Market Movers

This week's Market Movers provides a few bullpen arms that are worth adding in anticipation of a possible promotion. During every fantasy baseball draft, there's always the inevitable closer run, with team after team following the trend for sometimes as much as a round. I am not a big fan of this and you shouldn't be either.

First of all, I am not suggesting you punt the save category, but rather look for value. But now, as a handful of closers around the league have sputtered out of the gates, it's time to vulture the waiver wire for their potential heir apparents. If you don't want to leave these additions up to waiver wire priority, it's important that you quickly identify who is simply waiting in the wings for an opportunity. Just like last week, we also have a few players who have started out ice cold (but not like Andre Benjamin, unfortunately).

David Aardsma ( White Sox , RP): This 25-year-old right-hander has been the White Sox 's best arm out of the bullpen. In fact, on April 4, Aardsma entered the game against the Indians in the eighth inning with the bases loaded and no one out. He proceeded to strike out the next three batters and strand the three inherited runners. This was only the 26th time since 1960 that this had occurred. Bobby Jenks has converted eight saves but has always battled control and conditioning issues. If Jenks falters, Aardsma could step into the closer role but should post strong ratios and an impressive strikeout rate either way.

Matt Capps ( Pirates , RP): With Salomon Torres the only man between Capps and the closer role, he could be notching saves in no time. Torres has posted a 6.75 ERA in his 13 appearances, notching eight saves but blowing three. The Pirates are currently struggling to score runs so the games they win should provide the bullpen with plenty of save opportunities so Capps could prove to be very valuable. In 14.1 innings in 2007, Capps has just a 0.63 ERA and a 0.77 WHIP to go along with his NL leading nine holds. If he can keep missing bats, he could very well take over the ninth-inning responsibilities.

James Shields ( Devil Rays , SP): In just his second season in the majors, Shields has had a scorching start for the up-and-coming Devil Rays . In his first five starts of 2007, he has struck out 37 and walked just seven in 36 innings pitched. He is currently boasting a 2-0 record as well as a 3.75 ERA and 0.92 WHIP. The seven home runs he has already allowed could be cause for concern, but if he continues to avoid allowing free passes he should be able to improve upon his rookie season. He should reach 10 wins but be wary of starting him against AL East teams such as the Yankees and Red Sox .

Kenji Johjima (Mariners, C): Johjima posted solid numbers after crossing the Pacific from Japan and settling in immediately as the Mariners' starting catcher. In his second season, he seems even more comfortable as he has started off strong from the plate. In 52 at-bats he has batted .327 from the seventh spot in the order. He hit 18 home runs in 2006 and should post a similar total in 2007 with a 20-plus homers a definite possibility. He is a very capable starting catcher in mixed fantasy leagues who provides teams with batting average, home runs, and RBIs. You could do a lot worse.

Erik Bedard ( Orioles , SP): 2007 was the year this talented left-hander was supposed to put it all together and become a consistent fantasy producer. However, the Jekyll-and-Hyde performance continues. He is currently tied for fourth in the AL in wins and second in strikeouts. His 42 strikeouts in 34 innings pitched are downright nasty. But, he has posted a disgusting 6.09 ERA and 1.53 WHIP. These numbers should come down considerably as Bedard is completely capable of reeling off a dominant month like last July (4-0, 1.54 ERA). If you can get him for cheap, don't hesitate as he should have little trouble matching the 15 wins he notched last season.

Jim Thome ( White Sox , DH): A rib cage injury has put a damper on Thome 's hot start. He was placed on the disabled list on April 29, and has been held out of all baseball activities. The strained rib muscle made it difficult for Thome to swing the bat. He was batting .340 (.553 OBP) with 5 HRs and 10 RBI in 50 at-bats before finally taking himself out of a game on April 28. Thome is an important fantasy contributor but it might take some time for him to regain his health as the White Sox do not want this injury to linger. Stash him in your DL slot, work the waiver wire, and light a candle for him.

John Patterson (Nationals, SP): In 2005, Patterson took a major step forward, notching nine wins, striking out 185 batters and posting a 3.13 ERA in 198.1 innings. He was an emerging pitcher on a bad team. Two years later, the Nationals are a worse team and injuries have put a stop to his emergence. In six 2007 starts, Patterson is just 1-4 with a 6.44 ERA. Even more disconcerting are his 19 walks as opposed to just 14 strikeouts in the 29.1 innings he has pitched. Patterson is a struggling pitcher on a floundering team, so don't think twice about cutting him loose.

Edwin Encarnacion (Reds, 3B): Encarnacion appears to be battling a bad case of the slumps of late as he is homerless and batting just .221. Encarnacion is still only 24, so ups and downs should be expected. He certainly has talent as he displayed in 2006 so he should be able to work himself out of this slump. With the emergence of Josh Hamilton in the Reds outfield, Ryan Freel could steal some at-bats from Encarnacion when Ken Griffey Jr. returns from injuries. Don't drop him just yet, but if he shows no signs of improvement start sifting through the waiver wire.