Joe Nathan's Elbow BadLikely Out For 2010:It now looks like the bargain price of $17 for Twins closer Joe Nathan at Saturday night's AL draft may not be such a bargain after all. Nathan has a "significant tear" in his ulnar collateral ligament and will meet with Dr. James Andrews to discuss his options.Lawr Michaels of Mastersball.com discusses his Nathan pick in an otherwise enjoyable weekend on the Mastersball Hotpage.
The price of Jon Rauch and Matt Guerrier just went up considerably for those who haven't yet drafted. Nathan could be out for the season and Rauch figures to be first in line to take over the closer's role.
Another significant injury over the weekend was to Dodgers catcher Russell Martin, who suffered a groin injury and will be out four to six weeks. He could miss only a few games at the start of the season, but it does add yet another red flag to go along with Martin's declining performance over the past few years. In the NL LABR auction, there were seven other catchers who went for a higher price than Martin.
The Rays have signed 1B Hank Blalock to a minor-league deal and will have him compete for some at-bats as a DH and Carlos Pena's backup at first. A DH platoon of Pat Burrell and Blalock could actually be pretty effective. Keep an eye on Blalock this spring.
And finally after I had dismissed the Seattle Mariners' decision to have Jose Lopez and Chone Figgins play each other's position at the start of camp as just an experiment, it seems there may be something to it after all. The Seattle Times reports the club looks like it may stick with Lopez at third and Figgins at second for the forseeable future. Although he won't be eligible at second until he actually plays there (5-10 games in most leagues), Figgins will have more fantasy value if teams can use him as a second baseman.
March 9th, 2010 at 11:56 pm
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