Welcome to the weekly Tout Wars FAAB report, on its new home right here on the Tout Wars site. Each week, we’ll review the free agent acquisitions from all five leagues, with commentary from a league member, as well as yours truly. We changed the timing of the weekly run to 1 PM ET every Sunday, with the report posted later that afternoon so you’ll have time to digest and apply to your own leagues. In addition, I’ll be joining Lawr Michaels and Justin Mason on the Tout Wars Hour on the FNTSY Network every Sunday at 3:20 PM ET to discuss the results.
I apologize, posting is a little late this week. In addition, I opted to give the Touts the week off so they could spend time with the friends and family, hunting Easter Eggs, the afikomen or just general April Fool’s balderdash. As such, I’ll provide the commentary for all five leagues with the Touts returning next week to give an insider view.
As smentioned, there are five leagues, you can find the complete list of Tout Warriors here. Everyone starts with 1000 FAAB units, less any penalty incurred by finishing below a designated point in the standings. This is a means of keeping everyone motivated to keep playing all season long. The minimum bid is $0. FAAB units can be traded as well as rebated for players released off the DL.
The report will list all winning bids along with unsuccessful tries and contingencies. This provides the maximum level of information to help gauge interest on the players.
The American and National League only formats are 12-team leagues, as is the new points-based head to head league, The Mixed Auction and Draft each have 15 clubs. All the leagues have four reserves with an unlimited DL, expect the head to head league, which allows six reserves.
The headings above each league are links to publicly accessible sites where you can see standings, roster and a complete review of transactions. The initial auctions and drafts can be found here.
SUCCESSFUL BIDS
| PLAYER | WINNING BID | ||
| TAustin, NYY | Seth Trachtman 125 | Jeff Erickson 117 | Chris Liss 105 |
| Jason Collette 87 | Patrick Davitt 79 | ||
| Mike Podhorzer 74 | Vlad Sedler 66 | ||
| Larry Schechter 31 | |||
| TNaquin, Cle | Lawr Michaels 50 | Jeff Erickson 7 | Chris Liss 6 |
| Jason Collette 3 | |||
| CTocci, Tex | Jason Collette 37 | Jeff Erickson 7 | Lawr Michaels 2 |
| FWhitley, Hou | Chris Liss 30 | ||
| JWendle, TB | Jeff Erickson 27 | Rob Leibowitz 18 | |
| JSmolinksi, Oak | Vlad Sedler 25 | Jeff Erickson 7 | |
| KJepsen, Tex | Jeff Erickson 17 | Larry Schechter 13 | Doug Dennis 0 |
| Chris Liss 0 | |||
| JZimmermann, Det | Vlad Sedler 16 | Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 6 | |
| DButera, KC | Seth Trachtman 15 | Doug Dennis 0 | |
| CFulmer, CWS | Rob Leibowitz 8 | Vlad Sedler 3 | |
| NGoodrum, Det | Chris Liss 6 | ||
| RoPerez, Cle | Doug Dennis 2 | ||
| JBonifacio, KC | Mike Podhorzer 1 | ||
| BJohnson, Bos | Seth Trachtman 0 | Vlad Sedler 15 | Jeff Erickson 5 |
| JMarte, LAA | Patrick Davitt 0 | Seth Trachtman 6 | |
| JJimenez, Det | Mike Podhorzer 0 | Chris Liss 0 | |
| CarSmith, Bos | Doug Dennis 0 | Chris Liss 0 | |
| CShreve, NYY | Chris Liss 0 |
UNAWARDED BIDS
| PLAYER | |||
| BGuyer, Cle | Lawr Michaels 15 | Chris Liss 0 | |
| MMarjama, Sea | Seth Trachtman 12 | ||
| BKeller, KC | Vlad Sedler 8 | ||
| ALoup, Tor | Vlad Sedler 4 | ||
| RBuchter, Oak | Vlad Sedler 4 | ||
| JShields, CWS | Vlad Sedler 3 | ||
| MPerez, Tex | Vlad Sedler 3 | ||
| CBYoung, LAA | Jason Collette 3 | Jeff Erickson 1 | Seth Trachtman 0 |
| CGallagher, KC | Seth Trachtman 3 | ||
| JSucre, TB | Seth Trachtman 3 | ||
| SLeon, Bos | Seth Trachtman 3 | ||
| CGentry, Bal | Jeff Erickson 1 | Chris Liss 0 | |
| RRefsnyder, TB | Jeff Erickson 1 | ||
| BHolt, Bos | Seth Trachtman 0 | Chris Liss 0 | |
| AWarren, NYY | Chris Liss 0 | ||
| AWilson, Det | Chris Liss 0 | ||
| JKelly, Bos | Chris Liss 0 | ||
| PAlvarez, Bal | Chris Liss 0 |
Todd’s Take
Real estate is all about location; fantasy potential is all about playing time, and right now, Tyler Austin lines up for some run at first base. That said, the path isn’t perfectly clear as Miguel Andujar was just called up and will likely see some time at first as well. Plus, the club seems intent on finding Tyler Wade at bats, pushing Neil Walker to the right corner too. Austin drew the Tout’s attention with a pair of homers on Saturday. Mixed leaguers should pay attention, but it isn’t a foregone conclusion Austin plays enough to be viable in shallower formats.
