Fantasy Focus

Are you ready to roll Porterhouse?
Some business we need to cover first…Next weeks show, we want your phone calls…We will be doing the show beginning Wednesday Night at 8pm….Just call into_____and you will be able to speak with Darren and I…The show will then be available via the regular download on Thursday Night…You can also email us at Fantasyfocus@gmail.com.
Another thing we ask is that you go to Fantasyfocuspodcast.com where you will answer the questions, what should the
new name of the baseball show be…You choices are…

Rawhide Wrap-up...
Outside the Stike Zone...
Around the Horn Fantasy Baseball
Grand Slam Fantasy Baseball
High and Tight Fantasty Baseball...
High and inside Baseball Podcast

Take your pick…Some of these names have been submitted by you the listeners…If your choice wins we'll send you an F Porterhouse Beer Stein…So vote now…The new name will be announced in two weeks…

You can also buy your F Porterhouse Merchandise when you go to Fantasyfocuspodcast.com…Also, make sure you subscribe to the show which you can do easily through Itunes and also by going to our website Fantasyfocuspodcast.com.

It's hard to believe we need to start getting ready for another baseball season…

Porterhouse…

I think we need to take on our listeners once again…So if your interested in taking us on in a fantasy baseball league, just send us your request at Fantasyfocuspodcast.com…First come first serve…

This week P, we will run down some of the moves in the National League and how they will effect the fantasy values of some of the top players in the league…Next week, we will cover the American League…Then we will start running things down by position…Who you should draft and who you need to stay away from…Each week we will cover another position and maybe two…


Their was a great article by John Donovan at SI.com…He really covers things well and we will reference his article to run everything down…
NL EAST
ATLANTA BRAVES : The Braves took a double hit when shortstop and leadoff man Rafael Furcal grabbed the Dodgers' big money and closer Kyle Farnsworth took big bucks from the Yankees. The defending NL East champs also saw Julio Franco , a key bench player and half of their first-base platoon, sign with the rival Mets. Atlanta rebounded a bit by trading prospect Andy Marte to the Red Sox for shortstop Edgar Renteria, and bolstered the bullpen somewhat by trading catcher Johnny Estrada to the Diamondbacks for Lance Cormier and Oscar Villarreal. Strangely for the Braves, though, they've been more reactive than proactive.
Lowdown: Second baseman Marcus Giles is penciled in at leadoff right now, and the Braves are still looking for a closer. Chris Reitsma is about all they have. Renteria should return to his All-Star form in the NL. The rest of the team is largely intact, including a solid rotation, a lot of good, young position players and some outstanding veterans such as Giles, Andruw Jones and Chipper Jones. That all bodes well for a run at a 15th straight division title. But as far as getting better, the Braves didn't.

