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 | ||
| ACobb, Bal | Larry Schechter 124 | Rob Leibowitz 7 | Vlad Sedler 3 |
| DPomeranz, Bos | Larry Schechter 47 | ||
| WFont, TB | Jason Collette 46 | Vlad Sedler 38 | |
| THill, KC | Jeff Erickson 43 | Larry Schechter 23 | Vlad Sedler 6 |
| BMaurer, KC | Vlad Sedler 33 | ||
| ABibensDirkx, Tex | Vlad Sedler 26 | ||
| RHerrera, KC | Vlad Sedler 13 | Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 0 | |
| DJansen, Tor | Patrick Davitt 9 | ||
| CHerrmann, Sea | Vlad Sedler 6 | ||
| CaJoseph, Bal | Rob Leibowitz 4 | ||
| GGreiner, Det | Jason Collette 2 | ||
| KMcCarthy, KC | Doug Dennis 2 | Vlad Sedler 12 | Jeff Erickson 5 |
| YDiaz, Cle | Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 1 | ||
| RGoins, KC | Mike Podhorzer 0 | Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 0 | |
| AAlmonte, KC | Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 0 |
UNAWARDED BIDS
| PLAYER | |||
| JBiagini, Tor | Jason Collette 3 | ||
| FPena, LAA | Vlad Sedler 2 | ||
| POrlando, KC | Vlad Sedler 2 | ||
| TMotter, Min | Vlad Sedler 1 | Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 0 | |
| MHermosillo, LAA | Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 0 | ||
| DButera, KC | Jason Collette 0 |
Todd’s Take
Years of research shows more pitching than hitting emerges from the free agent. The jury is still out how helpful these arms will be but there was a preponderance of hurlers purchased this week in AL Tout. Larry Schechter was the big spender, grabbing Alex Cobb and Drew Pomeranz. Pomeranz, of course, is on the DL while Cobb is flashing signs of mediocrity with three seven-inning efforts in his last five starts.
Everyone’s heard the expression, “Baseball is a game of inches.” For Wilmer Font, it’s about 18 inches as a shift back to the third base side of the rubber has done wonders for the Rays opener — or is that now full-blown starter? Jason Collette hopes so after Font’s 5.2 inning blanking of the Yankees last time out.
I like Patrick Davitt’s preemptive bid on Blue Jays receiver Danny Jansen. Russell Martin has gotten more attention for being a side-show, playing third, shortstop and outfield than he has for his work behind the plate. A .625 OPS just doesn’t get it done. Meanwhile, Jansen is slashing a tidy .298/.411 /476 at Triple-A Buffalo.
SUCCESSFUL BIDS
| PLAYER | WINNING BID | ||
| KHerrera, Was | Brian Walton 101 | Steve Gardner 45 | Phil Hertz 37 |
| Tristan H. Cockcroft 15 | Grey Albright 11 | ||
| ASlater, SF | Phil Hertz 81 | Craig Mish 11 | |
| BMiller, Mil | Mike Gianella 44 | Phil Hertz 81 | Craig Mish 27 |
| Scott Wilderman 14 | Lenny Melnick 11 | ||
| HPence, SF | Craig Mish 37 | Mike Gianella 17 | Phil Hertz 7 |
| Lenny Melnick 3 | Scott Wilderman 0 | ||
| SDyson, SF | Steve Gardner 37 | Brian Walton 101 | Grey Albright 29 |
| Phil Hertz 1 | |||
| WSmith, SF | Grey Albright 21 | Craig Mish 2 | Phil Hertz 1 |
| JGant, StL | Grey Albright 21 | Phil Hertz 17 | Tristan H. Cockcroft 15 |
| JOsuna, Pit | Lenny Melnick 3 | Mike Gianella 14 | Scott Wilderman 2 |
| JCastillo, SD | Lenny Melnick 2 | ||
| RMoronta, SF | Tristan H. Cockcroft 1 | Grey Albright 5 | Todd Zola 0 |
| JBrebbia, StL | Phil Hertz 1 | ||
| KKaczmarski, NYM | Craig Mish 1 | Lenny Melnick 1 | |
| AMorgan, Phi | Tristan H. Cockcroft 0 | ||
| TWilliams, Mil | Todd Zola 0 |
UNAWARDED BIDS
| PLAYER | |||
| JHughes, Cin | Steve Gardner 22 | Grey Albright 5 | |
| ABlandio, Cin | Mike Gianella 6 | ||
| JFields, LAD | Grey Albright 5 | ||
| SRodriguez, Pit | Phil Hertz 2 | Phil Hertz 1 | |
| MSzczur, SD | Craig Mish 1 | Mike Gianella 0 | |
| VArano, Phi | Grey Albright 1 | ||
| DMarrero, Ari | Mike Gianella 0 | ||
| JBarnes, Mil | Phil Hertz 0 | ||
| PBourjos, Atl | Mike Gianella 0 | ||
| RErlin, SD | Phil Hertz 0 | ||
| SAlexander, LAD | Phil Hertz 0 | ||
| TMcFarland, Ari | Todd Zola 0 | ||
| YRivera, Mia | Mike Gianella 0 |
Brian Walton’s Commentary
“Don’t chase saves, they say.”