I’m a little surprised there wasn’t more activity on the Red Sox Brian Johnson as he opens the week with a sweet start in The Aquarium, otherwise known as Marlins Park. Granted, the Fish hit a couple of Cubs hurlers hard this weekend, but that will be the exception, not the rule. There’s even a chance Johnson grabs a second start at home versus the Rays.
SUCCESSFUL BIDS
| PLAYER | WINNING BID | ||
| RFlaherty, Atl | Lenny Melnick 75 | Mike Gianella 4 | Andy Behrens 3 |
| Tristan H. Cockcroft 1 | Todd Zola 1 | ||
| Mike Gianella 0 | |||
| GBlanco, SF | Andy Behrens 46 | Scott Wilderman 0 | |
| JLucchesi, SD | Derek Carty 42 | Grey Albright 21 | Phil Hertz 11 |
| Steve Gardner 9 | |||
| DHolland, SF | Lenny Melnick 31 | Todd Zola 1 | |
| JHicks, StL | Steve Gardner 29 | Mike Gianella 16 | Craig Mish 3 |
| Grey Albright 2 | Phil Hertz 0 | ||
| EButler, ChC | Lenny Melnick 19 | Steve Gardner 9 | |
| SBrault, Pit | Steve Gardner 9 | ||
| TLaStella, ChC | Steve Gardner 9 | Todd Zola 1 | Craig Mish 0 |
| KFreeland, Col | Todd Zola 7 | ||
| JarGarcia, Mia | Tristan H. Cockcroft 7 | Phil Hertz 0 | |
| PStrop, ChC | Scott Wilderman 3 | Steve Gardner 8 | Andy Behrens 1 |
| Derek Carty 0 | |||
| JBarnes, Mil | Brian Walton 2 | Craig Mish 1 | Tristan H. Cockcroft 1 |
| Phil Hertz 0 | |||
| JHughes, Cin | Grey Albright 2 | Brian Walton 2 | |
| CWallach, Mia | Grey Albright 1 | Todd Zola 0 | |
| ChVillanueva, SD | Mike Gianella 0 | ||
| DPeters, Mia | Mike Gianella 0 | Derek Carty 0 | |
| DMarrero, Ari | Craig Mish 0 | ||
| CStewart, Atl | Todd Zola 0 | ||
| PBourjos, Atl | Scott Wilderman 0 | ||
| BHoladay, Mia | Craig Mish 0 | Grey Albright 1 | Todd Zola 0 |
| SAlexander, LAD | Derek Carty 0 | Grey Albright 1 | Phil Hertz 0 |
| JFields, LAD | Phil Hertz 0 | Grey Albright 1 | |
UNAWARDED BIDS
| PLAYER | |||
| ERamos, Phi | Lenny Melnick 15 | ||
| GKontos, Pit | Brian Walton 2 | ||
| JARamirez, Atl | Grey Albright 2 | ||
| AEllis, SD | Grey Albright 1 | Todd Zola 0 | |
| EDiaz, Pit | Grey Albright 1 | Todd Zola 0 | |
| VCaratini, ChC | Grey Albright 1 | Todd Zola 0 | |
| AniSanchez, Atl | Phil Hertz 1 | ||
| CGearrin, SF | Grey Albright 1 | ||
| JMathis, Ari | Grey Albright 1 | ||
| TTelis, Mia | Todd Zola 1 | ||
| PBaez, LAD | Scott Wilderman 0 | Phil Hertz 0 | |
| JWilson, ChC | Phil Hertz 0 | Derek Carty 0 | |
| COGrady, Mia | Derek Carty 0 | ||
