# Fantasy Baseball: Help me decide who to keep. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 15, 2005, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-baseball-help-me-decide-who-to-keep/294553 "2005-03-15T00:50:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-baseball-help-me-decide-who-to-keep/294553/1 "2005-03-15T00:50:44Z")
So I’m in a keeper rotisserie league. Longstanding league (10+ years) and the winner takes home quite a pot. So we get kind of focused. I can take up to 15 players through to next year. I’ve currently cut it down to 16 players (discarding such obvious cuts at Sean Burnett, Jamey Carroll and their ilk). But it’s come down to two players. $5 Luis Terrero (OF, ARI) $1 Salomon Torres (P, PIT) Neither are spectacular or have starting jobs. But either could get some traction. Terrero looks to be the fourth OF in Arizona. He’s fast as all hell and not a bad hitter. He’s stuck behind Luis Gonzalez, Shawn Green, and Jose Cruz, Jr for playing time. Torres is a good reliever but unlikely to get many saves unless Mesa breaks down or is ineffective. What do you all think? ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-baseball-help-me-decide-who-to-keep/294553/2 "2005-03-15T02:29:43Z")
Tough call. Terrero is good and there could easily be an injury in that outfield - they aren’t spring chickens. On the other hand, Mesa is 39 and has periodic flameouts. Of course, I am biased - I had him in '03 with his 24 saves and 6.something ERA. If you have a chance in a keeper league to have a stopper for a buck, I’d take it. Wait, Torres is 33 years old. I’d keep Terrero. I’m sure this helps. ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-baseball-help-me-decide-who-to-keep/294553/3 "2005-03-15T02:59:22Z")
On [ESPN.com](http://ESPN.com)’s Arizona depth chart, Terrero is behind Luis Gonzalez in Left and Jose Cruz, Jr. in Center. Other hand, [ESPN.com](http://ESPN.com)’s Pittsburgh depth chart shows some weakness in the Pirates’ rotation, which tells me they’ll probably be going to that bullpen decently often. Saving Mesa for games where they’re at least leading by a run or two (or, at worst, tied), they’ll probably throw Torres in there if they want to get him more experience; yes, he’s been in and out of MLB since 1993, but he has only one season of 100+ IP, and career he’s got under 550. I don’t know how good their bull pen is, but I haven’t heard anything significant about it either way. I’d go with Torres, but only marginally. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-baseball-help-me-decide-who-to-keep/294553/4 "2005-03-15T14:16:24Z")
Gotta say to go with Terrero. The Vice President of Closing in Pittsburgh is Mike Gonzalez, not Torres. Torres is relegated to middle relief for the rest of his existence (unless he’s traded). He offers good support to your WHIP and ERA, and provides a crapload of Holds if your league’s into that sort of thing, but otherwise, his Ws, SVs and Ks aren’t all that. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-baseball-help-me-decide-who-to-keep/294553/5 "2005-03-15T15:24:06Z")
I appreciate the advice. Right now I’m negotiating to deal Houston’s Chris Burke for a package of Foppert and Cordero (the Washington closer). What do you think? ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-baseball-help-me-decide-who-to-keep/294553/6 "2005-03-15T17:53:06Z")
I think it’s a steal. I don’t think Burke will get the job - Biggio will take over 2B this year. Burke’s good, but his potential isn’t even close to that of EITHER Foppert or C. Cordero. Both have great arms, and really good stuff. Burke’s praises were pretty high this off-season, spurring Kent’s move to the LADoLA (as opposed to the LAAoA). He’ll still be very good, but that’s an incredible deal. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-baseball-help-me-decide-who-to-keep/294553/7 "2005-03-15T18:59:40Z")
I’d say you definately have to go with Terrero. Torres doesn’t have much value, and while without knowing more about the make-up of the league, I can’t imagine that the $1 vs. $5 savings is worth the dropoff in upside. Terrero is very likely to be in the starting lineup at some point this year, he’ll get some action platooning, an injury to one of those guys is pretty close to a certainty, and last but not least, these are the D-Backs, and come August they could very well be moving one of those guys to open a full time spot for him. Granted, I have no idea what the cost-benefit would be in your league to something this speculative, I think Torres is a pretty weak alternative. ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-baseball-help-me-decide-who-to-keep/294553/8 "2005-03-15T21:41:05Z")
So **Jonathan** , 'splain this to me (and anyone else who happens in). You can only keep 15 players. If you trade one player for two, you can then keep 16 players, since two of them are in your roster because you got rid of one? Or are you thinking of tossing Terrejo _and_ Torres? Or am I just missing something really bloody obvious? I don’t think I’ve ever played in a rotisserie league. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2005, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-baseball-help-me-decide-who-to-keep/294553/9 "2005-03-19T20:16:28Z")
You’re right, pun. I can keep a MAXIMUM of 15. So I can’t keep both. I threw Torres back and kept Terrero. Here’s hoping for bloody wars and sickly seasons in the Arizona outfield. And I’m close to trading: Chase Utley Matt Cain for Chad Cordero Ian Snell Cordero is at $10 for the next two seasons and I hate paying $35+ for a closer. I sure hope he keeps the job in Washington.