FLORIDA MARLINS Gone are first baseman Carlos Delgado (Mets), pitcher Josh Beckett (Red Sox), infielder Mike Lowell (Red Sox), catcher Paul Lo Duca (Mets), center fielder Juan Pierre (Cubs) and second baseman Luis Castillo (Twins). Free agents Jeff Conine (Orioles), A.J. Burnett (Blue Jays), Todd Jones (Tigers) and Juan Encarnacion (Cardinals) left too.
Lowdown: The franchise's two youngest and best stars, pitcher Dontrelle Willis and now-third baseman Miguel Cabrera, are about all that remains. They'll be joined by a load of possibly talented but definitely untested prospects that the Marlins got in all those trades. The Marlins signed Joe Borowski to close, and Pokey Reese to play second base, but for the most part, you're going to need a scorecard to figure out who these guys are.
NEW YORK METS No NL team benefited more from the Marlins' selloff than the Mets, who traded for first baseman Carlos Delgado and catcher Paul Lo Duca, both of them All-Stars who plug gaping holes. Mets GM Omar Minaya also landed the closer he needed, signing free-agent lefty Billy Wagner (four years, $43 million), cleared some salary by trading right fielder Mike Cameron to the Padres for new right fielder Xavier Nady, and signed solid bench players in Julio Franco and Jose Valentin. A late trade sent Jae Seo to the Dodgers in exchange for righty relievers Duaner Sanchez and Steve Schmoll added depth to the bullpen.
Lowdown: Minaya didn't get Manny Ramirez after all that talking, but that is about the only significant player the Mets wanted who wasn't lured to Queens. With a blockbuster offseason, every part of this team is better, with the possible exception of the starting pitching depth now that Seo is gone. The shortcomings at catcher and first base have been filled wonderfully, the bullpen problems are addressed and the bench is better. If the Mets stay relatively healthy and their creaky rotation doesn't fall apart, the Braves will face their toughest test in more than a decade. Horrible deal sending Kris Benson to the Orioles for Jorge Julio…They will be in big trouble in Heilman cannot start…Zambrano does not improve…Any remaining start breaks down…
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES : New GM Pat Gillick completed his biggest offseason task when he traded first baseman Jim Thome to the White Sox for center fielder Aaron Rowand. Gillick couldn't talk closer Billy Wagner into staying, so the Phils settled on former Yankees setup man Tom Gordon. The Phils also traded starter Vicente Padilla, signed starter Ryan Franklin and versatile infielder Abraham Nunez and brought in a few bullpen arms in various trades and signings. They also bought a backup catcher.
Lowdown: The Phils spent much of the winter dangling right fielder Bobby Abreu, only to find no takers, and dabbling in other blockbuster talks, only to come up empty. They lost out on Wagner, the closer they really wanted, and are still hurting in the bullpen. They also could have used more help in the rotation (Philly starters had a 4.20 ERA in '05, ninth in the NL). The Thome trade was good, though, because it filled a trouble spot in center, cleared up the first base problem and helped ease the payroll.
Players to watch…
Jason Michaels, Chase Utley, Aaron Rowand, Bobby Abreu…
WASHINGTON NATIONALS t: Indefatigable GM Jim Bowden pulled off a whopper of a trade for a slugger: Texas second baseman Alfonso Soriano . But it seems that the Nationals will have to drag him kicking and screaming into the outfield. The Nats are now without outfielders Brad Wilkerson and Terrmel Sledge (both went to the Rangers for Soriano), and free-agent Preston Wilson, who signed with Houston. Contenders for much of 2005 before finishing .500, the Nats lost a couple of free-agent starters, too, in Esteban Loaiza and Hector Carrasco. Bowden tried to offset that in an early trade for San Diego 's Brian Lawrence and the later signing of free agent Ramon Ortiz. The Nationals will also have a newcomer at third ( Vinny Castilla was traded to the Padres for Lawrence ), new infield backup and a new lefty out of the bullpen: veteran Mike Stanton.
Lowdown: The lowest-scoring team in baseball needed punch. Bowden thinks he has it in Soriano, though his numbers undoubtedly will drop from what they were in Texas due to the expanse of RFK Stadium. Soriano, at least, will contribute some offense along with Nick Johnson , Jose Guillen and Jose Vidro. But in losing Loaiza and Carrasco, the Nats' starters took a step back from '05, when they were seventh in the NL with a 4.03 ERA.
