Dear Mr. Fantasy: Getting jumpy with Jorge

One week in the books, and we're already having panic attacks.

The mailbag is overflowing with questions on lineup decisions and frantic cries of desperation. Should I start this guy or that guy? Should I cut this guy so soon, so soon!?

And then there's my personal favorite ...

Help! Help! Help! Help! Help!

Relax, people. We have a long way to go.

I know you want the perfect lineup right away. You want to set it just once, kick back and watch your stats tick upward. But it's too early for that. We don't yet have enough of a statistical base to do anything that definitive.

Just remember to trust your studs. You drafted them early for a reason, and they should all come around in due time. And no matter what lineup decisions you make, keep in mind you're not married to them. If you want to start Conor Jackson at corner infield over Troy Glaus for a few weeks, give it a go. You can always switch back later.

And now, on to the specifics.

I am stocked with outfielders in my one league. I have Eric Byrnes, Kosuke Fukudome, Chris B. Young, Carlos Gomez and Nate McLouth. I can start four. Who do I sit? Right now, I am sitting McLouth, but he is red hot. What do you suggest? -- George Hedden

SW: Project McLouth's stats last year over 550 at-bats, and he would have hit 22 home runs and stole 37 bases. Granted, you make a lot of assumptions with such a simple calculation, but when you consider those numbers, McLouth's hot start doesn't look like such a fluke. I think you definitely have to start him over a guy like Fukudome, who doesn't have the power to hit more than 15 home runs or so, and Gomez, who's a little too raw to trust for anything more than stolen bases. Right now, you have to ride the hot bat of Fukudome over Gomez no matter what the league format, but over the long haul, I like Gomez more in Rotisserie leagues and Fukudome more in Head-to-Head leagues.

We had our doubts about Jorge Posada in 2008, and now a sore arm is holding him back. (US Presswire)

SW: No buts, Ken. It is early. Players -- good players -- get off to slow starts just like everyone else. And while I could understand you thinking Posada's shoulder injury has something to do with his slow start, it sounds like something that affects him more on defense than on offense. Even if it lingers some throughout the season, the Yankees, being in the AL, always have the option of playing Posada at DH, so I imagine he'll get his 450 at-bats -- a solid number for a catcher -- without much difficulty. So no, don't worry, but don't expect him to hit .338 again either.

I have an etiquette question for you. I know that under normal circumstances, everyone would look down on me for picking someone up off free agency and then offering him in a trade. However, what if you see another owner's player go down with a major injury, they have no backup at that position, and you fly over to the free agent pool and swoop up the top player available, who happens to be head and shoulders above the rest of the group? Is it then acceptable to include that player in a trade offer, or is that still bad etiquette and just downright mean? -- Adam Loch, Blaine, Minn.

SW: We're not exactly playing Red Rover on the playground, Adam. You shouldn't have to worry about one of your leaguemates running home in tears. The key to making a trade work is to meet another team's needs, and if a well-timed free agent pickup helps you accomplish that, have at it. But keep in mind that your opponent is under no obligation to trade with you despite his glaring weakness. He might call your bluff, in a sense, by deciding that because you added that player simply to exploit his need, you'll eventually have to drop him after a few of your trade requests go unanswered. Just be prepared either to hang on to that player for longer than you intended or to let your opponent have the last laugh.

Someone just offered me Kevin Youkilis, Troy Tulowitzki, Brad Hawpe and Aaron Hill for Erik Bedard and Garrett Atkins. Notably, my shortstop position is a little shaky with Khalil Greene, and my second basemen is Placido Polanco, who is off to a rough start. Kevin Youkilis would become my starting third basemen because Albert Pujols is my first basemen. Should I make the move? -- Brian Giannone, Chicago

SW: When you make a trade, you generally want to be on the side that lands fewer players because in standard 10- or 12-team mixed leagues with extensive free agent lists, quality trumps quantity. However, because the quality of all four players you'd receiver here is pretty good, you have to give this trade a second look. The way I see it, you're giving up two early-round picks (Bedard and Atkins) for one early-round pick (Tulowitzki) and three mid-to-late-rounders. Really, I think this trade comes down to Hawpe. If you have a pressing need in your outfield, you might have to consider pulling the trigger. Nine times out of 10, though, I'll stick with the quality of Bedard and Atkins.

