Fantasy baseball draft season is coming, so you best be prepared by delving through every major player on each team. Fantasy FanHouse is here to help with a quick once-over.
Meet the... Team who someone predicted would win the World Series last year. Seriously. When you stop laughing, you can check out the link (he's the top one listed -- though when you see his other atrocious picks you won't be surprised). Was I any better? Glad you asked. I actually took Mr. Downey to task before Opening Day. You can check the rest of my stuff if you wish, as there were some misses in there.
Anyway, it's safe to say expectations are a slight bit lower heading into '08.
You know, getting traded once can probably be quite the ordeal for a baseball player. If you've been in a city for a while, you've more than likely bought yourself a home, and maybe you're married with kids so packing up all your stuff and moving across the country can't be easy. Both Aaron Heilman and Garrett Olson have gone through this type of thing recently, as Heilman was sent from New York to Seattle in the J.J. Putz deal, and Olson left Baltimore for Chicago in a trade for Felix Pie only ten days ago.
Well hopefully neither player put down a security deposit on an apartment in either of their new cities because they've both been traded again. This time, for each other.
As baseball's offseason slogs along at a molasses-like pace, the Jake Peavy-to-Cubs rumors just won't die. Whether it's actual reality or just pure conjecture at this point is hard to tell.
The Jake Peavy sweepstakes just got a ton more interesting. The inclusion of the World Champs always spices things up, you know. That's right, the Philadelphia Phillies are now involved in talks with the Cubs ... and the Padres ... and the Orioles. The scene is now set for a blockbuster deal which would see upwards of seven or eight players switching addresses. Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribunereports his findings from a meeting with Padres GM Kevin Towers.
Towers told reporters on Monday that the Cubs were the only team he is continuing to talk to about Peavy and that making a Peavy trade was his full focus at the winter meetings. He then went out and proved it by working to facilitate a potentially four-team trade that would send Mark DeRosa to Philadelphia and Felix Pie to Baltimore and bring back pitchers Garrett Olson, J.A. Happ (the Northwestern product) and Sean Marshall for the Padres.
The key for that deal to work is for the Phillies or Orioles to take Jason Marquis, with the Cubs agreeing to eat some of his salary.
I believe this would be a great deal for both the Cubs and Phillies.
Spot Jobs gambles by picking five spot starters for the week and five usual starters to avoid. The success rate is usually around 50%, but the risk level is always through the roof. Obviously, though, you always start Brandon Webb (when healthy) and sit Dave Bush.
Five Up Carlos Zambrano, Cubs, @STL -- Yeah, so he's an obvious name. I just wanted to take the opportunity to make sure you get him active for this upcoming scoring period, because he's going to be off the DL in time to make a Friday start against the rival Cardinals. He'll be fired up and raring to go.
Eddie Bonine, Tigers, @Minny -- The Tigers aren't losing the way many thought they wouldn't lose. Ride the unknowns in deeper AL-Only leagues while they're hot!
Ricky Nolasco, Marlins, vs. Nats -- Last ten starts? 7-1, 3.06, and 52/18 K/BB ... and that includes one stinker (12 hits and seven earned runs against the Braves on June 5th). Plus, he's facing the Nats offense. Big-time must-start here.
Garrett Olson, O's, vs. Royals -- Getting the Royals at home is never a bad thing, unless you play in the NL. Olson doesn't.
Johnny Cueto, Reds, vs. Nats -- I hate to pick on the Nats, but when someone has the stuff Cueto does and gets to face a futile offense, you gotta get him in there.
On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups
Boston Red Sox (29-19) vs. Kansas City Royals (21-24) - 7:05PM Est.
Let's take a look at how the first two games of this series have gone for the Kansas City Royals. On Monday they were no-hit by Jon Lester, and on Tuesday they were beaten by rookie Justin Masterson as he picked up the first win of his Major League career.
Today things get no better as the Royals are preparing to uncomfortably bend over an examining table, and get their colon's checked by the Round Mound of...um...Pounds? That's right! Bartolo Colon is back, and he's ready to make his very first start as a member of Red Sox Nation.
Will he be responsible for the Royals leaving Boston walking uncomfortably, or will the Royals come out of their check-up with flying colors and salvage a game in Beantown?
There are very few technically "elite" two start options this week, but that means there are some pretty nice up and coming options. Standing out is Max Scherzer, newly rotationed with the Arizona Diamondbacks and a potential K goldmine. Don't worry about benching him against Philly -- the Phils whiff a lot, even if they have tons of power and he could end up with 10+ strikeouts.
Garrett Olson is actually a better start than Scott Olsen, in my mind, and a tremendous sleeper this week. Scott has been pretty lucky this season and has a nice pair of starts but I expect him to come back to earth. Expect similar bouncebacks from Gavin Floyd and Braden Looper. Actually Looper already landed. Don't start him.
Jonathan Sanchez is another great two start option for K's galore as well. Ubaldo Jimenez represents a ton of upside, but I just can't see using him until he gets his control back; a dangerous start if he's unable to find the strike zone.
Jeremy Bonderman apparently isn't "must start" anymore, and with the Red Sox and Yankees on the schedule, that's kind of a reasonable attitude to take. Still, I'm running him out there in most leagues with the Tigers offense and the shutdown job he did on Boston recently. If he cut back on the walks, he'll get back to dominant.
On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups
Baltimore Orioles (14-11) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (14-11) - 7:05PM Est.
It's the matchup we've been waiting our entire lives for. The series to end all series. The rivalry to end all rivalries.
We approach the end of baseball's first month with two teams perched atop the AL East who are tired of beating the weak and weary "teams" that litter this sport called baseball. They're ready for real competition, and they're ready to decide once and for all: who is the team to beat in the mighty AL East?
No it's not the Red Sox and Yankees (you fool!), it's the Orioles and Rays.
Finally, some news out of Baltimore that doesn't involve Jay Gibbons, HGH or news of yet another pitcher going down with injury! No, for once, we have good news: Jeremy Guthrie, who was originally expected to be shut down for the rest of the year, might actually return sometime soon. From the Baltimore Sun:
Guthrie said he remains optimistic that he'll pitch again in 2007.
"It's not an arm issue where you think it's recovered, but you're still nervous. I have a really good feeling, for whatever reason," he said.
Considering Guthrie has been the O's best starter this side of Erik Bedard (who's officially done for the season), that's outstanding news for the O's. Plus, manager Dave Trembley said that rookie Garrett Olson, who's been sidelined with a strained left forearm, is also likely to return. Olson has done jack this year in the majors with a 7.79 ERA in seven starts, but with any luck he'll return to the mound for the O's, finish up the "getting his feet wet" process and start putting up numbers like he has his entire minor league career (2.95 ERA over 348 IP).
All in all, it's good news all around for the O's, even if the only thing they have left to play for is the role of the spoiler for the Yankees and Red Sox.
Fantasy baseball draft season is coming, so you best be prepared by delving through every major player on each team. Fantasy FanHouse is here to help with a quick once-over. 
You know, getting traded once can probably be quite the ordeal for a baseball player. If you've been in a city for a while, you've more than likely bought yourself a home, and maybe you're married with kids so packing up all your stuff and moving across the country can't be easy. Both 
As baseball's offseason slogs along at a molasses-like pace, the 
The 
Spot Jobs gambles by picking five spot starters for the week and five usual starters to avoid. The success rate is usually around 50%, but the risk level is always through the roof. Obviously, though, you always start 
There are very few technically "elite" two start options this week, but that means there are some pretty nice up and coming options. Standing out is 
Finally, some news out of Baltimore that doesn't involve 
