CHC Koyie Hill C - Geovany Soto is entrenched as the starter and the team could look internally for a backup, with both Welington Castillo and the up-and-coming Steve Clevenger as options.

LAD Hong-Chih Kuo RP - Kuo was once a dominating left handed reliever for the Dodgers. But now he’s had five (not a typo) arm surgeries and one massive case of anxiety.  There are rumblings Kuo might want to return to his native Taiwan.

ARZ Micah Owings SP/RP - 8-0 with a 3.57 era in 2011.  Somebody will sign him.  Would be the best hitter on a couple teams *Cough……. Giants, Padres.

ARZ Joe Saunders SP -  Diamondbacks basically got a younger better version of Saunders in Trevor Cahill.  Still a bit surprising though.

COL Ryan Spilborghs OF -  Who ever picks up Spilborghs will get a pretty good 4th/5th outfielder in my opinion.  He didn’t have a great 2011 though.

So back to this trade where the Diamondbacks acquired pitchers Trevor Cahill and Craig Breslow from the Athletics for minor leaguers Jarrod Parker, Collin Cowgill and Ryan Cook.  Who got the better of the deal and more importantly how will Cahill do next year in the NL west?

I live in San Francisco and watch just about every Giants game.  But I also will take in an A’s game every once in a while and I have to saw that I think Cahill is way overrated.  He gets a bunch of ground balls, but he doesn’t have big strikeout numbers and his whip has been above 1.40 2 out of the 3 years he’s been in the league.  Cahill is only 23 years old so he obviously has some room to grow but as of right now I think I would label Cahill as a “BUST” candidate going into 2012.  Especially if people think he’s a number one starter, which I promise you he is most definitely not.  The only bright thing I can say about Cahill is he does get to face the Padres and Giants a bunch of times next year.  Those two teams can make any pitcher look like Bob Gibson.  Also the Diamondbacks will be the favorite to win their division again, so even mediocre pitching could yield a fair amount of wins.

I think the Diamondbacks will regret giving up Jarrod Parker.  I got a chance to see him pitch in one game last year and he looked pretty good.  He had Tommy John surgery in 2010 so durability might be a concern for him.

Overbay’s 4 year batting average slide is very troubling.  He’s hit .270, .265, .243 and .234 respectively the past four years.  At this point in his career Overbay’s best asset might be his ability to “low-five” Justin Upton.

Paul Goldschmidt 1B ARZ - Goldmember in Austin Powers used to say, “I love gooooooold”. Well, in 2012 NL fantasy owners will be saying, “I love Goldschmidt!”.  This guy is a straight BEAST!!!  He hit the furthest home run I’ve even seen at AT&T park in San Francisco last season. ( and off Tim Lincecum no less) His minor league stats in 2011 looked like a video game .306-30-94-9 in 366 at bats. Then went straight from AA to the big leagues and held is own with a .250 batting average and 8 home runs in 156 at bats.  I have Goldschmidt as my # 6 first baseman going into the 2012 season.  Ahead of both Freddie Freeman and Lance Berkman.  And you guys remember from last year I’m a believer in Berkman.  I just think Goldschmidt will be better then those 2 guys in 2012.

Kyle Blanks 1B,OF SDP - 2010 was supposed to be Blanks’ big break out year after a solid rookie season in 2009 in which he hit 10 home runs in only 148 at bats.  Unfortunately for Blanks and fantasy owners who invested in him he got off to a terrible start to that season, and then had to undergo the dreaded Tommy John surgery on his elbow.  The surgery ended up costing Blanks most of the 2010 and 2011 seasons.  But he came back last year and showed he still has his power intact belting 7 home runs in 170 at bats.  Anthony Rizzo and Jesus Guzaman are going to have quite a spring training position battle to determine who will be the Padres opening day 1B.  But as of right now Blanks is slated to be the teams starting left fielder.  If he can keep the job and stay healthy, 350 at bats will net 20+ home runs and hopefully a modest .250 – .260 batting average.

Yonder Alonso 1B,OF SDP - Major piece of the deal that sent Mat Latos from the San Diego Padres to the Cincinnati Reds.  Alonso can hit but the knock on him has always been his defense.  I would expect the Padres to start the 25 year old Alonso at first base for the 2012 season and let their other top prospect Anthony Rizzo, who’s 21 years old some more time to develop in the minor leagues.  The only downside I can see for Alonso is he’s moving from one of the best hitting parks in the National League to the worst.  But the fact that you know he’s going to be on the field everyday is a plus.

Mat Gamel 1B,3B MIL - 2009 was supposed to be the year that Gamel broke out and took the reigns at 3B for the Brewers for years to come.  But a slow start combined with the sudden emergence of Casey McGehee sent the highly touted Gamel back down to the minors for a couple of years. in 2010 while in AAA Gamel posted a decent .309-13-67-3 line in 359 AB’s.  But in 2011 he had a power explosion hitting 28 home runs with a .310 batting average.  Along with the great offensive season Gamel also changed positions moving from a 3B,OF type of player to playing almost exclusively 1B.  It was clear that the Brewers knew they had little to no shot at keeping Prince Fielder, and Gamel would be his replacement in 2012.  The job is Gamel’s to lose, so hopefully for him personally and the fantasy owners who draft him he can make the most of it.  At the very least he’s going into a great hitting “environment” in Milwaukee.

Check out the 2012 top 40 NL First Base Rankings!

Goldschmidt is legit!  Kind of makes me wonder what the Diamondbacks were doing with the useless 3 headed monster of Nady, Miranda and Branyan to start the year.  But it probably has something to do with delaying Goldschmidts’ free agency a year.

