BOSTON RED SOX
The Red Sox quickly found out that Jason Johnson was not the solution to their 5th starting pitcher problem.  Royal castoff Kyle Snyder was called up for a start on Sunday against the A’s, where he up 5 runs in 4.2 innings.  He is likely not the answer either. The Red Sox believe that David Wells could be back in a few weeks to claim that starting spot.

Coco Crisp, who has been very ordinary since returning from a broken finger, could be a good buy low candidate.  His power improved steadily in his first three seasons.  At 26 years of age he was at the right age to take his power up another level this year.  The finger injury has probably affected his poor power production so far this season.  With his G/F right around last season’s output, the power should return as his finger becomes less of an issue.  An added bonus is that he has 9 steals for a team that supposedly does like to run.

BALTIMORE ORIOLES

The Orioles got tired of Daniel Cabrera’s lack of control and replaced him in the rotation with Adam Loewen.  In his brief major league career, Loewen has suffered from the same problem with a BB/9 of 6.2 in 30.2 innings.  Stay away from him until he cuts that ratio in at least half. 

Since June 1st, Erik Bedard has lowered his ERA from 5.97 to 4.02.  That stretch has consisted of 8 starts in which his K/9 has been an incredible 9.5 and his BB/9 has been a good 2.2.  What is even more impressive is that while doing that, he has held the gains that he made earlier in year in his G/F ratio.  It looks like he is successfully changing his approach to pitching.

Chris Gomez was activated from the DL and infielder Eddie Rogers was sent to the minors.  Gomez will see limited action in a utility role and has no fantasy value.

NEW YORK YANKEES

Robinson Cano is at least a week away from returning from his injured hamstring, which will give Miguel Cairo another week of starting.  AL-only leaguers, who need some steals, should pick him for the week.

The Yankees signed Sidney Ponson to a contract and plan to start him this Tuesday against the Mariners.  Ponson’s skills have been in decline since the 2003 season when he went 17-12 with a 3.75 ERA.  In each successive season his K/9 has decreased and BB/9 has increased without a major change in his other underlying statistics.  Don’t expect a resurgence in New York.

The Yankees also added ex-Royal Aaron Guiel where he is platooning in right field with Bernie Williams.  Guiel has some nice pop in his lefty swinging bat and should be aided by the shorter right field porch in Yankee Stadium.  Since he gets the starts against the more plentiful right-handed starters, he should see enough action to make him a factor in deep mixed-leagues.

TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS

The Devil Rays finally traded third basemen Aubrey Huff for two prospects who are not ready to contribute at the big league level this season.  However, the trade can have major fantasy implications as the Rays have moved B.J. Upton to third base in Triple-A with a eye towards him joining the big league club at some point this season.  If he is still available in your league, it makes sense to pick up the 21 year old in any format and stash on reserves if only for SB potential.  He already has major speed skills as evidenced by the 39 stolen bases he has in 91 Triple-A games this season.  The 55 walks he has earned this year point to good strike zone judgment which will help him get on base with the Rays.  The caveats are the 79 K’s and 6 home runs show he has some work to do on making contact and that his power is not major league ready, so he probably won’t contribute in batting average or power departments. 

For the time being Ty Wiggington should see most of the time at third base.  Wiggington has some decent power.  His 16 home runs are already a career high but with a low contact rate of 78 % and poor plate patience, he is a drag on your team’s batting average.  It will not be his performance but rather how Upton handles third base defensively that will determine when Upton gets called up.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS

The Jays have decided to go with Aaron Hill as their second basemen and John McDonald at shortstop, moving Russ Adams to the bench.  The only possible thing that McDonald can contribute to a fantasy team is a few stolen bases, which is probably not worth the trade-off for zero production in every other category.  If the team is willing to play McDonald that means Adams is not even worth keeping on your fantasy reserve list.  The Blue Jays will probably be trade deadline buyers of middle infield help.

With Ty Taubenheim going on the DL, Shaun Marcum will get a chance to start until Gustavo Chacin is ready to come off the DL.  The 11 K’s in 9.7 innings this season is intriguing, but the 10 walks and 8 earned runs mean you should stay away for now.

For those willing to take a risk that he stays healthy, A.J. Burnett could be a good pickup in a fantasy trade.  Since returning from the DL on June 22, he has looked good in four of his five starts.  He seems to be on his game of high K’s, low walks and a high G/F ratio.  If he stays healthy he should only get better as the season progresses.