King Felix Trade Rumors; Carl Crawford’s Struggles Leads Monday’s Fantasy Baseball Round Up.

Could King Felix possibly be traded out of Seattle?

Considering how much money the Mariners have, have many needs they have, and what they could conceivably get in return, the possibility is certainly there. But for now, I simply pose the question with a caveat: Monitor the situation, because if he is to be dealt, the fantasy implications could be pretty big.

Crawford's gone cold? Well this is a bit unexpected, isn’t it?

Crawford has literally fell off the face of the fantasy map thus far as he is hitting .137/.185/.157 (at the time of the piece), but that is surely no reason to panic. Yes, he does now play half his games in the home run suppressing confines of Fenway Park, but he is still a guy who will—eventually—provide top notch fantasy starts and stats…so be patient.

On to this week’s round up with some interesting news is starting to develop around the league.

Joe Nathan has been replaced by Matt Capps, making both players fantasy options you should treat like the plague. Chicago White Sox pitcher Sergio Santos could wind up claiming the vacant closer role after going 8+ without allowing a run, which should deter incidents like the one below:

 

 

Ok kids onto this week’s round up.

Hot Bats Entering This Week: 4/18 to 4/24:

Johnny Gomes, OF, Reds: Gomes is hitting .268 with 5 home runs, 13 RBI and has drawn 15 walks in 41 AB. Where the heck did this come from? Gomes was always an interesting back door grab in MLB drafts—at the very least a nice waiver wire flyer—but he’s never provided this sort of production before. Gomes’ ownership has spiked 33 points to an average 43%, but to be honest, take this hot start with a grain of salt until he shows more. Or, jump on his train for the interim only and enjoy the ride…your choice.

Nick Hundley, C, Padres: For those of you who listened to me about Nick Hundley back at the first of the month…congrats. Hundley is on fire right now hitting .341 with two home runs and 8 RBI. He is still widely available, but is likely to cool off by mid-May.

Jonathan Herrera, 2B, 3B, Rockies: Jonathan who? Herrera has come as a pleasant replacement for Jose Lopez, and a pleasant fantasy baseball surprise. Through 31 AB the kid is hitting .419/.561/.613 with a solo shot, 3 RBI and 4 swiped bags. Inevitably Herrera will cool off, but his un-owned status, base stealing ability, and impressive BA are hard to ignore for those shopping around.

David Freese, 3B, Cardinals: Another guy I mentioned earlier this year as a potential sleeper, Freese has finally begun to swing for fantasy gold. Freese is currently hitting .370/.400/.543 with 2 homers and 8 ribbies, as well as, three multi-hit games. Freese has spiked to just about 50% average ownership—up 17%—so if you want him, get him now.

Kyle Lohse, SP, Cardinals: I was high on this guy last year and he did nothing but disappoint. But this year he has come out of the gate and shown flashes of what that arm can do when Lohse’s command is intact. Through three games he’s 2-1 with a 2.82 ERA and 16 K’s. He’ll face Washington next, and makes for an interesting pickup in NL Only leagues.

Cold Bats Entering This Week: 4/18 to 4/24:

Carl Crawford's cold bat has a lot of fantasy owners up in arms, and with good reason. But he isn't the only hitter facing a frigid swing thus far.

Andy La Roche, Jorge Cantu, Dan Uggla and Carlos Zambrano are all off to dismal starts, despite being players who most believed would be a great source of  fantasy baseball points in the early going of the 2011 fantasy baseball season.

Cold bats are very difficult to navigate through considering the first reaction by most is to dump and run. But be careful who you give the boot to and who you keep, as a smart decision—like retaining Uggla—will go a long way in the end, while an even smarter move—kicking Zambrano to the curb—will show ya got guts and smarts.

Let's take a look at some other icy bats and when your done be sure to take a hard look at some Players You Should Add Now.

Brad Emaus, 2B, Mets: This is a shame considering I was high on this guy coming into the season. Now, Emaus is under the scope and has been given a “set number of AB” to see if he can handle pitching at the major league level. Could be time to drop him in all league types except for Keeper.

Josh Thole, C, Mets: Another disappointing Mets’ player??? Naaaah! Thole came out of nowhere earlier this year, but as quickly as he reared his head, he has since retracted any possible fantasy value hitting .256 in 43 AB. Not to mention he’s a total waste hitting in the eight hole.

Brian Fuentes, RP, A’s: Hey did anyone see that great outing Fuentes had, pitching a scoreless ninth for the A’s win? Did anyone see the horrible outing prior to that one when he allowed a grotesque 6 runs? Exactly, nothing to see here people, Fuentes is just a nice tire to kick, nothing more.

Joe Nathan, RP, Twins: Well, Nathan tried his best but in the end his bloated 8.44 ERA—and command issues— got the best of him forcing the Twins to go with Matt Capps. Stay away from both, until one of them shows some semblance.

Miguel Olivo, C, Rockies: Olivo is having a horrible start to the season hitting .146 with just 3 runs batted in and 16 strikes. For now, keep him on the bench, but monitor the situation because Olivo tends to warm up with the trending weather, but if this particular trend continues for another month or so, drop him.