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While it would be great if you could get Carl Crawford or even Hanley Ramirez at a significant discount, you’re far more likely to make a profit on players about whom even you have serious concerns.
Brandon Belt — He’s already taking batting practice and after a sufficient rehab should be back in the majors — provided he shows he’s fully healthy. He’s one of the top hitting prospects in all of baseball. Gamble on the talent.
Billy Butler — Six homers and 34 runs batted in isn’t cutting it from your first baseman nearly halfway through the year. But the Royals’ lineup is no longer terrible,Cheap Philadelphia Phillies Hats, and Butler is the rare player who can be counted on to hit for average these days without costing you a star in return.
Adam Dunn — He might come at 80-90 cents on the dollar, but at his age, and in that park, it’s worth paying full price, no matter what the stats to date say. There are many possible causes for his struggles,Wholesale Jordan Hats, but few are likely to be irreversible.
Chone Figgins — Figgins’s .188/.235/.252 line is about halfway between your league-worst regular and a man on the street plucked at random to face big-league pitching. It’s gotten so bad that Figgins has been relegated to the bench, despite receiving $9 million per year (and being signed through 2013). But while the Mariners have the prospect Dustin Ackley at second and the all-world defender Brendan Ryan at short,cheap Batman Hats, the journeyman Adam Kennedy, Figgins’s replacement at third,Wholesale Arizona Diamondbacks Hats, is not the long-term solution. If Figgins, after a suitable break, gets into a groove, he’ll be a middle-infield eligible player that can lead the league the American League in steals over the season’s last couple months.
Dexter Fowler — Charlie Blackmon has the job for now, but he’s by no means entrenched as the left fielder of the future. A good run by Fowler at Class AAA, and a slump by Blackmon could reverse their situations in a week or two. Fowler struggled early on before getting hurt,Wholesale Atlanta Braves Hats, but he draws walks, can handle center field and, at least in theory, steal bases. (He was caught six times in eight attempts so far this year).
Derrek Lee — When you consider what aging formerly elite hitters like Lance Berkman, Travis Hafner and Todd Helton have been able to do now that they’re healthy,Cheap DC Shoes Hats, you have to wonder whether players like Lee — himself just 35 — might follow suit. As recently as 2009,Florida Marlins Hats, Lee went .306/.393/.579, and in 2005, he had an M.V.P.-caliber .335/.418/.662 year. Can someone that good simply lose all of his skills a couple years later,wholesale San Francisco Giants Hats, or might they simply be masked by age-related injuries. It’s worth acquiring Lee for a meager cost to find out.
Juan Pierre — For God knows what reason, Pierre hasn’t lost his left field job yet, and that’s despite being caught on 9 of his 19 steal attempts. At this point,Washington Nationals Hats sale, Pierre is a liability in every phase of the game, but as long as Ozzie Guillen still trots him out there, there’s hope. Hope that he hits an empty .300 and starts running more successfully once Guillen loosens the reins again on the basepaths.
Magglio Ordonez — He’s finally back from his ankle injury,baseball cap, and he’s hitting a little bit. See Lee, Derrek for why you might want to gamble on Ordonez, who just last year went .303/.378/.474.
Vernon Wells — The plate discipline has gone to the dogs, and he’s not really capable of playing center field any more. But Wells has nine homers, two steals and a big enough contract to stay in the lineup. Don’t expect more than a .260 batting average the rest of the way,Cheap Los Angeles Angels Hats, but you could get 15 homers.
Christopher Liss is the managing editor of RotoWire.com. RotoWire’s real-time player notes are available free for 10 days at RotoWire.com.
Rajai Davis — Like Pierre, Davis is a speedster whose lack of real-life offensive skills constantly threatens to relegate him to fourth-OF/pinch-runner duty. But until Davis loses the job — and he might not until after the year — he’s always got a chance to slap a few base hits and steal a ton of bases.
Aubrey Huff — His contract all but guarantees his presence in the lineup, and he’s a career .283 hitter with 25-HR power.
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Alex Rios — While the unseasonably cold Chicago weather didn’t seem to affect Paul Konerko or Carlos Quentin, the White Sox’ base stealers, Rios and Juan Pierre, have struggled so far. While Manager Ozzie Guillen has cut back on aggressive running, expect that policy to be temporary. Rios is also a .281 career hitter who has eclipsed the 20-HR mark twice.
Phil Hughes — He hasn’t been the same since the first half of last year,Wholesale Atlanta Braves Hats, but he’s rehabbing, albeit with inconsistent velocity,Bluefly – 10% off Sale Today Only! – College Fas, and aiming to return to a team with as much run support as the league has to offer. Hughes did touch 95 on the gun during his rehab, and he’s still a 25-year old formerly elite prospect.
Domonic Brown — A .292 OBP doesn’t sound very good, but it is when you have a .208 batting average. Brown has walked 13 times vs. 15 strikeouts, so it’s not like he’s overmatched,cheap San Diego Padres Hats, and he has four homers and two steals in 32 games. Maybe the Phillies want to get Ben Francisco more involved again, or maybe they’ll acquire another right-hand-hitting outfielder at the deadline. But just as easily, Brown could get hot, establish himself and never look back.
Brian Matusz — His velocity is down, and no one knows why. Like Matusz, Brandon Beachy returned from an oblique injury, and he’s apparently fine. Maybe Matusz is seriously hurt and goes under the knife, but it’s worth rolling the dice to see if what he needs is simply a mechanical fix. Matusz was lights out down the stretch last year, and he was one of the league’s top pitching prospects heading into 2010.
Mat Latos — The K’s are there, but the walks are higher, and he’s giving up more home runs,Cheap Cincinnati Reds Hats, despite his favorable home park. Latos’s velocity is also down about 1.5 miles an hour from last year,Cheap Baltimore Orioles Hats, and he struggled with a shoulder injury early in the year. Nonetheless, Latos is the kind of pitcher who can carry your team when he’s right, and pitchers don’t always give advance warning before they find their grooves.
Here are a few I’d be looking to acquire in all but the shallowest of formats:
Dan Uggla — See Adam Dunn. It’s unlikely Uggla has ceased to be the player he was the last several years.