Hot Stove Update: Heilman, Thompson, Grabow and Stuff!

(This bad-ass photo of Cy Young Winner Tim Lincecum was taken by Brad Mangini of SI.com)

You should see the Yankees Fantasy Report later this afternoon. The Hot Stove season has wasted little time getting going. We have already seen a handful of trades and signings. The Rule V draft is coming and there always seems to be someone drafted that has a major league impact. Last year it was Everett Cabrera who I attempted to grab in my primary NL-only but failed to acquire. The lesson I learned is not to wait until dollar days for the guys you really want. Even if you expect to get them for $2, there is always some owner who hasn't spent his money hanging around to steal your guy! Okay, maybe it was his guy too, but you take my meaning.

The Arizona Diamondbacks strengthened their bullpen by acquiring right-hander Aaron Heilman from the Cubs for a pair of minor leaguers. (LINK)

I like this move for the Diamondbacks. Heilman is not an ideal closer but he has stuff that I think he can rediscover if he's over his pouting about being a starter. Oddly, Heilman was dealt to save the Cubs a few bucks which they used to sign a lesser pitcher. But more on that later. The D'Backs are thin enough in the bullpen that Heilman becomes a potential saves candidate should anything happen to Chad Qualls. The minor leaguers don't appear to be worthy of fantasy consideration at this point.

The Royals agreed to a Minor League contract with former Cardinals right-hander Brad Thompson. (LINK)

This is a good move by the Royals. If Dayton Moore understands anything about team building it is that good relievers can be had. Thompson is unestablished by showed some tools in the past. It was worth the minor league contract to find out if he can harness them. We will have to wait to see how things develop for the Royals before deciding on his chances of having some fantasy impact.

The Cubs and left-hander reliever John Grabow have agreed on a two-year deal worth $7.5 million. (LINK)

Dave Cameron of Fangraphs.com went off on this earlier but Grabow is a lefty specialist who is overrated due to his ERA. We fantasy owners like it when our relievers experience good fortune but we smart fantasy owners don't bet on it happening again.

Free-Agent outfielder Jason Bay rejected an offer believed to include four years and around $60 million. This comes from SI.com's Jon Heyman. (LINK)

I have no inside information on how far the Red Sox are willing to go to sign Jason Bay. However, if this report is true and Bay really wanted to return to Boston he probably should have taken the deal. Bay will probably find someone willing to give him more years but I doubt he'll do much better on an annual basis. I do think Bay will continue to be a pretty good fantasy player for a few more years but we've already seen his steal totals erode along with his defense. It is all downhill from here.

Tom Hicks may manage to hold on to the Texas Rangers. Hicks is putting together a group of local investors, including Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach, for a bid that would enable him to keep majority ownership of the team. (LINK)

I hope Hicks pulls it off. The Rangers have been doing incredibly good work lately. I would hate to see it screwed up by some idiot looking to make an impact.

Tim Lincecum won the 2009 NL Cy Young Award, and became the first repeat winner since Randy Johnson won four straight times from 1999-2002. (LINK)

I love Timmy. There is no pitcher I would rather have on a fantasy team right now.

Zack Greinke won the 2009 AL Cy Young beating Felix Hernandez by a wide margin. (LINK)

I love Zack. There is no pitcher I would rather have on an AL-only fantasy roster right now. If you listen to Greinke's comments you can see that he still suffers quite a bit of social anxiety. I hope he's continuing to get help.

Which Rookie (or close enough) Can Make or Break Your Fantasy Team?

Although everyone preaches not to rely on rookies to propel your fantasy team, there is no denying that rookies can have a huge impact. In the last few seasons we've seen Ryan Braun, Evan Longoria, and Tim Lincecum come from the minor leagues and show first round talent. Which rookie are you counting on this season?

