Week 20's installment of the DDWPIPOTCFFBE (Diamond Dynasty Weekly Preview In Pursuit Of The Chalice For Fantasy Baseball Excellence)

Week 19 – The trade deadline comes and goes in an otherwise stagnant week

The Match-Up: Adrian (3^rd) vs Jarrett (9^th) *5*

With his loss last week, Adrian continued his streaky play this year. After not losing for the first 12 weeks of the year, he's dropped three, won two, and most recently lost the last two. Despite the loss, he still picked up two games on first place, and he's still within striking distance of the bye spots. He closes the season with Ben (7^th) and James (10^th), so he's got a great shot at stealing second place. Adrian also made a move at the deadline, picking up Alexi Ramirez and Jordan Zimmerman for B.J. Upton and Wandy Rodriguez. Kurt tried to trade Zimmerman to me before I found out that the Nationals put an innings limit on him, so they either took off those restrictions (doubtful) or Adrian may have gotten duped. Jarrett edged out James last week in the snoozer-bowl 5-4 for his first win since week 15. With Drew (1^st) and Kurt (5^th) on the schedule to close the year and a 4 game lead over James for last place, Jarrett may be in the driver's seat for the 2012 Diamond Dynasty draft, which could be a good or a bad thing, right? These two teams played to a 5-5 tie in week 2, and Adrian took care of business in week 11, winning 7-3 (season: Adrian 12-8).

The Match-Up: Ben (7^th) vs James (10^th) *4*

The match up with the least playoff implications features two teams going in opposite directions. Ben notched an important win last week against Richie (8^th), one of his direct competitors for that elusive 6^th seed. He's 2-1-1 over the last month but his next two tests - Adrian (3^rd) and Drew (1^st) - might keep him out of the party. James carries a 0-4-2 record into this match up, dropping last week to Jarrett, 4-5. James has managed only 3 winning weeks over the entire season, and his season weekly win/loss is an ugly 3-12-4. Surprisingly, neither of these teams made moves at the deadlines. James could have set himself up for next year by acquiring draft picks or a possible keeper, and Ben could have been either a seller or a buyer, but both teams chose to stand pat and ride out the end of the year. Of James' 3 wins on the year, 2 of them have come from this match up! James beat Ben 6-3 in both weeks 2 and 11 (season: James 12-6).

The Match-Up: Kurt (5^th) vs Colin (4^th) *3*

Kurt was the most active during the trading deadline, acquiring two stud starters (Dan Haren and Zack Greinke) for...some closers...He also picked up Wandy Rodriguez, really bolstering his pitching staff for the stretch run. He also broke out of a brief 3 week winless streak, beating Alex 5-4 last week. He's got an 8.5 game lead on Ben (7^th), so it seems as though one or two more solid weeks will guarantee a spot at the final table. Colin didn't make any moves at the deadline, but he didn't necessarily have to given his recent play. After failing to beat either Ben (then-8^th), James (10^th), or Jarrett (9^th) in successive weeks, he beats Adrian (then-2^nd) and Drew (1^st) by a combined score of 16-4. He's shot up the standings, cutting his first place deficit from 21 games to just 12.5. He's 10.5 games out of a bye spot, and if he keeps playing like this it's possible he might legitimately be in the mix. Kurt beat Colin 4-5 in week 2, but Colin came back to smoke Kurt 9-1 in week 11 (season: Colin 13-6).

The Match-Up: Richie (8^th) vs Alex (6^th) *2*

These two squads were on opposite ends of the biggest trade of the year. Alex and Richie were able to strike a deal a few hours before the deadline, and both teams stand to gain a lot. Alex added two of the best-performing closers this year, adding John Axford (29 consecutive saves) and J.J. Putz (29 saves on the year). He also added Jimmy Rollins and Hiroki Kuroda, who are above-average options at their respective positions. While the move may have given him enough firepower to finish in the money this year, he had to deal away King Felix, thus ending a marriage that lasted for quite some time. Everyone has their no-doubt keepers – TJ has Pujols, Colin has Cabrera, Richie had John Smoltz. I think everyone thought of Alex when Felix was throwing up his gaudy numbers, and a divorce such as this is a somber moment...unless you're the one adding one of the best young arms in the game, then you're happy to hear the news! If that wasn't enough, this match-up has the heaviest playoff implications of the week. After last week's loss to Kurt (5^th), Alex has dropped 3 in a row, and holds a 3 game lead over Ben for the final playoff spot. He's got a tough road ahead of him, battling Colin (4^th) and TJ (2^nd) to close out the year. A win this week would go a long way toward fending off Ben (7^th) and Richie, who are still within striking distance. After the trade, Richie definitely lost some weapons that have kept him in the race this season. He's winless in his last 2 weeks, and 5.5 games out of the playoffs. This week is a must-win for him, or else he'll join Jarrett and James in the consolation bracket. This is the rubber match for the season – Alex beat Richie 6-4 in week 2, and Richie beat Alex 5-4 in week 11 (season: Alex 10-9).

The Match-Up: Drew (1^st) vs TJ (2^nd) *1*

Yet another 1-v-2 match up for the DD to keep an eye on. Drew finally lost, snapping an 8 week winning streak. The 2-8 beat down at the hands of Colin cost Drew big-time, as his 6 game lead over TJ was cut to just 2. There's no question Drew was dealing from a position of strength when he dealt Haren and Greinke to Kurt, but I have yet to talk to anyone who thinks Drew made a good deal. The other thing that surprised me about the deal was the sheer magnitude of it. For a guy who had won 8 weeks in a row at the point of the trade and had a solid hold on first place, it would have been difficult for me to pull the trigger on any trade almost regardless of what I was getting in return. It was obvious that he had good balance on his team and, whether they're connected or not, he did end up losing in the week of the trade. He closes the year with Jarrett (9^th) and Ben (7^th), a favorable end to the year. TJ is on a great run, winner of 4 straight weeks. He's picked up 5.5 games over the past month, and can now take control of first place with a solid week against Drew. He closes the year with Kurt (5^th) and Alex (6^th), so a win this week would all but solidify a bye week position for him. TJ beat Drew 6-4 in week 2, and Drew beat TJ 5-4 in week 11 (season: TJ 10-9).