| JMcGee, Col | Scott Wilderman 0 | ||
| LGarcia, Phi | Phil Hertz 0 | ||
| PSandoval, SF | Mike Gianella 0 | ||
| RErlin, SD | Tristan H. Cockcroft 0 | ||
| RGsellman, NYM | Phil Hertz 0 |
Phil Hertz of BaseballHQ was kind enough to send his thoughts:
I’m still trying to patch my pitching staff and made a decision that carrying Jimmie Sherfy in a re-draft League was probably not the best use of a reserve slot. With that in mind, I made an ambivalent bid on Joey Lucchesi, the Padre rookie who had a so-so start this weekend. Like Sherfy, I just wasn’t sure he’d have loads of value in a re-draft league, but at least he was up and starting. I wound up with the third highest bid on him – he went to Derek Carty and given Derek’s acumen, I’m second guessing myself on my ambivalence. My contingent bids after that were set-up relievers. I’m still hoping to get lucky with one of those guys graduating into a closer gig. I wound up with Fields, my third choice – one of the perils of a good start is I was next to last in the bidding pecking order.
A couple of bids raised my eyebrows. Even in a 1000 FAAB environment, 75 seemed high for Ryan Flaherty, who’s been a fantasy cipher most of his career and is likely to be a reserve by the middle of the month. Similarly 29 for Jordan Hicks seemed like an overpay, given the Holland signing and the depth of the Cardinal pen. Most of the Touts seemed to agree: the next highest bid on Flaherty was 4 and on Hicks 16.
Todd’s Take
I agree with Phil on Flaherty, classic case of recency bias. He’s not the latest member of the Launch Angle Club (first rule of the Launch Angle Club is not to talk about the Launch Angle Club).
I had a catcher opening with Steven Vogt hitting the DL. I really didn’t care who I received, so I listed a series of $0 bids. Grey Albright from Razzball was in a similar predicament, caring just a little more than me, so he strung together $1 bids. Good times.
With Steven Duggar sent to the farm, I needed to fill the swing spot. Not seeing any batters moving the needle, I opted to go with an arm. I considered Lucchesi, as he has a nice setup at home versus a Rockies club with a history of struggling on the road versus southpaws. However, I decided to roll the dice on the two-start Kyle Freeland, despite the second outing being a home affair. Who knows maybe I’ll catch a break and the latter outing will be rained out.
