Tout Wars Free Agency Bidding Recap – Sunday, August 4

The trade deadline edition is our busiest weekly report for 2019, summarizing the top free agent bids in each of the five Tout Wars leagues, with links to the detailed bidding action following our 8 p.m. ET deadline each Sunday evening. All prices are on a $1000 base.

After you scan the detail below, please join our live chat, starting at 9 p.m. ET Sunday evening, to discuss these results with Todd Zola of Mastersball and other Touts.

American League

The AL- and NL-only leagues had the most action this week, as expected. In the AL, only one owner had more than $800 FAAB, Larry Schechter. Next at $691 was Mike Podhorzer and Doug Dennis at $482.

22 free agents joined AL-only teams in this week’s bidding.

Schechter used his hammer to acquire new Cleveland outfielder Yasiel Puig for $484. His new outfield mate by way of San Diego, Franmil Reyes, was acquired by Podhorzer for $416. That was a dollar more than Doug Dennis spent to acquire new Astros starter Zack Greinke.

Spreading his cash around, Schechter also nabbed Detroit outfielder Travis Demeritte for $297.  For $295, former Brewers-now Rays slugger Jesus Aguilar joined the roster of Jeff Erickson.

No other AL free agents went for more than $77, but as one might guess, the NL-only bidding was even wilder.

Review all 8/4 AL bids here.

National League

Money had been hoarded in the National League with two owners holding more than $1000 – Scott Wilderman at $1085 and Justin Mason with $1055. Next were Derek Carty at $940 and Craig Mish with $810.

It paid off as the biggest quantity of names to be traded headed into the Senior Circuit. In some wild and crazy bidding, a whopping 28 players were acquired this week.

Wilderman picked up new Reds starter Trevor Bauer for $1056. (As one would expect, Mason offered “just” $941.) Not coincidentally, that is what Mason paid for his second choice, new Cubs outfielder Nicholas Castellanos.

Per the unwritten script, Carty picked up new Mets starter Marcos Stroman for $811. Mish took new Braves closer Shane Greene for $709.

A pair of called-up prospects were next in the spending hierarchy. Dodgers starter Dustin May, with additional opportunity now that Hyun-Jin Ryu is out, fetched $602 of Grey Albright’s cash. Brewers outfield prospect Trent Grisham was snapped by Tristan H. Cockcroft for $400.

Steve Gardner added new Cubs second baseman-outfielder Tony Kemp for $204 and new Arizona starter Mike Leake for $145.

Review all 8/4 NL bids here.

Mixed Auction

While the dollar amounts were not higher, with none reaching $100, a whopping 31 free agents joined Mixed Auction rosters this Sunday evening.

Seattle has changed closers this season more often than Spinal Tap drummers (yes, I am dating myself with this reference). Maybe Anthony Bass is back around for another shot. He pitched the ninth Sunday, but the M’s were down by two runs. Scott Pianowski spent $99 to hook Bass.

Another new closer is Archie Bradley in Arizona, replacing (again) imploded Greg Holland. Brent Hershey spent $83 to land Bradley.

Eric Karabell likes shortstop Isan Diaz of the Marlins enough to submit a winning bid of $73. A call-up for the talented prospect is said to be imminent.

Review all 8/4 Mixed Auction bids here.

Mixed Draft

25 players found new homes in FAAB bidding this week in Mixed Draft, but spending was centered on two owners.

Arizona’s closer Bradley led the way, fetching $104 of the bankroll of league co-leader Rudy Gamble. He also acquired Royal Chelsor Cuthbert for $54.

D.J. Short dropped $145 on a trio of players – no-hit Astros starter Aaron Sanchez ($70), the Marlins’ Diaz ($45) and A’s outfielder Stephen Piscotty ($30).

Review all 8/4 Mixed Draft bids here.

Head to Head

24 free agents were acquired in the Head-to-Head League this Sunday evening.

Top dollar was the $188 pitching analyst Paul Sporer spent on former Jays-now Astros hurler Sanchez.

From there, the bidding dropped dramatically, to the $41 of Ian Kahn’s FAAB used to acquire new Dodgers starter May.

Next up was the $36 paid by Andrea LaMont for Blake Treinen of Oakland. The results have been there, but the right-hander’s chances to reclaim the closer’s job seem cloudy.

Review all 8/4 Head to Head bids here.

Tout Wars Free Agency Bidding Recap – Sunday, July 28

Welcome to our weekly summary of the top free agent bids in each of the five Tout Wars leagues, with links to the detailed bidding action following our 8 p.m. ET deadline each Sunday evening. All prices are on a $1000 base.

After you scan the detail below, please join our live chat, starting at 9 p.m. ET Sunday evening, to discuss these results with Todd Zola of Mastersball and other Touts.

American League

16 free agents were acquired for FAAB this week in the AL.

Mike Podhorzer spent the most, $83, on the Royals’ Ryan O’Hearn. KC’s first sacker to start the season is back from Omaha, replacing Lucas Duda, and should get extended playing time in another opportunity to stick.

