The month of April is history -- and thankfully so for some fantasy owners. So now that it's May, is it time to shake things up?  If you're thinking about making trades, adding or dropping players or digging for that diamond in the rough, USA TODAY's Steve Gardner has answers.  We're trying something a little different this week with the transcript. Instead of leaving the Cover It Live box up, we're pasting the printed transcript inside the blog post. Let us know what you think.  Now on to the chat transcript:  11:03 sgardnerUSAT: A very good morning to everyone. And no matter whether you won or lost this week in your head-to-head league, everyone was a winner last night -- especially those at Citizens Bank Ballpark when the news about Osama bin Laden broke. Quite a scene.  Anyway, there are many other places on this site to comment about those things, but before we get started ... God bless those special ops members and all our troops around the globe. And God bless America.  OK, let's talk some fantasy baseball, shall we?  11:04 [Comment From Fred: ] Steve, Who'd you rather have on your team right now - Narveson MIL or Humber CWS? Thanks.  11:05 sgardnerUSAT: Probably Narveson. First of all, he does pitch in the National League and although Humber had a very nice start last time out, he's never really done much in the majors before that. Plus, any White Sox pitcher is a dangerous call right now.  11:05 [Comment From Steve: ] Both Jimenez and Gallardo were dropped and I have the #1 wavier...are they worth the risk, if so, which one? Thanks!  11:08 sgardnerUSAT: Wow, get me in that league! I had Ublado slightly higher in my preseason rankings so I'd go with him despite his struggles so far this season. But I wouldn't argue with you if you took Gallardo. Both of them will be just fine.  11:09 [Comment From Colonel Forbin: ] Steve, How are you liking Fausto Carmona for two starts this week in a 12 team mixed league. Other options are J Zimmerman for 1 start, Gorzelanny for 2, Mosely, Worley, AJ Burnett. Thanks Buddy!  11:10 sgardnerUSAT: The Indians are playing as well as anyone right now and although both of Carmona's starts will be on the road, I like him better than the rest of your options. The A's offense doesn't scare too many pitchers and Carmona had a nice outing in Anaheim earlier this season.  11:11 [Comment From shrbr04:new havenCT: ] shrbr04,new haven CT(5X5 AL keeper)...dealing w/my blunders steve:...1)jed lowrie & alexei ramirez are fine at MI spots,but dropped chris getz & picked up alexi amarista strictly on a hunch.also reid brignac is on our waiver wire:what 2 do?still like getz!....2)while josh hamilton is on IR mark teahen has been so-so:do i hold teahen?or replace w/conor jackson rene tosoni casper wells or shelley duncan?...3)reserved erik bedard after clearing waivers,& dropped luke(i'm ur father) hochevar & picked up cody eppley (neftali feliz on IR).do i hold chris sale & edwin jackson anticipating white sox staff improve from their collective april shneid?is hochevar just too hi risk hi reward rite now?thnx steve!  11:12 sgardnerUSAT: 1) You're not getting much from any of those guys, so you might as well get the one who has the most playing time upside, Brignac. 2) Go with the hot bat -- Jackson. 3) I think you have to wait on those White Sox pitchers. They can't get worse. Good luck.  11:12 [Comment From Matt: ] Hi Steve, I was cruising along with Sandoval at 3B. I hope he picks up where he left off when he returns in June. I picked up Ryan Roberts just in time for his HR yesterday. Is he going to start every day? The other waiver wire options are: Aviles, Callaspo, Betemit and Encarnacion. Thanks!  11:15 sgardnerUSAT: Roberts or Aviles are your best options. Both of them are playing every day and have put up almost identical stats over the past two weeks. See for yourself: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/batting14.htm  I don't know if either one will be able to carry you until Sandoval comes back, but it's a start.  11:15 [Comment From Mac: ] ROS- Boggs, Farnsworth, Gregg - or wait for Bailey?  11:17 sgardnerUSAT: I'd go with Farnsworth for now, but be prepared to change course if he falls out of favor in Tampa Bay. Bailey's about a week away from going on a rehab assignment, so you'll need someone for the next two weeks anyway. And you never know if the injury will be a constant problem the rest of the season anyway.  