I've always been a little suspicious about plaw's projections simply because there is no way to predict how many relief points someone will score. even when they said I'd finish in first and now that I and some others are way far from getting 162 games at all positions, the projections mean even less.

having so many games less at C was what made me really interested in Hernandez. McCann is just great but he doesn't play everyday and Hernandez still might bat DH when he is not the catcher. I also loved having Dye at my RF - especially since I picked him on the waiver pool - but I believe I can do a decent fit with the 3 RF's I have left. but the biggest reason why I made the deal was Josh Johnson. I thought I was heavy-deep in SP when I traded Smoltz but I quickly changed my mind. Bonderman and Schilling (probably) and Arroyo (definitely) have already had the best of their game for the year. Cain and Young are a joke and the only guy I expect to have a better second half is Jake Peavy.

JL made the first offer which I refused but I kept thinking and I couldn't let go the fact that Johnson is the NL ERA leader and plays in a pitcher's park half of his games. he's also too young to track and he plays for a shitty team, I know.

anyway, I believe I improved my team with this trade. I don't know if I improved JL's even more. really, I don't know how to play this way. in such a small league like ours, everything you do affects everybody else - picking a certain player on the waiver pool just to avoid someone else, for instance - and I didn't even put too much thought into that.