The Long Game: Found Money

The Long Game: Found Money

With the calendar flipping to February, and pitchers and catchers only a fortnight or so away from reporting to spring training, it's time to pay attention to your fantasy teams again. In dynasty and keeper leagues, that means taking a look at last year's final roster and determining which players you want to protect for 2015. In most cases, the decision is easy. Big names at reasonable prices get kept. End-of-roster shlubs get kicked to the curb. Sometimes, however, guys who were end-of-roster shlubs last year find themselves in better situations, and become potential bargains. Players like that shouldn't just be shrugged off. Putting together a competitive keeper league core involves banking profit wherever you can find it, and not everyone can have Mike Trout on an extended contract from when he was a wee lad in the minors.

In the spirit of those shlubs, let's take a look at some of the players who you might have picked up on the cheap last season to plug a hole in your roster, and who now might be worth keeping on the cheap as opposed to tossing back onto the free agent pile. In fantasy terms, I like to think of these players as 'found money'. You're turning out the pockets of the jackets in your closet, throwing out the used kleenex and old receipts, and hey! It's a $5 bill! Sweet! Of course, smart keeper owners may have deliberately stockpiled players like this last year in the hopes that some would pan out... something to keep in mind next year if your team is "out of it" and you think you have nothing left to play for.

In all cases listed below, it's assumed that the player has a salary or round value that would be equivalent to an endgame pickup in this year's draft or auction (low single digit salary, or draft value in the last handful of rounds) to determine whether or not he's worth protecting. None of these guys are worth keeping at $10, but at $2? Now we're on to something. Players recommended as 'only league holds' are assumed to be in standard 12-team AL- or NL-only leagues, where depth is going to be at a premium. A 'mixed league hold' player is assumed to be in a league of medium depth, say 14-team or 16-team mixed, where depth isn't as critical and you're looking for players who could produce big value. They would of course be keepers in deeper formats as well. There's also a few players listed who might seem tempting to protect, but who I think you're better off letting go. Note that any player who would have been given an "only league hold" recommendation, but who switched leagues in the offseason, was left off for obvious reasons. And if there are any re-draft leagues owners reading this, feel free to consider this something of an early deep sleeper list.

Clint Barmes, SD: 36-year-old utility infielders aren't anybody's idea of big-time profit centers, but after seeing his playing time gradually evaporate over the last few years in Pittsburgh, Barmes suddenly finds himself in San Diego at the top of their depth chart at shortstop. Will he get 500 at-bats? Probably not. Will he become a double digit home run threat again? In Petco? Are you serious, bro? What Barmes can do for you, however, is provide modest production out of your MI slot at a cut-rate price. If he gives you a handful of homers, 50 runs and 50 RBI in that beefed-up Padres lineup, you could do a lot worse in your auction endgame. He's not going to be a long-term keeper anyway, so if you already have him at a buck or two there's no reason to throw him back into the free agent pool to try and re-start his contract at the auction. Recommend: NL-only league hold

Brad Boxberger, TB: Last year Boxberger became one of those high-K middle relievers almost everyone can find a use for on their roster. Heading into spring training, Jake McGee is on the shelf due to his elbow and the Rays don't have any other obvious candidates to fill his ninth inning cleats until he returns to action (projected at this point to be sometime in April). Boxberger may not see a whole lot of save chances, but any saves are useful, and it's not like McGee had a long track record of success or is guaranteed to remain healthy. If Boxberger thrives, he might just stick as the closer, and that means major profit. Recommend: hold in all formats

Michael Choice, Tex: The Rangers were a surprising flop last season, and that afforded Choice some valuable major league at-bats... that he did absolutely nothing with. His minor league track record is still solid, however, and he'll head into spring training with only corner infield prospect Ryan Rua as his competition for at-bats in left field. Choice isn't a lock to break out by any means, but a power hitter in Texas is usually someone worth gambling on. Recommend: AL-only league hold

Chris Coghlan, ChC: The former Marlin, and 2010 NL Rookie of the Year, revived his career with another impressive BABIP-fueled season, but his track record doesn't exactly scream consistency. More worrying to me is his standing as an older player the organization has no investment in, on a team built around youth. Coghlan's on top of the depth chart in left field right now, but as soon as this season the Cubs will want to start finding room for Kris Bryant. And Addison Russell. And Albert Almora. And ... you get the picture. Even if Coghlan does keep his job, his ceiling is still a guy who gets you a solid batting average and some runs, without much in the way of power or speed. That's not an outfielder that stands out in most formats. Recommend: toss him back

Wilmer Flores, NYM: Flores was always overrated as a prospect, with his only impressive minor league numbers being inflated by the thin Las Vegas air, but at the moment he's about the only option the Mets have to play shortstop after coming up empty for a replacement in the offseason. A full season of at-bats for Flores could result in low double-digit home runs, a mediocre batting average and adequate run and RBI totals. Those numbers won't win you many fantasy leagues, but they won't hurt you, and he's young enough that there's always a chance he finds another gear. Recommend: NL-only league hold

Nick Franklin, TB: He's had essentially a full season's worth of playing time in the majors now, and produced 13 home runs and eight steals in 450 at-bats with a bad batting average. Ugh. On the other hand, his career line at Triple-A is .272/.362/.424, and Franklin seems like the Rays' kind of player, in the mold of Ben Zobrist. He heads into spring training in a fight with Logan Forsythe for the starting second base job, which Franklin should win, and the potential for double-digit homers and steals with a less-bad batting average from a 24-year-old middle infield qualifier makes him worth a gamble. Recommend: AL-only league hold

