Trade - prospects

[alleyoops]

5x5 NL only keeper, 320 cap. Dump trading is going on in earnest. I did one, where I got a slew of good players for a cheap Puig. This, along with a competitive team prior, has me in 1st. 2 competitors did trades this week which will help them. I have very strong pitching and a hole at C (actually 2 holes until Ruiz come back). I offered Niese 5 and HSanchez 1 (throw-in) for Mesoraco 14 and Jay 6. I'd have to bench Headley or a good SP to play Mesoraco. Jay would be OF depth and cap flexibility. He countered with Mesoraco, Jay and RLiriano ($1 minors) for Niese, Sanchez and Giolito ($3 minors). Minors guys can be kept at their salary the first year if you don't activate them after they're up. After that year, it's $5 increases as with other keepers.

Questions:

1. Is Mesoraco a keeper next year at $19 (10-15% inflation in this league)?
2. He also has YMolina at $22, and I might be able to get him instead of Mesoraco without including the minors guys - worth a try?
3. How much better a prospect is Giolito than Liriano?
4. I have Dahl ($2 minors) - don't know if he'd take Dahl instead of Giolito - worth a try?
5. He has Soler ($3 minors) - worth pursuing him instead of Liriano?

Lucroy $16 may be available from another dumping team, but he's a keeper and would likely cost more than Giolito. He already turned down Wheeler $1 for Lucroy.

[Captain Hook]

5x5 NL only keeper, 320 cap. Dump trading is going on in earnest. I did one, where I got a slew of good players for a cheap Puig. This, along with a competitive team prior, has me in 1st. 2 competitors did trades this week which will help them. I have very strong pitching and a hole at C (actually 2 holes until Ruiz come back). I offered Niese 5 and HSanchez 1 (throw-in) for Mesoraco 14 and Jay 6. I'd have to bench Headley or a good SP to play Mesoraco. Jay would be OF depth and cap flexibility. He countered with Mesoraco, Jay and RLiriano ($1 minors) for Niese, Sanchez and Giolito ($3 minors). Minors guys can be kept at their salary the first year if you don't activate them after they're up. After that year, it's $5 increases as with other keepers.

Questions:

1. Is Mesoraco a keeper next year at $19 (10-15% inflation in this league)?
2. He also has YMolina at $22, and I might be able to get him instead of Mesoraco without including the minors guys - worth a try?
3. How much better a prospect is Giolito than Liriano?
4. I have Dahl ($2 minors) - don't know if he'd take Dahl instead of Giolito - worth a try?
5. He has Soler ($3 minors) - worth pursuing him instead of Liriano?

Lucroy $16 may be available from another dumping team, but he's a keeper and would likely cost more than Giolito. He already turned down Wheeler $1 for Lucroy.

1) Yes IF he keeps hitting like this
2) Yadier not hitting as well (unless you want to be on big turnaround from either/both)
3) Giolito is a very good pitching prospect who has never stayed healthy; Liriano is a very good hitting prospect who could be in the Padres outfield next year BUT the answers on either one shouldn't prevent you from making a trade you need to win THIS year
4) Yes (with caveat that when Dahl gets to the majors he will be hitting in Coors assuming he stays with Colorado and again I love Giolito but maybe he will never stay healthy)
5) I don't think so (others will)

[alleyoops]

Thanks, Perry. I accepted the counter, and feel that this positions me very well for the 2nd half. One thing that I didn't mention was that if a player is not kept in one of the three minors slots, you get to add a minors guy in a draft shortly after the start of next season. So although I've lost Giolito, I'll be able to get a pretty good prospect to replace him. We order the minors picks based on finish: 5th, 6th, ...12th, 4th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st. If I manage to hang on to 1st, I'll get the last pick in round 1. But often half the round 1 picks are retained, so it might be the 6th or 7th best prospect available.