Alex Rodriguez

Big news out of Yankee's camp today. A-Rod is having surgery to remove a bone-syst from his hip. They are anticipating a 10 week recovery period, which places him back in the lineup right around May 20th. Chances are he comes back a little bit sooner, but there is an interesting spin on this whole thing. It also looks like Alex has been having some signifigant pain in his hip labrum, which is a combination of the cartilage and muscle where the bone meets the socket. They are saying that the labrum has a small tear but they plan to have A-Rod use the 10 weeks to rest, strengthen and ultimately repair the tear through conditioning. Or at the worst, just play through the pain.

Wow. The Karma Police struck fast on this one. All of you A-Rod owners out there have my sympathy. But don't panic, I'm here to offer up some advice and guidance to my children.

First let's start with what, if anything, is to be done with the Yankees third baseman. You can certainly entertain offers for him, but unless you get fair value in return, you're better off just waiting for him to get back. Which leads you to your next condundrum. Who do I pick up to fill the void???

Thankfully there should almost certainly be a few guys out there who can man the hot corner for you while Alex is on the mend. Take a look and see if Mark Reynolds and Kevin Kouzmanouf are available.
I love both of these guys this year and if they are available, it's a real shame. Reynolds is good for 30-35 HR, 90 R, 100 RBI, 10 SB and a .265 AVG. Maybe you think I'm crazy but check his periphs out, his BA will turn around this year, just you watch. He'll be a top 5 3B by the end of the season. Kouzmanouf doesn't offer quite the power that Reynolds does but the AVG should be higher. Expect something along the lines of 25 HR, 85 R, 80 RBI and a .280 BA, with some upside possible.

If you're in a deep league or these guys just aren't available, try you're luck with a guy like Mat Gamel. He's being compared to Ryan Braun; big bat, horrible glove. He has excellent contact skills and should hit for a high average right out of the gate, though his power numbers might still be a year or two away. Another guy to keep an eye on is Andy LaRoche. He's having a great spring which will do wonders for his confidence. All reports are saying he feels great at the plate (his play is proving it) and might be in for a surprise season for you deep leaguers or NL only guys.

Hopefully this helps take the sting out of the A-Rod news if you were unlucky enough to own the Yankees slugger.

Roto Wizard