Now that the baseball season is officially weeks in, I’m going to write this week’s blog on people who have either impressed me or concern me so far. Keep in mind the season is young, so there’s time for these athletes to improve their game or regress to the level they’re best at. Let’s get started.

Roy Halladay- The Phillies say he’s healthy, but this is not the Roy Halladay I grew up watching. Doc’s 35-years-old and has looked like it in his first two starts where he got shellacked against the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets.

What could be the problem if he isn’t injured? I’ll point to his velocity and age. Halladay’s fastball seems to have no life to it, which forces him to throw the cutter that doesn’t even cut sharp anymore. Let’s not forget most pitchers who hit this age (minus Andy Pettitte and Tim Hudson) tend to decline sharply.

We can all agree Doc isn’t a fantasy ace anymore. It’s just not going to happen. But what I can guarantee is he’ll get it together as the season progresses and be a solid end of the rotation guy. Buy low now.

Chris Davis- We have our first buy high player of 2013! Chris Davis is on some type of roll to start off the season, as he has more RBIs (17) than the Miami Marlins have runs (16). I don’t see why you should even pitch to him at the moment.

I recommend you find someone who wants to trade for him right away. Sure, he’s having a very hot start to the season. The two problems here are his health (played 139 games last season) and the high amount of strikeouts. With this, you’ll never see a high batting average. Plus he’s very streaky too.

Sell high with Davis. There’s a very slim chance he keeps up the pace. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a solid player. Regression is around the corner though, and you can get value now before he sizzles.

Justin Upton- Sometimes, a change of scenery is all you need. Justin Upton is the perfect example of that. Now with his brother and another young stud in Jason Heyward, he has six home runs in the first eight games of the season. Six home runs!

Unlike Davis, I don’t see Upton slowing down the pace. One of the reasons is because we’ve seen this production from him before as an Arizona Diamondback. Throw last year in my face, but the second half of 2012 wasn’t that bad. He’s also part of this Braves lineup that’s stacked to the core.

The 25-year-old stud will continue to grow and impress in Atlanta. He’s also going to be very expensive in the fantasy markets, so if you want him, better open up those wallets.

Matt Harvey- It’s unfortunate for Harvey that whenever he’s on the mound or hear his name, I think of the scene in Batman (“WHERE’S HARVEY?!?!”). Regardless, he’s been very impressive to start off 2013, including an 0.64 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 14 innings.

Harvey’s potential is showing big-time, and I don’t think he’ll slow down either. He had a 2.73 ERA from 10 starts last season, and his fastball is averaging near 95 mph. We’ll expect hitters to finally adjust to him, but even with that adjustment, pitching at Citi Field will always benefit him.

The bottom-line is that Harvey’s ceiling, added with how he’s pitching now, makes me optimistic regression won’t come around anytime soon. Mets fans should be really happy, as apparently Zack Wheeler can even better than Harvey is. Digressing from that whole different discussion, don’t sell Harvey.

John Axford- The past few years, Axford has been the go-to guy for the Milwaukee Brewers in the ninth inning. As of lately, his control will tell you otherwise. In four appearances, he has a 24.30 ERA while giving up four home runs. Ouch.

I’m going to make this one as simple as possible; drop him. He’s not worth a roster spot (Axford cost me a win in one of my leagues this week), especially if you won’t be able to guarantee his fastball can be controlled. For this situation, I recommend picking up Jim Henderson since he’s been lights out so far this season.

If you have any questions or players you want me to evaluate like I did here, ask me through email, message me on Facebook, or tweet at me via Twitter.

I’m going to do the outfield a little different for this segment. Since there are three positions (left, right, center field) and most leagues don’t follow that rule, I’ll do two blogs with the tope five on one following the other five next week. It makes everything easier and helps you out (you’re welcome).