Anyways needless to say Goldschmidt is keeper league…. well, GOLD!!! and should be picked up in every NL league as soon as he becomes available.

Miranda turned in a pretty solid spring training and proved to management to be a much better defensive player than anticpiated but I think Russell Branyan earned himself the starting nod.  He is listed on the top of the Arizona depth chart as of this morning and is well worth a draft pick due to his home

Juan Miranda - Arizona 1st base – Hit a 2-run homer today while driving in his 4th RBI in 6 games.  There is a log jam at first base in Arizona with Brandon Allen and Russell Branyan but if he is able to grab enough at bats, he will be able to post decent home runs totals.

Casey McGehee - Milwaukee 3rd Base – Smacked 2 home runs and drove in 4.  He is a prime candidate to really break out after post 23 home runs and driving in 104  last season.  He may be able to join that upper tier of 3rd baseman (Wright and Zimmerman) if he can manage to score more than 70 runs.

Starlin Castro - Chicago Shortstop – The 2nd year future superstar had a home run and a double today.  He will be batting 2nd for the Cubs this year and will be a solid fantasy producer for your team.  I am a huge fan and big believer in Castro even this year at such a young.

Will Venable - San Diego Outfielder – Hit his first home run of the spring.  He is a batting average killer but has exceptional speed and decent power making him a worthwhile draft pick.

Aaron Harang - San Diego Starting pitcher – Harang threw 2 scoreless innings today.  The move to Petco park could allow for a bounce back season for Harang.  He has struggled the last couple years as a Red.  Monitor his situation throughout spring as he may be worth drafting late on draft day.

Brad Lidge - Philadephia closer – Yielded a run for the second consecutive outing.  Lidge has been shaky throughout his career and is anything but a sure thing at times for the Phillies.  Ryan Madson would be the most likely replacement so he may have a long leash but it could be a bumpy ride again this season.

Jose Tabata - Pittsburgh outfielder – After going 3-3 for today, the second year outfielder is now 5-12 with 2 steals.  He is pencilled in as the Pirate lead-off man and he could be in store for a terrific season.  He will be running and running often and should post big run totals hitting atop the fairly potent Pirate lineup.

R.A. Dickey - New York Mets Starting pitcher – Managed to allow just one run in 3 innings today.  Maybe the knuckleballer is for real late in his career.  He posted a shockingly low ERA last season and singed an extension this off season with the Mets.  Maybe worth a roster spot again this season?  Keep an eye on him.

Jordan Schafer - Atlanta Outfielder – Suffered a leg injury today.  He is trying to to compete for the center field job with Nate McClouth, but the former prospect has never been able to stay healthy and it has started early this year.

Domonic Brown - Philadelphia Outfielder – Sat out of today’s game but worth a mention as he is 0-12 so far and not turning any heads.  He is in a job competition with Ben Francisco and John Mayberry.  The future is bright for Brown, but he may be sent packing to the minors to start the season.

Roger Bernadina - Washington Outfielder – Competing with Mike Morse and Rick Ankiel, Bernadina hit a 3-run home run today and is 4-6 in 2 games.  He has 20-20 potential this year if he can get the at-bats so he is clearly worth drafting.

Troy Tulowitzki – Colorado Shortstop – Tulo went 2-3 with his first home run of the spring.  Not sure if this performance will make him appear on your draft sheet but it is a step in the right direct….ok, obviously not being serious here. Tulo will challenge Hanley Ramirez for the top shortstop in all of Fantasy baseball this year.  Draft him if you can.

Justin Upton - ARI – This guy has the tools and ability to be a superstar fantasy outfielder but he cannot seem to stay healthy long enough.  Keep in mind, he is just 23 this year.  Seems like he has been around forever but the best is yet to come.  He missed time again last year with a shoulder injury which hurt him in the power department managing only 17 home runs.  He is going to be expected to better his 2009 campaign of 26 home runs and .300 average.  He has 5-tool talent….just needs to be on the field more than 133 games each year.  Draft him with confidence and hope he remains healthy.

Andre Ethier - LAD – I love this guy!  He was the NL triple crown leader last year when he broke his pinky.  Upon his return from the DL, he struggled but got it going late.  Look for a huge bounce back season.   30 home runs, 100+ RBI and an average over .300 is possible. 

Jason Bay- NYM – Rough debut season with the Mets for Mr. Bay.  Coming off a career year in Boston, a lot was expected of Bay’s return the National League.  Fantasy owners who believed the hype were greatly disappoint, even before the concussion that ended his season.  After posting over 30 home runs in 4 of the past 5 seasons, Bay smacked a total of 6 in 2011.  He is probably not reaching 30 playing half his games at CitiField, but he should be able to reach 20+ and get close to 100 RBI.  He will come much cheaper on draft day than he did last year and should be up decent stats.

Nate McClouth - ATL – Seriously, what happened to this guy last year.  I drafted him with the hope of 25/25 season and I got the guy who was demoted to the minors.  Well he is back as the starting center fielder for the Braves.  He managed a total of 85 games in the majors last year posting a batting average below .200 and 6 home runs.  Probably not go to go for 25 HRs and steals but he has to be better than this.  15-20 HR and 15-20 steals is possible.  He should go very late in all drafts and much cheaper in auction drafts.  Be cautious but he could be a great sleeper pick if he can figure out what went wrong last year.

Other cadidates for a bounce back season include:  Carlos Beltran NYM, Lance Berkman STL, , Raul Ibanez PHI, Brad Hawpe SD