At least with Farnsworth, you have a guy who's getting the job done. And the Rays did send Jake McGee to the minors this past week.  11:17 [Comment From Guest: ] With Greinke returning, I need to cut a SP. 5 x 5 root league. Options are J Zimmerman, Lilly, Wolf or Stauffer. I need Ks & WS. Advice?  11:21 sgardnerUSAT: Tough call. I suppose I'd drop Jordan Zimmermann, only because he's the least experienced and has an offensively challenged team behind him with Ryan Zimmerman out for another six weeks. I do like him long-term, but if you're looking to win now he's probably the most expendable one.  11:21 [Comment From Mac: ] Please rate ROS - Floyd, Jurrjens, Baker, Colon, Lackey  11:22 sgardnerUSAT: Still a Lackey believer, so I'll put him first. I'll take a shot with Jurrjens second, followed by Floyd and Baker with Colon lagging behind the rest.  11:22 [Comment From Mark: ] I need offense. I give Latos. Get Casey McGehee. I would replace Latos with Britton (weekly lineups). McGehee would replace Pennington or AJax at Util. Good move or should I try to get more value?  11:24 sgardnerUSAT: Although the K's are still there, Latos has had a tough time this season. Usually in pitching-for-hitting deals, the team getting the bat has the advantage. If you're subbing in McGehee for Pennington or an ice-cold Austin Jackson, I'd say the upgrade is more than worth the drop-off from Latos to Britton. Plus you can always troll the waiver wire and bench Britton when he starts to cool off. It's a lot easier to pick up pitchers than hitters during the season.  11:24 [Comment From Scott: ] Hi Steve. Is it time to drop Posada? These options are available Avila, Ramos, Lucroy, Arencibia. Have to set my weekly line-up before noon. Thanks  11:26 sgardnerUSAT: Run to the waiver wire and pick up Avila or Ramos. Avila would be my first choice since you know he's going to get playing time. Plus, he's swinging a pretty hot bat.  Posada may have some nice power numbers, but that's all he's doing and once those fly balls aren't clearing the fence at such a high frequency, you'll be in trouble.  11:26 [Comment From ROY THE ROTO WIZ: ] 12 Team Mixed, H2H, 11X11: Just how good do you feel Ramos\Nats is gonna be, and when are they gonna make him the full-time C and inform Pudge his is Now Ramos's off-day caddy? THANKS  11:28 sgardnerUSAT: Along those lines, I think the Nationals still value Pudge as a team leader and he's still a solid defensive catcher. I'm not completely sold on Ramos' offense just yet, but he's certainly off to a good start. It's just a matter of time before Pudge is phased out because the Nats have some depth in the minors at the catcher spot (even without Bryce Harper factoring into the equation).  11:29 [Comment From Ed: ] Hi, Steve. Like a lot of fantasy owners, I have Peavy stashed on my DL. Looks like it's possible he'll be back soon. What is your advice on how to handle him? Would you drop AJ Burnett to activate Peavy? Thanks!  11:31 sgardnerUSAT: My advice is to wait as long as you can before you activate him. We can analyze minor league rehab starts all we want, but Peavy still has to get it done against major league hitters. If he shows he's able to do that when he's activated, then I'd consider dropping Burnett.  Although I'm not a Burnett fan by any means, he does have a 4-1 record and an ERA under 4.00 after six starts. Take away the name and the reputation and that's a pitcher you want to keep on your roster.  11:32 [Comment From Pete: ] Trading Sizemore/Lowrie for Latos/Rios a fair trade?  11:34 sgardnerUSAT: Sizemore vs. Rios is about equal, so it comes down to a pitching-for-hitting trade. I think Latos is a bit much to give up for Lowrie, but if the team trading Latos has plenty of pitching depth and a hole at middle infield, I can see how it would benefit both teams.  11:34 [Comment From SoCal: ] Who gets more starts by season end - Lowrie or R. Roberts?  11:34 sgardnerUSAT: Roberts may get more starts, but Lowrie will be more productive. How's that for straddling the fence?  11:35 [Comment From kenneth: ] What are your thoughts on tyler greene. How will he finish the year  11:35 sgardnerUSAT: I think he's good for steals and not much more. If the Cardinals are completely healthy, he's no more than a fill-in.  11:35 [Comment From Tom: ] Steve, 7x5 (TB & N SB). Zimm to DL begat Betemit begat Blake (DL) begat Freese (DL) begat?. Uribe, Callaspo, Cuddyer, Betemit, Figins, Peralta. Who do you grab? Thanks  11:39 sgardnerUSAT: I can't believe how poorly Figgins has started the season. I know things didn't work out last year in Seattle, but they have a new manager now. It's just that nothing's seemed to change for Figgins.  