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 | ||
| RRodriguez, Det | Chris Liss 79 | Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 26 | Jason Collette 23 |
| WAstudillo, Min | Jason Collette 58 | Chris Liss 34 | Jeff Erickson 5 |
| Doug Dennis 0 | |||
| CSisco, Bal | Larry Schechter 45 | Seth Trachtman 15 | Doug Dennis 0 |
| JCave, Min | Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 41 | Chris Liss 79 | Jason Collette 18 |
| Seth Trachtman 2 | |||
| MMahtook, Det | Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 41 | Larry Schechter 32 | Chris Liss 21 |
| Jason Collette 18 | Seth Trachtman 2 | ||
| GAllen, Cle | Larry Schechter 33 | Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 6 | |
| TWade, NYY | Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 26 | ||
| JAdduci, Det | Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 21 | Seth Trachtman 2 | |
| THildenberger, Min | Larry Schechter 14 | Patrick Davitt 11 | |
| AReed, Min | Larry Schechter 13 | ||
| TThornburg, Bos | Jason Collette 12 | ||
| HWood, TB | Jason Collette 5 | ||
| KHigashioka, NYY | Jeff Erickson 3 | Doug Dennis 0 | |
| TFederowicz, Hou | Seth Trachtman 2 | ||
| TWhite, Hou | Seth Trachtman 1 | ||
| BSmith, KC | Seth Trachtman 1 | ||
| VReyes, Det | Chris Liss 0 | Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 2 | Chris Liss 2 |
UNAWARDED BIDS
| PLAYER | |||
| JoeSmith, Hou | Jason Collette 3 | ||
| BGuyer, Cle | Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 2 | Seth Trachtman 1 | |
| HHembree, Bos | Jason Collette 2 | ||
| ASlegers, Min | Jason Collette 0 | ||
| CTocci, Tex | Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 0 | ||
| DButera, KC | Seth Trachtman 0 | ||
| JAndreoli, Sea | Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 0 | ||
| JField, TB | Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 0 | ||
| NMartini, Oak | Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 0 |
Todd’s Take
With the caveat I’m 0-for-2 thinking the Tigers will give Ronny Rodriguez a decent look, third time could be a charm with the release of Dixon Machado. That said, at least recently, Detroit has seen fit to play journeyman outfielder Jim Adduci at first and designated hitter instead of Rodriguez. I guess a slash line of .338/.365/.558 isn’t enough to get time without the platoon edge in Motown.
Willians Astudillo is one of the most unique players in the league. In 500 plate appearances, he’ll put the ball on play 450 times with about 25 walks and 25 whiffs. Well, that was his minor league track record, it remains to be seen how this translates to the majors. Astudillo is a catcher by trade but can play all over, so far appearing at 2B, 3B, LF and CF for the Twins.
SUCCESSFUL BIDS
| PLAYER | WINNING BID | ||
| LPerdomo, SD | Todd Zola 57 | Phil Hertz 7 | |
| VArano, Phi | Brian Walton 45 | Lenny Melnick 30 | Phil Hertz 17 |
| Grey Albright 1 | |||
| CDArnaud, SF | Craig Mish 34 | Andy Behrens 9 | |
| JValentin, Phi | Brian Walton 23 | Craig Mish 1 | |
| JPatterson, Col | Craig Mish 17 | ||
| PValaika, Col | Grey Albright 12 | ||
| YRivera, Mia | Andy Behrens 9 | ||
| ASenzatela, Col | Derek Carty 1 | ||
| TWilliams, Mil | Andy Behrens 1 | ||
| SAlexander, LAD | Andy Behrens 1 | ||
| RDelgado, Ari | Phil Hertz 1 | Phil Hertz 0 | |
| JNottingham, Mil | Craig Mish 1 |
UNAWARDED BIDS
| PLAYER | |||
| DBote, ChC | Grey Albright 12 | ||
| JLuplow, Pit | Andy Behrens 9 | ||
| NOrf, Mil | Craig Mish 6 | ||
| RMadson, Was | Andy Behrens 1 | Phil Hertz 0 | |
| AWilkerson, Mil | Phil Hertz 0 | ||
| DHudson, LAD | Phil Hertz 0 | ||
| MAlbers, Mil | Phil Hertz 0 | ||
| MLeiter, Phi | Phil Hertz 0 | ||
| TPeterson, NYM | Phil Hertz 0 | ||
| DanJennings, Mil | Andy Behrens 0 |
Brian Walton’s Commentary
It is no coincidence that I volunteered to take today’s National League Tout Wars recap. With almost two-thirds of my full-year FAAB remaining and more than half the season complete, I am in an unpleasant place – with not enough cash to win top interleague traded free agents.
