Kuzul

With only one full day remaining before the non-waiver trade deadline, and 60 games left to be played on their schedule, the Los Angeles Dodgers find themselves trailing the division leading San Diego Padres by a full seven games, and are seeing their chances of returning to the playoffs gradually disappear.

Even the line for the lone wild card spot is becoming quite crowded, and yet the Dodgers continue to push on and hope that solid play down the stretch will elevate them in the standings.

All of Dodgertown is hoping that the offense finds a spark, and General Manager Ned Colletti has already stated that he will do his best to find help for the Los Angeles pitching staff.

Although the Dodgers starting pitchers have fared quite well over the last several weeks, the fifth spot in the rotation still seems to be an area of concern for Los Angeles.

The following slides break down six possible pitchers, in order, of who could most benefit the Dodgers down the home stretch of the season, and provide a statistical commentary of why they are a good fit for Los Angeles.

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The MLB trade deadline is almost exactly three days away, and so far the only acquisition the Dodgers have made is the re-acquisition of veteran infielder Juan Castro on Tuesday. Castro will be making his third tour with the Dodgers, and many analysts see Castro’s addition in many different ways.

Castro may be trade bait, or he may be insurance should the Dodgers move other veterans such as Jamey Carroll, Ronnie Belliard, and/or Garret Anderson.

Even though the Dodgers have been quiet so far, it may be the calm before the Ned Colletti storm. As we have seen in recent years, the Dodgers’ general manager has pulled off headline-leading moves, and there are still some rotation arms to be had.

Cliff Lee and Dan Haren are already off the market, having made their transitions back to the American League.

These slides discuss the whispers going on around the league that are focused on the Dodgers and their potential trade moves, given the remaining talent to be had.

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The faster the MLB trade rumors heat up, the more difficult it is to keep on top of all the speculation.

Nearly every team in baseball has been speculated to have their hand in at least one deal or so, making the whole situation as cloudy as the murky depths of the Atlantic Ocean.

But trade rumors are simply that—rumors.

Let’s take a look at the latest in the crazy world of speculative trade talk, and where certain players could wind up at the July 31st deadline.

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We sit just two weeks in front of the Major League Baseball non-waiver trade deadline, which occurs on July 31. Already, we have seen one ace (Cliff Lee) get dealt to a new team, and there are several more arms that could be traded before 4:00 pm on the 31st.

And tonight, all of those pitchers are on the mound for their current teams. Could this be the last starts for their respective clubs? Will these starts act as auditions? Only time will tell.

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Hello, class. If you remember, last week we talked about the basics of Sabermetric principles and how they look at stats differently than most people and value lesser used stats over more traditionally viewed numbers like ERA and batting average.

The point of Sabermetrics is to identify trends and predict the future. One of the major stats in an expert’s psychic arsenal is Fielder Independent Pitching, or FIP for short. FIP aims to evaluate a pitcher’s true performance by eliminating all outside factors to calculate a pitcher’s ERA with an average BaBIP, defensive support, and strand rate.

So, if a player is posting an unusually low ERA, check his FIP. If it’s a run higher than his ERA, you should deal them soon before they blow up. If your starter is getting blown lately, a lower FIP would mean good times are on the horizon.

Let’s compare two pitchers who struggled recently: Ted Lilly and Tommy Hanson . Both pitchers had consecutive games of nine and five earned runs each. A good owner will go check the peripherals to see what the problem is, checking FIP first.

Knowledge is power, so keep reading .

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Now that we’ve reached the All-Star Break, the 2010 season is officially on hiatus until Thursday.

With the All-Star break, one of baseball’s most sacred traditions, comes the annual rite of July, the trade deadline deals. No less than 17 teams are currently in contention for the playoffs, which means there is a lot of wheeling and dealing to be done.

Here’s a look at 10 teams that must make a move before July 31 if they hope to make the playoffs in 2010.

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The All-Star break is fast approaching and it is safe to say that the Cubs should be sellers at this season’s trade deadline.

In my opinion, it’s time for a good old fashioned fire sale.

