Have you caught Adam Jones in action yet? It's worth going out of your way to watch a Mariners game. I don't mean to sound too scoutish or toolsy, but that is one of the smoothest swings I've seen in awhile ...

 

... Wilson Betemit is someone to watch for those of you playing in deeper AL-only leagues. Not so much for this season, but for the future. No, I don't think the Yankees will let A-Rod walk after this season, but Betemit is their current insurance policy. He's a young switch-hitter who has shown solid power and a good glove. All the noise coming out of the organization is that they like very much what they see. Which means that, even though he doesn't have a clear path to playing time right now, he could end up being someone who gets rotated into a solid amount of games. Those could potentially be at any of the four infield positions or DH. And given A-Rod's contract, the age of the left side of the Yankees infield, and their first base situation, those part-time at-bats could get more significant next season ...

 

... With Ryan Dempster's recent struggles, if you own him, I hope you have Carlos Marmol rostered. There's no guarantee that Marmol will be the man, but he's probably the best candidate for the role ...

 

... Why do so many fantasy writers spend so much time on good candidates to trade right now? I suppose it is useful to some readers, but in most competitive leagues I have seen or played in, the trade deadline is past ...

 

... Orioles draft-pick Matt Wieters still hasn't signed, and the Orioles have a little over a week to sign him. This is a kid who some believe would be ready to play for the big-league club next season and become an immediate offensive contributor from the backstop ...

 

... Since they didn't move him at the trade deadline, one would hope that the Cubs are going to let Matt Murton fill in for Alfonso Soriano while the star is on the shelf for two-to-four weeks ...

 

... Francisco Cordero's recent meltdown was uncharacteristic of his season, but don't be surprised if there aren't a couple more of those to come. I'm not saying he's going to lose his job, but rather that all pitchers go through rough stretches and Cordero's numbers - even after the implosion - are still much better than they have been in the past couple of seasons.