Still has decent pitching with Tony Armas, Livian Hernandez, John Patterson and Brian Lawrence…
NL CENTRAL
CHICAGO CUBS Florida's Juan Pierre, who will lead off and play center, both troublesome spots last year, and fortified his bullpen -- another scary spot -- with two better-than-average free-agent signings: lefty Scott Eyre (from the Giants) and righty Bobby Howry (Indians). The Cubs spent $23 million to lock those two up for the next three years. The other noteworthy signing was free agent right fielder Jacque Jones (Minnesota), who won't blast as many homers as the departed Jeromy Burnitz but offers better defense and more on the basepaths.
Lowdown: The restructured and now possibly dominant bullpen should help prop up the always-touchy rotation. The biggest non-pitching question remains at shortstop, where veteran Neifi Perez and 23-year-old Ronny Cedeno will try to do what the Cubs wanted Furcal to do. Still, when the smoke clears, this offseason will be judged on how well the hard-working Pierre does. He improves the defense and, if he's at top form, he'll provide many more RBI opportunities for Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez.
Derrick Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Juan Pierre and Pitchers stay on your radar…Plus Ryan Dempster could be a top closer…
CINCINNATI REDS Pitching was Priority No. 1 for the Reds, and they addressed it -- some -- by dealing away popular first baseman Sean Casey to the Pirates for lefty starter Dave Williams. That wasn't the extent of their moves this winter, but it's pretty close. Adam Dunn now will man first base, leaving the outfield to Austin Kearns, Ken Griffey Jr. and Wily Mo Pena. Infielder Rich Aurilia re-signed, too, and the Reds traded for light-hitting utility man Tony Womack , which should give them some options off the bench. Lefty reliever Chris Hammond signed up. But, so far, there aren't a lot of new faces in Cincinnati.
Lowdown: One new starting pitcher -- and a lower-rung one at that -- won't make a lot of difference for the Reds, who should have learned that last season with Eric Milton. Like a lot of teams, the Reds are leaning on their youngsters (Kearns, Pena, Dunn, shortstop Felipe Lopez, versatile Ryan Freel) and the occasional vet (Griffey, Aurilia) to get them through. But the pitching -- this team has no closer -- is just not there.
Awful pitching…No closer…Ryan Freel was solid…Griffey rebounded…Willy Mo everyday could produce nice numbers later in the draft…
HOUSTON ASTROS The NL champs re-signed catcher Brad Ausmus, a must, along with outfielder Orlando Palmeiro and pitcher Russ Springer. They signed Preston Wilson, who adds to a glut of outfielders. But the Astros will figure out who plays where later. The uncertainty of first baseman Jeff Bagwell's return makes the need for more power in the lineup more crucial. (The Astros hit .203 in the World Series against the White Sox.)
Lowdown: This is, in large part, the same team that worked its way into the World Series, with one huge exception: Roger Clemens. No one yet knows whether the ace will return in '06, and that (along with the inflated payroll) has stymied the Astros. Still, the pitching's good enough to compete, and Wilson is a slight upgrade, offensively, for a team that needs all the pop it can find.
MILWAUKEE BREWERS Their biggest move was a necessary one: trading first baseman Lyle Overbay to make room for Prince Fielder. GM Doug Melvin made a good deal, getting starter Dave Bush, outfielder Gabe Gross and pitcher Zach Jackson, a former first rounder, from the Blue Jays. The Brewers and Jays also traded to get third baseman Corey Koskie to Milwaukee (for righty Brian Wolfe), and Melvin sent pitcher Wes Obermueller to Atlanta to get back the Brewers' former closer, Dan Kolb . The bullpen, though, is still a soft spot.
Lowdown: After years of ineptitude, the Brewers are seeing their effort at developing talent begin to pay off. With players like Fielder, second baseman Rickie Weeks and shortstop J.J. Hardy, the Brewers have a lot of potential to go with outfielders Carlos Lee and Geoff Jenkins and, now, third baseman Koskie. The team's starters, sixth in the NL with a 4.02 ERA last year, remain largely intact, and now Bush joins them. The big question? The bullpen, which could make or break the Brewers.
