FUNNY how major- league teams act exactly like fantasy teams at this time of year. Like a fantasy GM, an MLB general manager must decide whether to be a buyer or a seller at this critical juncture.
If you’ve been paying any attention to the transaction wire, you’ve seen some major blips as teams turn the second-half corner. Let’s check out what the real guys are doing and whether they can help us fake guys.
Al Leiter, Yankees: Leiter’s the body double for Darrell May as far as numbers go. With Chien-Ming Wang relegated to the DL with a faulty rotator cuff, the Yanks now have four starters who have spent time on the disabled list. Only Randy Johnson and Mike Mussina have stayed away. So unless the Yanks make a rash of moves, Leiter will stick in the rotation. Here’s to hoping you can take a hit in the ERA and WHIP departments. Leiter could get some wins thanks to a solid offense, but don’t expect much else.
Joe Borowski, Devil Rays: Tampa Bay signed him last week, making us wonder about the future of Danys Baez. Could Baez be traded to a closer-hungry team? Or maybe just one that’s relief deficient? The Red Sox, Braves and Yankees all fit that description.
Bret Boone, Twins: A couple weeks ago, we knocked him as a Mariner. This week, we’ll knock him as a Twin. We can understand why the Twins would make this move (Luis Rivas won’t lead you to the promise land), but Boone? If he’s out there, you may want to give him a shot and hope that a change in scenery will garner better numbers. But, really, he won’t be protected as well as he was in Seattle, so don’t get your hopes up.
Preston Wilson, Nationals: Ouch. This one hurts Wilson owners. He goes from the ultimate hitters park (where he wasn’t all that hot to begin with), to the ultimate pitcher’s park. On the bright side, he’ll be surrounded by a better lineup, boosting his RBI and runs numbers.
Eric Byrnes, Rockies: He’s definitely worth a look now that he’ll play regularly in Coors Field. He hit 20 homers last year, so he has some pop. Those numbers could explode.
Joe Kennedy, A’s: Horrible numbers this year (4-8, 7.04), but moving to spacious McAfee Coliseum should improve those. He has the talent: notched an impressive 3.66 ERA last season.
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Quick Tip: Flame-throwing Kyle Farnsworth should take on the closer duties in Detroit with the injury to Troy Percival. Farnsworth has been superb: 1.95 ERA, 46 Ks in 37.0 IP.
E-mail: mforde@gmail.com.