Will Sergio Romo close for the Twins, who now have the Indians hot on their heels? Colton and the Wolfman put down $72 of their money to acquire the former ninth-inning man of the Marlins.

Matt Duffy of the Rays was also a $72 acquisition, picked up by Jason Collette. When Jason adds a Tampa Bay player, take special notice.

Review all 7/28 AL bids here.

National League

It was busy in the National League, with 19 players acquired, though since his trade is not yet official, prospective Marcus Stroman owners will have to wait a week.

At the top of the league standings, Phil Hertz of BaseballHQ opened up his pocketbook, spending $194 on Will Smith – the highest price paid across the five leagues this week. The new Dodgers catcher (not the current Giants closer) was previously owned, but dropped when sent down earlier in the season. Phil won’t get Smith’s six RBIs from Saturday, but there should be more from where that came.

Hertz also spent $57 for Miami reliever Jarlin Garcia. It is unclear if he or Jose Quijada, Nick Anderson or someone else will pick up the closing duties for the Fish with Sergio Romo traded, but Garcia did get the ninth on Sunday (in a non-save situation). Quijada went to Grey Albright for the substantially lower price of $12. (Anderson was already rostered.)

At $64, former Reds-now new Braves outfielder Adam Duvall was snapped up by Albright, as well. With Nick Markakis out, at-bats should be available, and on a better team, who knows what Duvall might do?

Review all 7/28 NL bids here.

Mixed Auction

An even 20 free agents were added to Mixed Auction rosters this week.

Leading the way at $112 is the Dodgers’ new backstop, Will Smith. His new team assignment is with Eric Karabell of ESPN, who came into Sunday with $843 FAAB compared to the owner with the next-most at just $343. To observe that Karabell holds the hammer the rest of the way is putting it mildly.

Chris Martin, who seems to be the leader of the closer committee for the Rangers currently (unless/until he is traded), joined the roster of Brent Hershey of BaseballHQ for $37. Also at $37, Baltimore’s Asher Wojciechowski was acquired by Ron Shander.

Shandler also added Kolten Wong, for $27. The Cardinals second sacker has improved his OBP recently, reflecting with his entire club’s upward production.

Review all 7/28 Mixed Auction bids here.

Mixed Draft

This time around, the busiest league was Mixed Draft, with 23 free agents finding new homes.

The top dollar player was Will Smith at $102. I wonder if new owner Tim McLeod was bidding in Canadian dollars…

Ray Murphy of BaseballHQ snapped up Astros hurler Jose Urquidy for $78. The rookie looked good against the Cardinals this weekend, with upper-90’s heat, a good changeup as well as a slider. However, with no idea what Houston plans to do in the trade market this week, Urquidy may or may not continue to get starts.

Old hand Jason Kipnis joined the roster of Charlie Wiegert for $71. The 32-year old second sacker for the Tribe has two homers, 10 RBI and a .386 OBP over the last three weeks. It was capped off by a Saturday grand slam.

Rotoman, aka Peter Kreutzer, picked up presumed new Marlins closer Nick Anderson for $58, the same price Adam Ronis paid for Wojciechowski.

Review all 7/28 Mixed Draft bids here.

Head to Head (by Todd Zola)

Pitching was the focus of the Head to Head combatants with Fangraphs Paul Sporer submitting the high bid, $54 on the surging Reynaldo Lopez. Lopez has added a couple ticks to his four seamer, averaging 97 mph while also throwing his curve and slider more. Further, he’s spinning both secondaries more, increasing their effectiveness.

The next highest bid came courtesy of Alex Chamberlain from Rotographs, dropping $45 on Asher Wojciechowski. The Baltimore righty is exhibiting a new level, fanning 37 to just eight walks in 30 frames.

Rotowire’s Ian Kahn decided $41 was the right bid to see if Nick Anderson takes over as the Miami Marlins closer.

The top bid on the hitting side belongs to A.J. Mass from ESPN with a $50 expenditure on the Dodger’s new backstop Will Smith. The club has announced Smith will be the regular receiver and he celebrated with his fourth homer of the season on Sunday. Mass also grabbed Reds infielder Josh VanMeter for $50.

The next highest hitter bid came from Dan Strafford, taking a $25 chance Yasmany Tomas will be extended a long look by Arizona.

The other double-digit bids were placed by Sporer, adding catcher Pedro Severino and starting pitcher Anthony DeSclafani, both for $11. Like Lopez, DeSclafani has recently added a couple ticks to his heater.

Review all 7/28 Head to Head bids here.

Tout Wars Free Agency Bidding Recap – Sunday, July 21

Following is our newest weekly report, summarizing the top free agent bids in each of the five Tout Wars leagues, with links to the detailed bidding action following our 8 p.m. ET deadline each Sunday evening. All prices are on a $1000 base.

