Fantasy Q&A: Trades Involving Manny and Soriano
Soxfan Asks:
I just made two pretty huge trades in my league, and was curious what you thought of them. (i.e., was i fleeced or did I apply the fleece?).
the league is 7X7 (standard 5X5 + batting K’s and OPS, and pitching L’s and HOLDS).
Trade 1:
I get: Manny Ramirez
I give: Justin Morneau and Joba Chamberlain (remember, holds is a category).
Trade 2:
I get: Alfonso Soriano
I give: Curtis Granderson
Who’s wearing the fleece on these deals??
Old Navy King Responds:
Soxfan,
I think you’d better go out and work some overtime this week, becuase you’re gonna have to pay off that credit card bill somehow! Buying 2 fleeces of that quality can’t be cheap.
Trade #1:
I love Manny Ramirez this season. Now, I know his K’s are a bit high right now, but I think he will get this corrected fairly soon, and you aren’t paying for his past performance in this category. And yes, I understand that Morneau was the MVP of the AL just 2 seasons ago, and that Joba is a beast (especially with Holds as a category), but I favor the 
Manny side by a good margin. Morneau absolutely disappeared in the 2nd half for huge chunks last season (.247 avg with 7 HR’s), and I can’t forget that. Sure he’s hot again in the early going in ‘08 but to me, Manny is much more consistent. I expect Manny to hit about 20 points higher, hit 5 more homers, drive in 15 more runs, and have 100 points more in OPS. And getting back to Holds… Joba is a stud in that sense. However, is this is a weekly H-to-H league, it loses a ton of value. Holds are hard to come by. You can find 10 other guys on the WW that could give you 2 Holds in any given week. Sure, they wouldn’t be as dependable as Joba, but I’ll take that chance to swap Morneau for Manny. Call me crazy.
Trade #2:
Again, I think you fleeced your fellow opponent/manager, however, not as badly this time. I see that you took the opportunity to sell high on Granderson, and likely buy low on a slugger in Soriano who was coming off an injury. Since his return, Soriano has hit 4 HR’s and raised his BA by about 50 points. Granderson on the other hand, has lowered his BA 90 points and scored only 2 runs over that same span. Two! And he’s been striking out at an incredible clip, which your league penalizes. While I do think these players are comparable types, I just think Soriano will give you 10 more HR’s and 5 more SB’s.
Nice work, Soxfan! You have made Fleece Factor proud!
Filed under: _Fantasy Fleeces, _Polls
I don’t really like either to be honest. The first one is okay. The second I wouldn’t have done. Seems like there’s a good chance its a lateral move. If everything breaks even, they’ll probably have similar value. But Granderson is younger, meaning his speed numbers more likely to be true to form, and he’s and atop the best lineup in the AL. Soriano has some durability questions, and while he’s also in a good lineup, its in the NL. There are a lot of other small things that would make me prefer Granderson. I know defense doesn’t score you any points, but Lou Pinella should probably be taking Soriano out of games that are late and close for defense. That’s not an issue for Granderson. Soriano’s long stroke will also make him more prone to streaks and slumps. And while Soriano’s swing may be more conducive to RBIs, Granderson will have opportunities hitting behind a #9 hitter instead of a pitcher.
Stop hating on Morneau, Old Navy King.