I have just been offered this trade, and I can't decide what to do.
I'm in a 12-person Head-to-Head league with 10 hitting categories (BA, HR, 3B, 2B, 1B, R, BB, RBI, SB, OPS) and 10 pitching categories (W, S, H, INN, Kd9, WHIP, ERA, FIP, QS, BAA). We start 9 hitters (the 8 positions + Util) and 8 P (5 SP, 3 RP). My starting lineup looks like this:
Varitek C
Pujols 1B
Phillips 2B
B. Hall SS (A. Gonzalez as a sub during injury)
D. Wright 3B
A. Rios OF
J. Hamilton OF (Freel as a sub during injury)
C. Crawford OF
R. Howard U
I. Snell P
J. Vazquez P
M. Mussina P
B. Bonser P
C. Billingsley P
R. Betancourt RP
D. Turnbow RP
K. Gregg RP
Obviously, with this deal I would be trading from a position of strength (hitting) in order to get Hamels, the strikeout ace that my lineup sorely lacks. Still, it pains me to give up both Howard and Rios because I'm not sure that Beltran will provide me with enough offense in return.
I'm not worried about my keepers either way, because Pujols + Wright + Beltran (or Crawford) would still look mighty good next year.
What do you all think?