1. Mike Trout- Another obvious choice. I love Mike Trout in fantasy terms as much as Buster Olney’s fake Twitter account (although I’m not tripping as much). The 21-year-old stud should come close (or even yet reach) to the 30/50 plateau, as his combination of speed and power remind me in ways of Mickey Mantle. Add the amount of All Star hitters in that Angels lineup, and you’re looking at the consensus number one draft pick in all standard and keeper leagues. Projections: .315 BA, 31 HR, 84 RBI, 137 R, 52 SB

2. Ryan Braun- Take away those possible steroid woes, and Braun is another MVP candidate year in and year out. Even without Prince Fielder in Milwaukee anymore, the Hebrew Hammer posted some ridiculous numbers last year (.319 BA, 41 HR, 112 RBI, 30 SB). There should be no reason why Braun goes lower than fourth overall in standard leagues. Don’t forget he’s only 29-years-old too, so the numbers won’t fade anytime soon. Projections: .320 BA, 34 HR, 110 RBI, 90 R, 34 SB

3. Andrew McCutchen- If it wasn’t for McCutchen’s first half surge last season, the Pittsburgh Pirates wouldn’t have teased a winning season for most of the year. The 26-year-old did fade out after the All Star break, but that was most likely due to fatigue. He’s a reliable source for both speed and power. What’s even more scary is how McCutchen hasn’t reached his potential yet. The best is yet to come, as he’s worth your first pick. Projections: .313 BA, 28 HR, 95 RBI, 100 R, 26 SB

4. Matt Kemp- I made a bold prediction last year saying Kemp wouldn’t be in the 30/30 club last year after being one homer from the 40/40 club in 2010. I’m not a fan of saying I told you so, but this is another reason why you should take my advice. I expected the regression from Kemp not because of the injuries that actually occurred, but the lack of protection his lineup had before they somehow found money to spend. Expect him to return to 2011 form. Projections: .302 BA, 32 HR, 102 RBI, 108 R, 37 SB

5. Giancarlo Stanton- If it wasn’t for Carlos Gonzalez’s road hitting woes, he’d be at this spot. Instead, I have the only valuable Miami Marlin that wasn’t sold off this offseason here. Stanton’s one of my favorite players and possesses some rare power. He’s got so much more room to grow (only 23-years-old), but injuries are a slight concern (mostly coming from his hamstrings). Since Stanton’s young, I can see him overcoming these woes and potentially hitting 50 homers in a season. He’s definitely worth a second rounder. Projections: .275 BA, 48 HR, 96 RBI, 82 R, 4 SB

If you have any questions or players you want me to evaluate like I did here, ask me through email, message me on Facebook, or tweet at me via Twitter.

It’s almost that time of year. The time where fantasy baseball playoffs start and the regular football season begins. In this issue of Fantasy in Five, I will give you five players to consider acquiring that’ll help you make that playoff push and eventually winning your league.

1. Pedro Ciriaco- At least the Boston Red Sox have someone they can rely on after their Hollywood blockbuster trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The 26-year-old has done wonders for the Red Sox, hitting .350 with 21 runs, 16 RBI’s and 10 stolen bases. He just got out of a six game hitting streak as well. Ciriaco is also eligible to play every infield position minus first, so his flexibility adds to his already increasing stock.

If Ciriaco is available on your waiver wire (he should be), pick him up while you can. Even if you already have a decent infield, his depth and flexibility are keys that will help you make that playoff push in case a starter goes down. Low risk with high upside.

2. Ben Revere- If you need to boost your team’s overall average and stolen base totals, Revere is the pick for you. He’s had a solid August, hitting .309 with six RBI’s, six stolen bases, while scoring 17 runs.

I like Revere because he’s slowly progressing throughout the season. Not only does his glove produce, but he can get it done at the plate. It’s almost like every day Revere will score you a run since he’s always on the base-paths.

While the Minnesota Twins might not be going anywhere this season, your team could with some help from Revere. He might only be a two category guy, so pick him up if you need what he produces.

3. Carlos Gomez- He can be considered a one category player, but Gomez has shown some solid numbers this season. To this point, he already has 27 stolen bases with 56 runs scored and has a career-high 14 home runs.

