Carl Crawford and B.J. Upton– According to TampaBay.com , the Rays VP Andrew Friedman plans to be active — and likely will have to be creative — in addressing two main areas: adding a reliever or two, and figuring out the catching tandem. Friedman said the Rays are looking at both right- and left-handed relievers. Whether they acquire one through free agency or trades remains to be seen. Rangers and White Sox have shown interest in CF B.J. Upton, and the Mets and Braves have inquired about All-Star LF Carl Crawford. The Rays have said they’re interested in discussing a long-term deal with Crawford, who is eligible to be a free agent after the 2010 season.

Buster Posey and Freddy Sanchez– The Giants are have organizational meetings now that the Arizona Fall League season has been completed to discuss whether Buster Posey is ready to handle the duties. It is looking more like Benjie Molina has seen his last days in a Giants uniform. Also reported in the SF Gate, Freddy Sanchez may be asked to handle third base and then a possibly they may go over a second baseman.

Rodriguez,I. Still has fantasy value, although his SLG % is on a very steady decline.
Posada,J. Coming off shoulder surgery.
Molina,B. Inflated RBI% of 17.3 makes him a risk to repeat.
Pierzynski,A. over rated almost every year according to ADP.
Hernandez,R. Showed signs of life with 8/36/.277 2nd Half.
Martinez,V. Bounceback season projected.
Bard,J. Playing time could be an issue with Varitek back on board.
Mauer,J. Solid gap hitter, not a HR guy, but BA and Runs scored are a big bonus at the C slot
Navarro,D. Low K% (.12) give him a solid EYE
Snyder,C. K% rose above 30% when pressed for RBI production. Broke a testicle last year (what? ouch!)
Shoppach,K. Huge 2nd Half of ‘08 16 HRs. But….
Doumit,R. Pure hitter, slugged at over 500 in 400+ ABs last year.
McCann,B. Slugged at over 500 in both 1st and second half.
Martin,R. 20% 2nd half decline took toll on overall numbers
Soto,G. Slugged over .500 throughout the season. Lot of upside, watch for too many K’s.
Napoli,M. Napoli should see 400 ABs in a lineup looking to make up for O production.
Iannetta,C. Strong 2nd Half. Breakout coming.
Saltalamacchia,J. Once a top hitting prospect,
Suzuki,K. Sees a lot of playing time, and the offense has improved around him.
Towles,J. needs new approach in the big show
Baker,J. Posted an inflated .299 BA in the 2nd H of ‘08. Singles % was overstated by about 20-25 points.
Wieters,M. The total offensive package.

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Tim Hudson may have to endue career ending surgery. It is a ligament transplant surgery dealie so don’t bother to pick him in your draft next year. He is toast. Clayton Kershaw time to grace your lineup.

Jason Isringhausen has been re-instated as the closer for the Cardinals. This writer is not sure why because he has been downright awful. Sometimes LaRussa just likes to hear himself talk. No fantasy value left for this year in Izzy.

James has a lot of wear and tear on his body, as he has averaged 317 carries over the course of his NFL career. Those carries (and the subsequent pounding administered by defenders) are starting to show in his yards-per-carry average. Prior to last season, James, saw his YPC average drop three consecutive years. In his nine-year career, James has averaged less than 4.1 YPC only three times, and two of those were the past two seasons.

James’ contribution to the passing game has been reduced considerably during his time with the Cardinals, as he has averaged only 31 receptions per year, compared to his 51 receptions he averaged with the Colts. Even though he has received the lion’s share of carries last season (324 of 365 RB carries), between himself, Marcel Shipp, and J.J. Arrington, he’s been the recipient of fewer than half of the RB receptions (24 of 57 RB receptions). Then again, with only 57 receptions between the three of them, the Cardinals clearly don’t depend use their running backs much in the passing game. If this trend continues, Edge’s upside will once again be limited. The lack of upgrades on the offensive line doesn’t bode well, either.

James’ fantasy success this season depends primarily on two things: the offensive line and the maturation of Leinart. Clearly the offensive line in Arizona is not on par with the line James had the benefit of running behind in Indianapolis. Will we ever see YPC averages like James saw in Indy? In his two seasons preceding his arrival to the desert, he averaged 4.4 YPC. If the O-line were to provide him the kind of protection that would allow him to even sniff anywhere near 4.4 YPC, James could be looking at 1,300-1,400 rushing yards based on his 33-carry average in Arizona. That, of course, is unlikely to happen. To be fair to the offensive line, James is not the same back he once was when he was with the Colts. For the 2008 season, consider Edge a medium-risk/medium-reward investment

Carl Crawford is in an 0-for-25 slump that has seen has average fall from .287 to .270. Unfortunately, Crawford’s slump extends even further back as he is hitting .231 with only one home run over his last 15 games. This guy is far too talented to continue to struggle like this, even if he does have a sore hamstring. The injury is a concern, especially since speed is such a huge portion of his game, but Crawford appears to be set up for an extended run of success in the second half given his track record, that is if he can get that body of his fixed.

It seems Westbrook is a “game-time decision” every week, and that can drive fantasy owners crazy. But the bottom line is he’s played in 15 games each of the past two seasons and his production has more than made up for any worry he’s caused. Last season, he led the league in yards from scrimmage (2,104 — 1,333 rushing, 771 receiving), and he scored 12 touchdowns. All those totals were career highs. Because of this, Westbrook is likely to be one of the first six players selected in virtually every draft, and you can make a legitimate case for him to go as high as second overall. Yes, injury concerns always make him a dicey pick, but he’s worth it.

Donavan MCNabb-

McNabb hasn’t been healthy for a full season since 2004, and his fantasy value has plummeted as result. Last season, his passing yards/game (237.4) dropped to its lowest total since ‘03, and he failed to score a rushing touchdown for the first time since his rookie season. McNabb still has the occasional big game, but he’s becoming more immobile, which not only limits his production, it also leads to more injuries. Thus, he’s a borderline starter in fantasy leagues. If you draft him as a starter, make sure you grab a reliable backup one or two rounds later.

Kevin Curtis-

Finally free from second- (or third) banana status in St. Louis, Curtis made the most of his chance to be the No. 1 in Philly. Last season, he posted a career-high 1,110 yards and tied a career-high with six touchdowns (he actually scored two more on fumble recoveries, which count just the same in most fantasy leagues). That sounds good — until you remember 221 of those yards and three of those TDs came in Week 3 against the Lions. Yes, Curtis is a decent yardage-producer, but when it comes to touchdowns, he’s as inconsistent as they come. You can’t count on Curtis to be anything more than a WR3.