Author: Brian Walton

Following 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

It was another busy week in AL Tout, with 23 free agents added to team rosters this period.

Leading the way across all five leagues at $145 is Delino DeShields, acquired by Jeff Erickson of RotoWire. The outfielder has either been on the IL or in Triple-A for half of the season to-date, but with the injury to Joey Gallo, some at-bats could be had.

The Seattle bullpen lottery continues to draw more money, with the latest a $53 winning bid on Anthony Bass by Colton and the Wolfman. The 31-year old recently opted out of his Triple-A deal with the Reds and scored a big-league deal with the M’s. Everything about Seattle is uncertain, so why not take a shot?

Lefty Devin Smeltzer took over Michael Pineda’s rotation spot (injured again!) with the Twins and spun seven masterful innings in his MLB debut against a very strong Milwaukee lineup. While there were multiple bids, the winner was just $45, a nice pickup by Larry Schechter.

Review all 6/2 AL bids here.

National League

The Sunday (or is it Monday?) trade of Jay Bruce from Seattle to Philadelphia was the major news for this waiver period. The NL East returnee was listed among eligible minor leaguers by our stats provider, onRoto. However, the bids for him were not yet accepted. A ruling is pending on whether the trade is yet official, and that may also be tying up some contingent bids (like mine).

Fernando Rodney has changed homes again. This time, the straight arrow fittingly joins the bullpen mess in our Nation’s Capital. Lenny Melnick submitted a $24 winning bid.

Down in Miami, Martin Prado has had a season to forget. However, the utilityman is still receiving regular at-bats from manager Don Mattingly and that was enough to draw $18 of Phil Hertz’ cash.

Just eight others were acquired in NL in this quiet week of bidding, with none going for more than $6

Review all 6/2 NL bids here.

Mixed Auction

26 players received bids this week in Mixed Tout.

Top dollar was the $108 paid for Detroit’s Niko Goodrum by Gene McCaffrey. The second baseman is coming off a huge week during which he batted .370 with two home runs and five RBI. Gene won’t get those stats, though. For the season, Goodrum raised his batting average to .235 and doubled his home run output.

At $79, Michael Rathburn submitted the best offer for Baltimore’s D.J. Stewart. The newly promoted outfielder may get a chance for regular playing time with Chris Davis on the shelf. The former first rounder, who was also up for 40 games last season, has a decent all-around offensive profile.

Smeltzer fetched a $64 winning offer from Bret Sayre of Baseball Prospectus.

Review all 6/2 Mixed Auction bids here.

Mixed Draft

While 22 players found new homes this week in Mixed Draft, bidding was muted, with no player fetching as much as $70.

At $69, Smeltzer joined the roster of Tom Kessenich of the NFBC. Kessenich also picked up Jose Suarez for $48. The lefty, the Angels’ no. 5 prospect, made his MLB debut for the Halos on Sunday and picked up a win over Seattle. Suarez allowed three runs in 5 2/3 innings on five hits, three walks and four strikeouts and could stay around for the struggling Angels.

Of course, Steven Brault of the Pirates joined the roster of Captain Hook, aka Perry, for $37. The left-hander held the Reds scoreless on three hits in 5 1/3 frames this past week, but still carries a 5.87 ERA this season.

Review all 6/2 Mixed Draft bids here.

Head to Head

Just 14 players were acquired in the Head to Head league this period, with only one going for more than $25.

$74 was the winning offer by Ian Kahn for Baltimore third baseman Renato Nunez. After a great start in April, the 25-year old slumped for much of May before turning it back on over the last two weeks with a whopping eight home runs and 16 RBI.

Bryan Reynolds of the Pirates joined the roster of AJ Mass for the aforementioned $25. The rookie outfielder arrived with a bang a little over a month ago and continues to hit, with a .345/.406/.569 slash line and 17 RBI and 20 runs scored in 37 games.

Dr. Roto spent a total of $43 on two NL Central pitchers working their way back from injury. Jimmy Nelson ($22) has returned to the Brewers, while St. Louis’ Alex Reyes ($21) is at Triple-A, but is still having consistency issues.

Review all 6/2 Head to Head bids here.

Here we are again with our 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 review 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

In the AL, it was a week of quantity and quality bidding (as measured by large bids). 25 players were rostered, led by a pair drawing offers over $100.

Former Milwaukee prospect and more recently failed Met Keon Broxton fetched a winning bid of $152 from Larry Schechter. The outfielder joined the Orioles this week and already hit a mammoth long ball for the worst team in the AL.

