Sometimes rebuilding is necessary in fantasy baseball

Most people focus on the present in keeper leagues, which is smart if you can win now because the further we look toward the future, the more unpredictable performance becomes. That said, if you are struggling to compete or if you want to build a team that can dominate for several years, then taking a rebuilding approach can be very rewarding for patient owners.

If your league-mates are impatient and everyone is investing heavily in 2012, it may be in your best interest to stock up on young talent that could make your team an unrivaled dynasty for 2014 and beyond. If you would have used this approach in 2007, you may have ended up with guys like Evan Longoria, Justin Upton, Tim Lincecum, Troy Tulowitzki, Andrew McCutchen, and Jay Bruce, just to name a few, of course you would have taken one or two of the Brandon Wood, Reid Brignac, Andy LaRoche types too, but you would have an incredible core of players right now, that would have cost you a few late round picks in your dynasty league, and that's not to mention the talent you would have drafted in the early rounds and in subsequent years, and through shrewd trading.

The slotting for particular players is very subjective, especially as we get to the lower regions of this list, so don't take a one or two spot gap between players too seriously. Some general principles to remember when rebuilding a team (I know they seem obvious): 1) Get rid of your aging players, a 32 year old player in 2012 will be 34 in 2014, capitalize on the value aging players have to competing teams, 2) closers should be traded, no matter what, their job security and short peaks are too risky justify keeping them for that long, 3) starting pitchers are riskier than hitters as long term investments, 4) You probably want to stay away from injury prone players, as injuries tend to get worse as players age, 5) Look for skills, not situations, don't make assumptions about a player's lineup or ballpark for 2014 and beyond, 6) Stay active in your league adding players and trading for the future.

Weighting for this list goes as follows: 2012 = 0%, 2013 = 5%, 2014 = 40%, 2015 = 40, 2016 and beyond = 15%. This list should be used in a deep dynasty league where nearly 100% of your roster is kept, or in leagues big enough to make rebuilding necessary. This list could also be used in leagues where you can keep players perpetually with no keeper penalties or inflation and you want to build a long-term dynasty that can compete for a several years. Before implying this tactic make sure your league rules, if your league only allows you to keep 12 players, then some of the guys at the end of the list are useless to you.

If you are looking for a keeper list that will help you win now, then check out my Early 2012 Keeper Rankings for Competing Teams

Here is my list of the best keepers for team rebuilding to compete in 2014 and beyond.

*All Ages as of the beginning of the 2014 season

*Assumptions: the Rangers sign Yu Darvish to a multi-year deal, Yoenis Cespedes signs a multi-year deal with a major league team this offseason, and Ryan Madson signs a multi-year deal to be a team's closer

Follow Jesse on Twitter @JesseSakstrup