Well, when you are clawing for any points whatsoever and have potential leverage in the category, when a top arm becomes available, you have to go for it. At least that is what I told myself this week.
Kelvin Herrera was lights out with Kansas City, making him an appealing trade target for the Nationals. The downside is that Washington already has a closer, meaning saves are not assured. On the other coast, Sam Dyson seems to have inherited the job in San Francisco after Hunter Strickland came in second place with a wall in a punching contest.
I decided to get one of them this week, but in hindsight, I probably should have tried to acquire both. I prioritized Herrera higher due to his skills and the fact his team is considerably better. However, my $101 offer only needed to be $48 to edge Steve Gardner of USA TODAY. I was slightly encouraged in that Gardner is based in the DC area and follows the Nats more closely than me and his bids suggest he also favored Herrera.
Steve did add Dyson for $37, which coincidentally is the same price that Craig Mish paid for Dyson’s Giants teammate Hunter Pence. The 35-year old outfielder had a burst of productivity last week, which is pretty much his first sign of life all season to date.
Another Giants outfielder, Austin Slater, fetched the second-most money this week, $81, from Phil Hertz of BaseballHQ. Mish owned Mac Williamson, dispatched to the minors for ineffectiveness. That may have opened up the Giants’ left field job for either Pence or Slater, the latter just up from Triple-A.
Todd’s Take
A few weeks ago, I had three closers and would be looking to deal a couple to a group looking for help in the category. I did deal Brandon Morrow for Gregory Polanco, leaving me Brad Boxberger and Arodys Vizcaino. Now with Vizcaino out, I’m down to one, but after the interest in saves, perhaps I should put Boxberger on the block since I can afford to go without a closer in an effort to make up ground in saves.
Williamson is a good reminder not all of the card-carrying members of the launch-angle revolution are automatically successful. The jury is still out, there’s a good chance Williamson gets it together at Triple-A Sacramento. The point is, Williamson serves as another example of why we need to account for some reversion when analyzing batters with a power spike. I’m sure those investing in Logan Morrison and Justin Smoak are saying, “Now you tell me.”
SUCCESSFUL BIDS
| PLAYER | WINNING BID | ||
| MTrumbo, Bal | Scott Pianowski 107 | Zach Steinhorn 88 | Fred Zinkie 40 |
| Scott Engel 28 | |||
| FPeralta, Mil | Jeff Zimmerman 87 | Derek VanRiper 77 | Fred Zinkie 73 |
| Scott Pianowski 61 | Scott Swanay 28 | ||
| MMinor, Tex | Zach Steinhorn 52 | Derek VanRiper 33 | Fred Zinkie 17 |
| PStrop, ChC | Scott Swanay 28 | Al Melchior 11 | Jeff Zimmerman 0 |
| WFont, TB | Al Melchior 28 | ||
| MFranco, Phi | Tim Heaney 26 | ||
| BMiller, Mil | Derek VanRiper 23 | ||
| CSpangenberg, SD | Ron Shandler 18 | Scott Engel 4 | |
| CDavis, Bal | Ray Flowers 17 | ||
| TomMurphy, Col | Fred Zinkie 17 | Derek VanRiper 11 | |
| JBautista, NYM | Scott Engel 14 | ||
| SRomo, TB | Scott Engel 11 | Scott Pianowski 1 | |
| DWinkler, Atl | Tim McLeod 7 | ||
| JHicks, StL | Scott Pianowski 4 | Jeff Zimmerman 0 | |
| MGarver, Min | Derek VanRiper 3 | ||
| KYates, SD | Scott Pianowski 1 | Jeff Zimmerman 0 | |
| SDyson, SF | Scott Pianowski 1 | Al Melchior 22 | Scott Swanay 7 |
| Jeff Zimmerman 1 | |||
