Twitter: @RobShawSports and @BloombergSports

 

Bloomberg Sports Anchor Rob Shaw answers your questions from Twitter about potential fantasy roster changes.

 

Question: Do I trade Bryce Harper to get Tim Lincecum?

Answer: This is an easy one: No Way! Bryce Harper is not just good for his age (19 years old), he is very good in general. As I always say, I would rather have a hitter who contributes in five categories than a starter who contributes in at four at the most. The only starters that I would consider investing such a hefty price in are sure things and Tim Lincecum is not a sure thing. The Giants star has surrendered four or more runs in five of his last six starts. Harper is a five-tool talent primed to win Rookie of the Year.

 

Question: I’m looking for steals without breaking the bank. Should I trade for Bonifacio, Austin Jackson, or someone else?

Answer: You have a few options for stolen bases. Blue Jays outfielder Rajai Davis is a bit too feast or famine but he does rack up the steals. With Eric Thames demoted, he will play regularly until another prospect such as Travis Snider is promoted. Davis does not reach base often enough and lacks much pop, but he will steal 25-plus bases and score some runs.

Dodgers outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr., is another option. He is solid on defense, which buys him some at-bats. On the basepaths he had already swiped eight bases and his average is respectable. Just don’t expect any power.

Tigers centerfielder Austin Jackson is returning from injury but is now reaching base more often and hitting for power. Then there is the Prince and Miguel who make sure to drive him in. This is a player to trade for.

 

Question: Avila hitting the DL hurts in my two-catcher league. Only options seem to be Thole, Laird, or Jaso. Thoughts?

Answer: Josh Thole is the safe bet. He will at least offer you a high average and high on-base percentage and will perhaps score some runs. On the other hand, he has the least home runs of any active catcher with 700 at-bats dating back to 2009. Chris Iannetta will be coming off the disabled list soon and I recommend picking him up and riding out Thole in the short-term.

 

Question: I have four Mets on my fantasy baseball team (Murphy, Nieuwenhuis, Byrdak, and Niese) but I think I might bench them this weekend during the Subway Series. Thoughts?

Answer: You definitely don’t want to bench all your Mets this weekend against the Yankees. They are playing at the more hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium, and Daniel Murphy finally showed some life on Thursday with the bat while Kirk Nieuwenhuis is a line drive machine. You can consider benching some of the pitchers such as Niese if it’s the Yankees offense that scares you, but the Mets should put up some runs.

 

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