Top Starters Ranked By FIP

Name	K/9	BB/9	HR/9	BABIP	FIP
Tim Lincecum	10.53	3.23	0.44	0.312	2.59
Cliff Lee	6.85	1.37	0.48	0.305	2.83
Joba Chamberlain	10.19	3.44	0.55	0.337	2.9
CC Sabathia	8.93	2.1	0.68	0.306	2.91
Rich Harden	11.01	3.71	0.67	0.265	2.95
Dan Haren	8.58	1.67	0.79	0.315	3.01
Roy Halladay	7.53	1.44	0.66	0.294	3.05
Josh Beckett	8.88	1.76	0.93	0.327	3.24
Derek Lowe	6.27	1.92	0.6	0.287	3.26
Brandon Webb	7.27	2.58	0.52	0.297	3.28
Ervin Santana	8.79	1.93	0.95	0.302	3.3
Mike Mussina	6.74	1.39	0.76	0.322	3.32
Josh Johnson	7.94	2.78	0.72	0.332	3.37
Ben Sheets	7.17	2.13	0.77	0.29	3.38
Chad Billingsley	9.03	3.62	0.64	0.322	3.38
Ryan Dempster	8.14	3.31	0.61	0.288	3.41
John Danks	7.34	2.63	0.69	0.299	3.44
A.J. Burnett	9.35	3.47	0.78	0.325	3.45
Johan Santana	7.91	2.42	0.88	0.287	3.51
Edinson Volquez	9.45	4.26	0.6	0.308	3.54
Zack Greinke	8.14	2.49	0.93	0.318	3.56
Hiroki Kuroda	5.69	2.06	0.64	0.295	3.59
Jair Jurrjens	6.64	3.35	0.53	0.311	3.59
Jake Peavy	8.6	3.06	0.88	0.285	3.6
Gil Meche	7.83	3.12	0.81	0.311	3.61
Wandy Rodriguez	8.58	2.88	0.92	0.323	3.62
Jon Lester	6.5	2.82	0.6	0.299	3.64
Justin Duchscherer	6.04	2.16	0.7	0.24	3.69
Andy Pettitte	6.97	2.43	0.84	0.339	3.71
Cole Hamels	7.76	2.1	1.11	0.27	3.72
Javier Vazquez	8.64	2.64	1.08	0.328	3.74
Chien-Ming Wang	5.12	3.32	0.38	0.287	3.74
Aaron Cook	4.09	2.04	0.55	0.308	3.76
Randy Johnson	8.46	2.15	1.17	0.316	3.76
Chris Volstad	5.68	3.72	0.33	0.283	3.76
Adam Wainwright	6.2	2.32	0.82	0.281	3.78
Ricky Nolasco	8.06	1.79	1.22	0.288	3.79
Scott Baker	7.36	2.19	1.04	0.29	3.79
Roy Oswalt	7.12	2.03	0.99	0.294	3.8
Felix Hernandez	7.85	3.59	0.76	0.316	3.8
Dustin McGowan	6.87	3.07	0.73	0.316	3.81
James Shields	6.7	1.67	1	0.292	3.82
Ubaldo Jimenez	7.79	4.67	0.5	0.306	3.83
Tim Hudson	5.43	2.55	0.7	0.267	3.83
Jonathan Sanchez	8.94	4.27	0.8	0.327	3.85
Francisco Liriano	7.93	3.79	0.83	0.313	3.87
Kyle Lohse	5.36	2.21	0.81	0.303	3.89
Andrew Miller	7.15	4.47	0.54	0.353	3.9
Jered Weaver	7.74	2.75	1.02	0.306	3.9
Kevin Slowey	6.9	1.35	1.23	0.297	3.91
Matt Cain	7.69	3.76	0.79	0.304	3.91
Andy Sonnanstine	5.77	1.72	0.98	0.312	3.91
Mark Buehrle	5.76	2.14	0.91	0.314	3.94
Manny Parra	7.98	4.25	0.79	0.34	3.96
Mike Pelfrey	4.93	2.87	0.54	0.302	3.96
Jorge de la Rosa	8.78	4.13	0.89	0.33	3.98
