Major League Baseball

Free Agent Frenzy: Wil-MERRRRRRR!

Published May. 1, 2015 12:39 p.m. ET

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John Halpin

It's good that you're here, because while your friends watch the NFL draft and the Kentucky Derby and the NBA playoffs and the fight this weekend, you can get an edge by immersing yourself in researching potential fantasy baseball free-agent acquisitions.

Here's this season's third edition of Free Agent Frenzy. Please note that, as in past seasons, no player will be mentioned in this space more than once in a four-week span, because we don't want to beat you over the head all year long about the same players. Also, we'll limit our discussions to player owned in fewer than 50 percent of FOXSports.com leagues. Let's get going!

Catcher: Roberto Perez, Indians (owned in 2.9 percent of FOXSports.com leagues)

Perez has done a fine job filling in for Yan Gomes, but there's nothing in his track record that suggests he'll continue to hit a home run every five games. That's OK, as long as he keeps his walk rate up for OBP leaguers. With Perez playing just about every day, he's a top-24 catcher and therefore worthy of mixed-league consideration.

Digging deeper: Alex Avila is walking quite a bit, but has a .171 BA with a .268 slugging percentage and strikes out an awful lot. James McCann (0.4 percent owned) isn't exactly Buster Posey with the stick, but he's probably good enough to make the Tigers think about getting him more playing time. Grab him in an AL-only if your second catcher isn't doing anything, or if you're waiting for Dioner Navarro to come back.

First base: Adam Lind, Brewers (owned in 20.9 percent of FOXSports.com leagues)

Lind has had trouble staying healthy during his career, but he has posted OPS totals of .854 and .860 over the last two seasons, mainly by crushing righthanded pitching. Lind is batting cleanup for the Brew Crew, and appears on track for 20-25 home runs with a pretty good BA – if he can stay in the lineup, of course. Get him while you can.

Digging deeper: Garrett Jones (0.4 percent owned) isn't playing much, as his dreams of being a platoon DH for the Yankees have taken a back seat to Alex Rodriguez's resurgence. Just remember, AL-only owners: The Yankees are depending on old guys Carlos Beltran, Mark Teixeira and A-Rod for plenty of at bats, and all of them have decent chances to get hurt at least once. If you can carry Jones on your roster for awhile, he could emerge to hit 15 home runs in a part-time role. I'll take the under on May 20 for a DL-created opening.

Second base: Alex Guerrero, Dodgers (owned in 32.7 percent of FOXSports.com leagues)

Guerrero has been tearing it up as a spot starter, hitting so well that fantasy owners have been saying/tweeting "WHY WON'T THE %$#@! DODGERS LET HIM PLAY?" Now that Carl Crawford is on the DL, Guerrero is in line for regular at bats. He won't keep up his current, scalding pace, but is a suitable fantasy keystone pickup in all formats.

Digging deeper: Ryan Goins (0.1 percent owned) figures to get regular playing time while Jose Reyes recovers from his wrist injury. Hitters who get playing time are tough to find on AL- and NL-only free-agent wires, so owners can't be too picky. Goins can't hit, but he might score a few runs.

Third base: Yasmany Tomas, Diamondbacks (owned in 33.1 percent of FOXSports.com leagues)

Tomas had two hits each on Tuesday and Wednesday, and knocked in three runs during the latter game. He's playing because Jake Lamb is on the DL, and might not keep the job when Lamb gets back because he's a butcher and Lamb is a good fielder. But what do we care about defense? Let's enjoy Tomas' bat for now, and hope he hits well enough to stick around.

Digging deeper: The pickings are slim here, folks. Can you still get Kelly Johnson (1.5 percent owned) in your NL-only league? If so, he's eligible at 1B/3B/OF, and has been playing every day lately. He's a nice Swiss Army knife for owners who can still grab him.

Shortstop: Wilmer Flores, Mets (owned in 6.5 percent of FOXSports.com leagues)

Flores hit 19 homers between Triple A and the majors last season, but the 13 Triple A homers were in the Pacific Coast League, where home run inflation is approximately 578 percent. Still, Flores is an everyday middle infielder with decent pop, and they're not easy to find. Only five MLB shortstops reached the 15-homer mark last season, and Flores should be able to get there in 2015. 

(Warning: Flores has committed six errors in 21 games. If things don't improve, he could lose his job.)

Digging deeper: You might remember Astros SS Jonathan Villar (0.1 percent owned) as a guy I told you would hit 10 homers and steal 30 bases in 2014. Um ... sorry about that. Villar did homer seven times and steal 17 bases in 89 games, but also spent a lot of time in the minors because he's a terrible fielder. Now, he's part of a timeshare with Marwin Gonzalez while Jed Lowrie recovers from thumb surgery. He might go back to the minors if/when prospect Carlos Correa comes up. Until then, grab Villar in AL-only leagues if you need a few steals.

Outfield: Josh Reddick, A's (owned in 12.8 percent of FOXSports.com leagues)

Reddick has struck out just four times in 63 plate appearances, apparently due to a change in approach. He's currently batting .368 with a couple of homers and a couple of steals, and smashing line drives all over the field (30.2 LD%). Since Reddick is free, it's worth betting on his hot start if you're having outfield issues.

Digging deeper: Rangers OF Jake Smolinski (0.1 percent owned) is batting .122, but his BABIP (.138) appears to be a likely culprit, as he's hitting plenty of line drives, walking a lot and not striking out at an obscene rate. Also, he's been playing left field just about every day. Grab Smolinski as your AL-only fifth outfielder, and wait for him to emerge from this slump (since he probably will) to become a modest HR/RBI/R contributor.

Starting pitcher: Jason Hammel, Cubs (owned in 30 percent of FOXSports.com leagues)

Hammel had a 3.47 ERA with a 1.12 WHIP and an above-average K rate last season, but was still drafted as the 80th pitcher off the board (per ADP). In four starts, Hammel has posted a 3.55 ERA with a 1.03 WHIP and 23 strikeouts against ONE walk in 25 1/3 innings. You want to find a better free starter? Really?

Digging deeper: Hard-throwing Ray Alex Colome (0.4 percent owned) comes off the DL tonight to start against the Orioles, which is a road game on the schedule but a home game in reality, as the game is being relocated from Baltimore. At 26, Colome is old for a prospect, but his upside is worth a shot in AL-only leagues.

Relief pitcher: John Axford, Rockies (owned in 19.1 percent of FOXSports.com leagues)

Adam Ottavino's triceps injury is beginning to sound ominous, and we don't know how long his DL stay will last. Axford's history is littered with seasons of poor control, but as long as his manager wants to give him the ball in the ninth inning, he can be a member of your fantasy squad. He's kept a closer job for entire seasons in the past, you know.

Digging deeper: Chris Hatcher (1 percent owned) has whiffed 15 batters in 8 1/3 innings, and is apparently teed up for Dodger save opportunities while Kenley Jansen (foot) remains on the DL for the next couple of weeks. In deep mixed leagues, Hatcher's strikeouts can help you even after Jansen returns.

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