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.
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 | ||
| JBlash, LAA | Jason Collette 80 | ||
| YMendez, Tex | Vlad Sedler 59 | ||
| RRodriguez, Det | Chris Liss 54 | Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 2 | |
| DFletcher, LAA | Rob Leibowitz 44 | Jeff Erickson 23 | Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 23 |
| JLamb, LAA | Chris Liss 33 | Vlad Sedler 39 | Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 6 |
| FMejia, Cle | Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 23 | ||
| RGrossman, Min | Jeff Erickson 17 | Jason Collette 40 | Patrick Davitt 0 |
| JAlvarez, LAA | Jason Collette 14 | Seth Trachtman 0 | |
| KSmith, CWS | Vlad Sedler 12 | Patrick Davitt 0 | Rob Leibowitz 0 |
| RTorreyes, NYY | Patrick Davitt 2 | Rob Leibowitz 0 | Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 0 |
| CoJoseph, Bal | Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 2 | ||
| BRondon, CWS | Seth Trachtman 0 | Rob Leibowitz 38 | |
| JBriceno, LAA | Patrick Davitt 0 | Rob Leibowitz 0 | |
| WHarris, Hou | Patrick Davitt 0 | Chris Liss 7 | |
| AWynns, Bal | Rob Leibowitz 0 | ||
| TWhite, Hou | Rob Leibowitz 0 | ||
| AClaudio, Tex | Patrick Davitt 0 |
UNAWARDED BIDS
| PLAYER | |||
| FPena, LAA | Vlad Sedler 17 | ||
| RElias, Sea | Jason Collette 14 | ||
| TraThompson, CWS | Jeff Erickson 11 | ||
| AAlmonte, KC | Chris Liss 9 | ||
| VReyes, Det | Chris Liss 9 | ||
| WFont, TB | Vlad Sedler 6 | ||
| CHatcher, Oak | Jason Collette 1 | ||
| RTorres, KC | Rob Leibowitz 0 | Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 0 | |
| JDiekman, Tex | Rob Leibowitz 0 | ||
| RRua, Tex | Rob Leibowitz 0 | ||
| TMotter, Min | Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 0 | ||
| CShreve, NYY | Patrick Davitt 0 | ||
| DOtero, Cle | Patrick Davitt 0 | ||
| JoeSmith, Hou | Patrick Davitt 0 | ||
| NVincent, Sea | Patrick Davitt 0 | ||
| ZMcAllister, Cle | Patrick Davitt 0 | ||
| HVelazquez, Bos | Chris Liss 0 |
Todd’s Take
Jabari Blash again crushed Triple-A pitching, this time for Salt Lake. The Angels promoted him, giving him a look while Kole Calhoun is on the DL. Of course, Calhoun was in a season-long rut before getting hurt, so there’s a chance Blash can keep his MLB roster spot when Calhoun returns, perhaps as Calhoun’s platoon partner. Blash has been given chances in the bigs previously, only to strike out… literally. Blash can take a walk so there’s extra allure in an OBP like Tout Wars in the event Blash can improve his contact rate. Curiously, Jason Collette was the only Tout willing to see if Blash can blast, though there are rumors Derek Carty has petitioned to be transferred to the AL so he could place a bid.
The second highest bid also went uncontested as Vlad Sedler is willing to give Yohander Mendez a shot, perhaps because he has a relatively soft matchup with the Royals in Kauffman Stadium lined up. Mendez is only 23 so there’s still time, but the prospect shine is beginning to wear off. He’s not overpowering, thus will need to rely on command and control to get by, especially in Arlington. At minimum, Mendez has a chance to stay in the rotation, after all this is a club summoning Yovani Gallardo.
I was wrong once before with Ronny Rodriguez, it could happen again, but as before, I like Chris Liss’ pickup. Niko Goodrum has displaced Dixon Machado at second base. That said, Goodrum has also been playing first, where he could shift against left-handers, clearing second for Rodriguez.
David Fletcher is an intriguing pickup. He was called up from Salt Lake after posting a .953 OPS. Andrelton Simmons is back but with Zack Cozart still out, there’s infield AB available. I like Rodriguez’s shot at playing time more, but stranger things have happened.