After you scan the detail below, please join our live chat, starting at 9 p.m. ET Sunday evening, to discuss these results with Todd Zola of Mastersball and other Touts.

American League

Who needs big trades? 21 free agents joined AL Tout rosters this Sunday night.

$328 was the high bid across all leagues, the amount Mike Gianella paid for some pitcher named Corey Kluber. Interestingly, the second-highest offer was just $69. The Klubot is progressing toward a mid-August return and Gianella wisely made a stash move now. (Kluber’s original owner cashed him out for a FAAB rebate earlier.)

Howard Bender spent $108 on two free agents, Houston’s Rogelio Armenteros ($66) and Ryan Cordell of the White Sox ($42). Armenteros fanned six over five innings in his first starting opportunity this past week and looks to be in the rotation going forward. Outfielder Cordell has a hit in six of his last seven games, but just one RBI and one run scored.

Doug Dennis acquired pitcher Jalen Beeks of the Rays for $69. The 26-year old lefty continues to deliver strong stats from his long relief role, including 56 strikeouts in 64 2/3 innings.

Review all 7/21 AL bids here.

National League

16 players were acquired this week as everyone is waiting for the trade market to open up.

While many thought Nick Williams would receive the at-bats vacated by injured Jay Bruce, the Phils have instead called on Adam Haseley instead. Obliques can be tricky and Haseley has seemed to show enough in his first week (two home runs and five RBI) to continue to play until Bruce is ready. Tristan H. Cockcroft bid an aggressive $101 to roster Haseley.

At $52, league leader Phil Hertz of BaseballHq grabbed third base prospect Zach Green of the Giants. With Evan Longoria out with a foot injury, Green, who has 23 home runs this season in Triple-A, should see time over the known quantity, Kung-Fu Panda.

For $25, Grey Albright snagged another Giant, Connor Menez. The 24-year old lefty seems to be part of a youth movement with Derek Holland (DFA) and Drew Pomeranz (bullpen) pushed aside and allowed two runs in five innings against the Mets in his Sunday debut.  

The Angels’ loss is the Marlins’ gain as outfielder Cesar Puello was acquired for cash considerations after being bumped off the Halos’ roster by the return of Justin Upton. The 28-year old Puello seems to be poised to get a long look in the revolving door Miami outfield. Derek Carty had the winning $22 offer.

Review all 7/21 NL bids here.

Mixed Auction

18 free agents found new homes this week in Tout Mixed Auction.

It is Shark Week, as Jeff Samardzija joined the roster of Zach Steinhorn for $52. This month, the veteran Giants right-hander had three straight quality starts before giving up four runs in five innings against the Mets on Saturday.

Long a prospect, Colorado outfielder Raimel Tapia was acquired by Ray Flowers for $39. The now-25-year old came out of the break with every-day playing time and logged a six-game hitting streak that included nine hits, five runs scored and a steal.  

$33 was the winning offer for Jose Urquidy of Houston, now on Al Melchior’s roster. After two so-so starts to open his MLB career, the 24-year old right-hander dominated the Rangers on Saturday, allowing just one run on two hits with nine punchouts over seven innings.

Review all 7/21 Mixed Auction bids here.

Mixed Draft

14 players were added in Mixed Draft this week, a fairly quiet level of action.

League-leader Rudy Gamble spent $64 to acquire Cardinals infielder Tommy Edman. The rookie has shown surprising power while filling in for injured Matt Carpenter. Though the latter is expected back soon, Edman has shown enough to steal some playing time away from Kolten Wong at second and become a super-utility player for the Cardinals.

Tim MacLeod was busy, spending $184 on four players, including Giants Tyler Beede at $68 and Mike Yastrzemski at $52. The latter is showing no signs of slowing down in his rookie campaign, with three home runs and 10 RBI since the break. Beede has made three strong starts this month, most recently throwing eight shutout innings on three hits and a walk against the Mets on Friday.

Review all 7/21 Mixed Draft bids here.

Head to Head

16 players were acquired via free agent bidding this Sunday in the Head-to-Head league.

RotoLady, aka Andrea Lamont, spent $252 on a pair of outfielders with Cardinals connections. Slugger Tyler O’Neill ($177) is playing every day for the Redbirds with Marcell Ozuna out and may have earned regular time even afterward. Former Cardinal Oscar Mercado ($77) has been a bright spot for the Tribe since his call up in mid-May. His primary claim to fame is steals, but the center fielder muscled up for three long balls and eight RBI this past week.

Urquidy went to Jake Ciely for $51.

Reliever Hunter Wood of the Rays joined the roster of Dan Strafford for $50. The 25-year old righty has a strong 2.08 ERA and 1.115 WHIP this season and 21 strikeouts in 26 innings, but no save opportunities.

Outfielder Danny Santana has arisen from the scrap heap in Texas, hitting .317 with a .567 SLG in 2019. The 28-year old has been on fire since the All-Star Game with four homers, seven driven in and a .433 average. Santana now rocks the roster of AJ Mass for $40.

