Just took over an awful team

[Flyman]

I'm must be a glutton for punishment. I've got my two regular leagues that I'm doing well in (1st and 3rd...won the redraft one last year), and then I decided to try the free agent league thing. It's a fun project but it's like trying to climb a hill covered with saran wrap that was doused in cooking oil. Then I took over a team yesterday that had been neglected and abandoned by its owner. It's a keeper league, which is the only reason I agreed to do it, but this team is in 12th and there is just an alarming dearth of talent on it in a shallow 12-teamer (traditional 5x5). Fortunately, they only keep a maximum of 4 (if you keep four, one has to be a pitcher...not sure why), so that should help me going into next year basically start with a clean plate. Outside of the 4-5 potential keepers, there are some SPs and a closer that I can move for some help.

I'm going to be trying to just do the best I can this year. Kinda like the FA team, I'm going to try to get it out of 12th.

The roster I took over:
C Wilin Rosario (potential keeper)
1B Brandon Moss
2B Omar Infante (FA pickup, dropped DEspinosa)
3B Pablo Sandoval
SS Alexei Ramirez (FA pickup, dropped Marwin Gonzalez)
OF Carlos Gonzalez (keeper)
OF Carlos Beltran (was sitting on the bench)
OF Daniel Nava (FA pickup, dropped MCabrera)
UT David Wright (keeper)
UT AJ Pierzynski
BN BJ Upton
BN Eric Hosmer
BN Evan Gattis (FA pickup, dropped Alexi Ogando...potential keeper depending on next spring)
DL Jose Reyes (potential keeper)

Pitching...start 4 SP, 3 RP, 3 P
SPs: Johnny Cueto, Jeff Samardzjia, Derek Holland, Anibal Sanchez, Brandon McCarthy, Hiroki Kuroda, Wei-Yin Chen (DL).
RPs: Kevin Gregg, Kyuji Fukikawa, Vinny Pestano, Matt Reynolds, Mark Melancon, Sean Doolittle. (picked up Melancon and Doolittle off the FA wire for Francisco and Rondon)

[red]

This is the kind of thing that is much more fun and challenging than just doing the same old 5x5 league for the tenth year in a row.

[Flyman]

This is the kind of thing that is much more fun and challenging than just doing the same old 5x5 league for the tenth year in a row.

I agree, it does add a new challenge to break up the monotony.

I was just offered Middlebrooks (back spasms...not a keeper in a shallow 12tm, 4-keeper league), Werth (on DL), and Adam Eaton (on DL and not a keeper in this league for 2014, imo) in return for Beltran, Prado, and Gregg. No thanks.

[overkill94]

If you're hoping to compete this year you're going to have to either punt saves or find another closer. Your starting pitching's actually pretty good and there are probably some decent options on the waiver wire - maybe try to flip Anibal for someone like Jim Johnson (the recent struggles might have his owner panicking)?

I don't see any way you would keep Gattis next year. I'd say you could trade him as well, but he probably won't get much in return if you just picked him up off the wire.

[Flyman]

If you're hoping to compete this year you're going to have to either punt saves or find another closer. Your starting pitching's actually pretty good and there are probably some decent options on the waiver wire - maybe try to flip Anibal for someone like Jim Johnson (the recent struggles might have his owner panicking)?

I don't see any way you would keep Gattis next year. I'd say you could trade him as well, but he probably won't get much in return if you just picked him up off the wire.

Yeah, I've already decided to punt saves. I'm in last in that category, and am 12 behind the next guy. It would be futile to try to catch him at this point. I renamed the team "The Reclamations". My goal is primarily to get it set up with four great keepers for 2014, secondarily to not finish in last. If accomplishing goal one prevents me from accomplishing goal two, then I'm okay with that.

I agree...I don't see keeping Gattis next year, especially when I have Rosario, but he's one of those guys that I decided to pick up as a "just in case" type of guy. SP seems to be the strength, so I'm going to use those chips plus the few offensive chips I have and try to parlay them into good keepers.

[Flyman]

Just agreed to trade CarGo, Panda, Samardzjia, and Gregg for Harper, Profar, and Scherzer.

According to league rules, I'll lose my 14th rd pick for Harper in next year's draft. If I keep Profar, I'll lose my 15th rd pick. And if I keep Scherzer, I'll lose my 5th rd pick. I'd have Harper for one more year, whereas I could keep Profar and Scherzer for two more years, if I chose to. I'm going balls-to-the-wall on this right now...trying to pry Trout away from his owner. If I some how manage to pry him away, I'd lose my 13th rd pick next year.