Before we anger Orioles and possibly Devil Rays fans, the news must go on...
-The Braves didn't wait long to go find a veteran first baseman in the wake of the Adam LaRoche trade (one of Wednesday's numerous blogs), inking a one-year deal with Craig Wilson. Scott Thorman, a lefty-hitting slugger, would thus assume a similar role that LaRoche had, which was supposed to be facing mainly right-handed pitching. Last year's potential platoon partygoer Brian Jordan couldn't stay healthy, however (shocker!), so LaRoche had to face southpaws, too. Wilson has definitely had his moments this decade in fantasy leagues, mainly when he was a catcher-eligible goldmine who hit 29 homers in 2004. Even last season he smacked 17 home runs in only 359 at-bats. Over the last three seasons, his OPS is nearly 100 points higher vs. lefties. Look for the Braves to go with a Thorman-Wilson platoon, and Chipper Jones can keep his third baseman's mitt another year.
-Meanwhile, another NL East team found a first baseman, but chances are fantasy owners aren't pleased. Travis Lee was invited to Nationals camp. He's a slick fielder, but not much at the plate. When the Nats come to Philly, let's just say the fans will be ready. Why should fantasy owners care? This is a definitive sign Nick Johnson is not going to be ready for the start of the season. Jolly walk machine St. Nick suffered a freak broken leg last September and, you know, he hasn't exactly been the most durable elf around the last few years. The Nats say he's likely to miss at least a month of the season. That's enough for me to not keep him and bump him down a few more spots in the rankings.
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Eric Karabell