Review all 7/21 Head to Head bids here.

Tout Wars Free Agency Bidding Recap – Sunday, July 14

Welcome to our second report of the week, from Sunday, following our Wednesday night bidding. We summarize the top free agent bids in each of the five Tout Wars leagues, with links to the detailed bidding action following our 8 p.m. ET deadline each Sunday evening. All prices are on a $1000 base.

After you scan the detail below, please join our live chat, starting at 9 p.m. ET Sunday evening, to discuss these results with Todd Zola of Mastersball and other Touts.

American League

11 free agents joined new American League rosters this Sunday.

Leading the way at $57 is Royals outfielder Bubba Starling, acquired by Jeff Erickson of RotoWire. To say that the former no. 5 overall draft pick from way back in 2011 is a post-hype player is an understatement. Yet, the 26-year old has finally made his MLB debut and could see time in center field with KC.

The other mildly expensive acquisition is Nick Solak, formerly of Tampa Bay, who went to Doug Dennis of BaseballHQ for $41. The second baseman was dealt to the Rangers this week, and though he is initially assigned to Triple-A, he may not be down for long. This is Solak’s second trade in two years as the Yankees dealt him to the Rays during spring training 2018.

No other AL free agent went for more than $4 this week.

Review all 7/14 AL bids here.

National League

Bidding was quiet in the National League, with just six players added.

With 2 ½ weeks remaining until the July 31 trade deadline and a need for saves, I picked up two prospective closers, Kyle Crick of Pittsburgh and Mark Melancon of San Francisco, for $2 each. The latter probably has a better chance of getting the ninth inning job due to a combination of the desirability of incumbent Will Smith and his own bloated contract, though neither have appeal unless they close.

Justin Mason made a savvy addition of Arizona starter Luke Weaver, also for $2. The former Cardinals right-hander has been out since late May with elbow problems that did not require surgery. Mason noticed that Phil Hertz dropped Weaver mid-week in return for $30 FAAB and swooped in.

Everyone else was either a $1 or $0 acquisition.

Review all 7/14 NL bids here.

Mixed Auction

10 free agents found new homes this Sunday in Mixed Auction.

The top dollar acquisition is Tampa’s Mike Brosseau, for $51 of Eric Karabell of ESPN’s money. The third baseman’s two home runs on Saturday drew a lot of attention, but in his 11 games with the Rays to date, the 25-year old is hitting .382 with eight RBI.

At $38, old standard Daniel Hudson of the Blue Jays was acquired by Scott Swanay. The right-hander picked up a save on Sunday, but more importantly, closer Ken Giles appears to be prime trade bait, and if so, Hudson’s value could increase substantially.

Al Melchior picked up starting pitcher Jose Suarez of the Angels for $33. The 21-year old lefty (Suarez, not Melchior!), is averaging less than five innings over his six big-league starts and has a 5.40 ERA, but also has fanned 30 in 28 1/3 innings – and his team is not a contender.

Review all 7/14 Mixed Auction bids here.

Mixed Draft

Just seven free agents were added in Mixed Draft this week.

Leading the way in spending was Adam Ronis, who won the bidding for new Cardinals starting pitcher Daniel Ponce de Leon for $87. The 27-year old righty has been very effective in long relief and spot starts and is getting his chance to supplant disappointing Michael Wacha among St. Louis’ starting five.

A pair of once-shiny starting pitchers were picked up for $22 each. Vince Velasquez of Philly went to Ray Murphy of BaseballHQ and Jeff Samardzija was acquired by Anthony Perri. “Shark” may have some interesting upside over the final two months. Though teammate Madison Bumgarner is getting more trade interest, he could be joined on the block.

Rudy Gamble did not have to take much of a … risk on Daniel Norris, at just $18. The Tigers lefty’s last good season was 2016, but Rudy must be banking on a second-half turnaround from the 26-year old.  

Review all 7/14 Mixed Draft bids here.

Head to Head

10 free agents fetched winning bids this week in Head to Head.

Second-place owner Ian Kahn was busy, with the top spend across all five leagues with his $142 acquisition of some outfielder from the Yankees named Giancarlo Stanton. His rehab from a PCL strain in his knee is going slowly, with the latest word that the prior early August target return may not be made.

Kahn also added Nate Lowe of Tampa Bay for $38. The first sacker has been red-hot, with three long balls and seven RBI while batting .462 in his three post-break games. Kahn doesn’t get those stats, though.

In between is the $51 RotoLady (aka Andrea LaMont) paid for Ponce de Leon.

Review all 7/14 Head to Head bids here.

Tout Wars Free Agency Bidding Recap – Wednesday, July 10

By Brian Walton and Todd Zola

Welcome to our special All-Star break weekly report summarizing the top free agent bids in each of the five Tout Wars leagues, with links to the detailed bidding action following our 8 p.m. ET deadline each Sunday evening – except for this week, which was on Wednesday night. All prices are on a $1000 base.