SUCCESSFUL BIDS
| PLAYER | WINNING BID | ||
| JZimmermann, Det | Joe Pisapia 262 | Zach Steinhorn 13 | |
| MDuffy, TB | Jeff Zimmerman 101 | ||
| TAustin, NYY | Scott Engel 98 | Al Melchior 10 | |
| RGsellman, NYM | Jeff Zimmerman 85 | Tim Heaney 0 | |
| JHeyward, ChC | Joe Pisapia 62 | Zach Steinhorn 17 | |
| IKennedy, KC | Joe Pisapia 46 | Tim Heaney 46 | Zach Steinhorn 21 |
| Ray Flowers 12 | |||
| SLugo, NYM | Tim Heaney 46 | ||
| NMarkakis, Atl | Zach Steinhorn 38 | Joe Pisapia 12 | Ray Flowers 12 |
| DODay, Bal | Al Melchior 36 | Scott Pianowski 2 | Scott Swanay 1 |
| MGonzales, Sea | Derek VanRiper 28 | Fred Zinkie 0 | |
| HBailey, Cin | Tim Heaney 26 | Tim McLeod 22 | Ray Flowers 17 |
| Derek VanRiper 11 | |||
| JGarcia, Tor | Bret Sayre 21 | ||
| MBoyd, Det | Ray Flowers 17 | Scott Engel 38 | Derek VanRiper 11 |
| Tim Heaney 7 | Scott Swanay 2 | ||
| CRichard, SD | Bret Sayre 17 | ||
| CSisco, Bal | Fred Zinkie 10 | Ron Shandler 5 | |
| KJepsen, Tex | Scott Swanay 7 | Tim Heaney 7 | |
| AKnapp, Phi | Ron Shandler 5 | Fred Zinkie 10 | |
| KPlawecki, NYM | Ron Shandler 5 | ||
| BMiller, TB | Scott Pianowski 4 | ||
| JMcGee, Col | Tim McLeod 3 | Scott Swanay 1 | |
| MRojas, Mia | Scott Pianowski 3 | ||
| AGarrett, Cin | Scott Swanay 2 | Jeff Zimmerman 63 | Tim Heaney 0 |
| JBarnes, Mil | Scott Pianowski 2 | ||
| TKahnle, NYY | Scott Swanay 1 | ||
| TMahle, Cin | Fred Zinkie 0 | Derek VanRiper 28 | Tim Heaney 0 |
| BLively, Phi | Al Melchior 0 | ||
| PTucker, Atl | Fred Zinkie 0 | ||
| RRua, Tex | Al Melchior 0 |
UNAWARDED BIDS
| PLAYER | |||
| CFulmer, CWS | Ray Flowers 17 | ||
| AdGonzalez, NYM | Zach Steinhorn 12 | ||
| JLucchesi, SD | Ray Flowers 12 | ||
| LChisenhall, Cle | Ray Flowers 12 | ||
| BMitchell, SD | Derek VanRiper 11 | Tim Heaney 7 | |
| MMaldonado, LAA | Fred Zinkie 10 | ||
| DMesoraco, Cin | Ron Shandler 5 | ||
| JJay, KC | Jeff Zimmerman 5 | ||
| DanNorris, Det | Tim Heaney 3 | ||
| JHicks, StL | Tim Heaney 3 | Fred Zinkie 0 | |
| SAlexander, LAD | Jeff Zimmerman 3 | ||
| CAsuaje, SD | Scott Pianowski 2 | ||
| HKendrick, Was | Scott Pianowski 2 | ||
| YSanchez, CWS | Scott Pianowski 2 | ||
| DGossett, Oak | Derek VanRiper 1 | ||
| JCRamirez, LAA | Derek VanRiper 1 | ||
| GKontos, Pit | Scott Swanay 1 | ||
| SOhtaniH, LAA | Scott Swanay 1 | ||
| TWatson, SF | Scott Swanay 1 | ||
| ACashner, Bal | Al Melchior 0 | ||
| AEngel, CWS | Al Melchior 0 | ||
| DRobinson, Tex | Al Melchior 0 | ||
| MMoore, Tex | Bret Sayre 0 | ||
| MGonzalez, CWS | Derek VanRiper 0 | ||
| TBlach, SF | Derek VanRiper 0 | ||
| GParra, Col | Fred Zinkie 0 | ||
| CTocci, Tex | Jeff Zimmerman 0 | ||
| JFields, LAD | Jeff Zimmerman 0 | ||
| AFrazier, Pit | Scott Pianowski 0 | ||
| AHechavarria, TB | Scott Pianowski 0 | ||
| DMachado, Det | Scott Pianowski 0 | ||
| DMengden, Oak | Scott Pianowski 0 | ||
| ESogard, Mil | Scott Pianowski 0 | ||
| JIglesias, Det | Scott Pianowski 0 | ||
| NAhmed, Ari | Scott Pianowski 0 | ||
| RFlaherty, Atl | Scott Pianowski 0 | ||
| TWade, NYY | Scott Pianowski 0 | ||
| CHatcher, Oak | Tim Heaney 0 | ||
| FLiriano, Det | Tim Heaney 0 | ||
| MBush, Tex | Tim Heaney 0 |
Todd’s Take
Admittedly, I have a soft spot for Jordan Zimmermann. He was always under-priced during his salad days with the Nationals, primarily because his strikeout rate was lower than other pitchers sporting similar ratios. As such, it’s curious I’m intrigued due to an elevated strikeout rate, in tandem with a low walk rate. This is tempered by a horrible 2017, featuring a weak 5.8 K/9, but in the spring, Zimmermann fanned 18 with three walks in 18 Grapefruit League frames then opened the 2018 regular season with eight punch outs and only one free pass against the Pirates. With his second start coming in Guaranteed Rate Park against the White Sox, it’s worth a moderate investment to see if he’s figured something out.
