Market Watch

SELL-HIGH

Tom Glavine: Glavine has been pitching well since the All-Star break of last year. He could maintain a sub-3.75 ERA all year and pick up a solid amount of wins. His current strikeout rate, however, doesn’t figure to last. He’s striking out 8.4 batters per nine innings this year; the last two years, it’s been 4.6 per nine. With little help in strikeouts and WHIP, Glavine may be overvalued at this point; see what you can get for him.

Ty Wigginton: The guy has gone from an afterthought to the D-Ray’s cleanup hitter in a matter of weeks. He has eight bombs, 22 RBI and a 987 OPS. Hurry and try to deal him before that 5/17 BB/K ratio catches up to him, because the career 766 OPS suggests a return to reality is imminent.

Jonny Gomes: Gomes has the ability to continue mashing taters at a nice clip, but if you can get a star in return, I suggest you do so. A poor contact rate should lead to an average in the .270 range. You might be able to get quite the return for him at this point.

Jack Wilson: Use Wilson’s hot start to your advantage, and talk up his return to 2004 form. Even if the high batting average is here to stay, Wilson doesn’t steal enough bases to be a truly valuable fantasy property. In the Bucs anemic offense, he’ll also struggle to score runs. Move him if possible.

Ben Broussard: Make offers with Broussard’s 8 RBI game in people’s recent memory. Remember that he platoons, so big counting stats aren’t likely. With a career OPS under 800, his current 1105 looks like quite the anomaly. The time is now to pull a deal off.

Mike Mussina: Maybe his elbow troubles are now truly in the past, and Moose is back to old form. If so, he has 20-win upside with a solid strikeout rate. If someone in your league believes all of this, I recommend pulling of a trade with him. If not, hold tight and hope it’s not just another streak and that his elbow remains sound.

Greg Maddux: His stuff has been so sick this year that the Cardinals asked the homeplate umpire to check to see if the ball was doctored three separate times last week. Maddux currently sits at 5-0 with a ridiculous 1.35 ERA. Normally a slow starter, Maddux has been a little underrated in recent years because he always contributes in WHIP. A good to great year is probably in store for Mad Dog, but it would behoove you to at least see what can be brought in return, as his numbers are unreal as of now.

DON’T SELL-HIGH

Victor Martinez: He’s just so much better than any other catcher out there. Dating back to last year’s All-Star break, V-Mart has now hit .382 for 346 at-bats now. Hitting in front of one of the game’s best hitters, Travis Hafner, doesn’t hurt either. Don’t deal him unless the offer is overwhelming.

Brad Hawpe: A RotoScoop favorite, Hawpe currently sits at .357/.419/.667. While the 1086 OPS is sure to drop, Hawpe should retain fantasy value all season long. His contact rate is something of a concern, but Hawpe is now an established member of the Rockies lineup. The fact he is hitting .439 on the road and .279 at home could be seen as encouraging, as it’s only a matter of time before he begins to take advantage of Coors Field.

BUY-LOW

Mike Sweeney: One homer and under the Mendoza line for Sweeney this year. The thinking is he can be acquired extremely cheap. Although still an injury risk, becoming a full time DH should really help in that regard. Sweeney will hit; he is a career .300 hitter and sports an 871 OPS. He even has improved lineup protection with the addition of Reggie Sanders this year. Feel free to take him off the hands of impatient owners tired of his injuries and lack of production.

Barry Zito: Zito has a career ERA of 5.04 in April. His next highest month is all the way down to 3.76. Clearly the best way to handle Zito is let someone else get fed up with his April, and then deal for him in May. His poor numbers thus far stem from getting hit hard by Texas twice and the Yankees once. His WHIP is fine and batters are only hitting .211 against him. The A’s offense will only get better; he’s pitching in front of a terrific defense, and is in a contract year. Go get him.

Jake Peavy: He’s 1-3 with an ERA over 5. Hardly the only pitcher off to a slow start after participating in the WBC, Peavy will get it figured out soon enough, as he is throwing the ball just fine. Results are soon to follow. There won’t be a better time to go after him.

DON’T BUY-LOW

Carl Crawford: Listen, Crawford will still probably manage to swipe 40-50 bases this year and no doubt be valuable. But the shoulder injury should not be taken lightly. If you listen to Crawford himself, not many other players would even be playing with it. It’s something that could affect his hitting throughout the year and can partially explain his slow start.

Jon Garland: Obviously he’s going to improve upon his 7.30 ERA and 1.66 WHIP, but still, last year is looking more and more like a fluke. His horrid start is especially worrisome when you consider he has faced a rather easy schedule: Kansas City twice, Detroit and Seattle. Last year’s 18-win campaign is a distant memory; I’d rather own Brandon McCarthy.

PICK UP

Juan Cruz: If you’re in a deep league, consider nabbing Cruz from the waiver wire. He is set to replace the D-Backs $33 million man, Russ Ortiz, in the rotation. Cruz was once a top prospect in the Cubs system and was traded from the A’s earlier this year. He has electric stuff, a live arm and finds himself in a good division for pitching. Give him a chance and hope his command is on. There is actually quite a bit of upside here.