This week, with two players having hit the disabled list, I had two open roster spots. My focus was the new co-leaders of the NL East, the Philadelphia Phillies.
I beat out several other bidders for the services of reliever Victor Arano, paying $45. What caught my attention was the second of his two saves this past week, in a game in which manager Gabe Kapler used Seranthony Dominguez in the eighth. On the other hand, throwing money at presumed closers for the Phils is high risk, as eight pitchers have already logged saves for the club this season.
Infielder-outfielder Jesmuel Valentin has been seeing semi-regular time, even leading off. However, some of that is due to Cesar Hernandez’ sore foot, which is not bad enough to put him on the DL. On the positive side, Valentin qualifies and both second and third (and therefore middle and corner infield) as well as in the outfield. On the other hand, his .274 OBP this season to-date leaves a lot to be desired. I overpaid at $23 for Valentin.
The top bidder this week was Lord Zola, who added former Rule 5 pick Luis Perdomo for $57. Back in the Padres’ rotation because he earned it with good work in Triple-A, the 25-year old right-hander has upped his strikeouts, but walks remain a problem – that and his 6.86 ERA this season through five starts.
Another notable winning bid was the $34 by SiriusXM’s Craig Mish for infielder Chase d’Arnaud of the Giants, just called up from Triple-A. With Joe Panik injured, it would appear that d’Arnaud will be competing with former Pirates prospect Alen Hanson for playing time at second. d’Arnaud, Travis’ brother, is 31 years old, having first reached the bigs in 2011. His career batting average is .223.
In other words, offensive difference-makers are not to be found on the waiver wire in this league.
Todd’s Take
Not only does Perdomo have two starts this week, he’s reportedly staying in the Padres rotation over the second half. Brian hit the key points, improving strikeouts with walks an issue. Better control is always a good thing, but it’s more crucial for extreme ground ball pitchers since seeing-eye grounders elevate WHIP. He obviously needs to display it at the MLB level, but if Perdomo can carry over his 2.1 BB/9 walk rate posted at Triple-A El Paso, I’ll be less peeved about spending an extra $50 to win this week’s bid.
SUCCESSFUL BIDS
| PLAYER | WINNING BID | ||
| HBader, StL | Derek VanRiper 44 | Al Melchior 23 | Ray Flowers 17 |
| Tim Heaney 12 | Scott Swanay 8 | ||
| Scott Pianowski 5 | |||
| JShields, CWS | Fred Zinkie 41 | ||
| MHarvey, Cin | Ron Shandler 27 | Ray Flowers 17 | Tim McLeod 5 |
| Scott Engel 5 | Tim Heaney 0 | ||
| TAnderson, Col | Al Melchior 27 | Ray Flowers 17 | Tim McLeod 7 |
| Scott Pianowski 5 | |||
| DDuffy, KC | Derek VanRiper 22 | Al Melchior 2 | |
| MarkReynolds, Was | Scott Engel 21 | Scott Swanay 8 | |
| AHedges, SD | Bret Sayre 14 | ||
| VArano, Phi | Scott Pianowski 13 | ||
| WChen, Mia | Bret Sayre 12 | ||
| CDickerson, Pit | Scott Swanay 8 | ||
