As always, you can check out last week’s fantasy review right here. And be sure to share your two cents in The Brain's Baseball Question of the Week! If you want to send me a question for next week's mailbag, just click right HERE!

Read on for this week's mailbag, where I discuss whether A-Rod is on top of his game again...

Should I trade A-Rod or not?
-BaseballAce1273
I'll put it this way BaseballAce1273: If you've hung on to A-Rod this long, you might as well hang on to him now. This sort of early-season struggle happens often when players miss all of spring training. They haven't had time to work out the kinks. I think that, along with the fact that A-Rod was complaining of being tired, was his problem early on. But since his mini benching two weeks ago, Rodriguez is hitting .324 with a whopping five homers and a .490 on-base percentage. Those are the A-Rod numbers we're used to seeing.

What should I change in my outfield? I have Nationals LF Adam Dunn ($7,800,000), Orioles CF Adam Jones ($5,000,000), and White Sox RF Jermaine Dye ($7,400,000). And whatever happened to Sun Yue's autographed tacos? And QB Tarvaris Jackson is better than QB Joe Flacco. Go QB Tarvaris Jackson.
-Jose, Illinois
I don't think there's any real reason to make a switch in your outfield, Jose. If you really wanted to save money, you could snag someone like Diamondbacks RF Justin Upton ($4,900,000) or Rays RF Ben Zobrist ($3,800,000), but Dunn, Jones, and Dye are all very good players. And I'm still working on that restaurant with Sun Yue: "The Wiz & Sun Yue's Awesome Sweet Delicious-Style AUTOGRAPHED Tacos For You To Look At Or Eat." I'm thinking now that he's won an NBA championship, we have a special promotion where he hides his championship ring inside a taco! If you get that taco, you don't get to keep the ring, but we will pay half of your dentist bill. And as for talking smack about Joe Flacco, I don't mind since I'm a Steelers fan. But I wouldn't be mentioning that to The Brain over at Dugout Dispatch...

What should I do with Royals RF Mark Teahen ($5,800,000) and Royals SP P Gil Meche ($8,100,000)? I have 5,000,000 left. Who should I pick for my relief pitcher?
-HockeyBaseball31
Well HockeyBaseball31, I'm not a big Teahen believer. I think he's decent, but I'd rather have someone like Diamondbacks RF Justin Upton ($4,900,000) or Rays RF Ben Zobrist ($3,800,000). As for Meche, I think he's going to turn things around and have a good season, but I'd rather have someone like Red Sox SP Jon Lester ($7,900,000), Braves SP Javier Vazquez ($8,000,000), Royals SP Zack Greinke ($7,900,000), Red Sox SP Josh Beckett ($7,200,000), or Mariners SP Felix Hernandez ($7,200,000). At reliever I've been going with Dodgers RP Jonathan Broxton ($4,200,000) because he costs so little.

Would you get Cardinals 1B Albert Pujols ($8,400,000) or Phillies 1B Ryan Howard ($8,300,000) for your first baseman?
-AceBaseball44
I'd definitely go with Pujols, AceBaseball44. They basically cost the same, but Pujols is simply the best hitter in the world right now. However, I suspect Howard will go on his usual tear over August and September like he does every year.

I can afford Yankees SS Derek Jeter ($6,800,000), but I have Rockies SS Troy Tulowitzki ($4,900,000). So Jeter or Tulowitzki?
-FunnyChamp, Texas
They're pretty even FunnyChamp, but I'd rather have Tulowitzki because he's cheaper. Tulo got off to a miserable start this season, but he hit .305 with seven home runs in June, and it looks like he's set for a big second half of the season, just like last year.

Should I keep Red Sox RP Jonathan Papelbon ($6,200,000) or should I sign another relief pitcher?
-Jonathan, Canada
There's certainly nothing wrong with Papelbon, Jonathan. The only reason I wouldn't go with him is because I think he's too expensive. It's very difficult to project which closers will get saves because they need their teammates to set them up over the first eight innings. That's why I usually go with someone cheap, like Dodgers RP Jonathan Broxton ($4,200,000).

Do you think that I should keep Royals SP Zack Greinke ($7,900,000) or trade for someone else?
-Randy, New York
Greinke has certainly cooled down, Randy. But he's still one of the 10 best starters in baseball. If you wanted to free up money, you'd be better off going with someone like Brewers SP Yovani Gallardo ($2,000,000) or Cardinals SP Chris Carpenter ($2,000,000), but Greinke will be one of the best regardless of price.

Do you think the Phillies are worthy enough to repeat as World Champions, or will another horrible team surprise us by reaching the World Series? The Colorado Rockies are looking pretty good, but the Dodgers have the best record in the MLB. Getting back to the Phillies, if starter Cole Hamels can have a season like he did last year, the Phillies will have a spot in the World Series again. If not, it all goes down from there. Two years ago, the Rockies surprised us by making it to the World Series, last year, Tampa Bay surprised us, too. Vladmir Guerrero and the Angels may have a chance, too. Besides, they were the only 100-win team last year, which is an accomplishment.
-AceBuffalo53
I don't know, AceBuffalo53. I kind of like the Rays to make another run. I think they're really coming into their own right now. And, obviously, you can't count out teams like the Red Sox and Dodgers because of those power arms. I'm very worried about Hamels right now. I don't know if he's tipping his pitches or what, but he's not fooling any hitters right now. If he doesn't turn it around soon, the Phils have no chance.

