Working the Waiver Wire

By PCB Scout, www.profantasybaseball.com

There are two kinds of people in the world: those who love The Wire and those who have never seen it. If you’ve seen The Wire, you know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t, find the closest mirror, look in it, and hang your head in shame. David Simon's and Ed Burns' masterpiece about the decay of an American city is, in this writer’s opinion, the single greatest series ever to grace the small screen... or any screen for that matter.

Now that I got that out of my system, let’s talk about a different wire. The wire that will make or break your fantasy season. The waiver wire. Let’s take a look at a few players that may still be available in your league and may be worth adding.

Scott Rolen, 3B, Toronto

Scott Rolen hasn’t been a very exciting player to own since his St. Louis days, however he is off to a fantastic start in the 2009 season. Through 10 games Rolen is hitting .389 and getting on base at a .425 clip. He also has 2 HR, 5 RBI, and has scored 8 runs. Rolen is available in 77% of ESPN leagues and 80% of Yahoo leagues.

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Elijah Dukes, OF, Washington
A week ago, the Nationals outfield was crowded. Austin Kearns secured the RF job right out of Spring Training and Lastings Milledge was slated to play Center. But with Milledge having been demoted to the Minors this week, the door is wide open for Dukes. Dukes has always had the talent, but off-the-field antics and injuries have kept him from succeeding. So far this season Dukes has put up a .381/.435 line with a homer and 5 RBI. He swiped 13 bags in just 81 games last year and is still available in 56% of Yahoo leagues and 76% of ESPN leagues.

Endy Chavez, OF, Seattle
Endy showed flashes of talent in his Mets days but never really locked down a secure job. This year he’s pretty well locked in to the Mariners outfield and is off to a red hot start. Chavez is hitting .405 with a homer and 6 RBI and has already stolen 3 bags. Expect the batting average to come down and the steals to plateau a bit, but .300 and 30 steals is not out of the question. Chavez can be had in 90% of both ESPN and Yahoo leagues.

Kyle Lohse, SP, St. Louis

I’ll be honest. I’m not a huge Lohse fan. He did, however, have a great 2008 and is off to a nice start once again in 2009. Even though Lohse’s K/9 rate is troubling, making him less valuable for fantasy purposes, he might be able to help you if your rotations are getting destroyed like mine, or if you’ve taken some injury hits. Lohse has a 1.13 ERA and a teeny-tiny .56 WHIP to boot in 2 starts and 2 wins. He’s also available in 48% of ESPN leagues and only 34% of Yahoo leagues.

Jason Marquis, SP, Colorado
Marquis is another guy who has never been particularly exciting to own. That’s mostly because he rarely strikes batters out. The plus side to Marquis is that he has been pretty solid thus far in his 2009 campaign. He has a couple of wins against quality teams and is boasting a 1.93 ERA and a WHIP of exactly 1. Another encouraging fact is that he has gone seven innings in both his starts, meaning he's been efficient and has minimized the risk of his questionable bullpen losing the game for him. Marquis is still a spot starter at best at this point, but could be worth an add if you’re hurting. He is available in 99% of ESPN leagues and 96% of Yahoo leagues.

Remember, this doesn’t mean that if you run out and get these guys you’ll be all set. But take a look at your roster. Decide if you want to make some changes and if you do, consider these guys as possible options. Believe me, you could do a lot worse.