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  • If you live in Chicago, you have to try @DarkMatter2521 coffee. It's as good as intelligensia. (May 26)

  • @blak3ly Then drop Kuroda. I like Dunn a lot, though. Wainwright's the better option over Beachy IMO (May 26)

  • Lateral move IMO, but I am a shameless believer in Bedard. Like JMD too @Matt_Warden Bedard for James McDonald? (May 26)

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Monday, March 29, 2010

Heath Bell trade speculation

Posted by Derek Carty at 10:50pm

Andy Behrens said something interesting over at Yahoo! this morning that I thought was worth relaying.
The Twins are thought to be active in the trade market, so this unwillingness to name a closer makes perfect sense. If they were to acquire, say, Heath Bell(notes), then it could be viewed as a vote of no-confidence in whichever pitcher had been initially awarded closing duties.

Obviously just speculation, but it does make sense. If Bell is traded, that'll destroy all mixed league value for Jon Rauch, Matt Guerrier, and crew. It would also lead to a new NL closer in Mike Adams or Luke Gregerson. I own Adams in Tout Wars, so I'm certainly hoping he's the guy. LABR commish Steve Gardner seems to disagree with me, calling Gregerson the best closer-in-waiting in the National League. Leverage Index also gives Gregerson the advantage, as he checked in at a 1.46 gmLI in 2009 compared to Adams's 1.30 gmLI.

Still, it's been said that Adams will handle the 8th inning this year, plus he has the seniority and MLB experience. Watch this situation closely, but I've got my money on Adams for now.



Derek Carty, 23, has also been published by NBC's Rotoworld, Sports Illustrated, FOX Sports, and USA Today. This season, he'll be contributing to FanDuel and will be linking to all of his work at DerekCarty.com. In his three years competing in expert leagues, he has won 2 titles with 4 top three finishes, including a LABR NL title in 2009, making him the youngest person to ever win a major expert league title. Derek is a proud graduate of the MLB Scouting Bureau's Scout Development Program and is a firm believer in the importance of combining stats and scouting. He welcomes questions via e-mail, Facebook, or Twitter.

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