The AL might be the stronger league, but the NL closes the gap before the trade deadline, stealing three solid players. The latest, the biggest, in Mark Teixeira.
Tadahito Iguchi, to Philly, and Ty Wigginton, to Houston, join hitter parks in the NL, while Big Tex moves from Texas to Atlanta. Huge news for AL-only and NL-only leagues, especially in formats where you lose a player traded to the other league.
Heck, it is Christmas morning in NL-only leagues! Buy your new presents while the buyin's good.
At the expense of the AL -- rob from the rich and give to the poor this holiday.
AL-only owners in those formats lose their first-round pick, so hopefully you have anticipated this trade, which was rumored for over a week. NL-only owners, meanwhile, would be wise to burn their entire free-acquisition budget on Big Tex -- especially if you're allowed to bid "zero" on players and don't need a few bucks in reserve to fill gaps in the season's final eight weeks.
Teixeira is the best player who will become available from here on out. No other trade piece will come close and no one promoted post-deadline can produce on Teixeira's high-end level in Fantasy.
In mixed leagues, Big Tex shouldn't lose any steam, despite going from a hitter's park to a pitcher's park. In fact, the strong supporting cast in the Braves' lineup -- Edgar Renteria, Chipper Jones, Brian McCann and Andruw Jones -- should make him even more intriguing. There will be far more runners on base to drive in and far more hitters coming up to drive him in.
Teixeira is a must-start in all leagues, regardless, but he had a huge second half a year ago and could challenge to be the best player in Fantasy in the final third of the season. If the trade news doesn't overprice him, it might be time to buy via trade.
With all of the above said on Big Tex, this means you have a limited chance to win the bidding on him -- perhaps no better than 1-in-12 -- unless, of course, you have more money to burn than everyone else in your league and choose spend it all.
If you are not in the top third of your NL-only league in remaining FAAB dollars, you have a nice opportunity to score on some second-tier guys.
Right now, Iguchi (Monday morning on CBS SportsLine) and Ty Wigginton (Wednesday) are the biggest names becoming available in NL-only leagues -- until Mr. Teixeira enters the bidding in the coming days (perhaps as early as Thursday morning).
There is a very good chance everyone will be saving their dough a few days for Big Tex's bidding, so it is a good strategy to score on Gooch or Wiggy a few days early.
There are only two months left and you shouldn't wait on the hope of a savior call-up or another great player switching leagues, especially since Wigginton has pop and versatility. He's far more useful in Fantasy leagues than his numbers right now and he will play third base every day in a hitter's park in Houston. That's a nice combination, and a nice consolation for not having a shot at Teixeira, if you haven't been a Scrooge with your FAAB to date.
So, to recap, if you are in the top third of NL-only leagues in remaining dollars, take a shot at Big Tex, burning as much as possible to get the big-time slugger.
If you're a little tighter on FAAB dollars, forget about Teix and try to lock up Wigginton with a modest bid of half your remaining stash. It might not even take than much if a lot of owners dream Big.
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