With his pros come the ugly cons. Even being a speedy guy, Gomez struggles to get on base, posting a lifetime .245 average. His on-base percentage (OBP) has never ended over .300 in a season.

Gomez is strictly for a team that requires stolen bases. He isn’t Adam Dunn or Mark Reynolds where you’re sacrificing ridiculous averages for power, but he can have his moments. Be cautious.

4. Pedro Alvarez- While Alvarez doesn’t show consistency, he can save your season now. The former second overall pick in the 2008 First-Year Entry Draft currently has 25 home runs and 67 RBI’s.

But if you want to keep a high average, keep him on the waiver wire. Alvarez is known to strike out plenty (currently has 144), so his average will always stay in the .240-.250 range. Never expect him to steal bases either.

If you need power and RBI’s, then you shouldn’t hesitate to pick up Alvarez. If you’re in a keeper league, I can’t tell you if he’ll produce like this next year or not since he’s so unpredictable. Claim him while he’s available.

5. David Murphy- Coming off a hot streak, Murphy has made himself look statistically comfortable. The Texas Ranger is batting .310 with 49 runs and RBI’s.

The good thing is those numbers are always reliable when it comes to Murphy. You know you’ll get a .285 average with around 10 homers and 44 RBI’s. But what makes this year special is he’s already surpassed his career averages and could end the season on a hot streak.

What I do with hitters ending a season hot is stack them on my bench. Since injuries are so common, having a guy like Murphy cover your whole outfield is a huge plus.

If you have any questions or players you want me to evaluate like I did here, ask me through email, message me on Facebook, or tweet at me via Twitter.

Welcome back to another edition of Sportsfullcircle’s Fantasy in Five! I’m going to try my best to return this column as a weekly thing instead of once in a blue moon. My apologies if I haven’t been consistent, as I’ve had a busy summer.

Last week, I debuted the column for fantasy football, as I gave five rookies who could make an immediate impact on your squad. Since the trade deadline for baseball is upon us, and there have been some shocking trades, I’m going to analyze five players who have been or assumed to be traded and if they’ll get better or worse because of it.

1. Hanley Ramirez- We all knew the Miami Marlins were purchasing a championship squad this past offseason. They literally walked into the Winter Meetings with a blank check and signed players such as Heath Bell, Jose Reyes, and Mark Buehrle to lucrative deals.

The team hasn’t lived up to the expectations and have started trading away key parts of their team. Once again, the Marlins are having a  fire sale, just under a new city name and logo. One of those players they traded away was Hanley Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers (our very own Bryan Lipiner breaks down the trade here).

The 28-year-old hasn’t been himself the past few seasons. Ramirez blames injuries, while I blame his attitude. He reportedly wasn’t happy with playing third base with the recent signing of Reyes. Ramirez also has had scuffles with each of his managers before Ozzie Guillen.

I think this trade will help Hanley Ramirez play like he was circa 2011. Sometimes, a new place and new fan base could help a player like it did for Manny Ramirez and the Dodgers a few years ago. He wasn’t happy in Miami for the past few years, and making him happy might make you, the owner, much happier the rest of the season.

2. Ichiro Suzuki- Now a show of hands, who saw this trade happening? Just like I thought; nobody.

Coming into the majors at 28, Ichiro has always been known to be a great defensive outfielder, hit for average, and steal tons of bases. Last year was his first to not average over .300 in a season, but still managed to steal 40 bases.

Now entering the twilight stages of his career, Suzuki is currently only hitting .261 with 16 stolen bases. Knowing the Seattle Mariners are rebuilding, he recommended a trade to help the team for the future. And who comes knocking? The New York Yankees.

This is a perfect fit and comes with massive upside. Since Brett Gardner is out for the season, Suzuki will play left field in his absence alongside Curtis Granderson and Nick Swisher. He’s also an older version of Gardner, so the Yankees are not losing much on the base paths as well. Don’t forget about him being a left-handed hitter and that right field porch at Yankee Stadium.

