Waiver Wire: National League

As with the American League, if I covered a guy in one of the Trade Aftermath articles, I won’t repeat myself. I will mention them, though, to have everyone in one place and for comparative purposes.

Mark Teixeira | ATL | 1B – The best guy to switch leagues all year is ripe for the picking in NL-only leagues. I don’t think he needs much explanation.
Recommendation – Should be owned in all leagues.

Octavio Dotel | ATL | RP – There’s a chance he’ll close sometime within the next couple of months, but with Bob Wickman and Rafael Soriano in the picture it will be difficult for him.
Recommendation – Should be owned in deep mixed leagues. Should be owned in 12 and 14-team NL-only leagues.

Manny Corpas | COL | CL – Brian Fuentes will begin his rehab assignment next week, but with how well Corpas is pitching he probably won’t regain the closing role until September. It might be worth looking into a trade of Corpas, but if you don’t he should still be counted on for at least three more weeks of closing. The Rockies will want Fuentes closing in 2008 to showcase him for a trade, so don’t expect Corpas to close the rest of the year unless Fuentes gets hurt again.
Recommendation – Should be owned in all leagues.

Scott Proctor | LAD | RP – Not super talented and there is no way he will get saves. Can relatively be ignored.
Recommendation – Should be avoided in all leagues.

Joel Pineiro | STL | SP – Poor stats even as a reliever for the Red Sox this year, Piniero shouldn’t be relied on for good stats as a starter, even in the NL.
Recommendation – Should be avoided in all leagues.

Luis Castillo | NYM | 2B – Can be relied upon for a .300 batting average, a lot of runs and a few steals. There are worse options out there.
Recommendation – Should be owned in 12 and 14-team mixed leagues. Should be owned in all but shallow NL-only leagues.

Tadahito Iguchi | PHI | 2B – Chase Utley’s replacement should be good for at least a .280-.285 batting average, a handful of steals, and a little power. Should score a lot of runs given his No. 2 spot in the order and 13% walk rate.
Recommendation – Should be owned in 10, 12, and 14-team mixed leagues. Should be owned in all but shallow NL-only leagues.

Ty Wigginton | HOU | 1B/2B/3B/OF – Decent power that will be helped by the Crawford boxes, but his batting average is only so-so.
Recommendation – Should be owned in 12 and 14-team mixed leagues. Should be owned in all but the shallowest NL-only leagues.

Justin Upton | ARZ | OF – A better bet than Adam Jones with the potential to exceed my recommendation, but I just can’t pour mounds of praise on a guy who jumps to the bigs after less than 300 at-bats in Double-A.
Recommendation – Should be owned in deep mixed leagues. Should be owned in 12 and 14-team NL-only leagues.

Kyle Lohse | PHI | SP – Was injured during his last start and it is still unclear if he will go on the DL. If he doesn’t, he can be useful in certain leagues.
Recommendation – Should be avoided in mixed leagues. Should be owned in 12 and 14-team NL-only leagues.

Brian Lawrence | NYM | SP – Has good control and decent ground ball tendencies, but doesn’t strike out a ton of batters. Pedro Martinez will be coming back soon, so Lawrence will be out of a starting spot pretty soon. I like him better than Lohse, though.
Recommendation – Should be avoided in mixed leagues. Should be owned in 12 and 14-team NL-only leagues.

Phil Dumatrait | CIN | SP – Not very good control in the minors and not a lot of strikeouts. When Homer Bailey returns he could be sent back down.
Recommendation – Should be avoided in all but very, very deep leagues.

Matt Morris | PIT | SP – Not a lot of strikeouts, but a 4.53 LIPS ERA and 1.40 DIPS WHIP make him somewhat useful. Might lose a win moving to Pittsburgh, but St. Louis hasn’t scored too many more runs than the Pirates this year.
Recommendation – Should be avoided in mixed leagues. Should be considered in 12 and owned in 14-team NL-only leagues.

Pat Burrell | PHI | OF – Seven of 11 home runs HitTracker has tracked have gone over 400 true feet, and he should continue picking up RBIs and runs to go with a .265-.270-ish average. Owned in only 54% of ESPN leagues.
Recommendation – Should be owned in deep 10, 12, and 14-team mixed leagues. Should be owned in all NL-only leagues.

Greg Dobbs | PHI | 1B/3B/OF – Batting average should drop closer to .260, but with three of seven home runs going further than 400 true feet, according to HitTracker, he could be a decent option in deep leagues. Will probably start against all lefties in right field and pick up a few extra at-bats elsewhere.
Recommendation – Should be avoided in mixed leagues. Should be considered in 12 and owned in 14-team NL-only leagues.