Prince Fielder will be good, just not yet…Maybe a late round flyer pick…Weeks and Hardy have a full season under their belts and should improve…Carlos lee was a first half monster last year…Solid Pitching with Sheets, Capuano, Doug Davis…Is Turnbow for real? Will he tuck in his pants/
PITTSBURGH PIRATES Cubs free agent Jeromy Burnitz -- capping a very good run for the Pirates. The Bucs also found a useful hitter and great clubhouse guy in first baseman Sean Casey (who came in a trade with the Reds for lefty starter Dave Williams). Ditto for third baseman Joe Randa (a free agent from San Diego ). They also bought reliever Roberto Hernandez (2.58 ERA in 67 appearances for the Mets in '05) and filled out the bullpen. Their closer ( Mike Gonzalez) is untested, and their rotation is pretty young. But the Pirates are looking up.
Lowdown: Littlefield would like a little more power from his corner infield spots, but Randa and Casey are respectable at getting on base, at least. The Pirates will rely on the revamped lineup and their young, talented rotation ( Oliver Perez, Zach Duke, Kip Wells, Paul Maholm) to get them to .500 or better, somewhere they haven't been since 1992.
Solid Pitchers, but can you draft them with this bullpen…
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS This has been a tumultuous offseason for the reigning NL Central champs. The Cardinals lost most of their outfield when Reggie Sanders signed with Kansas City and Larry Walker retired. Solid second baseman Mark Grudzielanek also left (K.C.) and third baseman Abraham Nunez signed with Philadelphia . Starter Matt Morris (101-62 in eight years with the Cardinals) bolted to San Francisco for a three-year, $27 million deal. The Cards also traded lefty reliever Ray King to the Rockies and saw reliever Julian Tavarez sign a two-year deal with Boston . Reliever Cal Eldred, who appeared in 145 games in the past three years for the Cards, retired.
Lowdown: GM Walt Jocketty isn't one to stand still. Though the Cardinals lost out on a lot of free agents, they did find a decent hitter and a replacement outfielder in Juan Encarnacion, and landed capable outfielder Larry Bigbie from the Rockies in the trade for King. Wayward free agent starter Sidney Ponson was a relatively cheap gamble at $1 million for this year, and the Cards tried to replenish the bullpen with former Mets closer Braden Looper and former Oakland lefty Ricardo Rincon. Free-agent pickup Junior Spivey and Aaron Miles (also from Colorado in the King deal) will probably compete for the starting job at second base. That's a lot of movement, and not all of it is an improvement. But with solid starting pitching, a good closer in Jason Isringhausen, third baseman Scott Rolen healthy again and guys like Jim Edmonds and MVP Albert Pujols still hanging around, the Cards will hope it's enough.
So many questions marks for this team…
NL WEST
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS They dealt disappointing starter Javier Vazquez to the White Sox for Orlando Hernandez, a reliever and a stud center-field prospect. They swapped big-swinging third baseman Troy Glaus to the Blue Jays for starter Miguel Batista and Gold Glove second baseman Orlando Hudson. They picked up catcher Johnny Estrada in a trade with Atlanta. And they signed a starting center fielder in Eric Byrnes. All of them fill holes. But ...
Lowdown: It's very possible that Hernandez and Batista will be worse than Vazquez and Shawn Estes (who signed with the Padres). The two new D'backs certainly are older. Glaus' bat -- no getting around this -- will be missed. Expecting youngsters like Chad Trady and first baseman Conor Jackson to immediately pick up the slack is asking too much. But the beauty in these deals, in Arizona's eyes, is in guys like Hudson, who's just entering his prime, and that young stud center fielder, Chris Young, who has shown great power in the minors. Estrada, too, is a good find if he ever shakes off the collision he had last year with the Angels' Darin Erstad. The D'backs still have problems in the bullpen, and their rotation could be tr?s shaky ( Brandon Webb notwithstanding), but there's enough young talent (Tracy, Jackson and others) and veteran know-how ( Luis Gonzalez, Shawn Green) to keep things interesting.
