Mailbag: Time to build for future?

Fantasy Mailbag:

The season has become a complete train wreck. I'm mired in last place of a 20-team league. Realistically, I'm already looking at next year. Any thoughts on this trade offer? I would get Adam Dunn, Ken Griffey Jr., Luke Hochever and Rafael Soriano. I'd give up Jimmy Rollins and Michael Cuddyer. It's a 5x5 keeper league. Retain as many players as you want.

- Andrew


Ouch.

Last place in a 20-team league is actually hard to pull off. But don't make a bad situation worse.

It's true, Adam Dunn's been on a roll lately and Soriano is the closer of the future for the Braves, but you are clearly giving up the best player in the deal (Rollins) and Cuddyer is nothing to sneeze at, especially in a 20-team league. And Dunn's average negates most of the brute strength he brings.

Griffey looks like he's sleep-walking. I know he got his 5th HR last night, but he looks like a guy who's putting a couple stamps on it right now and you'll probably see him lose some PT once Jay Bruce gets the call. Reds are waiting to cash in on No. 600 and I wouldn't be surprised to see him shipped to Seattle, which is no hitter's paradise like Great American.

Hochever is a nice young arm, but not a guy you can build a team around.

In a keeper league, especially, you almost always have to live by this golden rule in any trade: Gotta give up a stud to get a stud.

It's still a long season and your team could bounce back. Don't implode your team quite yet. If you're still in the basement on Aug. 1, that's a different story, but still don't give anything away for cheap, just because you're out of it.

The rest of the league will not be happy either, if a contender adds a Rollins without giving up much in return.

Time to hit the reject button.