The Cubs have a very strong minor league system, and it could be made even stronger if they were to clean house and deal anyone of any value not named Colvin, Cashner, or Castro.

So if we are in fact in full scale fire sale mode, here are the six Cubs that have the most value on the trade market, and should be dealt before the deadline hits.

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With the Mets having lost the Cliff Lee sweepstakes, they still are in need of another starting pitcher. Losing the last two games to the Braves and falling to five games out of first place and two back in the wild card race have made this need even more obvious.

Names that have recently come up in connection to the Mets include Ted Lilly, Fausto Carmona, Jake Westbrook, and Dan Haren. However, all of these players come at a price.

A popular name that is being thrown around as a player who the Mets would need to include in a deal is Josh Thole. At just age 22, Thole was able to have success in his short stint in the Major Leagues last season.

After starting the season in the minors, Thole has worked his way back up to the big league club. He struggled in the minors this year posting just a .267 batting average and a .353 on-base percentage. Many wondered if Thole had truly merited his promotion. Others wondered if it was in an attempt to showcase him for a trade. It appears to be the latter.

Thole would be a key piece in a deal for any of the aforementioned pitchers. He would have different value to each team.

The Cubs appear to have no need for Thole, yet they have requested that he be included in a deal for Ted Lilly. This speaks volumes about the confidence the Cubs have in Geovany Soto. Thole would…(to read the rest of the article click on the link below)

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Here we are just a few days away from the month of July where the sun isn’t the only thing that will be burning hot.

We’ve talked about a lot of rumors over the last few weeks but there could be a few new names added to the fire. Names that were only a glimmer in the eyes of a few general managers around baseball, but after the last few days, that glimmer could turn into a full blown shine.

There are a few teams that may stand with what they have and ride out the rest of the season, but there also could be a few teams that will shock at the trade deadline.

Last year we saw a few surprise moves; it’s only a matter of time before we see who surprises this time around.

Let’s get it.

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A quick look at last week’s Fantasy Baseball top performing and least owned players on the waiver wire. Jonathan Niese and Ted Lilly throw a 1 hitter. Aubrey Huff and Gaby Sanchez hit two dingers each. Can they really keep it up for another week? Check out who’s a Must or a Bust.

BATTERS

Sean Rodriguez – 9% of Y! Leagues
5 R / 2 HRS / 5 RBI / .478 BA
I really like what we’re seeing from this kid. Riding a 14 game hitting streak, he’s boosted his average from a measly .245 to respectable .288. He even had a nine game tear of one run per game. We’ll see exactly how good Rodriguez is in the next few weeks, but if he’s gonna do it anywhere it will be on the hard hitting Rays.

Gaby Sanchez – 7% of Y! Leagues
5 R / 3 HRS / 7 RBI / .409 BA
A big guy who can hit for power that is owned in under 10 percent of leagues? Slightly larger than Cody Ross, we may have a winner on our hands.

Ryan Spilborghs – 1% of Y! Leagues
5 R / 3 HRS / 3 RBI / .625 BA
Well we all know that playing in Colorado always produces big numbers, but not for a part-time player. He’s got real competition in the OF with CarGo and Hawpe but if Smith doesn’t produce Spillborghs could see increased time. Good numbers for the week but let’s not get crazy here.

Brennan Boesch – 36% of Y! Leagues
5 R / 3 HRS / 5 RBI / 1 SB / .360 BA
A fantastic start for a fantastic rookie. The average, homers and RBIs are all there. Only category that is low is the runs, but they will come.

Aubrey Huff – 30% of Y! Leagues
5 R / 3 HRS / 7 RBI / .348 BA
Huff is starting to heat up and must I remind you that we are only one year removed from 32 homers? Six of his 10 dingers have come in the last month. The potential is absolutely there.

Erick Aybar – 46% of Y! Leagues
6 R / 3 RBI / 2 SB / .419 BA
Switching to the leadoff spot has turned things around for Aybar. Aybar won’t ever get you homers or RBIs but if you lack runs and stolen bases he’s your guy. Aybar already has 11 stolen bases—he had 14 in twice as many at bats in ’09. Twelve multi-hit games in the past month too.