Do think the Mariners will win the AL West or at least the Wild Card? Why or why not?
-AceBaseball403, Washington
The AL West is pretty weak AceBaseball403, so I wouldn't count Seattle out completely. But I don't think they're a playoff team. They really need Erik Bedard to stay healthy and Brandon Morrow to start pitching up to his potential to even have an outside shot. They made some nice moves by bringing in guys like Russell Branyan and Jason Vargas, and the future looks much brighter than it did last season, but I don't think this team is playoff material.

Hey Wiz, how come I cant seem to find Red Sox SS Nick Green? And I beat Duane this week, and I haven't set my lineup since Week 3, and I'm 8-4 (my computer is all screwed up). And who should I take at catcher, money unimportant: Indians C Victor Martinez or Orioles rookie C Matt Wieters? What do you think of Red Sox LF Jason Bay? I think he's the best leftfielder in baseball (including Manny).
-Amin, Massachusetts
Apologies to Amin and the other Nick Green fans out there. We'll try to get him added to the game. Now, as for beating Duane, I say whoop-dee-doo. Everyone beats Duane from New Jersey! I once had my dog set a lineup by barking at the computer monitor when I scrolled over a player he wanted, and he beat Duane! True story! (Okay, not a true story.) As for V-Mart versus Wieters, don't tell The Brain, but I'm going V-Mart. Even though his batting average has been dropping a bit, hit power is getting better. And Bay is good, but the best hitter in baseball has to be that dude in St. Louis. I'm talking, of course, about Joe Thurston. Okay, I'm talking about Pujols.

Do know who I am? I am a future General Manager. I already have received a response letter from Detroit Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski giving me advice. I recommended young shortstop Justin Jackson (who went to the same high school as Cameron Maybin) to him and the scouting staff. Justin is 20 now and in his third minor league season. Right now he is in the middle of nowhere but with time he will be great.
-BaseballAce623, Michigan
Very nice, BaseballAce623. Dave Dombrowski is a great GM! As for Jackson (who's in the Blue Jays minor league system), I like his glove, but I don't think his bat is going to be good enough. And a little known fact: He was featured on an SI Kids sports card when he was in high school!

Where was Matty two-times last week? I better not be horrible this week!
-Josh, New Jersey
I know, I know Josh. Matty Two-Times was pulled away on other duties last week and again this week. Last week he covered the NBA Draft for SIKIDS.com. And this week he pitched in on the baseball beat while The Brain was on vacation. Not to mention he's been covering golf and a million other things. He'll also be playing the role of Buzz Beamer in an upcoming video for SIKIDS TV! But I promise he'll be back with two-time starting pitchers next week!

Good trade for the Cardinals? I think so. Mark DeRosa doesn’t have a good batting average but he has good power and is a great all-around player. As for Chris Perez, nobody knows his future, but with fastball and good control he can be a great closer. I’m a diehard Cards fan and I loved this trade. How about you?
-SpriteBomber
I definitely like that trade for the Cards, SpriteBomber. I think relief prospects like Perez and a dime a dozen, and the Cards need someone, anyone, who can protect Albert Pujols in that lineup. DeRosa should give them a very nice boost going forward.

Who is the best player in baseball?
-AwesomeBasketball157
No doubter right now, AwesomeBasketball157: Albert Pujols by a mile! Hanley Ramirez is close when he's 100 percent healthy. Ditto on Alex Rodriguez. But Pujols is just far, far better than anyone in baseball today.

Since I joined SIKIDS.com in April I have read many splogs. I like them a lot. I know a lot about sports. So I guess what I'm asking is: Can I have my own splog? I love talking sports. If you don't think I can do it please give me a trial run.
-AceBaseball128
I'll say this, AceBaseball128: We do have a team of Kid Reporters who are blogging and doing some very cool videos for SIKIDS.com. Now, they'll be working at SIKIDS.com until next spring, but we'll definitely be recruiting a new team of Kid Reporters! Anyone interested will be able to apply (we'll be accepting applications beginning sometime in the fall). Until then, just keep up with the current Kid Reporters to get a sense of what we're looking for. And, of course, if you want to share your opinions now, there's always stuff like teh fantasy mailbag and The Brain's Question of the Week!

For the best running back in fantasy football, what about Panthers RB DeAngelo Williams? He led the league last season with 20 touchdowns, and had 1,515 yards on just 273 carries to boot. He's my top choice.
-Joel, Pennsylvania
Ah yes. Joel, of course, is referring to my leak of who will be the top-rated running back in fantasy football this season (CLICK HERE to see who it is!). Now, I'm a big fan of DeAngelo, Joel. But, considering Jonathan Stewart is likely to take on a slightly bigger role this season, Williams is going to have a tough time matching last year's stats. He'll undoubtebly be top 10 in my rankings though. To see exactly where, you'll just have to check out my Fantasy Football Preview -- including rankings of more than 200 players! -- next month. And, of course, you'd be nuts not to sign up for the new and improved SIKIDS.com Fantasy Football when it starts up August 1.