Let me preface this by saying I have built a good roster over the last 15+ years of doing the same league with my high school friends. We can keep players in perpetuity, losing however many of your first picks as players kept (so if you keep 4 players, you don’t pick until the 5th round). The last two years a call has been answered to reduce the max number of keepers, from 8 to 5 last offseason and now from 5 to 4 this offseason (due what I suspect to be at least in part an effort to break up my team and my buddy’s team which had basically become the unrivaled favorites each year). In the offseason you can trade players as well as picks in the upcoming draft.
Anyway, last year I kept Cabrera, Trout, Stanton, Goldschmidt and Kershaw, and then drafted Villar, Lindor and Yelich (all of whom I’d consider to be top 48 keepers and thus worth keeping in a 4 keeper, 12 team league). Now have to deal with the crunch down to 4 keepers.
I feel like I can probably maneuver to end up with any 4 players I want to as my keepers this year, and hopefully net a few extra picks. My question is – which 4 players would you target as a perpetual keepers? Trout is obvious but then it gets murky for me. Kershaw is the greatest pitcher of this generation but pitchers are fragile. Harper, Arenado, Bryant and Machado are the other names that stick out to me. I could see a case being made for Lindor, Seager or Correa but there’s really a surfeit of quality shortstops in the league, including those on the way up.
So which 4 players would you target? I assume there won’t be a consensus but there are a lot of strong baseball minds on BBI and curious to see what opinions are. Thanks in advance for any thoughts.
kershaw
goldschmidt
lindor
kershaw
goldschmidt
lindor
Thanks. On my current team I'd probably agree. What I'm getting at is that with trades I can likely acquire any combination of 4 players I'd like (Cabrera, Stanton, Yelich and Villar all also have keeper value in my eyes).
So more simply, in all of baseball who would you consider the top 4 keepers to start a team with this season?
Trout
Bryant/Machado/Arenado- Don't think you can lose with either. But Bryant/Machado are 1A/1B at 3B to me.
Betts/Harper/Altuve/Goldy- If you're keeping them forever, and Harper ends up with NYY with the short porch, that is might appealing.
Thor/MadBum
There's of course other players that you can go with like a Seager/Correa/Trea Turner who are young and offer some massive upside as well. I think the above breakdown I like better currently though.
Just curious who of that group folks would consider the top 3.
Carlos Correa
Anthony Rizzo
I have to pick one out of these 3
Jake Arrieta
Brian Dozier
AJ Pollock
Who would you pick and why? Arrieta been on my team for 2 years and has been my ace but signs of slowing down? And he will pitch 3rd in rotation now?
I picked up Dozier and he was my MVP second half but regression?
Pollock has 5 tool ability but injuries??
I tanked last year and traded away most of my players for picks.. so my keepers right now are all pretty much mid-later round guys..
Boegaerts (6th rd)
Dozier (10th rd)
Matz (13th rd)
Snell (21st rd)
I need to choose one more...
My roster was totally gutted and I dealt Sale for a 3rd rounder since keeping him would cost a 1st and I'm guaranteed Trout/Scherzer if I use my live pick.
So really, my only other options are Maikel Franco (3rd rd cost), Urias (15th rd) or Ramirez (20th).. seems like Ramirez would be a good choice, no? Tito says he's going to be the 3B.
I have an offer on the table for Roark (would cost 18th rounder) for my 7th and 9th rounders.. but I feel like I would be better off keeping those picks.