Middle infielder Lourdes Gurriel is back with the Jays and Mike Gianella of Baseball Prospectus got his man for $131. The Cuban’s 4-for-4 Sunday return for a Toronto team going nowhere had to increase interest.

Review all 5/26 AL bids here.

National League

21 players joined NL Tout rosters this week.

Slugger Kevin Cron has joined Arizona, but playing time would seem to depend on Christian Walker’s performance. Andy Behrens of Yahoo did not wait, making a winning bid of $161.

Despite a crowded Padres outfield, prospect Josh Naylor was called up for interleague play and the 21-year old has performed well in early duty. Tristan H. Cockcroft of ESPN was all-in – or more appropriately in for $87.

With Colorado closer Wade Davis out with an oblique injury, Scott Oberg has been anointed as the Rockies’ interim closer. Scott Wilderman of onRoto spent $78.

I took a $32 flyer on a first-time MLB starter. St. Louis is bringing up lefty Genesis Cabrera to take a tough assignment in Philly on Wednesday. The 23-year old with the 98 mph fastball is the best prospect from the Tommy Pham trade with the Rays and takes Michael Wacha’s rotation spot.

Review all 5/26 NL bids here.

Mixed Auction

25 was also the quantity of players who fetched winning bids this week in Mixed Auction, however, a trio of players were acquired for triple digits.

Leading the way is Derek Dietrich of the Reds, going to Derek Van Riper of RotoWire for $127. It is amazing that not only did the Marlins not ask the utilityman back for 2019, but that he had to settle for a minor league deal. With 13 long balls in 48 games, Dietrich is just three short of his career high.

Craig Biggio’s son Cavan was called up by Toronto and hit his first MLB home run on Sunday. Though not a national top 100 prospect, Biggio should play, as it is clear that his club isn’t going to win the powerhouse AL East. His new owner is Scott Engel ($125). Engel had a busy Sunday, also acquiring Cron for $111.

Review all 5/26 Mixed Auction bids here.

Mixed Draft

23 free agents were added via FAAB in Mixed Draft this week.

The top price in the league was the $251 Tim McCullough spent on Cron. That topped the Angels first baseman’s next-best offer of $181.

Biggio joined the roster of D.J. Short for an even $150. The same owner who just missed out on Cron, Greg Ambrosius of the NFBC, again came in second at $121.

Seth Trachtman picked up Oberg for $50 and new Pirates starter Mitch Keller for $45.

Review all 5/26 Mixed Draft bids here.

Head to Head

In the lowest level of action, just 14 free agents were picked up this week in the Tout Head-to-Head league.

Even so, the top dollar amount across all five leagues is the $290 Joe Pisapia spent on Biggio. He also dropped $220 on Cron, spending more than half of his full-year $1000 budget here on Memorial Day weekend. Perhaps Joe took stock of his team and decided to go big on offense.  Of note, in two of the three leagues in which both were eligible, Biggio went for more money than Cron. Mixed Draft is the exception.

Ian Kahn added Cubs left fielder Kyle Schwarber for $74.

Review all 5/26 Head to Head bids here.

The latest in our weekly reports for 2019 summarizes 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 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.

Since Tout rules allow speculative bids on draft day and any time following, many of the top names promoted to the majors this week have been owned since March – but not all, in all formats. After all, teams are allowed just four reserves.

American League

The big money was flowing on two standouts plus 14 others purchased at more moderate prices in AL Tout this week.

$560 is the amount Patrick Davitt of BaseballHQ paid for Ranger Willie Calhoun, back from Triple-A. The 24-year old outfielder returned with a bang, batting .450 including two home runs and six RBI in his initial four contests of 2019. Bidding was widespread and heavy, with the second-best offer $433.

Speaking of which, Colton and the Wolfman spent that $433 on their second choice, Royals middle infielder Nicky Lopez. The 24-year old also made an impact in his initial five games, batting .300, with half of his six hits going for doubles. No stolen bases yet, but they are expected to part of his game along with a solid OBP (he has three walks already). The winning bidding edge was just $9.

Renato Nunez of Baltimore was acquired by Mike Gianella of Baseball Prospectus for $110. The third baseman is batting .088 over the last three weeks and .215 for the season. Mike must feel Nunez can return to his early-season form (batting over .300 as late as April 25).  

Review all 5/19 AL bids here.

National League

Bidding in National League was subdued, with 13 players acquired by nine owners. Leading the way was Pirates infielder Kevin Newman. Since being released by Justin Mason two weeks ago, the 25-year old hit .343 and received 35 at-bats, which is a lot for a free agent in the only-leagues. Newman’s new owner, Phil Hertz, spent $147.