| RDavis, Cle | Scott Pianowski 0 |
UNAWARDED BIDS
| PLAYER | |||
| ADeSclafani, Cin | Zach Steinhorn 42 | ||
| SCishek, ChC | Scott Swanay 28 | ||
| THill, KC | Al Melchior 22 | Scott Pianowski 1 | Jeff Zimmerman 1 |
| DHolland, SF | Al Melchior 22 | Jeff Zimmerman 0 | |
| WDifo, Was | Ron Shandler 18 | ||
| DTravis, Tor | Ron Shandler 8 | ||
| TWatson, SF | Scott Swanay 7 | Jeff Zimmerman 0 | |
| MCanha, Oak | Scott Engel 1 | ||
| JWilson, ChC | Jeff Zimmerman 1 | ||
| EDiaz, Pit | Derek VanRiper 1 | ||
| KSmith, CWS | Derek VanRiper 1 | ||
| ELauer, SD | Jeff Zimmerman 0 |
Todd’s Take
Knowing when to cut bait and when to ride out a cold spell for an established hitter is one of the biggest challenges in mixed leagues. To be honest, there’s no right or wrong answer. In most cases, team context drives the decision.
When you drop a player like Mark Trumbo, you do so knowing someone else could reap future benefits. Scott Pianowksi hopes Trumbo’s current knee soreness isn’t serious.
After a couple of weeks devoid of two-start options, this is one of the summer’s busiest weeks. Most feel look at two-start pitchers and fear ratios. However, the main benefit of a double-dip is increased whiffs. That is, big picture, more points are gained over the course of the season in strikeouts than are lost in ratios, assuming mostly good choices are made. When a strikeout pitcher like Freddy Peralta has a pair, it’s well worth picking him up.
SUCCESSFUL BIDS
| PLAYER | WINNING BID | ||
| KMarte, Ari | Scott White 63 | Adam Ronis 23 | Ray Murphy 21 |
| AHanson, SF | Scott White 57 | Adam Ronis 8 | |
| SDyson, SF | Gene McCaffrey 38 | Perry Van Hook 3 | |
| AMinter, Atl | Adam Ronis 33 | ||
| SRomo, TB | Greg Ambrosius 21 | Charlie Wiegert 12 | Adam Ronis 12 |
| Rudy Gamble 2 | |||
| JPirela, SD | Greg Ambrosius 21 | ||
| BSuter, Mil | Rudy Gamble 17 | Greg Ambrosius 15 | Adam Ronis 12 |
| Charlie Wiegert 1 | |||
| KMorales, Tor | Charlie Wiegert 12 | Greg Ambrosius 17 | |
| LLynn, Min | Charlie Wiegert 12 | Adam Ronis 29 | |
| FBarreto, Oak | Ray Murphy 11 | Adam Ronis 6 | |
| BHardy, Det | Charlie Wiegert 10 | ||
| MHarvey, Cin | Greg Ambrosius 9 | ||
| ABradley, Ari | Perry Van Hook 7 | Rudy Gamble 2 | |
| NHundley, SF | Ray Murphy 4 | ||
| KSmith, CWS | Adam Ronis 4 | ||
| EDiaz, Pit | Perry Van Hook 3 | Adam Ronis 4 | |
| KFreeland, Col | Scott White 2 |
UNAWARDED BIDS
| PLAYER | |||
| BPeacock, Hou | Gene McCaffrey 38 | Greg Ambrosius 11 | |
| KMcCarthy, KC | Gene McCaffrey 38 | ||
| AAltherr, Phi | Greg Ambrosius 20 | ||
| JJeffress, Mil | Greg Ambrosius 17 | ||
| CMoran, Pit | Greg Ambrosius 15 | ||
| RGuzman, Tex | Charlie Wiegert 10 | ||
| DomSmith, NYM | Charlie Wiegert 10 | ||
| KPlawecki, NYM | Ray Murphy 4 | ||
| BMcCarthy, Atl | Greg Ambrosius 3 | ||
| ADeSclafani, Cin | Perry Van Hook 3 | ||
| THill, KC | Rudy Gamble 2 | ||
| SCishek, ChC | Rudy Gamble 2 | ||
| JGant, StL | Charlie Wiegert 2 | ||
| IKennedy, KC | Charlie Wiegert 2 | ||
| ONarvaez, CWS | Perry Van Hook 1 | ||
| KTucker, Hou | Scott White 1 | ||
| JAlfaro, Phi | Adam Ronis 1 | ||
| EJimenez, CWS | Scott White 1 | ||
| ARomine, NYY | Perry Van Hook 1 |
Perry Van Hook’s Commentary
While there is always the closer hunt – Sam Dyson ($38), A.J. Minter ($33); Sergio Romo ($21); and maybe Archie Bradley ($7); the high bid for the week went to rejuvenated Diamondback middle infielder Ketel Marte who after two hot weeks went for $63 to Scott White.
