Waiver Wire: National League

Much more to talk about in the National League than the American League this week.

Rafael Soriano | ATL | CL – With the Braves designating closer Bob Wickman for assignment, Rafael Soriano should see most of the save opportunities for a while. He might go back to 8th inning duty once Octavio Dotel comes back.
Recommendation – Should be owned in all leagues.

Octavio Dotel | ATL | CL – Should be back within a week and could take over closing duties for the Braves. Stash him until then.
Recommendation – Should be owned in all leagues.

Bob Wickman | ATL | DFA – Wants to close, but I don’t see any team giving him that shot. If he doesn’t latch on as a closer somewhere, he loses all of his value. His 1.75 K/BB is just poor.
Recommendation – Should be avoided in all leagues.

Matt Belisle | CIN | SP – Was recalled today to start against the Marlins. If he stays up, he could be a decent pickup. 4.02 LIPS ERA and 1.33 DIPS WHIP before he was sent down were nice. He doesn’t have a great ballpark or defense to work with, though, so use caution. Also, his 6.07 K/9 is below league average and might not be very useful.
Recommendation – Should be owned in 14-team mixed leagues. Should be owned in 12 and 14-team NL-only leagues.

David Wells | LAD | SP – For the past few years, Wells has relied upon his low walk rate to compensate — somewhat — for his low strikeout rate. This year, though, he’s walking a lot more batters. Since the All-Star break, he’s walked as many as he’s struck out. He just isn’t a good pickup.
Recommendation – Should be avoided in mixed leagues. Should be considered in 14-team NL-only leagues.

Craig Monroe | CHC | OF – Might provide a few home runs, but his batting average won’t be very good and he won’t get on base very much. Monroe should get some at-bats while playing left field until Alfonso Soriano returns, but then will likely only be used against lefties in right field after that.
Recommendation – Should be avoided in mixed leagues. Should be strongly considered in 12 and owned in 14-team NL-only leagues.

Moises Alou | NYM | OF – While healthy, Alou is able to hit .300 with relative ease. Should also get a few home runs. He hits a pretty good amount of fly balls and has some pop in his bat. Also, he’s a Met and has David Wright and Carlos Delgado ahead of him, so he should get some RBIs. In addition, he should score some runs given his good on-base percentage and decent hitters behind him.
Recommendation – Should be owned in deep 10, 12, and 14-team mixed leagues. Should be owned in all NL-only leagues.

Mark Reynolds | ARZ | 3B/2B/OF – Reynolds is a guy in the Jack Cust mold, but less extreme. .383 BABIP will come down. With an adjustment to a .310 BABIP (reasonable given his 8% walk and 20% line drive rate), his batting average would be just .225. The drop off might not be that dramatic, though, because Reynolds is due for a power spike. His current 44% fly ball rate is great, and his 15% HR/FB is good, but it should be much better. Of the 10 home runs HitTracker has data on, 8 have went further than 400 true feet. His three furthest went 445, 459, and 467 true feet. With an adjustment to a 24% HR/FB (and .310 BABIP), he would be left with a .252 batting average and 18 home runs. Will have to do better than a 63% contact rate to ever get that average up.
Recommendation – Should be owned in 12 and 14-team mixed leagues. Should be owned in 10, 12, and 14-team NL-only leagues.

Matt Kemp | LAD | OF – Kemp has been picking up regular at-bats over the past 10 days. There are still four outfielders in the picture for LA, though, so that might not continue. Will play against nearly all lefties and some righties, so he has a little value. Batting average won’t be very good given his 75% contact, 6% walk, and 17% line drive rates. Also has decent power, and if he adds a little muscle in the off-season it looks like he could be a pretty good power threat next year. Batting third for the Dodgers occasionally boosts his value a bit.
Recommendation – Should be owned in 14-team mixed leagues. Should be strongly considered in 10 and owned in 12 and 14-team NL-only leagues.

Brian Fuentes | COL | CL – If you haven’t picked him up yet, do it. He should be closing again in a week or two.
Recommendation – Should be owned in all leagues.