From there, it was quite a drop to the $37 Todd Zola paid for pitcher Shaun Anderson of the Giants. The 24-year old right-hander was promoted from Triple-A and yielded two earned runs over five innings in his debut.

Needing Michael Conforto coverage, I spent $35 for recycled outfielder Carlos Gomez, who recently joined the Mets. Being totally honest, I am hoping Conforto gets over his concussion very soon.

Review all 5/19 NL bids here.

Mixed Auction

The members of Mixed Auction were in a buying mood, with a whopping 30 players acquired via FAAB this week.

Leading the way is top prospect third baseman/temporary left fielder Austin Riley of the Braves, who was acquired by Bret Sayre of Baseball Prospectus for $384. Playing time should not be an issue, especially after Riley’s strong debut week (.533, two home runs, four RBI in four games).

Sayre opened his pocketbook widely this week, also adding another top prospect, infielder Brendan Rodgers of the Rockies, for $232.

Another high-dollar player is Calhoun at $311, the proud purchase of Al Melchior. Lopez was acquired by Ron Shandler for $177. Cleveland rookie speed threat, outfielder Oscar Mercado, fetched $134 of Zach Steinhorn’s FAAB.

Review all 5/19 Mixed Auction bids here.

Mixed Draft

Of the 18 players added this week in Mixed Draft, four went for $222 or more.

Charlie Wiegert acquired the two most expensive players, Riley at $350 and Lopez at $303. League leader Rudy Gamble dropped $236 on Rodgers and Ray Murphy paid $222 for Calhoun. From there, prices dropped off very quickly.

Review all 5/19 Mixed Draft bids here.

Head to Head

20 players were picked up across the Head to Head league this week.

The same names were most popular. The leader was Rodgers, at an even $200 paid by A.J. Mass. Dr. Roto acquired Calhoun for $142 and Lopez went for $120 to Alex Chamberlain.

A new name to watch is next. In a speculative bid by Dr. Roto, Houston prospect Yordan Alvarez was acquired for $110. One week of zero stats doesn’t seem like a high price to pay considering the outfielder’s expected impact when finally promoted from Triple-A.

League leader Clay Link of Rotowire picked up new Brewers second baseman Keston Hiura for a nice-buy price of $81.

Note there is a discrepancy in the bidding, that once resolved, could alter the Head to Head League information provided here.

Review all 5/19 Head to Head bids here.

Following is our 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

What American League lacked in quantity, with just nine free agents added this week, they made up for in quality. New Rays first baseman Nate Lowe caused Mike Gianella of Baseball Prospectus to make a directory assistance call for $411. Next-closest was $373.

Cool name of the week (or season), Skye Bolt of Oakland, joined the roster of Nando DiFino of The Athletic for $122. The 25-year old outfield prospect was off to a nice start at Triple-A Las Vegas, though his route to playing time with the A’s is unclear.

Review all 5/5 AL bids here

National League

As you can imagine, one of the Reds’ call-ups this week was already owned, Nick Senzel. On the other hand, despite the highest OPS in Triple-A, utilityman Josh VanMeter did not register on any top prospect lists. That didn’t matter, as bidding was strong, despite an unclear playing time situation. My aggressive $57 bid was obliterated by Todd Zola’s winning offer of $273. That is the last time I go on his Sunday afternoon SiriusXM show!

Outfielder Mike Gerber is the next in line in the seemingly endless outfield trials in San Francisco. The former Tiger drew multiple offers, with the top being $111 by Andy Behrens.

With long memories, the NL Touts avoided well-traveled Mets starter Jason Vargas during April, but after the 36-year old lefty strung three strong starts together, Scott Wilderman of onRoto jumped in for $68.

Click on the link below to see the other dozen winning bids as well as the also-rans, too.

Review all 5/5 NL bids here

Mixed Auction

Of the 23 players to be purchased this week in Mixed Auction, Lowe drew the most FAAB by a significant amount, going to Derek Van Riper of Rotowire and The Athletic for $247. The next-closest offer was a more conservative $139.

The only other player drawing a bid for more than $37 is Derek Dietrich of Cincinnati, acquired by Brent Hershey of BaseballHQ for $89. Amazingly, the former Marlin had to come to camp on a minor league deal but his early-season power display is forcing his way into the regular playing rotation for the last-place Reds.