I'm sticking with him in AL LABR (I paid $17 for him) and I'm thinking he has to start picking it up soon. The worst thing about Figgins is that he's getting caught stealing so frequently in the early going -- which is especially bad in a league that counts net steals.  If you don't care for such a risky play, go with Uribe or Cuddyer. Then again, with such a fluid roster spot, you might as well aim high.  11:40 [Comment From Dan: ] I dropped Colby Lewis, Matt Joyce and Chase Headley for CJ Wilson, Brett Wallace and Polanco. How did I do? I am second guessing releasing Joyce.  11:43 sgardnerUSAT: Joyce is really starting to heat up, but Wallace is off to a pretty good start too. Since Joyce is a bit more experienced, and Wallace's high average is helped considerably by a .471 average on balls in play (second-highest in the majors), I'd say Joyce is a better bet to keep it up.  Otherwise, those moves seem fine to me.  11:43 [Comment From Rob; Buffalo: ] Would you drop Boggs for F. Salas or Axford, or Santos? Boggs now seems to have gone to set-up. Santos closing for CWS? Thanks for the help.  11:44 sgardnerUSAT: Axford is the one to have out of that group. I'd take Santos next, if only because I'd want to stay as far away from the whims of Tony La Russa as possible.  11:45 [Comment From twd: ] Sit or start Bartolo Colon against Detroit tonight?  11:45 sgardnerUSAT: Go ahead and ride him while he's hot. (And while the Tigers are cold.)  11:46 [Comment From Dan, North Adams: ] Good morning, Steve: With Morrison coming off the DL, is there any reason not to drop Swisher in his favor (I have six other starters on this H2H team who hit twenty or more HRs last season)? Also, with Wells and Hunter flailing away, any chance we see Mike Trout this season. As always, thanks for the chat.  11:47 sgardnerUSAT: Hey Dan. I'd take Morrison over Swisher in that scenario. The only other option would be to wait until next week (if you can) just to make sure Morrison doesn't have a setback.  As for Trout, he's still so young. I don't see any way he comes up before September, if he does see the majors at all this season.  11:47 [Comment From Scott: ] 12 team mixed H2H league. Do I drop Travis Wood for Scott Baker?  11:49 sgardnerUSAT: I'd rather take my chances with Wood in a Roto league, but in a mixed H2H league where there are plenty of pitchers available on the waiver wire, I'd go with Baker for now because Target Field > Great American Ballpark.  11:49 [Comment From Jimmy: ] Took Boesch for my bench in a 5x5 non keeper league. Thoughts on Wallace (Hou) instead. Thanks  11:51 sgardnerUSAT: See above on Wallace's batting average on balls in play. It's doubtful he can keep it up. Boesch's BABIP is .367, so it's not like he's having some decent luck as well, but I'd lean toward Boesch as a bench player. He runs a little bit more than Wallace too.  11:51 [Comment From Mike: ] Hi Steve, I picked up Boggs last week and now have another open spot for a picher. Should I go for Salas? I nned Saves. Thanks.  11:52 sgardnerUSAT: People will do some crazy things in the name of saves. But since you have an open spot for a pitcher, this isn't so crazy. At least you get a couple of options covered in that bullpen.  11:52 [Comment From St Louis: ] Britton, Correia, Marquis, W. Davis better (5x5 non keep) better than I. Kennedy, Hellickson, or Lilly? Which 3 do you want on your team? Thank you.  11:55 sgardnerUSAT: I'd want Lilly for the stability and then I'd take a chance on upside. Britton has gotten rave reviews so far this season so in a mixed league, I'd take a shot on him. The third spot would go to Kennedy. He's had some impressive outings with only one horrible one. Hopefully, he's gotten that out of the way while he wasn't on your team.  11:55 [Comment From Bruce: ] Hey Steve, does HR numbers make G. Sanchez a better bench 1B than B. Wallace? We use a 7 offensive cats with total bases and net steals. Thanks for the insights this year.  11:55 sgardnerUSAT: I'd rather have Sanchez.  11:56 [Comment From Pittsburgh: ] Wait on Latos to straighten things out or look at Tomlin, Correia, Jurrjens, Marquis, Harang, or Beachy in a 5x5 league?  