After you scan the detail below, please join our live chat, starting at 9 p.m. ET, to discuss these results with Todd Zola of Mastersball and other Touts.

American League

While a total of 17 players were purchased in AL this week, seven of them were bargain-basement $0 acquisitions.

First-place owner Rob Leibowitz placed a winning $63 offer for Matt Theiss of the Angels. The corner infielder has a shot for playing time with AL All-Star Tommy La Stella on the injured list. Though primarily a first baseman, Theiss is seeing time at the hot corner for the Halos.

Nando Di Fino of The Athletic purchased A.J. Reed of the White Sox for $59. The 26-year old first sacker was claimed off waivers from the Astros and is reportedly being called up from Triple-A after the All-Star break.

Greg Allen of Cleveland joined the roster of Colton and the Wolfman for $52. The speedy outfielder is back for another shot a trying to earn a big-league job. A 4-for-6 game with a home run on the Sunday before the break was a nice opening bid for Allen.

Review all 7/10 AL bids here.

National League

A lucky or unlucky total of 13 players were acquired in the NL league this week.

League-leader Phil Hertz of BaseballHQ acquired Cubs infielder Robel Garcia for $58. The rookie has hit well in the minors and in his brief debut and may be able to push veteran Daniel Descalso aside for more regular work with the underachieving NL Central leader, which is looking for an offensive spark.

Apparently unconcerned about the potential return of shortstop Orlando Arcia, Craig Mish of Fantasy Sports Radio dropped a winning $57 offer for Brewers infielder Mauricio Dubon. Then again, shoulder injuries can be a problem and Dubon clearly has talent.

Andy Behrens of Yahoo sat up and noticed when the Giants’ Austin Slater launched a pinch-hit grand slam out of Oracle Park against Miles Mikolas last weekend. Slater should get a chance to claim regular time in the merry-go-round also known as the San Francisco outfield.

Review all 7/10 NL bids here.

Mixed Auction

An even 20 claims were made in the Mixed Auction with an impressive 11 Touts participating. High bid came courtesy of Scott Swanay with his $58 towards sometime Red Sox closer Heath Hembree. Nathan Eovaldi is earmarked for ninth inning duties after the break but Hembree appears to be Alex Cora’s favorite option until Eovaldi is ready.

Scott Pianowski fortified his infield with a $55 ticket on Adam Frazier, $33 on Freddy Galvis and a modest $6 on Evan Longoria. Frazier was one of the league’s hottest batters heading into the break while Freddy Galvis is giving the Toronto Blue Jays a reason to leave Bo Bichette on the farm.

A couple of other infielders have new Tout homes as Brent Hershey thinks $11 is worth the hope Oakland gives Franklin Barreto a long look while Michael Rathburn figures it’s worth $9 for the chance Luis Arraez continues pounding the ball for the Twins.

Review all 7/10 Mixed Auction bids here.

Mixed Draft

There was a little bit of everything this week in the Mixed Draft bidding, led by Scott White opening his FAAB wallet and pulling out 317 units for Giancarlo Stanton. Stanton was available because Tim McLeod opted to drop the Yankees slugger and take the $360 FAAB reimbursement. White only has to keep Stanton active for the shortened week, then he can stash him on reserve and hope for an early return.

McLeod didn’t take long spending his newfound riches, taking a $61 shot on Yusei Kikuchi and a $47 speculative try for saves on Daniel Hudson.

Speaking of saves, Rudy Gamble planted his $27 flag on Diego Castillo to lay claim to the Tampa Bay Rays closer gig while Seth Trachtman put a buck on Joe Jimenez in the event Shane Greene gets dealt. White grabbed Giovanny Gallegos for a $0 bid, either as a stash in case Carlos Martinez needs a breather in the ninth or to have someone active for the weekend before replacing him with a starter next week.

The sneaky acquisition of the week is DJ Short’s scooping of Andrelton Simmons for a modest $10 FAAB. While we’re at the time of the season the focus is on specific categories, Simmons quietly contributes across the board and is primed for a solid post-break run.

Perry Van Hook took advantage of the short week to stash Casey Mize, though the new came out earlier Mize was removed early from his start earlier today. Van Hook also sagely dropped $3 on Robel Garcia, a power-hitting infielder the Cubs saw play in Italy. Garcia isn’t assured of playing time, but with Addison Russell still in a rut, Garcia could be extended a look.

Review all 7/10 Mixed Draft bids here.

Head to Head

It was a relatively quiet week in the Head to Head League with only nine pickups. Two players tied for the high bid with Dr. Roto spending $37 on Byron Buxton while Ralph Lifshitz dropped the same amount on Andrew Cashner. Cashner has been pitching surprisingly well and opens the second half with a Saturday date in Toronto, facing one of the weaker lineups in the American League.

