Fantasy Baseball Hit and Run – October 21

Where will Prince be swingin' his big bat in 2012? That's just one of the big questions of the coming offseason. (Jamey Squire/Getty Images)

What usually is a moderately slow week of hot stove news while MLB tries to get us to focus on the World Series actually had quite a bit of important news this year. On this edition of the hit and run we’ll hit the latest on the big names that might be moving and touch on some of the lesser stories you might’ve missed in the past week. The Hit and Run is designed to be a weekly update on the news in the world of baseball both real and fantasy. The setup is fairly simple. The news is given “quick-hit” style with links to the full story if you want more info; then I’ll be off with the pitch and give you the run-down analysis of how I think it affects the teams involved and the value of the players from a fantasy perspective. So here’s the pitch, with the runner going…

Hit: Brewers eliminated; Prince exiting? USA Today

Run: Despite all their best efforts, the Brewers continued to put the E’s in Milwaukee and just couldn’t overcome the never-say-die Cards in the NLCS. It definitely seemed like Prince is gone, despite the GM and owner saying they’ll make a run. Prince will be a top HR guy wherever he ends up, but his RBI potential and protection in the lineup will be key to figuring out where to slot him among the list of elite 1B headed into next year. My best guess now is that he leaves Brew-city for someplace on the left coast (keep reading for one really good possibility)  Stay tuned for his and Pujols ongoing saga this offseason; we’ll hear a whole lot about this over the next few months…

Hit: Rangers will pursue CC if he opts out. ESPN

Run: This could be a really good fit for the big man, but there’s still a high-level of doubt that he’ll leave NYC. His fantasy value would be largely unaffected by this move from one hitters park to another both with stacked lineups to produce runs for him. The big hit if this were to happen would be to the Yankees rotation because there isn’t anybody outside of Sabathia that has his level of ace-level stuff. CJ Wilson might be the closest thing with the 2 of them virtually switching places; however, that would be a serious downgrade to an already hurting starting rotation for the Bronx Bombers. My guess is that CC stays and this may just be an attempt to make the Yankees pay more since there is “competition” for his services. He and Pujols would be the two biggest names out there if he does opt out and it’s looking close to 40-60 that he goes vs stays. Until he lands, his leanings will be a weekly topic here on the hit and run.

Hit: McCourts reach divorce settlement. LA Times

Run: McCourt still wants to keep the team, but the all-wise commish Selig wants it sold. “As Chavez Ravine Turns” will continue throughout the offseason, but it shouldn’t have much affect on GM Ned Coletti’s pursuits. Order of business #1 for them has to be locking up Matt Kemp to a long-term deal and then trying to add a bat through free agency. The Rumors are even out there that they might pursue Pujols or Fielder. It would seem to be a good fit for Fielder and the Dodger fans who embraced Mannywood would have to by new afro-hats as Prince-mania invaded LA. It makes sense and if they offer the money, Fielder in LA is entirely plausible.

Hit: Marlins interested in Reyes? Bleacher Report

Run: The plan would be to slide Hanley Ramirez over to third after he returns from shoulder surgery and have a Reyes Ramirez left side of the lineup and top part of the order. It would be the splash the Marlins need and are looking to make as they move to their new ballpark and would definitely make them much more watchable. I really like this as a fit for Jose and think he’ll be an end of the first round, beginning of the second round guy again this year. The question for him, as always, is how much time he’ll miss due to injury.

Hit: Padres might take John Lackey off the Red Sox hands. ESPN

Run: Classic addition by subtraction for the Red Sox since they’d undoubtedly have to pay a huge chunk of his salary and would probably get nothing back but a bucket of fried chicken and a beer (ok, sorry, I couldn’t resist). It would mean the Red Sox are just that desperate to off load the big righty, but I don’t see it happening and think he might actually be in line for something of a bounce-back year wherever he ends up.

Hit: Arthur Rhodes wants to return for another season-KFFL

Run: The only person guaranteed a ring this World Series (he pitched for both teams this season) said he wants to make one more run at a title. He’s probably not an option fantasy-wise but has proved he has something left in the tank (amazingly) during this postseason run and will be a part of a team’s bullpen, probably staying with the Cardinals.

Hit: Cubs and Red Sox are still negotiating (yawn) the Theo to Chicago deal. CSNNE

Run: This on-going negotiation is threatening the Pawtucket Red Sox minor league record for longest game every played. The PawSox went 33 innings in ’81 and it feels like these negotiations have got to be in the 30^th by now, right? When these teams finally do get it done it’ll be a minor leaguer for Theo-he-who-would-be-the-savior-of-the-Cubs. Hopefully an announcement is made on Friday during the World Series travel day so that Red Sox Nation and all the Cubs fans can go back about their normal lives. If this was any other 2 teams would we even notice?

Tags: Baseball, Brewers, CC Sabathia, Fantasy Baseball, MLB, Prince Fielder, Red Sox, Yankees