Roto Riteup: October 16, 2012

Yes, you did read that title correctly! I know it’s early, but once you have some coffee in you, let the full gravity of this hit you! My esteemed colleague and I are back with off season Roto Riteup coverage on every Tuesday and Friday, and today we came out swinging (hooray for pop-punk!). Rather than report on the previous day’s fantasy happenings and recent trends and hot streaks, the off season RR will consist of more stories and less stats. Obviously.

• Just 10 days ago my long time man-crush, Carlos Quentin, underwent yet another knee surgery. Injuries seem to constantly popping up to bite poor Quentin. He’s missed time from everything ranging from knee issues to Plantar Fasciitis. As the article notes, he should be able to participate in the full off season workout schedule and be ready for Spring Training. Raise your hand if you’ve heard that one before. Expect Quentin’s value to drop. He makes for a good buy-low candidate, but that is about all the faith that I can muster in him.

• As I’m sure you’ve heard, Derek Jeter fractured his ankle and will miss the remainder of the post season. There is probably a “Miss October” joke in there somewhere, but I won’t make it. By all accounts he should also be back and 100% by the time ST rolls around, and I have much more faith in him when compared to Quentin. Jeter enjoyed a huge bounce back season and put up the best numbers since 2009. Next season will be his last guaranteed season, with a 2014 player option that is all but assured to be picked up. Expect a good-but-not-great season from the Yankee Captain. Objectively, he’ll be 38 and coming off of a significant injury. Draft, but draft with caution.

• David Ortiz is a free agent come this off season and expect the best designated hitter available to fetch a solid price. From a fantasy perspective, staying in Boston is probably the bet. Apparently Ortiz is looking for a two year deal in the neighborhood of $25 million to $30 million dollars. I expect the Boston Red Sox and Ortiz to come to an agreement, albeit somewhere south of those numbers, before too much time passes. Ortiz’s value doesn’t totally hinge on where he signs, but it would be naive to write off the Fenway Park numbers.

• There are multiple sources on twitter either predicting or claiming that Scott Rolen is ready for retirement. This year was a disappointing year for the 37 year old Rolen, as he had less than 350 plate appearances for the second straight season and a below league average wRC+. With Todd Frazier appearing in 73 games at third base this past year, it seems as though the Reds have a ready made replacement. Expect Frazier to go somewhat high; third base can be a tough position to fill on a fantasy roster.

• If the Texas Rangers didn’t have enough things to think over this post season, apparently Alexi Ogando would like to move back into the rotation. He certainly has the talent for it; plus he’s already made the transition once before. He obviously has a much higher fantasy value in the rotation. While in the bullpen this year, Ogando earned all of three saves. Expect his strikeout rate to revert back to his 2011 numbers, but his value as a started in both real life and fantasy is too great to simply look over. Keep a close on eye on this developing story.