There are only two more double-digit claims, each for the same $10. Dr. Roto doubled down on established major leaguers rebounding after the break with a Rougned Odor dart. Alex Chamberlain got a piece of the surprising Marlins staff with his sawbuck placed on Elieser Hernandez. Hernandez isn’t scheduled to work this week but should be recalled from Triple-A the next time Miami needs a fifth starter.

The rest of the acquisitions are saves speculations, though it doesn’t hurt to have a reliever active in this abbreviated transaction period. Lifshitz decided $6 was worth a chance Colin Poche gets a piece of the Rays saves scenario. Clay Link bet a buck Nick Anderson grabs some saves if Sergio Romo is dealt by Miami. Finally, Ryan Bloomfield not only has three relievers garnering points over the weekend, $6 on each is well worth the chance Joe Jimenez, Sam Dyson and/or Aaron Bummer end up with saves if Shave Greene, Will Smith or Alex Colome are moved to a contender.

Review all 7/10 Head to Head bids here.

Tout Wars Free Agency Bidding Recap – Sunday, June 30

This is the latest of our weekly reports for 2019, summarizing the top free agent bids in each of the five Tout Wars leagues, with links to the detailed bidding action following our 8 p.m. ET deadline each Sunday evening. All prices are on a $1000 base.

After you scan the detail below, please join our live chat, starting at 9 p.m. ET Sunday evening, to discuss these results with Todd Zola of Mastersball and other Touts.

American League

This week, 16 free agents were acquired via the FAAB process in the American League-only league, however, per-player spending was low. Top prospect Brendan McKay was not among them, having been owned by Mike Podhorzer since June 10. This early speculation is typical for the highest-profile prospects in the two “-only” Tout leagues.

Colton and the Wolfman bid $52 for Oakland’s Franklin Barreto, topping the next-largest offer of $32. The long-time infield prospect was just called up on Sunday, though his path to regular playing time is unclear.

Jeff Erickson of RotoWire dropped a pair of winning $11 bids on Lone Star State free agents Logan Forsythe and J Urquidy. The veteran Forsythe may be most valuable in this format due to his eligibility in all four infield spots rather than his bat. Urquidy, 24, an Astros pitching prospect, is an option to be called up to make his start Tuesday – in Colorado!

Review all 6/30 AL bids here.

National League

13 players moved onto NL Tout rosters this Sunday evening.

It was an oldie-but-goodie move for Lenny Melnick in acquiring Fernando Rodney of the Nationals for $31. The 42-year old picked up a save this past week, for his ninth team in his long career, but his role is more likely to be a setup man ahead.

St. Louis’ Tommy Edman can do a little of everything – show a bit of pop, steal a base and can play all over. The infielder is taking advantage of Matt Carpenter’s prolonged slump, but will more likely settle into a super-sub role. I expected more interest, bidding $20 when a buck would have gotten the job done.

Alex Young was called up by Arizona and yielded three runs over five innings to the Giants in his MLB debut. Scott Wilderman of onRoto paid $14 to roster the lefty.

Review all 6/30 NL bids here.

Mixed Auction

Mixed auction was busy this week with 18 players acquired.

Here, McKay was unowned and joined the roster of big-spending Jeff Zimmerman for $178. The two-way player seems to have the most immediate value on the mound. Zimmerman also posted a winning offer for starter Austin Voth of the Nationals. The 27-year old is up for the second season and gets the Royals this coming week.

With much of his pre-season prospect luster worn off, Rockies infielder-outfielder Garrett Hampson is back with the big club and should see time as long as Trevor Story’s thumb injury keeps him out. Yahoo’s Scott Pianowski won the bidding at $41.

Another prospect who struggled earlier, St. Louis’ Tyler O’Neill, is also back due to misfortune to another, this time Marcell Ozuna’s hand injury. O’Neill can hit for power, but has major problems with the strikeout. This may be his last big chance to show if he can replace Ozuna next season, with Brent Hershey’s winning offer of $35 sealing the deal.

Review all 6/30 Mixed Auction bids here.

Mixed Draft

Mixed Draft is often a busy group at free agent time and this week was no exception. A whopping 24 players were added.

Leading the way at $400 is new/former St. Louis closer Carlos Martinez, acquired by Seth Trachtman. The ex-starter also filled in with ninth-inning duties last season and may actually be more consistent than hard-throwing Jordan Hicks, the injured player he is replacing. With his own upper-90’s heat, Martinez can get the job done.

McKay fetched a winning offer of $222 from Greg Ambrosius of the NFBC, with the next-closed bid having been $175.

Adam Ronis acquired Dylan Cease for $57. The White Sox prospect is slated to make his MLB debut on Wednesday vs. the Tigers. The timing is odd, as Cease had a strong April and May, but a rough June. Well, it is a new month…

Review all 6/30 Mixed Draft bids here.

Head to Head

An even total of 20 players were picked up this Sunday in the Head to Head format league. The top teams in the standings made the biggest individual moves.

