Dear Mr. Fantasy: Speed or Power?

You can e-mail your Fantasy Baseball questions to DMFantasyBaseball@cbs.com. Be sure to put Dear Mr. Fantasy in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state. Be aware, due to the large volume of submissions received, we do not guarantee personal responses or answers to all questions.

I have the No. 2 pick in a 10-team, NL-only, 5x5 league. Assuming Albert Pujols goes No. 1, should I draft either Ryan Howard or Jose Reyes? -- A.D. Aviles, Peoria, Ariz.

MH: This comes down to what do you value more -- steals or power? For those who are unaware, in a 5x5 league, the hitting categories consist of batting average, home runs, RBI, runs and stolen bases. It is a wash when it comes to average because both guys are going to hit around .300. Howard clearly has the advantage in the power department, but Reyes is valuable in that area among shortstops. Reyes drove in 81 RBI last season, but Howard trumped him with 149 and will get way more chances to drive in runners hitting out of the cleanup spot. Howard did a nice job getting 104 runs last year, but Reyes beat him with 122 and should always have more because he is a leadoff hitter. Finally, the word steal is not even in Howard's vocabulary, so Reyes wins there easily.

I polled everyone in the Fantasy department here at CBS SportsLine and in the end I was the only one of eight people to recommend Howard with the second pick. Why? I value power way more than I value steals. That is why I posed that question earlier. It comes down to preference. In a Rotisserie league, I would probably swing my vote to Reyes just because steals are way more valuable in that format. But in a Head-to-Head league, I would be hard pressed to pass up Howard. You could probably supplant his power numbers with two solid outfielders. It is just that you are going to have to waste two picks doing that. The consensus says to go with Reyes, but I like to go against the grain. Howard is my pick.

In a keeper league format, would you rather have: Jonathan Papelbon or Ervin Santana? -- Karl Heinz, Kimberly, Wis.

MH: In last week's mailbag I took Papelbon over Adam Wainwright, but this week I am going to take Santana over Papelbon. Have you seen Santana's numbers from last season -- just his second in the majors? He worked 204 innings, going 16-8 with a 4.28 ERA and 141 strikeouts. And let's not forget, he is entering his third pro season and that is the typically the year when pitchers are breakout candidates. Breakout? So you're telling me that Santana is only going to improve on his 2006 numbers? Sign me up. I drafted Santana in our Annual Magazine League and he is my No. 3 pitcher behind Dontrelle Willis and Felix Hernandez. He is a top 30 pitcher heading into the season with a ton of upside. He could easily end the season among the top 20 guys, if not higher. Again with Papelbon, his numbers starting in the minors were nice, but how will he adjust as a full-time starter in the majors? Also, will he stay in the role seeing how the Red Sox are still without a closer -- which I will touch on later. The safe bet here is to take Santana.

I have been offered Vladimir Guerrero and Bobby Crosby for Jhonny Peralta and Grady Sizemore. Though I like Vlad, I have a feeling Peralta could breakout again this year and Sizemore is just going to get better. Would you do this deal and get Vlad or stay with the Indians duo? --Paul Fulghum, Fort Wayne, Ind.

MH: Let me start out by saying that I somewhat agree with your assessment of Peralta. Yes, we can only hope he can get better after his stinker of a 2006 season. He hit a lowly .257, while powering out 13 homers and 68 RBI. A far cry from his 2005 season -- .291 BA, 24 homers and 78 RBI. And you are probably right about Sizemore. He is only going to get better, but I only envision 25-30 homers, 80 RBI and 25-30 stolen bases.

Now with Vlad, you are getting a staple of consistency, but he is getting up there in age. Crosby on the other hand is a walking medical problem. He has yet to play a full season since his 2004 Rookie of the Year campaign because of injuries. There is a lot of risk involved with drafting Crosby, but he is one of those high-risk, high-reward players.

If I were in your shoes, I would take Vlad and Crosby for Peralta and Sizemore. Again, I don't cherish steals, and Sizemore isn't going to be a Jose Reyes in that regard. His highest total in the minors was 32 and that was back in 2001 when he was playing in low Class A. Crosby and Peralta are both risks, but I like Crosby's upside more than I do Peralta's. Then that leaves us with Vlad. If you read my mailbag last week on taking consistency over potential, there is no one who validates my point better than Mr. Guerrero.

I've been offered Carlos Quentin for Scott Olsen in a 12-team, 5x5, NL-only league. Both players have a $5 salary. Is Quentin the real deal? What do you expect him to do? -- Chris Bryfgle, Marlton, N.J.

MH: The Diamondbacks thought so much of Quentin last season that they shoved veteran Shawn Green out the door. Hopefully, that is an indication of what Quentin is capable of down the line. He is projected to become a .300-30-100-100 hitter at some point in his career, although it would be too much to ask of him this early. He showed some great power in 166 at-bats last season on his way to nine homers and 32 RBI. He hit .253, but he will get plenty of chances to improve in that area. He was a .300-plus hitter for most of his time in the minors. Not knowing the rest of your outfield and pitching options, I can't blindly say make the trade. Right now, they are both even, low-end options, so take a look at your depth at both positions and see which player you can do without. Just take into account that power bats are probably easier to find than a power arm like Olsen, who can get around 170 strikeouts.

I'm in a NL-only keeper league. I've been offered John Patterson and a 10th round pick for Braden Looper. Sounds easy enough, but I can't pull the trigger. Am I crazy? -- David Levasseur, Maine

MH: It is not in me to be rude David, but since you asked the question; Yes, you are crazy. Don't get fooled by Looper's amazing spring. I know the thought of pitching for a contender raises eyebrows, but we are talking about a guy that tanked out in relief in both Florida and New York. And he had to only pitch one inning in most cases! I can't even begin to think how he is going to do now that he has to go five-plus innings every time out. Looper also will likely be the first guy out of the rotation when Mark Mulder returns in June.

Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan is perhaps the best at what he does and could turn Looper into a legit starter. The team has also said that Looper has done better in multi-inning outings than he does in just single-inning affairs. But here we ago again with the word potential.

I would pull the trigger and do the trade. Patterson is the ace on a bad team, but he is still the ace. He has a proven track record of being an effective pitcher when healthy, and he will only lose his job because of injury. Also, you are getting a 10th round draft pick. I really don't see the downside in this trade. I say get rid of Looper in return for Patterson and a draft pick.

Do the Red Sox have anyone worth eyeing in the bullpen come Draft Day? I like anyone on that team, if they are declared the outright closer and keep the job. Does Joel Pineiro do anything for you? Is it reasonable to think that if held the role for the entire season that 30-plus saves is realistic? -- Robert Di, Buffalo, N.Y.

MH: Red Sox manager Terry Francona said the other day that he had no idea who his closer will be and camp is about to come to a close. The team has also been rumored to be interested in obtaining Nationals closer Chad Cordero or Giants closer Armando Benitez. I can seriously see the BoSox making a late spring push to obtain Benitez if he continues his impressive string of outings. As of Sunday, he has thrown three scoreless outings. Right now, you really can't take a chance on drafting any Red Sox reliever. If no deal is done, the closer will likely be either Pineiro, who has only one save in seven years in the majors, or Mike Timlin, who is entering his 17th major league season and is more of a temporary option than long-term for the Red Sox. Let's not forget some dark horses in this race include Julian Tavarez, Craig Hansen and Brendan Donnelly. After all that, my best advice is stay away from drafting any Red Sox relievers until the situation becomes clear. There is no point wasting a pick on Pineiro, especially if he is just going to wind up being a middle reliever.