Mailbag

Too busy still celebrating the Warriors win and in too much anticipation for Tim Lincecum’s debut Sunday night for a long article this weekend, so here’s another mailbag. Remember, e-mail seven3d@aol.com for future inquiries or for some good old-fashioned hate mail.

Todd asks:

Would you drop Raul Ibanez for Hunter Pence? (standard Yahoo 5×5 league)

RotoScoop says:

Tough question. Ibanez played out of his mind last season; an obvious career-year at age 35 meant a regression this season was highly likely. While I think he will turn it around (he had a very good spring, after all), he probably will fall short of last year’s numbers by a decent margin. Pence needs to hit immediately or he runs the risk of getting sent back down since Houston isn’t short of options (Chris Burke). My assessment: Ibanez is the safer choice, and Pence is the one with more upside. Personally, I’d prefer Pence, but it’s a close call.

Chris asks:

Just how good is Billy Butler going to be? I have him in a keeper league and am getting trade offers left and right…some are pretty huge. What is his offensive cap? Have the opportunity to trade him potentially for Papelbon, or potentially for Dice-K and Justin Upton (I throw in draft picks in that scenario)…Thanks!

RotoScoop says:

I would expect 15-20 homers from him if he kept an everyday job from here on out, but that’s not even guaranteed at this point. He’ll probably grow into a 30-35 homer type in the future, but I’d have to take a long look at those offers if I were you. I would do the Dice-K and Upton for Butler deal. Upton may take more patience, but I like his long-term potential more than Butler, and you’d also be getting Dice-K, who should turn it around. I’d do that deal.

Jim asks:

I can get Abreu & Maddux for Kelly Johnson and Dan Haren. This deal isn’t really about needs for me – I can put Figgins in at 2b to replace Johnson and I can find a spot for Abreu. So, does this deal make any sense? Would you do it?

RotoScoop says:

Yes, I’d do it. While I really like Kelly Johnson and Haren, Maddux will put up quality numbers in SD, and Abreu is by far the most valuable fantasy property of the group. Hitting third in that Yankee lineup is quite nice. Despite the slow start (he didn’t play much during spring b/c of the oblique injury, so just now is he were everyone else started the season), he could finish as a top-10 offensive player in fantasy. It’s an extremely even trade though, and if you think Haren can continue pitching like a top-5 starter, then it’s fine to reject it. Johnson is going to score 120 runs if he stays healthy.