11:58 sgardnerUSAT: Beachy has been really good to start the season and he probably won't be on the waiver wire much longer. He has 36 K's in 36 1/3 innings, plus a WHIP of 0.99. I know it's only six starts, but Latos' injury history makes me want to pull the trigger.  11:59 [Comment From TK: ] Adam Jones was dropped in 12 team league. Rest of season stats? Go and pick up?  11:59 sgardnerUSAT: BaseballHQ.com projects Jones for 19 HR, 65 RBI and a .265 average the rest of the way. If you can use that, go ahead and grab him.  12:00 [Comment From Bart Colon: ] so, with a fastball topping out at 95mph with movement, you're not buying into the big burrito being back?  12:03 sgardnerUSAT: He's 37 and hasn't been anywhere this good since 2005. I liken him to a generically wrapped burrito with no list of ingredients (surrounding a riddle, inside an enigma). You can take a couple of bites and think it tastes pretty good, but after a while you might just wonder what you've gotten yourself into.  12:03 [Comment From FP: ] Good morning Steve! Hope you are well adn thank you for taking my question. I have G. Floyd in a shallow ML. Are any of the following better choices for me at SP this week and beyond? A. Sanchez; Bumgarner; W. Davis; or R. Wolf. Thanks  12:07 sgardnerUSAT: Floyd at Seattle is a pretty good matchup. I think Bumgarner is the best bet for full season stats, but he needs to start turning things around soon before I'd recommend dropping Floyd for him.  12:08 [Comment From Bruce: ] What your thoughts on a Weaver for Ryan Howard trade?  12:08 sgardnerUSAT: Both guys are extremely valuable right now. I'd say it's a fair deal.  As for which side I'd rather be on ... give me the power hitter.  12:09 [Comment From Jeremy: ] Who would you start this week. Kyle McLennan(St. Louis Pitcher) or Bud Norris?  12:10 sgardnerUSAT: McClellan gets two home starts (Fla., Mil.), while Norris only gets one (at Pittsburgh). The numbers favor McClellan.  12:10 [Comment From George: ] McClellan or Baker or Duensing or W. Davis or Guthrie or Correia over Ed Jackson? thank you  12:13 sgardnerUSAT: Couldn't resist there. McClellan's two starts trump Baker/Duensing against the Red Sox.  I like Davis vs. Toronto and Baltimore a little bit less than McClellan. Guthrie gets two against the White Sox and Rays. Correia just gets one start in San Diego.  12:13 [Comment From steve: ] The best part of Moday!! Is league worth holding onto after ardsama returns? Does Rauch have the skills hold onto the job?  12:14 sgardnerUSAT: Thanks. The answers there are yes and yes. You don't know how fully recovered Aardsma is or whether or not he'll return to his previous form once he does return. Plus League has done a great job in his place.  Rauch did just fine last year closing for the Twins and it's not like Francisco has been a lights-out closer before either.  12:14 [Comment From HOU: ] Carlos Lee - sit him this week?  12:15 sgardnerUSAT: Probably a good idea. Even if the Astros don't put him on the DL, I'd have to think they'd take it easy with him. Of course, if you don't have any other options ...  12:15 [Comment From John: ] Hey Steve (5X5 roto 11 teams) looking to trade some pitching for some offense preferably at corner. I carry a lot of pitchers and try to play the hot hand and matchups. I have Felix, Ubaldo, Jurrjens, J Garcia, Kennedy, Leake Tomlin, Drabek, Duensing, Wolf and C Young. 1) Can I count on Ubaldo? 2) Is Felix for Tex a good deal? 3) Any other deals that you think offhand?  12:18 sgardnerUSAT: Over the course of the season, I think Ubaldo will be fine. The Rockies are an excellent offensive team to provide run support when he's not at his best and they're a great defensive team too. The road seems, well ... rocky right now but I see Ubaldo turning things around now that he's healthy.  If you have pitching depth, getting an elite power-hitting corner infielder like Teixeira seems like a good move for you. But I see why you're concerned about Ubaldo since he'd have to be your team's ace.  12:18 [Comment From Harv: ] A little minor league scouting to prepare for the second half - or earlier - Can you please outline the top 10 minor leaguers that you feel will have the greatest fantasy impact this season.  12:23 sgardnerUSAT: Probably not without a lot more preparation than I have during this chat. Here are some of the minor leaguers I can think of who could contribute at some point this season:  Desmond Jennings, Mike Moustakas, Eric Hosmer, Jesus Montero, Brandon Belt, Mike Montgomery/Danny Duffy/John Lamb (pick one), Julio Teheran, Brett Jackson, Matt Moore.  