POSTED 6-17-07

The Lineup is here to dish out fantasy insight on all things baseball. Here are five storylines you should be following this week:

YANKS ROLL
The New York Yankees have gotten their groove back this month and they look to punish the Colorado Rockies and San Francisco Giants on the road this week in inter-league play. Third baseman Alex Rodriguez and catcher Jorge Posada are having such great years that you can feel free to start them against anyone at this point. Outfielder Hideki Matsui is an outstanding option for this week as well, he owns a batting average over .350 in inter-league competition; the highest BA for any major league hitter with at least 200 at-bats in such games. Leadoff man and outfielder Johnny Damon is a smart play against Colorado as he owns a .359 lifetime average against them. Similarly, shortstop Derek Jeter will likely put a hurting on the Rockies' pitching, he has a .435 career average against Colorado. The pitching staff of the Yankees has really stepped it up recently and the ace, Chien-Ming Wang, looks to have a strong start against the Giants this week; Wang is 3-2 in interleague play lifetime with a solid 3.19 ERA in 6 starts. Outfielder Bobby Abreu, who has been on fire recently, will look to stoke the flames as he has been very productive in his career against both the Rockies (71 games: .325, 14 HR, 49 RBI) and the Giants (62 games: .306, 9 HR, 35 RBI). Fantasy owners should continue to reap the benefits of the Yankees strong play as they are feasting on the opposition right now.

TEJADA OUT?
It is looking more and more as if the Baltimore Orioles are going to finish another season firmly out of playoff contention. If that is indeed the case, the only question remaining is should they finally blow up most of their roster and start fresh? The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette revealed that, "The Los Angeles Angels reportedly have been trying to pry [shortstop] Miguel Tejada away from Baltimore." Tejada has asked for a trade before and the Orioles should seriously consider it this season. He is on pace to once again hit under 30 HRs and while he is still hitting for average, his trade value is only going to get worse with time. While there has been no word on what the Angels are willing to offer for Tejada, the Angels are stacked when it comes to their farm system position players. Perhaps the Orioles could walk away with a slew of young talent and start to build a team around their young but talented rotation and still-young stars like second baseman Brian Roberts and Nick Markakis. Should a trade with the Angles get done, Tejada's value would increase as he would likely re-invigorate the Angels somewhat sluggish lineup. Keep your ears open this week for any news regarding this matter.

ADAM DONE IN CINCY?
Any MLB teams out there in need of a power bat? The Cincinnati Inquirer reports, "Reds general manager Wayne Krivsky on Monday declined to comment on an SI.com report saying the Reds have put outfielder Adam Dunn on the market." The fact that Krivsky had no comment on the situation makes it seem as if there is something to this story. Dunn has been the subject of trade rumors before as teams are always looking for 40 HR power, even if it comes attached to a career batting average under .250. The only obstacle for a deal would be that Dunn would become a free agent after this season if he is traded (due to the structuring of his contract). So unless a team is trading for Dunn exclusively for a run in October, a contract extension would likely have to be worked out. Still, it is hard to imagine Dunn not getting some attention from teams struggling with the long-ball. It is hard to tell if a change of scenery would be of benefit to Dunn, after all, he does get to play his home games in the Great American Ball Park (a home run haven). Nevertheless, Dunn is going to hit his dingers, whether it is in Cincinnati or elsewhere. Track this story for updates on the situation.

BARRETT ON THE BLOCK
It has been quite a wild season for the Chicago Cubs catcher Michael Barrett. First he gets into a major scuffle with team ace Carlos Zambrano. Then, this past week, he gets into a shouting match with the team's no. 2 pitcher Rich Hill before bobbling a ball at the end of the game that gave the Cubs a loss. All this may spell the end for his time with the Cubs as The Denver Post reports, "he's losing his job - at least for a while. There's growing speculation the Cubs will attempt to trade Barrett." The troubled catcher has not been paired with Zambrano since their altercation and if he is having issues with other pitchers (particularly one as valuable as Hill), then something will have to be done. It should be noted that manager Lou Piniella has publicly defended his catcher, stating, "Barrett has been getting beat up, and it's unfair in a way. He's caught some darn good games." Koyie Hill has been doing most of the catching in the interim and has done a solid job calling games, but he has little use for fantasy purposes as his current batting average is sitting under .200. Barrett was considered a sleeper pick at the thin catcher position before the season started due to his contract year status, but fantasy owners who drafted him hoping for big things are disappointed at the .247 average, even with the nine home runs. Follow the developments of Barrett to see if teams become interested in obtaining him, a change of scenery might do the trick and turn his fantasy season around.

ROWAND ON BLOCK
The injuries to Philadelphia Phillies' pitchers are starting to pile up. Starter Freddy Garcia joined relievers Brett Myers and Tom Gordon on the DL after straining his shoulder; Garcia could be out for the season. Something may have to be done as the Philadelphia Daily News revealed, "the Phillies will have to make a trade, one that possibly includes centerfielder Aaron Rowand, their most valuable trade piece." The Phillies have made the NL East division race very interesting over the past couple of weeks and if they want to stay competitive, they may need to make a move sooner than later, whether it is for the bullpen or starting rotation. Gordon still has no timetable for his return while Myers is now expected back at the end of June or early July. The fifth rotation spot currently belongs to rookie Kyle Kendrick, but if he cannot get the job done, the Phillies will find a hard time finding an in-house replacement for Kendrick in their relatively weak farm system. You know the White Sox would love to get Rowand back and a superb defensive-centerfielder with an above-average bat is something a whole lot of teams could use. Should Rowand be dealt, his fantasy value could take a hit as he would no longer be playing home games in the band-box that is Citizens Bank Park. Monitor this situation this week in case potential trade partners reveal themselves.




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