The top price was the $116 paid for McKay by league leader Clay Link, a relative bargain perhaps.

Next at $103 is Justin Upton. The outfielder is finally healthy again and back in the Angels outfield. He has yet to steal a base, but has three long balls in his first 11 games this season. Upton’s new team is that of second-place owner Ian Kahn.

Few if anyone thought much about Kevin Newman coming into the season, but the Pirates infielder continues to be a steady performer. The 25-year old was red-hot this past week, with three home runs and nine RBI and his second, short and third eligibility is a nice bonus. Kahn was again the high bidder with his $37 offer.

Review all 6/30 Head to Head bids here.

Tout Wars Free Agency Bidding Recap – Sunday, June 23

Welcome to this week’s summary of the top free agent bids in each of the five Tout Wars leagues, with links to the detailed bidding action following our 8 p.m. ET deadline each Sunday evening. All prices are on a $1000 base.

After you scan the detail below, please join our live chat, starting at 9 p.m. ET Sunday evening, to discuss these results with Todd Zola of Mastersball and other Touts.

American League

16 new players were rostered this week in the American League-only format. Prices were subdued, with the most expensive player being Cleveland right-hander Adam Plutko, acquired by Chris Liss of Rotowire for $47. Other than a seven-run clunker in his second start, the 27-year old has not allowed more than two runs in any of his five starts. However, last time out, Plutko was pulled in the fifth, so he apparently is working on a short rope.

Apparently, the time for 22-year old Luis Arraez of the Twins is now, as he joined Jeff Erickson’s team for $35. The second base prospect is batting .364 and a .500 OBP though his first 14 MLB games.

Next in the financial hierarchy this week were a pair of $16 winning offers for Joakim Soria of the A’s by Colton and the Wolfman and Aaron Civale of the Tribe by Erickson. The ninth inning is at least temporarily open in Oakland and Civale threw six scoreless innings on just two hits in his MLB debut against the Tigers.

Review all 6/23 AL bids here.

National League

This week in NL Tout, 14 free agents were acquired. Top dollar price of $101 went for starting pitcher Logan Allen of San Diego. The prospect did not have a good start to 2019 in Triple-A, but after a strong MLB debut against the Brewers this week, he has been given at least one more start, with the Orioles next. Tristan H. Cockcroft of ESPN is Allen’s new owner.

Cursed with bad luck with closers this year, I dropped $55 for Michael Lorenzen, who has collected three saves already for the Reds with Raisel Iglesias continuing to be shaky.

Andy Behrens of Yahoo made a speculative $46 winning offer for Cardinals reliever Tyler Webb, likely based on an emergency save collected by the lefty on Saturday when (my closer) Jordan Hicks exited with triceps tendinitis. If Hicks misses any considerable time, my money would be all in on Carlos Martinez and/or John Gant getting the opportunities ahead of Webb.

Review all 6/23 NL bids here.

Mixed Auction

It was a busy week in Mixed Auction, with 21 free agents acquired via FAAB this Sunday night. Still, they stayed just under triple digits in their bidding.

At $99, former and current closer Roenis Elias of Seattle joined the roster of Yahoo’s Scott Pianowski. The 30-year old has four saves in his last five appearances and nine on the season.

Emilio Pagan of Tampa Bay was acquired by Zach Steinhorn of Creativesports for $88. Though the right-hander has just two wins and four saves this season, his ERA/WHIP combination of 1.23 and 0.818 would help any roster. Interim saves are possible with Jose Alvarado and now, Diego Castillo, on the shelf.

Sadly, the next most expensive free agent did not go for $77. Instead, $57 fetched Oakland starter Liam Hendriks, who picked a save on Saturday. He may not be the favorite for saves in Blake Treinen’s absence, but who knows for sure?

Review all 6/23 Mixed Auction bids here.

Mixed Draft

An even 20 free agents were purchased via FAAB in Mixed Draft this week.

Padres starter Allen topped the bidding at $123, going to Perry Van Hook, followed by Hendriks at $73 to Adam Ronis.

Tim McCullough acquired Indians power-hitting first base prospect Bobby Bradley for $61. 24 home runs and 55 RBI in 67 Triple-A games are a solid return, with the 32 percent strikeout rate concerning. Called up on Sunday, Bradley should get another chance to earn a starting role.

League leader Rudy Gamble picked up Nationals first sacker Matt Adams for $56. The slugger dodged a recent minor oblique strain while playing regularly in the absence of oft-injured Ryan Zimmerman.

Review all 6/23 Mixed Draft bids here.

Head to Head

While the least number of players were acquired this week in Head-to-Head, the highest bid was placed here. Marlins prospect Zac Gallen fetched $179 of league-leader Clay Link’s FAAB. Gallen was leading the minors in innings pitched and ERA before his strong MLB debut this week against the team that traded him away, the Cardinals.

Hendriks went for $39 to RotoLady, aka Andrea LaMont.