While Ichiro’s 38-years-old and showing signs of slowing down, the Yankees are the team that have the best chance to rejuvenate his youth, knowing the team’s history. I’m not sure if he’ll be signed after this season, but since he’s also entering his contract year, expect some good numbers.

3. Zack Greinke: We’re only three years removed from when the 28-year-old won a Cy Young Award with the Kansas City Royals. Now, Greinke is going to be traded once again, mainly because of contract negotiations falling through.

Greinke’s an interesting situation. The current Brewer is a dominant pitcher at home (minus his last two starts), but has struggles on the road. He’s also an erratic pitcher, showing signs of pure dominance while also displaying poor location. He has never shown signs of consistency.

Knowing that he’s going to be traded before the deadline, his attitude might change for the better. Who knows, maybe his last start in Milwaukee will be his best to tryout for other teams. I’m expecting Greinke to pitch a little bit more consistent the rest of the way, but he’ll have his usual hiccups.

4. Ryan Dempster- Dempster demanded a trade earlier this season to pitch for a contender, knowing the Chicago Cubs are currently in the National League basement. He also knows his window is closing, being 35-years-old. The Atlanta Braves and Cubs agreed to a principle deal that would send him to Atlanta.

Thanks to the 10-5 veto rights he earned (pretty much a no-trade clause he’s earned by sticking with the team’s organization), the Braves “moved on” from attempting to acquire Dempster. He’s been telling the Chicago Cubs that it’s Dodgers or bust to this point. Los Angeles is currently working on a deal as we speak.

To be honest though, although Dempster has been dominant so far this season, he’s bound to hit a rough patch. But if he does go to the Dodgers, his production can be stable as it is since the National League West has some of the worst offensive teams in baseball that I’ve ever seen.

Overall, I expect Dempster to be a little worse than he his showing at this point. Trade him now and get your value before it’s too late.

5. Josh Johnson- Going back to the fire sale that is the Miami Marlins, we reach the ace of their pitching staff. ESPN’s Jayson Stark has reported that there’s a 95 percent chance he stays, but if he were to be traded, the Marlins want a “Teixeira-type” deal for him (three or more star prospects).

Knowing how that turned out for the Texas Rangers, acquiring Neftali Feliz, Elvis Andrus, Matt Harrison and Jarrod Saltalamacchia, most teams wouldn’t budge immediately. Those prospects are what the Atlanta Braves gave up in this trade for Mark Teixeira, only to see him walk and enter free agency. Most teams don’t want a rental giving up four potential solid players.

I expect Johnson to continue his mediocre play throughout the season. The Marlins aren’t going anywhere sadly, so that’s clouding over him. If he does get moved (which I doubt) to a contender, he’ll come back to form. As of now, don’t expect an increase in pitching dominance.

If you have any questions or players you want me to evaluate like I did here, ask me through email, message me on Facebook, or tweet at me via Twitter.

Jeff Curry/Getty Images

“And they’re off!”

The winter meetings have officially begun in Dallas.  This has the potential to be the most exciting time of the offseason as teams will jockey for position in the race for Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder.  But it’s another name that is making headlines very early in the meetings.

Upon arrival, teams are learning that top-tier shortstop Jose Reyes is off the market.  Reyes agreed to a six-year deal worth $106 million. The deal is also said to have an option for a seventh year with a $4 million buyout, thus making the deal worth at least $110 million. So who was the team that outbid the Marlins $90 million offer? Why, it was the Marlins.

Upon hearing that Reyes would give the Mets a chance to counter Miami’s offer and the whispers that Milwaukee was planning to enter the race, the Marlins substantially bumped their initial offer to seal the deal as quickly as possible.  This agreement came on the same day that the Heath Bell signing became official, making it very clear that the Marlins are serious about being contenders. With Hanley Ramirez agreeing to move to third base, this gives the Marlins a very good left side. No one can deny that Reyes is a great pick up, but was this a wise business decision?

The positives are obvious but my favorite thing to do is look a the negative aspects of a deal. Lets state the facts.