Kevin Millwood	6.67	2.61	0.96	0.366	4.02
Chris Sampson	4.37	1.94	0.81	0.33	4.03
Daisuke Matsuzaka	8.27	5.05	0.64	0.267	4.03
Clayton Kershaw	8.44	4.3	0.93	0.323	4.06
Shawn Hill	5.54	3.27	0.71	0.373	4.06
Greg Maddux	4.55	1.39	0.97	0.29	4.09
Dana Eveland	6.32	4.13	0.54	0.313	4.09
Cha Seung Baek	6.05	2.55	0.96	0.31	4.1
Brett Tomko	6.17	2	1.17	0.342	4.11
Matt Garza	6.24	2.88	0.93	0.278	4.14
Doug Davis	6.9	3.95	0.8	0.329	4.15
Paul Maholm	6.06	2.75	0.92	0.289	4.15
Randy Wolf	7.66	3.36	0.99	0.312	4.17
Justin Verlander	7.3	3.9	0.81	0.305	4.18
Jose Contreras	5.21	2.6	0.89	0.303	4.21
Kyle Davies	5.65	3.42	0.8	0.309	4.22
Carlos Zambrano	6.2	3.43	0.86	0.277	4.23
Jorge Campillo	5.91	2.17	1.18	0.295	4.27
Jesse Litsch	4.94	2.03	0.99	0.282	4.28
Erik Bedard	8	4.11	1	0.281	4.32
Jamie Moyer	5.64	2.84	0.92	0.294	4.32
Boof Bonser	5.7	2.71	1.09	0.309	4.34
Joe Saunders	4.68	2.41	0.95	0.267	4.36
Scott Kazmir	9.81	4.14	1.36	0.275	4.37
Zach Miner	4.79	2.33	0.98	0.291	4.39
John Maine	7.84	4.31	1.03	0.28	4.4
Sean Gallagher	8.25	4.61	0.97	0.323	4.4
Nick Blackburn	4.47	1.82	1.07	0.309	4.4
Zach Duke	4.23	2.29	0.92	0.327	4.4
Chris Young	8.18	4.22	1.14	0.266	4.4
Ted Lilly	8.09	2.81	1.41	0.283	4.41
Luke Hochevar	5.02	3.28	0.84	0.31	4.43
Phil Dumatrait	6.05	4.5	0.78	0.306	4.46
Shaun Marcum	7.31	2.97	1.25	0.257	4.46
Bronson Arroyo	7.34	3.06	1.31	0.321	4.5
Todd Wellemeyer	6.29	2.91	1.17	0.273	4.51
Joe Blanton	5.05	3.01	1	0.297	4.52
Brett Myers	7.72	3.08	1.37	0.311	4.52
Braden Looper	4.88	2.04	1.13	0.297	4.52
John Lackey	7.16	2.2	1.43	0.29	4.53
Jeremy Guthrie	5.66	2.74	1.13	0.267	4.53
Brian Moehler	5	2.09	1.2	0.297	4.54
Ian Snell	7.39	4.87	0.99	0.358	4.57
Jason Marquis	4.91	3.73	0.81	0.29	4.58
Kevin Correia	5.36	3.78	0.88	0.328	4.59
Odalis Perez	6.71	3.1	1.24	0.326	4.62
Carlos Silva	4.05	1.88	1.17	0.347	4.63
Zach Jackson	4.94	2.3	1.15	0.315	4.63
David Purcey	8.03	4.02	1.25	0.316	4.67
Oliver Perez	8.35	4.87	1.11	0.28	4.68
Jarrod Washburn	5.16	2.85	1.13	0.311	4.7
Dallas Braden	4.61	2.7	1.11	0.292	4.72
Barry Zito	6	5.1	0.8	0.305	4.72
Micah Owings	7.42	3.22	1.25	0.305	4.72
Darrell Rasner	5.23	3	1.11	0.33	4.72
Joel Pineiro	4.94	2.1	1.36	0.316	4.74
Jon Garland	4.12	2.7	1.05	0.315	4.76
Gavin Floyd	6.32	3.05	1.31	0.268	4.77