Help! My outfield is overcrowded! I have four outfield spots filled by Vladimir Guerrero, Matt Kemp, Josh Hamilton and Pat Burrell. In addition, I have Corey Hart in the utility spot and Jeremy Hermida on the DL. Justin Upton and Lastings Milledge are available on the waiver wire. I really want to add Upton, but I don't know who to drop and who to keep. -- Charlie Furtek, Lansing, Ill.

SW: Save the cries for help for when you're drowning, Charlie. We're only playing a game here. I just took an impromptu office poll, and Michael Hurcomb, David Gonos and I unanimously decided we'd cut Kemp for Upton at this point. The logic is pretty straightforward, I think. Kemp certainly doesn't have any more upside than Upton, and if one's already showing signs of a breakout while the other's kind of waffling, go with the former.

I need some extra batting average, home runs, and RBI in my lineup. Who should I start at my utility position: Casey Kotchman, Alex Gordon or Brandon Inge? Or should I try to mix it up based on matchups? -- Keith Petrower

SW: Well, I think you can immediately scratch Inge off your list. Once Curtis Granderson returns to the lineup, he's nothing more than a utility player for his real-life team. I think Kotchman is the safer bet for a high batting average, but Gordon could end up hitting for a high mark himself, and he certainly trumps Kotchman in power potential. Go with Gordon now and reassess a month or so into the season.

I recently got a trade offer in which I would receive Mariano Rivera and give up Rafael Soriano and Clayton Kershaw, who I have preserved in my minor-league slot. Do you think I should take the chance and hold on to Kershaw, hoping to get a rookie year like Francisco Liriano had two years ago, or should I just play it safe and get the sure saves from Rivera? -- Danny, Miami

SW: My recommendation changes dramatically, Danny, depending on if you play in a long-term keeper league or not. If you can keep Kershaw stashed in a minor-league slot for a year or two down the road, you might want to hold on to him. But based on the wording of your question, I get the impression he's your minor-leaguer for this year alone. In that case, I'd make the deal for the better closer. Look, Kershaw sounds like he has other-worldly talent, but the Dodgers already have a pretty deep staff, and if Jason Schmidt comes back from injury, it'll get even more crowded. Plus, Kershaw is only 20. It's not like he's anywhere near the point where the Dodgers have to worry about keeping him in the minor leagues too long. Kershaw could come up this year, and he could be great, but if he doesn't make his big-league debut until September, you'll feel pretty silly for not making that deal.

I took Barry Zito in the second-to-last round -- or 23rd -- thinking he was worth a gamble at this point and hoping that two sleepers, Carlos Villanueva or Boof Bonser, would come my way for my last pitcher. That backfired. Took another gamble on Shawn Hill, in the event he would come back from the early DL stint. What is the prognosis for both pitchers? Should I consider trading them? -- Paul Vieira, Ottawa

SW: Zito is kind of a funny case. I tend to think he's finished from a mixed-league standpoint, considering he didn't do anything worthwhile last year and has only looked worse in two starts this year, but I agree with Eric Mack that you shouldn't give up on him yet, just in case. Then again, when Hurcomb cut him in one of our office leagues this week, I didn't even bother to put in a claim for him, so what does that tell you? If nothing else, it tells you not to expect to get anything back for Zito in a trade because, as his current value stands, he's on the verge of becoming waiver wire fodder. As for Hill, if all goes well in his rehab start, he should make his first start Sunday, but he's barely on the radar in mixed leagues right now. He had too small of a sample size last year and too few strikeouts. Don't expect to get much for him in a deal either.

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