Your team is looking great, ddeac08. You've done an absolutely fantastic job so far....especially with the SPs on your opening roster, which is where I screwed up royally. (And I think those were two great moves.)
ETA: And you are right about Harvey. I was thinking the very same thing.
I just pulled the trigger on my first two (actual) claims. Dropped Ryan Zimm for Wright and dropped Greinke for Harvey. I'm going to hold off on the Everth Cabrera pickup because it looks like Starlin Castro is heating up.
Nothing wrong with those pickups, but why make the moves today? Wright could tear a ACL tomorrow, and you would be screwed. Never ever, never ever, ever, make a purchase till the week is over. Only bad things can happen....just ask Bud.
That's kind of what I was referring to earlier. I know there is no way anyone would have had all of those guys....but if you had just started with 3 of them, you would be in great shape right now.
I guess that you might be safe if you are adding a pitcher who isn't going to pitch any more that week....though it's probably better just to wait until Sunday night or Monday morning to officially make the pick-up...but there is always an injury risk for position players if there are games left to be played that week. Ace is referring to something that I did in 2009. During the last week of August you are allowed to add two players as a "roster expansion" for the last month of the season. Unlike with the 15 purchases, you don't have to drop anyone, so your roster grows to 42 players during September. Well, I was needing to boost my steals in August, 2009, and Nyjer Morgan was a cheap outfielder who was stealing a ton of bases that year. I went ahead and added him to my roster on Wednesday, August 26th...even though I couldn't put him in my lineup until Monday, August 31st. Then this happened:
[edit] Washington NationalsOn June 30, 2009, Morgan was traded to the Washington Nationals along with pitcher Sean Burnett in exchange for outfielder Lastings Milledge and pitcher Joel Hanrahan. Morgan fractured his hand sliding into third base on August 27, 2009, and was placed on the 15-day disabled list on August 28.
Actually, I think he ended up being out for the rest of the year. So I used a roster expansion pick to add a guy who wound up never playing a single game for me that year.
Bud, I was using that as my only example. I am just saying...why would anyone take that chance. There is nothing to be gained while you could screw up your season. To me that is a unnecessary mistake I don't want anyone to make. I made several mistakes in the first few years that i thought "wow that was dumb." Hell, it still happens. lol
Agreed. Seems innocent enough...but, as you say, there is nothing to be gained by making purchases before the end of the week. With unlimited taxi squad moves, you can make all of them you like...and I often make several in the middle of the week, just so I can visualize my next week's lineup....but not with purchases.
Exactly, that is another great thing about being all in for a set amount of dollars. No more getting the calculator out while figuring your lineup. We can work on our lineup all week long.
I've been going back & forth about which pick-ups I should make this week, and I've gradually backed off some of my earlier, more agressive moves in favor of caution. Right now, I'm thinking about making 3 purchases.
1) I'm holding off on picking up Alex Rios. Still think he might be a good one to have, but there is really no need to take that much risk at this time.
2) I'm holding off on picking up David Wright. Still plan to get him, but Middlebrooks has 7 games at home this week and 4 of them are against Houston. He's been in a big slump...but there's nothing like Houston pitching in Fenway to break a slump.
3) I'm holding off on picking up Shelby Miller. It's still very likely that I might get him later, but even though he has two starts next week, the first one is at Washington. I didn't really want to use a purchase this early on a talented...but still unproven...SP who might run into immediate problems on the road at Washington.
Who I am now thinking about picking up:
1) Matt Harvey for Julio Teheran. A much "safer" pick than Miller, since many teams are going to have him. Has a home start vs the Dodgers this week, then two starts next week.
2) Carlos Gonzalez for Matt Cain. Cargo is red-hot (rated #2 hitter in "score" research now). Rockies have 7 games next week. By dropping an expensive SP, I will have some more time to decide which outfielder to eventually drop later.
3) Everth Cabrera for Andrelton Simmons. I could have held off on this one, but I really feel that Cabrera's 40+ steals makes him much, much more valuable than Simmons, for only 170K more money....and one of them was going to have to be in my lineup next week, which gave some urgency to making this move now.
If I follow thru with this plan, I will have 10 starts next week. Cobb at home vs the Yankees, Harvey at home vs the Dodgers, and two each from Felix, Hamels, Kershaw & Price.
Whadduya think, Ace? I feel like you will approve these more conservative moves; i.e., holding off on Rios & Miller while moving ahead with Harvey & Cargo, etc.
(And by the way, I'm not putting Castro on the bench to start Everth Cabrera. Castro has 7 games next week. Cabrera & Cargo will go in for Upton & Heyward...even though Atlanta has 3 games at Colorado. Their other 3 are at Detroit. I was going to have to put Everth Cabrera or Simmons one in the lineup to make cap....unless I wanted to bench Pujols, Votto or Miguel Cabrera. Votto & Pujols both have 7 games, and Pujols is getting hot, too. Miguel Cabrera has 6 games at home...and it's never a good idea to bench him. Upton & Heyward for Cargo & Everth Cabrera seemed the best way for me to go.)
LOL. You'll probably be OK. The odds against him getting hurt in one day are probably about a thousand to one. In the future, it's still a good idea to wait, though. As I said, you can change your lineup 100 times a week as far as your current roster goes, because none of those moves will go into effect until Monday...and there is no charge for each one, like many of the games used to have. So if a guy gets hurt, you can just switch him back out. Purchases are permanent, though.
RE: Shelby Miller. I haven't heard whether he will be on some kind of innings limit or not. I wouldn't be surprised. However, as long as you don't use up your 15 purchases and have several left for the last couple of months, you can work around that. Also, you get to add two players at the end of August.
Yeah, I saw that. I'm not particularly happy with Middlebrooks. If I had it to do over, I'd probably take Frazier for my backup 3rd baseman...but hindsight is perfect.
It's not a situation that's worth using a purchase to change, in my opinion. It's still early, and Middlebrooks hit .288 with 15 HRs in about a half a season last year. Going from 6th to 7th in the order is a little disappointing....but it's not the killer (particularly in the AL, when the pitcher isn't hitting) that dropping from 1st to 8th in the NL is. And as I posted somewhere awhile back, that Red sox lineup isn't as bad as many people thought it was going to be this year....so Middlebrooks can still put up some decent numbers (for his price) batting 7th in that lineup...and in that ballpark.
So many claims in my league today. I liked seeing lots of people giving up on Giancarlo.
One guy in my league has 4 claims remaining!