I'm sure I'm forgetting some.  12:23 [Comment From Todd: ] I had Zimmerman as my 3b, then Freese. Who should I pick up now for a replacement? Ryan Roberts or Jack Hannahan  12:23 sgardnerUSAT: Go with Roberts  12:23 [Comment From Franklin: ] Pick-up Joyce over Bourjos in a standard 5x5 league? Would u keep Boesch over Joyce? Thanks for your help.  12:23 sgardnerUSAT: Probably go Joyce over both ... unless you need steals and Bourjos starts running like he should be.  12:25 [Comment From MarkMark: ] If you could only keep 2 players for your bench, who would they be: Bobby abreu, Mark Reynolds, Pedro Alvarez, Alex Gordon?  12:26 sgardnerUSAT: For my bench ... Gordon and Alvarez.  12:26 [Comment From Mark: ] Do any of these guys scream must own in a 12 team H2H league or all they all streamers: Humber, Colby Lewis, Leake, Stauffer?  12:26 sgardnerUSAT: Lewis would be if he were pitching better. Otherwise, they're all replacement fodder.  12:26 [Comment From Merl: ] Carlos Lee or Brad Hawpe this week? I know, not the best option either way.....  12:27 sgardnerUSAT: Yipes. Hawpe has been so bad, that if Lee is put on the DL he may still be more valuable.  12:27 [Comment From bob: ] Steve, Ian Stewart coming up anytime soon? Need a 3d baseman badly as you can tell.  12:28 sgardnerUSAT: Don't think so. The Rockies are surviving just fine and Stewart needs to get really hot in the minors to warrant a return. Maybe by June.  12:28 [Comment From Randy: ] I just dropped Travis Wood and picked up Beachy ~ I could have taken C. Lewis, D Hudson, or Clay ... but I have a good feeling about Beachy .. I love his K/BB ratio. A OK??  12:28 sgardnerUSAT: Yep. Good call. I praised him earlier today.  12:28 [Comment From George: ] As a follow up, #1 out of McClellen, Baker, Duensing, W. Davis, Gutrie, Correia in a roto 5x5 league. Thanks!  12:28 sgardnerUSAT: Go with McClellan.  12:29 [Comment From bert: ] whats your take on Dempster? Is he now Dumpster or hang on?  12:31 sgardnerUSAT: I'll have more on Dempster and other VERY slow-starting pitchers in this week's column in Sports Weekly.  Here's one nugget to chew on, courtesy of Ron Shandler's Baseball Forecaster: Of those who finish April with a Roto value of -$10 or worse, 91% of them finish the season in the red. That doesn't bode well for Mr. Dempster.  In shallow leagues, find someone else to take his place.  12:31 [Comment From Youppi: ] Sandoval is hurt.................any lower level 3B replacements? (Headley, Aviles...anyone else of that level of availability?)  12:32 sgardnerUSAT: You could do a lot worse than Aviles, Youppi. Thanks for making an appearance today!  12:32 [Comment From Scott, AL: ] 16 team 5x5:Drop C. Gomez for M. Joyce?  12:32 [Comment From Damon: ] Should I drop Loney for Carlos Pena or Brett Wallace?  12:33 sgardnerUSAT: If you're looking for power out of your first baseman, yes. Either one will do ... and I'd probably lean toward Wallace at this point.  I'll talk about struggling April hitters too in that Sports Weekly column. (And yes, Pena is in there.)  12:33 [Comment From Brad Hawpe: ] A little harsh....2 HR week for me - apologies next week?  12:36 sgardnerUSAT: You mean a 2 RBI week? I have you in NL LABR and I see a big zero in the HR category (along with 4 RBI). That's for the season.  I'll apologize when you improve that 25/4 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Or the .211 OBP or the .211 slugging pct. ...  I don't think it was too harsh at all, come to think of it.  12:36 [Comment From matt: ] Steve, just was offered Starlin Castro and Ryan Franklin for J. Soria. I currently have Jeter at SS. Will Castro outperform Jeter enough to justify giving up Soria?  12:37 sgardnerUSAT: You need to have some closer depth to make that deal. Soria is one of the few lock-down closers in the game right now and even though I like Castro better than Jeter (and even though saves are just one category), I don't think you can give Soria up for just that slight upgrade.  12:37 [Comment From Pepto-Bismal: ] What with all the Stomach Virus cases this year?  12:38 sgardnerUSAT: Not sure. But it does remind me that it's lunch time.  Thanks for all your questions this week folks. Ron Shandler is up next on Wednesday with his weekly chat and I'll be back next Monday.
Printable Steve Gardner chat transcript (5/2) - Fantasy Windup: A community for fantasy baseball news and strategy - USATODAY.com