| DSteckenrider, Mia | Ray Flowers 7 | ||
| CHerrmann, Sea | Ron Shandler 5 | ||
| NAhmed, Ari | Scott Pianowski 5 | ||
| EDeLosSantos, Phi | Tim McLeod 3 | ||
| BZiegler, Mia | Tim McLeod 3 | ||
| WAdames, TB | Tim McLeod 2 | Derek VanRiper 1 | |
| LTrivino, Oak | Jeff Zimmerman 2 | Scott Pianowski 0 | |
| YRamirez, Bal | Al Melchior 0 | Ron Shandler 1 | |
| DValencia, Bal | Al Melchior 0 |
UNAWARDED BIDS
| PLAYER | |||
| SLeon, Bos | Bret Sayre 14 | ||
| WAstudillo, Min | Bret Sayre 14 | ||
| AKnapp, Phi | Ron Shandler 5 | ||
| MRojas, Mia | Tim McLeod 1 | ||
| ASlegers, Min | Ron Shandler 1 | ||
| KPlawecki, NYM | Ron Shandler 1 | ||
| JHellickson, Was | Jeff Zimmerman 0 | Al Melchior 0 | |
| GCooper, Mia | Al Melchior 0 | ||
| JHolder, NYY | Al Melchior 0 | ||
| SGaviglio, Tor | Al Melchior 0 | ||
| GHolland, StL | Bret Sayre 0 | ||
| ASwarzak, NYM | Jeff Zimmerman 0 | ||
| THildenberger, Min | Jeff Zimmerman 0 | ||
| HPerez, Mil | Tim McLeod 0 |
Jeff Zimmerman’s Commentary
After looking over the potential free agents, there was no must adds for me this week. When James Shields ($41) was the second highest bid, the pickings were slim.
Here are my thoughts on a few pickups:
Matt Harvey (to Ron Shandler for $27): While his ERA has been better with the Reds than Mets (7.00 vs 3.79) his ERA estimators are nearly identical: 4.51 xFIP vs 4.46 xFIP and 4.63 SIERA vs 4.33 SIERA.
Danny Duffy (to Derek Van Riper for $22): I dropped Duffy last when faced with a roster crunch. I was, and still am, dying in ERA and WHIP so Duffy’s 4.3 BB/9 had to go. Goof luck DVR.
Corey Dickerson (to Scott Swanay for $8): I’m a little surprised there wasn’t more bidding on Dickerson but the lack of home runs (only 6) likely scared off some teams. Dickerson is a perfect player to hope for a second-half rebound.
Todd’s Take
I find in interesting most of the players were awarded without a losing bid. We’re just past the halfway point and most players could be won with a $1 bid. This really suggests being aggressive early, then bidding smartly later in the season.
SUCCESSFUL BIDS
| PLAYER | WINNING BID | ||
| AnSuarez, SF | Rudy Gamble 27 | Adam Ronis 13 | Charlie Wiegert 8 |
| Jeff Boggis 6 | Perry Van Hook 4 | ||
| MSemien, Oak | Adam Ronis 18 | ||
| MFiers, Det | Greg Ambrosius 11 | ||
| JJeffress, Mil | Greg Ambrosius 9 | Scott White 0 | |
| TAnderson, Col | Charlie Wiegert 7 | Jeff Boggis 6 | Scott White 6 |
| ACashner, Bal | Jeff Boggis 5 | ||
| SPearce, Bos | Perry Van Hook 4 | ||
| AniSanchez, Atl | Adam Ronis 3 | ||
| AHanson, SF | Rudy Gamble 2 | Adam Ronis 18 | Ray Murphy 0 |
| BMiller, Mil | Ray Murphy 0 | Adam Ronis 4 | Rudy Gamble 2 |
| CMcHugh, Hou | Scott White 0 | ||
| KYates, SD | Scott White 0 | ||
| GMarquez, Col | Scott White 0 |
UNAWARDED BIDS
| PLAYER | |||
| TClippard, Tor | Rudy Gamble 27 | ||
| JLucchesi, SD | Rudy Gamble 7 | ||
| BPeacock, Hou | Greg Ambrosius 6 | ||
| SKingery, Phi | Adam Ronis 4 | Ray Murphy 0 | |
| THildenberger, Min | Rudy Gamble 3 | ||