Of the other pickups, Robbie Grossman and Kevan Smith are both potentially useful in a deep AL league and I’m a little surprised both were available.
SUCCESSFUL BIDS
| PLAYER | WINNING BID | ||
| EDiaz, Pit | Steve Gardner 26 | Phil Hertz 18 | |
| CFerguson, LAD | Todd Zola 23 | Tristan H. Cockcroft 1 | Derek Carty 0 |
| BZiegler, Mia | Steve Gardner 4 | ||
| TomHunter, Phi | Brian Walton 2 | ||
| KHiura, Mil | Grey Albright 2 |
Todd’s Take
Yawn. When the high bid is on a middling reserve catcher, you know it’s a slow week. I need to make up ground in strikeouts in a big way. It’s not that Ferguson is a strikeout machine, but he starts and I could use the volume.
The only other acquisition of note is Keston Hiura. League leader Grey Albright’s MO is to go for the throat so he’s willing to take the chance the Brewers finally grow tired of playing musical chairs at second, turning to their 20-year old prospect on the fast track. Hiura only has 60 PA above A-Ball, but he’s raked at every level, exhibiting the power-speed combo yearned for in fantasy.
SUCCESSFUL BIDS
| PLAYER | WINNING BID | ||
| JJay, Ari | Bret Sayre 103 | Scott Engel 11 | Tim Heaney 11 |
| ZEflin, Phi | Scott Swanay 57 | Ron Shandler 47 | Scott Engel 8 |
| SPiscotty, Oak | Tim Heaney 56 | Scott Swanay 0 | 0 |
| JLoaisiga, NYY | Jeff Zimmerman 54 | Derek VanRiper 47 | Tim Heaney 16 |
| Scott Engel 9 | |||
| SDominguez, Phi | Ray Flowers 41 | Scott Swanay 34 | Bret Sayre 1 |
| Tim McLeod 1 | |||
| AMinter, Atl | Scott Swanay 34 | ||
| DRodriguez, SF | Jeff Zimmerman 27 | Jeff Zimmerman 13 | |
| DFletcher, LAA | Jeff Zimmerman 24 | ||
| BZobrist, ChC | Ray Flowers 23 | Scott Swanay 0 | |
| CStratton, SF | Bret Sayre 23 | Ray Flowers 3 | Tim Heaney 3 |
| KMorales, Tor | Ray Flowers 17 | Scott Swanay 0 | |
| FHernandez, Sea | Tim Heaney 16 | ||
| MFiers, Det | Joe Pisapia 15 | ||
| PSandoval, SF | Scott Pianowski 13 | Ray Flowers 6 | Bret Sayre 5 |
| Scott Swanay 0 | Tim Heaney 0 | ||
| CMoran, Pit | Scott Swanay 13 | Ray Flowers 15 | Bret Sayre 5 |
| Tim Heaney 0 | |||
| AMondesi, KC | Al Melchior 11 | ||
| SBieber, Cle | Tim McLeod 6 | ||
| JLamb, LAA | Ron Shandler 5 | Jeff Zimmerman 0 | |
| YSanchez, CWS | Bret Sayre 5 | Scott Swanay 0 | Jeff Zimmerman 0 |
| LChisenhall, Cle | Scott Engel 3 | Scott Swanay 0 | |
| INova, Pit | Scott Pianowski 0 | Scott Swanay 13 | Tim Heaney 6 |
| Jeff Zimmerman 0 | |||
| EHernandez, LAD | Scott Swanay 0 | ||
| JMercer, Pit | Scott Swanay 0 |
UNAWARDED BIDS
| PLAYER | |||
| DValencia, Bal | Jeff Zimmerman 14 | Scott Swanay 13 | Ray Flowers 13 |
| KYates, SD | Scott Swanay 13 | Ray Flowers 7 | |
| LForsythe, LAD | Scott Swanay 13 | Tim Heaney 0 | Scott Swanay 0 |
| DomSmith, NYM | Ray Flowers 13 | Bret Sayre 5 | |
| CDavis, Bal | Ray Flowers 11 | ||
| TAnderson, Col | Scott Swanay 7 | Tim McLeod 0 | |
| CSpangenberg, SD | Tim Heaney 4 | Scott Swanay 0 | |
| EFedde, Was | Jeff Zimmerman 4 | Jeff Zimmerman 0 | |
| ADeSclafani, Cin | Tim Heaney 3 | ||
| JHammel, KC | Ray Flowers 3 | Jeff Zimmerman 0 | |
| DWinkler, Atl | Ray Flowers 2 | ||
| MAndriese, TB | Ron Shandler 1 | ||
| AGarrett, Cin | Bret Sayre 1 | ||
| DCastillo, TB | Tim McLeod 0 | ||
| MStrahm, SD | Tim Heaney 0 | ||
