Week 24 Waivers - They're all mine, bitches

I woke up Tuesday morning knowing that I would have a few waiver wire adds.  I did not, however, expect that I would be the only one with any and that, other than Kyler's $1 bid on Christian Yelich, no one would have even bid on a player.  Anyways, since its only me were concerned with here, I am going to keep this short and sweet (those are both relative terms...I think that I have long since proven that I am incapable of keeping anything short).

First though, the long awauted discussion of the ill-fated trade:
BySs gets 1b Anthony Rizzo
MBHB gets 3b Aramis Ramirez

I feel dirty just typing it out.  I didnt like it when Kyler and I were talking about it, cringed when I hit the "Propose Trade" button, and had immediate regret when I got the "Your trade has been accepted" email and a text from uncle Jimmy that read something like, "Did you go shortbus?"  It might not have said that, but when I read it, thats what I felt it should have said.  I was at least able to semi justify trading a future MVP candidate to myself by telling myself things like, "I have an MVP candidate in Paul Goldschmidt already on the roster, and if Goldschmidt hadnt been hurt, I never would have had Rizzo in the first place" and "With Wright out, I need a 3b man for the next round or I will have absolutely no chance of beating Bob."  Both of those things are true, but they are things that someone tells themselves to justify something they know they messed up in the first place.  This trade is Lou Brock for Ernie Broglio...only worse because at least Ernie Broglio played for the Cubs (even if it was a short period and he wasnt very good...at least they got SOMETHING out of him).  As you'll see in a minute, ARam is never going to don the MBHB colors (and no, I dont know what those colors are).  It all makes me hate David Wright and the Mets even more. For this one, Kyler gets the carrot.  And then he gets a second, third, fourth and fifth carrot.  BYSS>>>>>MBHB


3b, OF Ryan Zimmerman - MBHB - $5 - drop 3b Aramis Ramirez
AAANNNNNNNNDDDD thats the sound of me silently sobbing.  ARam is an ageless hitting wonder who, by the laws of physics and nature and everything that is good and holy, must eventually stop hitting.  Zimmerman is an injury prone player who has dealt with shoulder issues on and off for over a year now and may not be coming back to play 3b whenever he is available to play (which is apparently soon as he is playing in rehab games).  Im not sure that hes keeper material, but he's closer than Ramirez and its worth the chance to see how things shake out with his rehab.

SP Cliff Lee - MBHB - $4 - drop RP Tyler Clippard
This one is simple...Clippard, though one of the more reliable (and homer prone) right handed set up men in the league over the past 6 years, isnt someone that you build a pitching staff around.  Even at 36 years old, Cliff Lee might be.  If you eliminate this year as a short sample, Lee has had a WHIP under 1.13 in every season going back to 2008 (with the exception of the first half of 2009 before he was traded from Cleveland to Philadelphia - the first time).  He is about as reliable as it gets...if he is healthy.  And at this point in his life, thats a big if.  For $4 and no long term commitment, its worth the gamble.

OF Christian Yelch - MBHB - $2 - Drop SP Rick Porcello
This is another swap of solid current player for potential future player.  Porcello has been spectacular this season, posting career bests in wins and innings pitched while at the same time posting career lows in ERA and WHIP.  Maybe he is a better pitcher than he was in his first 5 years (he seems to have cut down on his walks and significantly reduced HRs...suggesting he really is a better thrower), but his BABIP is 20 points lower than his career average and nearly 30 points lower than his next best overall season (2013), suggesting that he has been a bit lucky that the balls hit are going to people (it also doesnt hurt that Miggy is back over at 1b were he belongs and not trying to poorly feild balls hit in the hole).   In both his 1/3 season audition last year and in his first full season, Yelich has put up nearly identical stat line, suggesting that he is playing at his true ability level and that any improvement would see a corresponding bump from this baseline.  In his first 770 PAs, he has hit 290/370/408 with 29 stolen bases and 13 HRs.  And he hits in front of some guy named TMGS, so you know his runs totals (88 in 132 games this season) are going to be fairly decent.  MBHB has a crowded OF already (with Springer, Taveras, Myers and #freeyourJoc), but another follow and see isnt going to hurt.

SP Collin McHugh - MBHB $2 - Drop RP Brad Boxberger

Remember what I said about Cippard?  Just copy that in your memory banks and paste it here, except change "over the last 6 years" to "this year" and you have and apt comment for Boxberger (though the Berger Box has a way cooler name).  I am not sure what to make of McHugh.  I have followed him in the stats fairly closely for much of the season because the numbers havent matched the hype in any way, shape or form.  McHugh was never a top prospect and he was actually outright released by the pitching starved Colorado Rockies after last season.  He landed in Houston (what is it with the Astros pitchers? McHugh, Kuechel and...ok, thats where it stops) and has been virtually unhittable.  Opponents are hitting .209 against him, he isnt walking many (2.4/9, for a 1.03 WHIP) and has struck out more than a batter an inning (151 in 148 innings).  He has actually been better this year than he was at any time in any single season of his professional career, minor leagues included.  So does that mean that he is a 27 year old who bounced around and never got a chance, but now that he has, he has figured "it" out and this is who he will be going forward?  Or is this the case of a player having a fluke career year on a terrible team?  I am ok with being able to take some time to think about it.  Also, I just found (while googling for a pitcure) that Collin McHugh is a blogger.  He just went up about 5 notches on the potential keeper list.

SP Matt Moore - MBHB - $2 - Drop SP/RP Zach Britton

Britton has been one of the most steady pitchers on the Bastards this season.  When Tommy Hunter struggled and went to the DL early in the season, Britton took the O's closer job and ran with it, putting up 34 saves and 58Ks (in 72 innings) with superb ratios (1.74/0.91).  Moore is a strikeout artist with some control issues...who also happens to be one of the 2937 (approximate) pitchers who underwent Tommy John surgery this season.  There is a whole lot of early career Scott Kazmir in Moore's game (thats a good thing) and his usefulness will depend on how he comes back during rehab.  He has already started playing catch and is shooting for an early May return to the Rays rotation.  A healthy Moore would be a huge bargain at $2.