, runs and home runs.
While Choo could be a quality pick up, the same certainly can't be said of Andy Marte. Marte has been an uber-prospect for years, first with Atlanta, where he was so valuable that the Red Sox traded Edgar Renteria to pick him up. Marte failed miserably in Boston and then was part of a six-player, no-star deal that sent him to Cleveland. In parts of four seasons, Marte has just over 300 at bats, with only six home runs, 35 RBI and 29 runs. If I told you that Marte had hit .255, you'd be disappointed, and rightfully so. Well, Marte's batting average isn't .255, his on-base percentage is. Marte has a career .194 batting average and a pathetic .330 slugging percentage. Simply put, he's useless.
Seattle's going nowhere fast, as well. The Mariners recently cut bait with Richie Sexson, figuring that they were better off trying someone new as opposed to old reliable Richie. Of course, Richie's reliability meant that he'd hit less than .240, strikeout a bunch, and do virtually nothing to help Seattle or your fantasy team. Bryan LaHair got called up this week, but LaHair is likely to play almost exclusively against right-handed pitchers As such, he's got some value, but not that of an everyday player. Seattle will also be in the market for some prospects, looking to deal Raul Ibanez to the first team willing to pay in baseball futures. Ibanez seems most likely to be headed to the National League.
One N.L. team that won't be picking up Ibanez is the Pirates. As usual, Pittsburgh has no shot at the playoffs. (I could have printed that on April 1, and I would have been just as accurate as I am today). Having no shot this year or any other, the Pirates may very well dump one or two of their quality outfielders, Jason Bay and Xavier Nady. If dealt, both would be the beneficiaries of more RBI opportunities and runs scored. Bay is on pace for 32 home runs, but just 90 RBI, while the .324-hitting Nady is on target for 20 home runs and just 72 runs. Both are in dire need of some offensive support.
The trading deadline is July 31, less than two weeks away. A lot can happen, although it usually doesn't. This year, it could be very interesting.
Enjoy the next two weeks. It is going to be exciting.
Best of luck,
Buster