COLORADO ROCKIES the Rocks added some experience in free agent closer Jose Mesa, re-signed starter Byung-Hyun Kim and added to their bullpen savvy by re-signing Mike DeJean and trading for St. Louis lefty Ray King. They also traded for a catcher, landing the Mariners' Yorvit Torrealba. What's that? Not excited about any of those guys?
Lowdown: Well, those guys are all useful players, and all are needed, but the Rockies will still ride their youngsters (third baseman Garrett Atkins, shortstop Clint Barmes, right fielder Brad Hawpe, outfielder Matt Holliday) and stumble because of a mostly lightweight rotation in a pitchers' purgatory. That's just life, and near-death experiences, in Coors Field.
LOS ANGELES DODGERS :Braves shortstop Rafael Furcal (the Cubs thought they had him), hired new manager Grady Little and generally did not stop for weeks at a time. The Dodgers probably missed on as many players as they got -- Paul Konerko, Manny Ramirez and several big-name pitchers turned them down -- but they did sign Nomar Garciaparra to play first base, Bill Mueller to play third and Kenny Lofton to play center. Colletti also calmed the clubhouse by sending Milton Bradley to the A's. He added two starters by trading for the Mets' Jae Seo and signing Giants free agent Brett Tomko . The bullpen was re-stocked with closer Danys Baez and reliever Lance Carter from Tampa Bay. All in all, an incredible workout for a team that started so far behind.
Lowdown: Whether the Dodgers are better in '06 depends largely on the health of J.D. Drew, Jayson Werth and Garciaparra. But Furcal helps, as does Mueller, while Seo and Tomko at least make up for the free-agent loss of Jeff Weaver. The whole place should be much more upbeat, too.
SAN DIEGO PADRES Towers made sure the Padres kept what good they had by re-signing on-base machine Brian Giles. Then he solidified the strongest part of a pretty good bullpen, getting closer Trevor Hoffman, a San Diego favorite, to re-up. Beyond that, the Padres' moves were truly dizzying. A big breath now ... They dumped uninspiring third baseman Sean Burroughs on the Devil Rays in exchange for uninspired pitcher Dewon Brazelton, then upgraded their offense at third by trading pitcher Brian Lawrence to the Nationals for sometime-slugger Vinny Castilla. They shored up their outfield defense, and added some offense, by trading Xavier Nady for the Mets' Mike Cameron. They lost some offense, though, by trading second baseman Mark Loretta to the Red Sox for catcher Doug Mirabelli, though that was necessary with the loss of free-agent catcher Ramon Hernandez (who signed with Baltimore). Starter Adam Eaton and bullpen stalwart Akinori Otsuka were traded to the Rangers for starter Chris Young and backup outfielder Terrmel Sledge.
Lowdown: The rotation, the best part of the team in '05, may be a little shakier without Eaton and Lawrence. Newcomers Young and free-agent pickup Shawn Estes (from Arizona) aren't quite their equals, though there's always ace Jake Peavy. The previously strong bullpen will be without Otsuka, Chris Hammond and Rudy Seanez , but with Hoffman bearing down on the all-time saves record, it should be good enough. The weak offense has improved, and the defense, a key part of this team in spacious Petco Park, is better with Castilla and Cameron.
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS Barry Bonds' return is critical because, for the most part, this has been a sleepy offseason in San Francisco . The starting pitching got a shot in the arm with the signing of righty Matt Morris (three years, $27 million). Longtime starter Kirk Rueter is gone (released last August) and Brett Tomko signed with the Dodgers. The bullpen is a little iffy, too. A trade for Baltimore's Steve Kline (for righty LaTroy Hawkins) and the signing of Tim Worrell looks good, but the loss of steady lefty Scott Eyre (Cubs) was a big blow. Veteran first baseman J.T. Snow, who played in nearly 1,200 games for the Giants over the past nine years, has moved on to the Red Sox, clearing the way for young Lance Niekro.
Lowdown: The Giants should be much improved after a 75-87 showing, but it won't be because of any moves they've made this winter, the landing of Morris aside. The Giants will be better because of the return of Bonds (assuming he's healthy), a full season from closer Armando Benitez (if he's healthy, too) and the improvement of young pitchers Noah Lowry, Matt Cain and Brad Hennessey. If all those things go right, that should be enough to put the Giants in the middle of the division race.