Marlins 2B Dee Gordon stole 58 bases last season. His closest competitor in that category -- Rockies OF Charlie Blackmon -- was far behind with 43. If you took Gordon in the second round of a draft in March, seeing him get an 80-game suspension for a positive PED test is a crushing blow to your fantasy baseball hopes. But you can't give up in April, right?
Now you'll need to identify some free-agent middle infielders who might be able to help you until Gordon is eligible to return July 29. We'll assume that if you own Gordon, your primary need is stolen bases.
Arizona's Chris Owings is owned in just 5.7 percent of FOXSports.com leagues and already has five stolen bases. Owings swiped 16 bags last season and has been playing mostly center field for the D-backs in 2016. Not great, but not terrible, and he has 2B/SS/OF eligibility.
Philly's Cesar Hernandez (2.5 percent owned) stole 19 bases last season and isn't far removed from a 32-steal season at Triple A in 2013. Hernandez doesn't bring anything to the table besides speed, but if you lost Gordon, that's what you need. He's preferable to Owings, and more widely available.
If your roster or league settings are structured in a way that allows you to replace Gordon with a shortstop, Kansas City's Alcides Escobar (42.8 percent owned) is a solid choice. Escobar slumped to 17 steals in 2015, but he averaged 28 over the previous four years and has four already in 2016. Escobar leads off for the Royals, so he'll get his chances to run.
Milwaukee's Jonathan Villar (1 percent owned) is more of a boom-or-bust option. Villar has five steals already this season and averaged 43 thefts between the minors and majors from 2012-15. The clock is already ticking on when Villar will be replaced by top prospect Orlando Arcia, but until that happens Villar will bring solid speed to your roster.
Can you somehow grab a speed merchant from any position and shift another player to Gordon's second-base slot? If so, some potential targets are Phillies OF Odubel Herrera (17.5 percent owned), Padres OF Melvin Upton Jr. (6.1 percent owned) and Indians OF Rajai Davis (3.5 percent owned). Herrera's speed upside might be lower than that of the other two, but he's probably the best overall player with the chance for a 10-homer, 25-steal season.
In real life, Gordon's suspension will probably translate into more playing time for Derek Dietrich (0.6 percent owned), even if it means Martin Prado plays second base with Dietrich taking much of his time at the hot corner. Dietrich has 3B/OF fantasy eligibility and posted an .802 OPS last season. He can hit and should be considered in mixed formats deeper than 12 teams.
