Obsessing over fantasy baseball can be just a tad too easy for comfort. Between a vast player universe, the minor leagues, trade rumors, and an always changing group of closers, there’s always enough news to make your head spin. For those of us who compete hard at it, taking a midseason breather is always important.

A vacation, which will explain why ImaginaryDiamond.com’s production slowed down in the past few days, will put a couple of things into perspective. Read more »

In this week’s list of top free agents are two Baltimore Orioles and two Colorado Rockies. Melvin Mora has picked up where he left off being hit in the knee and Adam Jones looks like he has finally figured out Major League pitching. German born second baseman Jeff Baker and third baseman Ian Stewart are also producing for the defending National League champion Rockies.

Khalil Greene could not have been much worse for the hapless Padres and looks poised for a strong finish, while Akinori Iwamura continues to flash the alligator skin and a quick bat for the Rays. Read more »

Billy Butler  hit his sixth home run of the year and added four RBIs in Sunday’s win over the Tigers and is now hitting .385 with 2 home runs and 5 RBIs during a meager 4 game hit streak. Butler is highly regarded around Major League Baseball and fantasy circles as a potential star, but still has more strikeouts than RBIs and only 25 walks in 268 at-bats.

Butler has the swing, mannerisms and power of former Royal Mike Sweeney, but inconsistency has prevented the 22-year-old from becoming an elite first baseman or fantasy option. As it is, Butler still represents one of the better free agent power hitters, in spite of the peaks and valleys in his production. Read more »

The MLB trading deadline is a little less than 24 hours away, so a flurry of deals could happen between now and then. So far, landscape-changing deals for the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs have turned the National League Central race upside down.

The Brewers turned right back around and swung another deal for second baseman Ray Durham, which won’t make a lot of headlines but does improve the club’s depth. Most recently, the Braves dealt slugging first baseman Mark Teixeira to the Los Angeles Angels for first baseman Casey Kotchman and minor league pitcher Steve Marek. Read more »