SUCCESSFUL BIDS
| PLAYER | WINNING BID | ||
| HStrickland, SF | Greg Ambrosius 303 | Tom Kessenich 277 | Ray Murphy 151 |
| Anthony Perri 130 | Adam Ronis 113 | ||
| Michael Beller 103 | Charlie Wiegert 67 | ||
| D.J. Short 60 | Scott White 53 | ||
| MDavidson, CWS | Michael Beller 87 | Gene McCaffrey 47 | Adam Ronis 26 |
| Charlie Wiegert 12 | Perry Van Hook 1 | ||
| KPlawecki, NYM | D.J. Short 42 | Anthony Perri 15 | Rudy Gamble 2 |
| AKnapp, Phi | D.J. Short 38 | Anthony Perri 17 | Rudy Gamble 0 |
| DMachado, Det | Anthony Perri 34 | ||
| DDietrich, Mia | Gene McCaffrey 27 | Adam Ronis 17 | D.J. Short 10 |
| Charlie Wiegert 6 | Perry Van Hook 3 | ||
| JZimmermann, Det | Anthony Perri 23 | ||
| TAustin, NYY | Charlie Wiegert 12 | Perry Van Hook 6 | Charlie Wiegert 3 |
| LForsythe, LAD | D.J. Short 12 | ||
| JMarisnick, Hou | Charlie Wiegert 8 | ||
| YSanchez, CWS | Michael Beller 7 | Perry Van Hook 1 | |
| CRichard, SD | Charlie Wiegert 7 | ||
| CSmith, Mia | Perry Van Hook 6 | ||
| MGivens, Bal | Adam Ronis 3 | ||
| BAnderson, Mia | Perry Van Hook 3 | Charlie Wiegert 6 | |
| PTucker, Atl | Perry Van Hook 2 | ||
| MMarjama, Sea | Rudy Gamble 0 |
UNAWARDED BIDS
| PLAYER | |||
| YGomes, Cle | D.J. Short 32 | ||
| FLiriano, Det | Anthony Perri 28 | ||
| CSpangenberg, SD | Gene McCaffrey 27 | ||
| MMahtook, Det | Anthony Perri 24 | ||
| MJoyce, Oak | D.J. Short 10 | Charlie Wiegert 3 | |
| BLively, Phi | Charlie Wiegert 7 | ||
| MBoyd, Det | Charlie Wiegert 7 | ||
| AFrazier, Pit | Charlie Wiegert 5 | Perry Van Hook 1 | |
| ACole, Was | Charlie Wiegert 5 | ||
| EHernandez, LAD | Charlie Wiegert 5 | ||
| JGarcia, Tor | Charlie Wiegert 5 | ||
| SLugo, NYM | Charlie Wiegert 5 | ||
| NMarkakis, Atl | Charlie Wiegert 3 | Perry Van Hook 1 | |
| BNimmo, NYM | Charlie Wiegert 3 | ||
| DFister, Tex | Charlie Wiegert 3 | ||
| JCRamirez, LAA | Charlie Wiegert 3 | ||
| AdGonzalez, NYM | Perry Van Hook 1 | ||
| CaJoseph, Bal | D.J. Short 1 | ||
| RoPerez, Cle | D.J. Short 1 | ||
| CWallach, Mia | Rudy Gamble 0 | ||
| TWolters, Col | Rudy Gamble 0 |
Todd’s Take
Last week, on our Rotowire podcast, Derek VanRiper and I discussed whether Strickland or Sam Dyson was the better handcuff for Mark Melancon. My brilliant reasoning was Dyson, since there’s been opportunities for Bruce Bochy to give the ball to Strickland, and he’s always gone elsewhere.
