Shea Hillenbrand

Labeled a malcontent after an argument with Toronto management, Hillenbrand was then shipped to San Francisco, where he hit a pedestrian .248/.275/.415. He's a poor defender and doesn't provide the power desired from a corner infielder. With Juan Rivera breaking his leg in December, Hillenbrand will man the DH spot and share first base duties with Casey Kotchman. When Rivera returns, his playing time is less certain.

A .390 average in April fueled most of Hillenbrand's .291 figure for the year, but he has a good track record of bouncing between .290 and .310 every year. He's an established .290-15-80 guy, which has value if you don't expect more. With Lyle Overbay and Troy Glaus now on the Blue Jays, he'll likely spend most of his time at DH, but the crowded corner infield situation clouds his outlook for playing time. He could also be traded before the regular season starts.

Hillenbrand enjoyed maybe his best season as a big leaguer in 2004. He spent most of the year at first base after Richie Sexson went down, but can still play third. The ballpark at Arizona really played to Hillenbrand's strengths as a hitter, but fortunately for him, he was traded to another relatively friendly ballpark. The Jays will use him primarily as their DH, although he could see some starts at first whenever they decide to bench Eric Hinske against a tough lefty.

One of the big questions going into 2003 was whether Hillenbrand's 2002 season was a fluke. He turned out to be just as productive (.789 OPS in 2002, .782 in 2003), and his profile changed a bit with the midseason move to Arizona. Hillenbrand hit 17 home runs in just 85 games with the D-Backs, 11 of those at home. With a full season at third base, Hillenbrand's a legitimate threat to deliver a 30-homer season. Yeah, it'd be nice if Shea could draw two walks a week, but once Scott Rolen is off the board, Hillenbrand might provide as much roto value as any other third baseman in the NL.

Hillenbrand, 27, had a breakout season in 2002, hitting .293 with 18 HR and 83 RBI in 156 games. Sox manager Grady Little vows to rest Hillenbrand more this season as a result of a second half drop in production (5 HR/32 RBI after the break). We're not entirely sold after just one season, so bid warily on him. There's still a shot he could be traded.