On Draft Day, you started the first few rounds banking on a "sure thing" while backing them up with educated picks through the next 10 or so, feeling confident you'll get the productivity that will keep you competitive throughout the season.
You took Hanley Ramirez, Jose Reyes, Josh Hamilton or Matt Holliday then maybe Manny, B.J. Upton or Quentin followed by Aramis Ramirez, Magglio Ordonez, Votto, Atkins or Uggla.
Later on you took Alexei Ramirez or Peralta along with Nady, Conor Jackson or Lastings Millidge, the list goes on and on.
And that's just the HITTERS! What about all the stud hurlers you tabbed as "anchors" for your staff?
In My "Big Money" League, even the perennial "also-ran" has been hanging out on top all season with no signs of letting go.
Like the "Storm of the Century", it was bound to happen that the team that never could get it right has "stepped in it".
You would hope that the guys that are dragging your team to the bottomless pit can turn it around soon and make up for lost time, though some cannot possibly produce 80 percent of their projected stats in just 50 percent of the remainder of the season.
The guys who got hurt may not even play again or just come back for "cameo" appearances some time at or after the All-Star Break, which doesn't make you feel all that confident or a masterful resurrection for your teams hopes.
If your league is like my Big One, finding replacements on the free agent list is like walking the Gobi Desert in search of a Pina Colada! Anything that looks like a promising, if only temporary replacement, is only a mirage.
If quality guys are not producing, there's no way you can make a trade to bolster your team unless there are team owners in your league who forgot to take their medication or you married his sister.
I'm not trying to be the bearer of bad news, but you'll have to get help from unlikely places and they may be few and far between.
Plenty of the MLB teams who have the need to "dump" talent are going to be bringing the youth movement and therein lies the answer.
Many of the top prospects are getting the call and there are many more possible contributions from MLB studs to be considered. Young pitchers are the most likely to make a splash and they are doing their part to impress.
Chris Tillman comes to mind as well as Jake Arrieta, Madison Bumgarner, Aaron Poreda (who is now with the MLB club), Jhoulys Chacin, David Huff and Carlos Carrasco. Add to that the youngsters already in the Bigs and you might find a longer than expected replacement for your Draft Day failures.
If your league isn't as deep as most I play in, there's reason to cheer since there should be plausible replacements for every DL guy you own.
Take a chance on guys like Coghlan and McGehee since their productivity could keep them around for a while.
If you want details, and I've got all the scenarios covered, drop me a reply and I'll try to make suggestions.
Cheer up, the Marathon we call Fantasy Baseball is still far from over and there's a "storybook" ending yet to be written in every league.
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