Despite an uneven first start on Friday, well-rested new Braves starter Dallas Keuchel fetched a $33 winning bid from Dr. Roto.

Alex Chamberlain went $22 for St. Louis’ Carlos Martinez, who stepped in as closer for the Cardinals for Jordan Hicks last September and may have to do it again, depending on how Hicks progresses with his forearm injury.

Review all 6/23 Head to Head bids here.

Tout Wars Free Agency Bidding Recap – Sunday, June 16

Here is the latest weekly report summarizing the top free agent bids in each of the five Tout Wars leagues, with links to the detailed bidding action following our 8 p.m. ET deadline each Sunday evening. All prices are on a $1000 base.

After you scan the detail below, please join our live chat, starting at 9 p.m. ET Sunday evening, to discuss these results with Todd Zola of Mastersball and other Touts.

American League

A lucky total of 13 free agents were purchased this week in American League Tout, however, prices were subdued.

League leader Jason Collette paid the top dollar, $27, for lefty Colin Poche. Since Collette follows the Rays especially closely, he must see something in the 25-year old reliever beyond his mediocre Triple-A and limited MLB numbers to date.

Seattle shortstop Austin Nola joined the roster of Nando DiFino of The Athletic for $18. The 29-year old, the older brother of Aaron, can play all over the infield and catch and had good all-around numbers at Triple-A. Maybe he can carve out a reserve role in his first stint in the majors.

For $14, Aaron Bummer of the White Sox was acquired by Larry Schechter for $14. The 25-year old lefty picked up a stray save this week, and could serve as a closer-in-reserve if the Sox trade Alex Colome this summer.

Review all 6/16 AL bids here.

National League

Only nine players were acquired in NL Tout Wars this week, with starting pitching leading the way.

Jordan Yamamoto was promoted from Double-A by Miami to fill-in for injured starter Jose Urena. The 23-year old tossed seven scoreless innings at the Cardinals in his debut, striking out five. Yamamoto will draw St. Louis again on Wednesday. Andy Behrens of Yahoo acquired the right-hander for $146.

His teammate, Elieser Hernandez, posted a solid outing last week, also against the Cards. He also gets St. Louis next, on Monday. Grey Albright decided an $11 bid was right, and he won.

Another fill-in starter, Daniel Ponce de Leon of St. Louis, was picked up for $27 by Mastersball’s Todd Zola. The walks are high and five innings are about all one can expect from the 27-year old righty, but the Cards have a need with few other obvious choices.

Review all 6/16 NL bids here.

Mixed Auction

Bidding was brisker this week in Mixed Auction, with 19 free agents acquired via FAAB.

The most expensive player added is Toronto’s Joe Biagini, for $57 to Gene McCaffrey. The 29-year old reliever has two stray saves this season, and has a 3.72 ERA and a 1.103 WHIP to go with 28 strikeouts in 29 innings.

Brent Hershey of BaseballHQ picked up St. Louis reliever Giovanny Gallegos for $45. The right-hander, acquired from the Yankees in the Luke Voit trade, has received more meaningful innings for the Cardinals, but is unlikely to get a shot at the ninth inning.

For a dollar less, Gallegos’ second base teammate Kolten Wong was acquired by Scott Pianowski of Yahoo. The 29-year old started the season strongly, slumped in May, but has picked up his game in the last two weeks, batting .350 with five stolen bases.

Review all 6/16 Mixed Auction bids here.

Mixed Draft

It was a busy Sunday night in Mixed Draft with 22 free agents acquired via FAAB.

Reborn Phillies infielder Scott Kingery fetched the highest bid both in Mixed Draft and all five leagues, a $314 winning offer made by Michael Beller. The 25-year old launched four home runs and plated eight over his last six games while batting .455. That increased Kingery’s season batting average to .347 and OBP to .389.

Another Philadelphia player, starting pitcher Zach Eflin, went for $167 to Scott White of USATODAY. In 13 starts, the 25-year old right-hander has a solid 2.81 ERA and 1.150 WHIP.

Marlins starter Yamamoto fetched a winning $127 offer from Perry Van Hook.

Review all 6/16 Mixed Draft bids here.

Head to Head

15 players were picked up this week in Head to Head Tout.

Leading the way with the top two bids is Ian Kahn, who spent over a quarter of his full-year FAAB, $235 specifically. For that, he acquired NL East offense in Kingery for $144 and outfielder Garrett Cooper of the Marlins for $91. Finally healthy, Cooper is hitting .400 with a .474 OBP and 13 RBI over the last three weeks.

Andrea Lamont, aka RotoLady, dropped a total of $101 on four pitchers – Ian Kennedy, Adam Plutko, Merrill Kelly and Pedro Strop. For $30, Cleveland starter Plutko is an especially intriguing selection. In two starts since his return from Triple-A, the 27-year old beat the Yankees and Tigers with a 3.00 ERA and 10 strikeouts in 12 innings.

Review all 6/16 Head to Head bids here.