By Jim Higgins
I don’t like to tinker with my roster a whole lot before the season begins but every once in a while you just have to. At the conclusion of my league’s auction I was feeling really good about my team but the last flier I picked up I realized was just going to eat up space again this year. So I decided to drop that player to pick up Brett Cecil (who I just talked about) and felt like having an extra SP would help me out.
Looking through moves other owners had made, I then realized Cecil was about to hit the free agent pool again.
One of the keys to sustained success in a keeper league is knowing when to dump a player. And fortunately for me, one of the other owners in my league dumped Joe Nathan in my lap. Granted, Nathan is a terrible play for 2010 but looking at Nathan’s value past 2010, he still has the potential to be one of the top closers in the game once he returns.
Sure, I kill a roster spot (a DL slot once the season begins) for all of 2010, but knowing that my team probably is more suited to compete in 2011 rather than in 2010, I think the potential benefits outweigh the current downside. Now, maybe looking at his team, Nathan’s previous owner decided he was contending this year and therefore couldn’t afford the dead roster spot but I personally would disagree with that assessment.
So my advice to current Nathan owners is to hold onto him if you can. If you have no bench or only 1-2 spots then that move has to be made but if it is at all possible, you should seriously consider keeping Nathan. And if he is out on the waiver wire right now? Make room for him – you will be glad you did once he goes back to saving 30+ games in 2011.
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