J.A. Happ, Sea: After spending his career in a succession of hitter-friendly bandboxes in Philadelphia, Houston and Toronto, Happ must have thought he'd won the lottery when he got dealt to Seattle this offseason. The Mariners need pitching depth, and while he might be destined for a swing man role to start the season, there are enough pitchers penciled into the M's rotation with checkered injury histories that Happ should get his chances. He's not a sexy pick, but if Chris Young can produce useful numbers in Safeco, then there's every reason to think Happ can as well. Recommend: AL-only league hold

Joe Kelly, Bos: After a couple of solid years with the Cardinals in a swing man role, Kelly stumbled upon being moved into the rotation full-time in 2014 and got dealt to the Red Sox. He doesn't have the big K/9 numbers you like to see, but he's got a rotation job on what should be a good team, a decent track record of getting guys out and a little bit of upside. You could do worse. Recommend: AL-only league hold

Logan Morrison, Sea: The former Twitter superstar battled his usual allotment of injuries in 2014, but when he got healthy in the second half he put up some useful numbers. The Mariners don't have anybody on the roster who seems like an immediate threat to his playing time at first base, although top prospect D.J. Peterson should eventually claim the job, and hitting behind the likes of Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz should provide Morrison with plenty of RBI opportunities even if he doesn't have an ideal power stroke for his position. At the right price, he could be a solid CI. Recommend: AL-only league hold

Juan Nicasio, LAD: Odds are nobody had him on their end-of-year roster because he was so bad in 2014, but in case you got lazy and had him stowed on your reserve list instead of dropping him, congratulations, your laziness may have paid off. A change in home parks from Coors Field to Chavez Ravine is about as good a switch as a pitcher with long ball troubles can make, and Nicasio's road ERA was more than a run better than his home results the last two seasons. That still only gets him down into the mid-4.00's, but getting out of the thin air should both help Nicasio's stuff and his confidence. All that said, his spot in the Dodgers' rotation is dependent on Brett Anderson's health and ability to return to form. No one ever went broke betting against Anderson's chances of staying healthy, but the extra uncertainty probably makes Nicasio too big a risk to roster right out of the gate. If he does have a miraculous breakout in LA, this may have to be one of those 'one that got away' stories all fantasy owners and fishermen have. Recommend: toss him back

Josh Phegley, Oak: Part of the Jeff Samardzija haul for the A's, Phegley heads into spring training on top of the Oakland depth chart at catcher after Derek Norris and John Jaso were dealt away. His numbers in the majors have been nothing special, but he's been consistently impressive with the bat at Triple-A the last couple of seasons, and any catcher with some offensive upside is worth hanging onto. Recommend: AL-only league hold

Jose Ramirez, Cle: Ramirez parlayed a strong couple of months at Triple-A into the starting shortstop gig with the Indians last year, and a player with 67 steals across all levels over the last two seasons leaps off the page as a potential fantasy asset. His defense isn't the best, and he seems destined for a utility role with Francisco Lindor the long-term answer at shortstop in Cleveland, but even as a possible super-sub Ramirez's speed and ability to hit for a solid batting average makes him roster-worthy in plenty of formats. Recommend: mixed league hold

Marcus Semien, Oak: Semien's had a busy offseason. He went from a possible bench role with the White Sox, to the default starting shortstop job in Oakland, to a bench role in Oakland after they acquired Yunel Escobar, back into the starting job when Escobar got flipped to the Nationals. His glovework has many questioning whether he can stick at shortstop in the long term, but if the A's could live with Jed Lowrie at the position last season, they can probably live with Semien manning it in 2015. He might not hit for a great batting average, but displayed strong on-base skills in the minors and in 2013 hit 21 home runs with 26 steals across three levels. That's the kind of upside that causes people to throw crazy money at a player at the end of the auction, when everyone realizes he's the best middle infield qualifier left on the table and there's no one else to spend their remaining budget on. Recommend: mixed league hold

Grady Sizemore, Phi: I'm still not entirely sure what Sizemore proved to the Phillies last season to warrant another contract, but at $2 million it's not like they're paying him all that much over the MLB minimum. The Sizemore of 2008 is long, long gone, and the Sizemore of 2015 could find himself as the strong side of a left field platoon with Darin Ruf, or even in a fourth outfielder role. It's always tempting to protect anyone with a low salary and an on-paper starting job, especially when they have Sizemore's track record (no matter how ancient the history is), but in this case it would be a huge gamble. Recommend: toss him back

Steven Souza, TB: If anybody was a winner in this offseason's Roster Shuffle Roulette, it was Souza. After producing some ridiculous numbers in the high minors, he goes from being stuck on the Nationals' bench and hoping for another Bryce Harper injury to a starting job in Tampa, where his power/speed/patience profile will be given every opportunity to blossom. In fact, in AL-only leagues where he's available in the auction, don't be shocked if his minor league numbers and prospecty sheen make him one of the most overpriced players purchased, but in a mixed league where you had him stashed away, the profit potential is huge. Recommend: mixed league hold

Delmon Young, Bal: The been-around-forever-but-still-only-29-years-old Young put up very solid numbers last season in limited at-bats, doing most of his damage against left-handed pitching, but he might end up being the only one in Baltimore to appreciate Dan Duquette's Mick Jones impression (should I stay or should I go?) this offseason. The Orioles' front office paralysis prevented them from replacing Nelson Cruz or adding much depth to their OF/DH picture, which leaves Young primed to inherit more playing time. In theory guys like Travis Snider or Chris Parmalee could win jobs in the spring and snatch some of those plate appearances away, but then at worst Young returns to his lefty-killer role. If he does end up with regular at-bats, look for his batting average to drop a bit in return for more home runs and RBI. Another 20 HR, 100 RBI performance like his 2010 season isn't likely, but it's easy to see a path to a 12 HR, 60 RBI campaign. Recommend: AL-only league hold