Jose Reyes is a nine-year veteran of the league, having come up two months into the 2003 season and he has yet to realize his true potential due to a career riddled with injury. His rookie season was ended on Sept. 15 with a Grade-2 left ankle sprain.

In 2004, he strained his right hamstring and that sidelined him for three months. Later, in 2009, Reyes left the game on May 21 with a right calf strain. It was later determined that Reyes had a tear in his right hamstring tendon and he missed the rest of the season.

2010 saw three separate trips the the disabled list.  In his contract year last year, despite playing very well, he played only 126 games.  That is far too few for a player in the prime of his career.  What is most troubling about Reyes is that the majority of his time spent on the DL has been because of his legs. That is a glaring issue for any player, but even worse for one whose game relies on speed.

After analyzing all the injury data on Jose Reyes, it’s hard to believe the Marlins gave any of this a thought before paying out such a large amount of their money.  Was it necessary to pay him so much or could they have landed him with the previous offer of $90 million? When you have the winning bid on eBay, you don’t go ahead and up it anyway.  I don’t believe there was any real competition in the Jose Reyes sweepstakes (a fact that should be a red flag).

The Wilpon’s are running a small market team in a large market and it’s time that people recognize that.  There was no way they were going to compete with a $90 million offer.  Milwaukee may have been interested, but an offer was not yet made.  The Marlins simply outbid themselves to win Jose Reyes. In doing so, they effectively swelled the contract and now it will be way more difficult to unload in a trade should they ever need to do so.

The Marlins have made it there goal to become the official team of Hispanic America. Reyes is an attractive option with this goal in mind but I can’t help but think that this goal clouded the teams judgement on the deal and maybe they were a bit trigger happy.  As always, time will tell. All in all, good acquisition at a bad price.

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What was he thinking?  Does he understand the pressure he’s putting on this team now?  The Brewers are 2-8 in their past ten games and are starting to lose their big division lead piece by piece to the Cardinals.  I mean I had no problem with Nyjer Morgan talking, but Prince?  C’MON MAN!

Who didn’t see this coming though?  During the time Ryan Braun signed a huge extension with the Brewers, Prince Fielder said, “I hope they have some money for me.”  Now I understand baseball is your job, but you don’t say stuff like that to the media.

Is Fielder worth the money he’s asking for?  I’ll give you both reasons why he is and why he isn’t.

Prince is worth the money because of his bat.  In 986 career games (six seasonss), Fielder has 224 career home runs with 645 RBI’s and 555 walks. He’s a big guy with a lot of strength.  Along with the bat, his intangibles are rare for a superstar like him.  He’s the light of the Brewers clubhouse and could probably carry that on to any other team that pays him.

He’s not worth the money because of his immaturity.  Fielder has one of the biggest mouths in the league.  If you sign him to be a first baseman, you won’t get defense.  If he doesn’t get what he wants, he’ll whine and complain about it.

Now where does he land?  There are many teams that make sense.  Some good examples are the Chicago Cubs or even the St. Louis Cardinals if they can’t re-sign Albert Pujols.  People have thrown around the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox based on salary, but who needs Fielder when you have Tex and A-Gon?

In the end, I believe Prince Fielder will be wearing a Chicago Cub uniform for the 2012 season. Makes sense because it’s the end of the world since this big baby is getting what he wants.

Now if one can remember, recent Cubs signings have gone sour. Some examples include Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Zambrano, and in a sense Aramis Ramirez due to his injury concerns. This won’t help the Cubs make a push for the playoffs in another three years unless they make a move for a quality pitcher or develop their own. A new GM would be nice though.

There’s a reason why we call this team the lovable losers. We love how they’re always looking to pay the big players money, but it always ends up the same; they can’t win. Let’s pray it doesn’t take another 100 years to win another title, especially with a Prince.

The deal comes as a shock to most of the MLB community, as it had been widely believed that Rodriguez would not be dealt due to his potential $17.5 million option that could kick in this season, dependent on how many appearances he makes.

In 42 appearances this season, Rodriguez has 23 saves. He had just 25 all of last season, one that he spent in legal trouble following an altercation with a family member.