D’OH!
Strickland is the better option and now it appears Bochy may be on board. Further, I have no confidence Melancon will ever return to form. On this same podcast, I opined we could be looking at the reincarnation of Huston Street. It remains to be seen if I’m reading these tea leaves any better.
SUCCESSFUL BIDS
| PLAYER | WINNING BID | ||
| MDavidson, CWS | Howard Bender 66 | Jake Ciely 38 | Andrea LaMont 28 |
| TBlach, SF | Stephania Bell 65 | Peter Kreutzer 11 | |
| HStrickland, SF | Justin Mason 60 | Dr. Roto 45 | Stephania Bell 15 |
| Jake Ciely 2 | |||
| HRyu, LAD | Clay Link 57 | Kyle Elfrink 36 | Jake Ciely 29 |
| Peter Kreutzer 11 | |||
| BBoxberger, Ari | Justin Mason 45 | ||
| LBrinson, Mia | Howard Bender 36 | Jake Ciely 28 | Dr. Roto 24 |
| Justin Mason 0 | |||
| MBoyd, Det | Kyle Elfrink 27 | Peter Kreutzer 11 | Jake Ciely 3 |
| NWalker, NYY | Justin Mason 26 | ||
| MGonzales, Sea | Dr. Roto 22 | Justin Mason 10 | Jake Ciely 0 |
| KPillar, Tor | Dr. Roto 22 | Justin Mason 15 | |
| NMarkakis, Atl | Stephania Bell 17 | Howard Bender 12 | |
| CSpangenberg, SD | Justin Mason 14 | Justin Mason 25 | |
| MPina, Mil | Peter Kreutzer 8 | ||
| BJohnson, Bos | Jake Ciely 5 | Kyle Elfrink 21 | |
| CEdwards, ChC | Stephania Bell 5 | ||
| DanNorris, Det | Peter Kreutzer 5 | ||
| TMahle, Cin | Jake Ciely 4 | ||
| JPanik, SF | Andrea LaMont 2 | Justin Mason 12 | |
| YGomes, Cle | Andrea LaMont 1 | Peter Kreutzer 8 |
UNAWARDED BIDS
| PLAYER | |||
| TSkaggs, LAA | Clay Link 56 | ||
| JPirela, SD | Howard Bender 26 | Justin Mason 1 | |
| BAnderson, Mia | Howard Bender 24 | ||
| COwings, Ari | Dr. Roto 21 | Justin Mason 0 | |
| JSoria, CWS | Dr. Roto 20 | ||
| KKela, Tex | Dr. Roto 20 | ||
| HRamirez, Bos | Howard Bender 18 | ||
| JWinker, Cin | Howard Bender 18 | ||
| MMahtook, Det | Dr. Roto 11 | ||
| CGreen, NYY | Dr. Roto 10 | Stephania Bell 3 | |
| AKnapp, Phi | Peter Kreutzer 8 | Andrea LaMont 0 | |
| SLugo, NYM | Clay Link 7 | Justin Mason 0 | |
| DButera, KC | Peter Kreutzer 6 | ||
| JGarcia, Tor | Clay Link 6 | ||
| SGreene, Det | Stephania Bell 5 | ||
| BLively, Phi | Clay Link 5 | ||
| FCervelli, Pit | Andrea LaMont 1 | ||
| AFrazier, Pit | Justin Mason 0 | ||
| CGomez, TB | Justin Mason 0 | ||
| CKuhl, Pit | Justin Mason 0 |
Todd’s Take
Granted, recency bias played into the action on Matt Davidson this week, but going hard after the third baseman is justifiable, at least more so than Flaherty. Davidson has a clearer path to playing time. It always seems like the White Sox want to find someone better, but always end up giving Davidson a decent number of at bats. His three homer games assures a decent chunk of playing time, at least until the Pale Hose tire of his inconsistency and look elsewhere.