| TGlasnow, Pit | Tim Heaney 0 | ||
| WDifo, Was | Scott Swanay 0 | ||
| CFerguson, LAD | Jeff Zimmerman 0 | ||
| DHolland, SF | Jeff Zimmerman 0 | ||
| ELauer, SD | Jeff Zimmerman 0 |
Todd’s Take
Busy week for the Mixed Auction crew, let’s touch on the pitching since the hitting is pretty much decent batters filling holes.
We’ve got Zach Eflin, Jonathan Loaisiga, Dereck Rodriguez, Felix Hernandez, Mike Fiers, Shane Bieber, John Lamb and Ivan Nova finding new homes with six more starters remaining available as non-awarded contingency bids.
Eflin is a little like Dylan Covey – working under the shroud of more velocity, though the underlying metrics are kinder to Eflin, especially a healthier swinging strike rate. Of the group, I agree with the bid hierarchy, Eflin has the most upside.
The next highest bid belongs to Loaisiga, who earned another start after keeping the Rays in check in his debut. It may have been a scoreless five frames, but Loaisiga did walk four. It’s telling Jeff Zimmerman bid on Loaisiga as well as Rodriguez but not Hernandez or Fiers. Sure, there’s a chance one of the veterans goes on a run, but why not take a chance on the devil we don’t know? It comes down to team needs and level of risk aversion. I don’t blame those shooting for upside or question those preferring the tried and true, knowing what they have to work with.
SUCCESSFUL BIDS
| PLAYER | WINNING BID | ||
| JLoaisiga, NYY | Jeff Boggis 152 | D.J. Short 25 | Adam Ronis 3 |
| FMejia, Cle | Michael Beller 77 | ||
| JHicks, Det | Tim McCullough 63 | Gene McCaffrey 58 | Adam Ronis 32 |
| SLugo, NYM | D.J. Short 40 | Tim McCullough 32 | Adam Ronis 16 |
| TKemp, Hou | D.J. Short 30 | Perry Van Hook 5 | |
| TomMurphy, Col | Rudy Gamble 27 | ||
| TNaquin, Cle | Perry Van Hook 23 | ||
| TAnderson, Col | Perry Van Hook 23 | Jeff Boggis 12 | |
| SBieber, Cle | Perry Van Hook 22 | ||
| SWright, Bos | Tim McCullough 22 | D.J. Short 25 | Adam Ronis 16 |
| Perry Van Hook 7 | |||
| DTravis, Tor | Ray Murphy 18 | ||
| WAdames, TB | Adam Ronis 14 | ||
| AniSanchez, Atl | Adam Ronis 3 |
UNAWARDED BIDS
| PLAYER | |||
| KMarte, Ari | Ray Murphy 18 | Perry Van Hook 5 | Adam Ronis 1 |
| PSandoval, SF | Ray Murphy 18 | ||
| DHolland, SF | Perry Van Hook 7 | ||
| JPirela, SD | Perry Van Hook 7 | ||
| AHanson, SF | Adam Ronis 6 | ||
| HPerez, Mil | Ray Murphy 4 | ||
| CPinder, Oak | Adam Ronis 6 | ||
| KYates, SD | Adam Ronis 3 | ||
| AMondesi, KC | Adam Ronis 1 | ||
| JusMiller, Was | Adam Ronis 1 |
Perry Van Hook’s Commentary
High bid from the nine Touts bidding this week was $152 for new Yankee starter Jonathan Loaisiga by Jeff Boggis. I needed to fill some empty spots on my roster (ie. too many players on the DL) and won all my top choices – Cleveland fly-chaser Tyler Naquin for $23; Rockies starter Tyler Anderson (yes again) for two starts also for $23; and with Carlos Carrasco going on the DL, I added Shane Bieber for $22 (subsequently called up to start Sunday’s game). I over thought Bieber, thinking some other Touts would put the two events together and raised what would have been a winning $13 bid to $22. Hopefully he pitches well enough next week to make me forget the nine dollars.