Jeff Karstens	4.03	2.28	1.23	0.287	4.77
John Lannan	5.79	3.56	1.14	0.273	4.79
Jeff Francis	5.89	3.07	1.32	0.315	4.81
Armando Galarraga	6.35	2.97	1.38	0.25	4.81
Gregory Smith	5.25	4.11	0.99	0.258	4.82
Edwin Jackson	5.31	3.77	1.09	0.3	4.82
Clay Buchholz	8.52	4.8	1.32	0.366	4.83
Seth McClung	7.07	4.1	1.13	0.278	4.84
Tim Wakefield	5.82	2.98	1.24	0.247	4.84
Sidney Ponson	3.88	3.21	0.94	0.327	4.85
Anibal Sanchez	8.71	4.7	1.22	0.329	4.87
Aaron Laffey	4.13	2.98	0.96	0.296	4.88
Fausto Carmona	4.33	5.22	0.52	0.297	4.89
Johnny Cueto	8.17	3.52	1.5	0.309	4.9
Aaron Harang	7.19	2.45	1.75	0.315	4.91
Tim Redding	5.93	3.21	1.34	0.299	4.93
Mike Hampton	4.38	3.23	1.15	0.286	4.94
Livan Hernandez	3.35	2.15	1.25	0.345	4.94
Nate Robertson	5.76	3.13	1.4	0.34	4.95
David Bush	5.32	2.34	1.44	0.248	4.98
Scott Olsen	5.04	3.08	1.34	0.266	5.02
Brian Bannister	5.57	2.86	1.43	0.316	5.03
Vicente Padilla	6.68	3.42	1.37	0.309	5.03
Jo-Jo Reyes	6.04	3.92	1.31	0.325	5.04
Jeremy Sowers	4.76	2.9	1.34	0.307	5.05
Jason Bergmann	6.41	3.1	1.58	0.304	5.05
Ryan Rowland-Smith	4.75	3.37	1.25	0.276	5.09
Adam Eaton	4.85	3.72	1.12	0.319	5.09
Charlie Morton	5.82	4.71	1.11	0.31	5.1
Collin Balester	5.62	3.15	1.35	0.313	5.11
Brad Penny	4.9	3.94	1.15	0.311	5.12
Garrett Olson	5.63	4.21	1.15	0.342	5.13
Glen Perkins	4.41	2.32	1.49	0.31	5.14
Paul Byrd	4.1	1.7	1.55	0.289	5.14
Matt Harrison	4.52	3.33	1.29	0.312	5.18
Pedro Martinez	7.18	3.63	1.57	0.329	5.18
Jeremy Bonderman	5.55	4.54	1.14	0.296	5.18
Brian Burres	4.4	3.28	1.27	0.321	5.18
Josh Banks	4.48	3.18	1.3	0.292	5.19
Kenny Rogers	4.25	3.68	1.14	0.318	5.22
Kason Gabbard	5.3	6.27	0.8	0.321	5.26
Scott Feldman	4.24	3.24	1.25	0.282	5.28
Mark Hendrickson	5.44	3.48	1.43	0.317	5.29
Christopher Waters	4.59	4.04	1.25	0.29	5.41
Kyle Kendrick	3.96	3.32	1.28	0.317	5.48
Jeff Suppan	4.56	3.39	1.52	0.301	5.51
Justin Masterson	6.5	4.67	1.33	0.22	5.56
Daniel Cabrera	4.75	4.5	1.2	0.298	5.61
Shawn Chacon	5.57	4.31	1.68	0.276	5.83
R.A. Dickey	4.48	4.36	1.53	0.324	5.84
Brandon Backe	6.86	4.16	1.94	0.326	5.87
Tom Glavine	5.26	5.26	1.56	0.283	6.02
Radhames Liz	6.08	5.44	1.71	0.315	6.17
Miguel Batista	5.52	6.01	1.48	0.338	6.18
Tom Gorzelanny	5.72	5.98	1.71	0.303	6.35
Josh Fogg	5.2	3.32	2.31	0.314	6.66
Gregory Reynolds	2.95	3.84	2.07	0.312	6.94