Wanting to upgrade Maile at C and replace Tyler Anderson (after another disappointing two start week) I went the budget route. I had Bradley on top of my pitcher list and also got my top rated C, Elias Diaz, PIT who should get the majority of the at bats with Francisco Cervelli on the DL. Diaz is very good in OBP leagues.
Todd’s Take
Handicapping saves is akin to reading tea leaves, but with former Ray’s opener notching four saves the past couple of weeks, he’d top my list of would-be closers bid on in the league this week.
SUCCESSFUL BIDS
| PLAYER | WINNING BID | ||
| MStroman, Tor | Jeff Mans 88 | Peter Kreutzer 7 | Dr. Roto 5 |
| FBarreto, Oak | Peter Kreutzer 78 | Andrea LaMont 18 | |
| CRichard, SD | Andrea LaMont 46 | Justin Mason 33 | Peter Kreutzer 13 |
| Jake Ciely 7 | Jeff Mans 5 | ||
| SBieber, Cle | Peter Kreutzer 38 | Jeff Mans 33 | Jake Ciely 24 |
| Justin Mason 17 | Dr. Roto 17 | ||
| MMinor, Tex | Jeff Mans 28 | ||
| NWilliams, Phi | Dr. Roto 16 | ||
| SLugo, NYM | Justin Mason 15 | Michael Rathburn 8 | Jake Ciely 7 |
| Michael Rathburn 6 | Dr. Roto 3 | ||
| AniSanchez, Atl | Jake Ciely 7 | Andrea LaMont 1 | |
| NEovaldi, TB | Jake Ciely 7 | Jeff Mans 15 | |
| NAhmed, Ari | Michael Rathburn 6 | ||
| SMiller, Ari | Michael Rathburn 6 | Peter Kreutzer 7 | Jake Ciely 7 |
| Justin Mason 0 | |||
| DStraily, Mia | Michael Rathburn 6 | Justin Mason 0 | |
| JPeraza, Cin | Dr. Roto 5 | Michael Rathburn 6 | |
| KKela, Tex | Dr. Roto 3 | Andrea LaMont 1 | |
| JJay, Ari | Peter Kreutzer 3 | Michael Rathburn 6 | |
| CBettis, Col | Justin Mason 1 | Dr. Roto 1 | |
| DMesoraco, NYM | Jake Ciely 1 | ||
| JSoria, CWS | Dr. Roto 1 |
UNAWARDED BIDS
| PLAYER | |||
| JCamargo, Atl | Peter Kreutzer 11 | Michael Rathburn 6 | |
| TRichards, Mia | Jeff Mans 8 | ||
| GoHernandez, SF | Michael Rathburn 6 | ||
| GParra, Col | Michael Rathburn 6 | Peter Kreutzer 3 | |
| MGonzalez, Hou | Dr. Roto 5 | ||
| MTrumbo, Bal | Dr. Roto 2 | ||
| CBassitt, Oak | Jeff Mans 1 | ||
| CDevenski, Hou | Dr. Roto 1 |
Todd’s Take
Here’s where you can see the real search for two-start hurlers as it’s all about points in the head to head league. Granted, a poor outing can result in negative points, but the outing has to be really poor and it’s rare there are two such outings in the same week. The key here is to be willing to burn and churn, borrowing the phrase used by Justin Mason when we talked earlier on the Tout Wars Hour along with Lawr Michaels. Especially in a 12-team league, you simply can’t get married to a fringe player. There’s a fine line between aggression and recklessness. The one best able to toe the line usually comes out on top.