Todd’s Take
I’m really surprised Willy Adames only drew one bid. It’s pretty clear he’s up to stay, even with Adeiny Hechavarria off the DL. Hechavarria is ticketed for a backup role while Adames will be the regular shortstop. Adames has been hitting in a decent lineup spot so even in a lesser offense, he’ll chip in across the board.
SUCCESSFUL BIDS
| PLAYER | WINNING BID | ||
| JBarria, LAA | Kyle Elfrink 89 | Dr. Roto 26 | Jake Ciely 11 |
| Peter Kreutzer 2 | Clay Link 2 | ||
| BAnderson, Mia | Stephania Bell 38 | Peter Kreutzer 37 | Andrea LaMont 19 |
| Dr. Roto 12 | Michael Rathburn 8 | ||
| MEstrada, Tor | Paul Sporer 28 | ||
| KBarraclough, Mia | Stephania Bell 23 | ||
| JHeyward, ChC | Andrea LaMont 22 | ||
| FPeralta, Mil | Dr. Roto 20 | Jake Ciely 3 | |
| AHanson, SF | Dr. Roto 17 | ||
| BSuter, Mil | Michael Rathburn 15 | Dr. Roto 10 | Paul Sporer 4 |
| Clay Link 1 | |||
| SKingery, Phi | Dr. Roto 14 | Paul Sporer 4 | |
| JLoaisiga, NYY | Jake Ciely 11 | Clay Link 3 | Peter Kreutzer 2 |
| JHammel, KC | Michael Rathburn 8 | ||
| DRodriguez, SF | Jake Ciely 6 | Justin Mason 5 | Paul Sporer 4 |
| TomMurphy, Col | Paul Sporer 5 | Michael Rathburn 0 | |
| ELauer, SD | Justin Mason 5 | ||
| RLopez, CWS | Justin Mason 5 | Peter Kreutzer 3 | Michael Rathburn 0 |
| CKuhl, Pit | Peter Kreutzer 3 | Stephania Bell 3 | Clay Link 1 |
| FGalvis, SD | Michael Rathburn 2 | ||
| EDiaz, Pit | Michael Rathburn 2 | ||
| SMatz, NYM | Clay Link 1 | Peter Kreutzer 3 |
UNAWARDED BIDS
| PLAYER | |||
| JusMiller, Was | Paul Sporer 11 | ||
| LBrinson, Mia | Dr. Roto 10 | ||
| CRichard, SD | Michael Rathburn 5 | ||
| EAdrianza, Min | Michael Rathburn 4 | ||
| PBlackburn, Oak | Michael Rathburn 4 | ||
| SLugo, NYM | Michael Rathburn 2 | Jake Ciely 2 | Clay Link 1 |
| CCulberson, Atl | Michael Rathburn 1 | ||
| CBassitt, Oak | Justin Mason 0 |
Todd’s Take
Nice pull by Stephania Bell with Brian Anderson as the Marlins have a weekend series in Coors. Also very slick knowing to bid exactly $1 more than Peter Kreutzer.
Speaking of Coors, Tom Murphy has finally been advanced to the majors. The list of Colorado catchers expected to be fantasy gold more because of the name on the front of their uniform is long. Like many of the others, Murphy has power but needs to ratchet up his contact to take advantage.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to a personal commitment, next week’s report will be posted a few hours later than normal. Thanks for understanding – Todd