Prior to the 2009 season, “K-Rod” signed a three-year, $37 million contract with the Mets. This deal came off of setting the single-season saves record in 2008, with 62.

Rodriguez joins a Brewers squad in the midst of a tight playoff hunt in the NL Central, as they find themselves tied for the lead with the St. Louis Cardinals.

The trade has not been confirmed at this time, and could be dependent on Rodriguez agreeing to the deal. We will have more on our Twitter account.

*UPDATE*

12:16 AM EST

The New York Mets have confirmed the deal. K-Rod is a Brewer.

-Day one kicked off with former Rays 1B Carlos Peña signing a one-year/$10 million deal with the Chicago Cubs. Despite hitting just .196 last season, Peña still managed to slug 28 home runs and drove in 84 runs. He is also an above-average fielder, and should fit nicely in the Cubs lineup.

-After a reported fallout in talks, 1B/DH Paul Konerko re-upped with the Chicago White Sox for three-years at $37.5 million. He and Adam Dunn will undoubtedly provide a force to be reckoned with at U.S. Cellular.

-The Yankees have formally put in their offer to LHP Cliff Lee, according to SI’s Jon Heyman. He wonders if the Rangers will match, or if the other two mystery teams (one of which rumored to be the Baltimore Orioles) will land him with their respective seven-year offers. Many believe that Lee is holding up the negotiations between several other stars, including OF Carl Crawford and RHP Carl Pavano (who may head to Milwaukee).

-Speaking of Crawford, Heyman also believes the 29-year old is heading west to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He does cite the Yankees have met with Crawford, but the interest in Carl from the Angels is far more significant.

-One report states the Angels are “very serious” about 3B Adrian Beltre. A combination of signing Beltre and Crawford would undoubtedly assist their previously-ailing lineup.

-The Royals reached an agreement on a deal with former Ranger Jeff Francoeur. He will make $2.5 million guaranteed plus incentives.

-San Diego has reportedly acquired SS Jason Bartlett from the Tampa Bay Rays in return for Cesar Ramos and Adam Russell. After a strong 2009 campaign from Bartlett, his numbers dropped significantly in 2010 to just four home runs.

-The Braves reached an agreement with reliever George Sherrill. The 34-year old was non-tendered a short time ago by the Dodgers.

-Keep your eyes open for J.J. Hardy to find his way to Baltimore. The Orioles are ready to acquire the shortstop, possibly by tomorrow.

-Cincinnati re-signed infielder Miguel Cairo to a two-year deal.

-There is a significant interest in Royals star pitcher Zach Grienke. Talks that would send him to Florida, however, are “lukewarm.”

-Two DH-related stories to report as well. The Mariners inked Jack Cust on a one-year deal, while his former team, the Athletics, are confident they can land former Angel Hideki Matsui.

That’s all we have for today, stay with the SFC twitter for more updates!

-Cameron hit .250 last season for the Milwaukee Brewers, alongside belting 24 home runs and 70 runs batted in.

-He is known as a relatively solid outfielder, but has been very injury prone. He has a history of concussions, and should be watched carefully.

-The Brewers had principally agreed to send Cameron to the Yankees last off-season for Melky Cabrera, but that deal fell through due to health issues and various other problems.

-If this occurs, it will come on the same day the Sox inked John Lackey to a long-term deal. He will likely find playing time in left and center field, and would alleviate the need to re-sign Jason Bay or go big for Matt Holliday.

- Wolf reportedly has agreed to a 3-year, $30 million dollar deal that will keep him a Brewer through 2012. Because Los Angeles did not offer Wolf arbitration, Milwaukee does not need to give Los Angeles their top pick in the draft (Wolf was a Type A free agent).

- Wolf had an ERA of 3.23 in 2009, his first season since 2002 in which his ERA was less than 4.23. He was 11-7 in ’09, and was a productive starter for the division-winning Dodgers.

- The southpaw is 33 heading into his twelfth MLB season with his sixth different team.