Cell 101: Any last minute suggestions from the forum?

[LA Bear]

http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/2007/team/team_other.html?user_id=8038

I always like feedback from the forum...Let me know what you think.

LA Bear

[DAVIDLEE 2]

First you need to drop a * starter,either Lee or Padilla. You only need 4

Edmonds fits well in the cell but you should get a better back up because he will get hurt and he hits poorly against lefties.

Your bullpen also needs work. Not enough depth. in the cell you need a deep bullpen because your starters will get hit.

not an expert but just a few observations

[J-Pav]

What [b:801cfc68e2]djl[/b:801cfc68e2] said.

Drop Lee and pick up either a low dollar SP/RP specialist or just a .50 SP (it's not necessarily a throw away, because you can find a guy like Byrd to take care of an opponent or two with an all righty lineup).

Nook ($2.57 mil) is the best complement to Edmonds in CF, but in The Cell, Tommy Murphy ($1.02 mil) is perfectly acceptable. [u:801cfc68e2]Do not[/u:801cfc68e2] play Edmonds vs. LHP. Do put Edmonds as a CF defensive sub in your manager strategy - he'll get some late inning at bats when the opposing lefty starter is yanked.

[J-Pav]

Jose Cruz ($1.91) is also serviceable. Further down the food chain, Francoeur ($1.99) can also fill the bill vs. LHP.

[Rant]

Are you planning on using Wang in the pen?

Not sure how much I like that if so. I'd be concerned if you're planning on using Saul too much. I've had him stink up the joint ... in RFK. He's worth having in a hitter's park, but I'd have some better guys around him. Wouldn't mind having a lefty in the pen if I were you. Reyes is available if you can shuffle some cash. J. Sanchez if you can't.

[LA Bear]

Thanks alot for the coaching...the available LH RPs <$2M are almost zilch. For a hitters park Loewen, Marte and Pinto head the class...all pretty scary options. I was considering going with a platoon 4th SP slot with Padilla and Lee, but I too worry about the pen being a little light especially when Citizen's and Coors are also in the division. Lee will probably find himself back on waivers by 9PM PST. I'll probably try to ad RHP S5/R3 to mop-up and eat up innings when an SP gets knocked out early.

I'm planning to live with Edmonds strengths and weaknesses...Ford will cover for him when he is out....Great D....no bat....his team mates will just need to pick up the let down.

[J-Pav]

[quote:dd18c0e7c1="LA Bear"]I'm planning to live with Edmonds strengths and weaknesses...Ford will cover for him when he is out....Great D....no bat....his team mates will just need to pick up the let down.[/quote:dd18c0e7c1]

Just so you know, Willie Bloomquist is currently your best roster option in CF versus LHP, followed by Ford [i:dd18c0e7c1]then[/i:dd18c0e7c1] Edmonds [u:dd18c0e7c1]last[/u:dd18c0e7c1]. One third of your at bats will be versus LHP, so it makes little sense to "live" with Edmonds when you can easily upgrade Bloomquist (or at least [i:dd18c0e7c1]start[/i:dd18c0e7c1] Bloomquist) and drastically improve your line-up. Plus, when Edmonds gets hurt (which will happen more often batting from both sides) you lose a major offensive weapon in your line-up versus RHP, who will then be replaced by Lew Ford??

Regarding pitching, if you are planning on using Wang as a long reliever, that's not really a deal breaker, but there's more value in an equally priced R2 or R3 pure reliever. The problem that I see is that you went with strong double-play pitching, but you're diluting them with 3s at 2B and 3B. You need to keep A-Rod's bat, but might consider upgrading your 2B defense at the expense of Durham's offense. Iguchi, who's usually FA available, is one possible solution here.

The reliever situation is what it is. If Kuo or Downs become available, jump on them however you can. Thornton and/or Kennedy also have value in hitters parks.

[LA Bear]

Thanks:

I'll have to think through the CF scenarios. I will look into the possibility of platooning Edmonds.

I totally understand the defense concern with the IF. It's a Cell balancing act...maximizing BP HRs on the pitchers, minimizing the BP HRs on the hitters, and enough fielding to keep folks honest. I could upgrade fielding at 2B, but I'll be seeing nearly 45% LH SPs within the division. I'm looking for Duhram to pick up some of Edmond's slack.

Wang will be my #1 SP. I guess the platooning the #4 starter idea wasn't that great an idea. $4M for 40 appearences max versus $4M for 60+ appearences. So, it's really a choice between Padilla and Lee. If I convert Gaudin to a SP, I should be able to afford one the of the more expensive lefties. Thanks many times over. Kennedy could be a great fit. I don't expect any gifts like Kuo to show up on the waiver wire.

[J-Pav]

I'd keep Gaudin, he's a great low budget bargain in The Cell. To shore up the pen, consider two SP/RPs instead of a * SP and a cheapie. That way, one of the two will be able to spot relieve now and then. Hensley/Nieve might be a combination similar in price to Padilla/Lee, but you can go cheap w/ Buchholz/Gonzalez or Janssen, or some such if you want to free up more salary.