Garrett Jones – 55% of Y! Leagues
4 R / 2 HRS / 4 RBI / 2 SB / .333 BA
Jones grabbed everyone’s attention last year with monster numbers in half a season. The beginning of this year hasn’t been all-star worthy but he’s started to heat up again. In the past 12 games, Jones has seven multi-hit games and five homers. He’s also raised his average 39 points in the last month.

PITCHERS

Ted Lilly – 51% of Y! Leagues
16 IP / 1 W / 11 K / 0.56 ERA / 0.38 WHIP
What a week for Lilly! First a four hitter, one run game against Milwaukee, and then a shutout, one hitter against the White Sox. The wins have been few and far between but can you really blame a pitcher with a sub-3.00 ERA? Eight quality starts out 10. He is a MUST in all leagues right now.

Jason Hammel – 9% of Y! Leagues
15.1 IP / 2 W / 9 K / 0.00 ERA / 0.98 WHIP
Hammel is on a lot of people’s watch lists as a break through for 2010. He has put the groin injury behind him and dominated the past two starts, giving up zero runs and only three runs in the past four. (for more detailed numbers see Tommy Landry’s take—The Fantasy Fix Roundtable: Post All-Star Break Targets).

Jonathon Niese – 9% of Y! Leagues
9 IP / 1 W / 6 K / 0.00 ERA / 0.11 WHIP
Santana seriously needed the backup after getting absolutely nothing from Perez and Maine, so Niese and Pelfrey have stepped it up. A one hitter against San Diego has him on everyone’s watch list…is another dominant game in order against the lowly Indians? Couldn’t pick a better team to follow up against!

Justin Masterson – 7% of Y! Leagues
9 IP / 1 W / 6 K / 0.00 ERA / 0.44 WHIP
The potential is certainly there and his last game against his former team sure was magical (CG, two hits). My only concern is that Masterson has only pitched over seven innings twice this year. Batters are hitting .287 against him and he has a crazy high WHIP (1.64). I won’t say his last game was a fluke but I will need a bunch more quality starts to get on this train.

Wade LeBlanc – 11% of Y! Leagues
13IP / 2 W / 6 K / 0.69 ERA / 1.15 WHIP
After four straight losses, Wad has turned it around the last two only giving up one run in 13 innings. The Padres pitching this year has been outstanding, and LeBlanc is right there in the mix. A high WHIP but a low ERA, keeps me with a watchful eye.

Joel Piñeiro – 25% of Y! Leagues
9 IP / 1 W / 7 K / 1.00 ERA / 0.67 WHIP
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again—Pineiro is a ROLLERCOASTER! He pitches one good game he gives up six runs the next. He pitches two great games, he give up nine the next. I don’t have the stomach for him. As many weeks that he will win for you, he will single-handedly lose the rest. Someday, Joel, someday.

Gavin Floyd – 51% of Y! Leagues
14 IP / 1 W / 17 K / 1.29 ERA / 1.00 WHIP
2008 may be the best we will ever get from Floyd, but there is a reason why he was the Phillies first round pick. He has amazing control and can win a game without dominating the batters. Two solid starts in row hopefully has Floyd back on track. Higher owned, but still worth taking a peek to see if he’s out there.

Is Niese the real deal? Will Lilly keep it up?
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Tags: Waiver Wire, Fantasy Baseball Advice, Fantasy Baseball Blog, The Fantasy Fix, Must or Bust, Fantasy Marx, MLB, NL, AL, Sean Rodriguez, Gaby Sanchez, Ryan Spilborghs, Brennan Boesch, Aubrey Huff, Erick Aybar, Garrett Jones, Ted Lilly, Jason Hammel, Jonathon Niese, Justin Masterson, Wade LeBlanc, Joel Piñeiro, Gavin Floyd, Mike Pelfrey, Johan Santana, Brad Hawpe, Carlos Gonzalez, Tampa Bay Rays, Florida Marlins, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, San Francisco Giants, Los Angels Angels, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, Cleveland Indians, San Diego Padres, Saint Louis Cardinals, Chicago White Sox.

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