| SGaviglio, Tor | Greg Ambrosius 3 | ||
| WFlores, NYM | Adam Ronis 3 | ||
| DValencia, Bal | Rudy Gamble 2 | ||
| LTrivino, Oak | Charlie Wiegert 2 | ||
| FLiriano, Det | Jeff Boggis 1 | ||
| NAhmed, Ari | Ray Murphy 0 | ||
| BHolt, Bos | Perry Van Hook 0 | ||
| JCave, Min | Perry Van Hook 0 | ||
| RDavis, Cle | Perry Van Hook 0 |
Perry Van Hook’s Commentary
Just eight of the Touts bidding this week – mainly for slight upgrades/replacements. High bid was Rudy Gamble’s $27 for Giants SP Andrew Suarez who has a nice two start week. Suarez was my second choice (at a much cheaper price but I won Boston 1B/OF Steve Pearce for $4 as the Sox will face three LHSP next week so Pearce, a good OBP hitter should have starts in those games plus whatever other at bats he gets. After four dollar bids for Pearce and Suarez, I bid $0 on other choices, a ploy also used by Scott White to add three pitchers.
Todd’s Take
Suarez is one of the good first half stories. With Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija all missing time, Suarez gave the Giants innings. With Chris Stratton having issues lately, Suarez stays in the rotation while Stratton has been farmed.
Along with Perry’s sage Pearce pick-up, I like Rudy Gamble snagging Alen Hanson. Hanson has been playing nearly every day, but with Joe Panik out, Hanson should play even more. Better yet, he’s been leading off, assuring maximum number of at bats.
SUCCESSFUL BIDS
| PLAYER | WINNING BID | ||
| JZimmermann, Det | Paul Sporer 77 | Andrea LaMont 23 | Michael Rathburn 4 |
| Dr. Roto 3 | |||
| MTrumbo, Bal | Andrea LaMont 44 | ||
| MStassi, Hou | Jake Ciely 29 | Stephania Bell 7 | Michael Rathburn 3 |
| ASlegers, Min | Peter Kreutzer 22 | Jake Ciely 17 | |
| JWinker, Cin | Peter Kreutzer 13 | ||
| EDeLosSantos, Phi | Dr. Roto 13 | ||
| SRomo, TB | Andrea LaMont 12 | ||
| JHellickson, Was | Michael Rathburn 8 | Dr. Roto 3 | |
| BJohnson, Bos | Michael Rathburn 8 | ||
| NGoodrum, Det | Dr. Roto 8 | ||
| YRamirez, Bal | Jake Ciely 7 | ||
| CIannetta, Col | Stephania Bell 5 | ||
| IKinerFalefa, Tex | Andrea LaMont 2 | ||
| JJimenez, Det | Dr. Roto 2 | ||
| LPerdomo, SD | Clay Link 1 | Michael Rathburn 4 |
UNAWARDED BIDS
| PLAYER | |||
| KMorales, Tor | Andrea LaMont 12 | ||
| LTrivino, Oak | Andrea LaMont 5 | ||
| MHarvey, Cin | Michael Rathburn 4 | Clay Link 0 | |
| COswalt, NYM | Michael Rathburn 4 | ||
| MAndriese, TB | Michael Rathburn 4 | ||
| CMcHugh, Hou | Jake Ciely 2 | ||
| AMinter, Atl | Clay Link 1 | ||
| KHigashioka, NYY | Andrea LaMont 1 |
Todd’s Take
Is Jordan Zimmermann to be trusted? This recent stretch could just be a hot streak or he could have found something. With declining velocity, the veteran righty needs to figure out a way to get MLB hitters out. For Zimmermann, it’s increased usage of a slider that’s always been scored as his best pitch. I prefer velocity, but Zimmermann could continue some short term success. This type of change doesn’t always have staying power.