Review all 5/5 Mixed Auction bids here

Mixed Draft

Across the 17 players purchased with FAAB this week in Mixed Draft, spending was muted. Top money was $77 for presumed Baltimore closer Mychal Givens, who received no save opportunities until April 24, but has converted three since. Anthony Perri is Givens’ new owner.

$65 put Lou Trivino of Oakland on the roster of D.J. Short. The right-handed reliever is back after missing time with a thumb injury and has been very dependable overall, with 12 of 13 scoreless appearances this season. With A’s closer Blake Treinen dealing with elbow discomfort, Trivino’s role could expand.

Likely, Tim McLeod has been watching top Astros prospect Yordan Alvarez rake in Triple-A and decided not to wait, paying $51 and a week of likely empty stats for the right to stash the outfielder until he is called up.

Lowe fetched $63 from Rudy Gamble of Razzball.  

Review all 5/5 Mixed Draft bids here

Head to Head

Finally! We find a league in which new Reds outfielder-infielder Nick Senzel was unowned. That changed with Ralph Lifshitz’ winning $420 offer, the highest amount paid for any free agent across the five leagues this week. If one is going to spend big, could there be a better investment?

Jack Ciely dropped an even $300 on two players. Lowe led the way at $174, joined by new Angels starter Griffin Canning at $126. The latter, a 22-year old right-hander, has reached the majors inside of two years after being drafted. Though Canning yielded three home runs in his MLB debut, his future is bright.

Lifshitz also added assumed new Rangers closer Shawn Kelley for $77. The door seems wide open after Jose Leclerc was removed from Texas’ ninth-inning role and Kelley received and converted the first opportunity.

In all, 15 players were purchased this week, with full bidding details viewable via the link below.

Review all 5/5 Head to Head bids here

Welcome to this week’s 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 Andrea Lamont, aka @rotolady of Lenny Melnick Fantasy Sports, along with other Touts.

American League

A whopping count of 23 free agents were acquired in free agent bidding this week.

The top dollar player is Hansel Robles of the Angels at $370 to Rob Leibowitz of RotoHeaven. With an uncertain closing situation, some thought Robles may be behind Ty Buttrey, but on Sunday, Buttrey pitched the eighth and Robles the ninth. Still it was a non-save situation and Robles has just one on the season. This is a situation to keep watching.

The next-highest winning offer was also for an emerging closer, as $199 landed Tampa Bay’s Emilio Pagan onto the roster of Patrick Davitt of BaseballHQ. Pagan is the fifth Rays reliever to secure a save this season, but has collected three straight.

$103 was the top bid for Luis Rengifo of the Angels, acquired by Jeff Erickson of RotoWire. The second baseman is getting regular playing time while batting ninth for the Halos. Rengifo hasn’t stolen a base yet but had 40 last season in the minors.

Review all 4/28 AL bids here.

National League

Though the number of players taken in NL Tout this week was low, just eight, two players fetched big money.

The Padres promoted third baseman Ty France, who was batting .423 with nine home runs in Triple-A. With Greg Garcia his primary competition, France could put pressure on struggling Ian Kinsler for playing time at second. Fernando Tatis’ Sunday injury could add to the opportunity, with Manny Machado moving from third to short. All of this together led to a $261 winning bid from Andy Behrens of Yahoo, with the next closest at $119. (As a point of reference, NL Tout had just 11 other eligible free agent hitters in the entire pool.)

Gio Gonzalez opted out of his minor league contract with the Yankees and re-signed with Milwaukee, where the veteran lefty was quickly inserted into the rotation, where he also made five effective starts to close 2018 after his acquisition from Washington. On Sunday, Gonzalez took a no-decision after allowing two runs in five innings in New York. A proven starter of this quality rarely comes available this early in the season, so bidding was brisk. I won with my $256 offer over the closest competing bid of $217.

Review all 4/28 NL bids here.

Mixed Auction

23 was also the total of free agents to be acquired this week in Mixed Auction.

New Nationals middle infielder Carter Kieboom, with two home runs in his first weekend in the majors, was snapped up for $228 by Derek Van Riper of The Athletic. Playing time looks wide open for at least the next three weeks due to Trea Turner’s injury.

Griffin Canning of the Angels went for $131 to Ray Flowers of Fantasy Guru. The 22-year old is the club’s top pitching prospect and was off to a strong start at Triple-A, with a 0.56 ERA through three starts. The right-hander is slated to make his MLB debut on Tuesday against Toronto.

The money was spread around as no other free agent fetched more than $77 (for Brandon Belt by Tim Heaney).

Review all 4/28 Mixed Auction bids here.

Mixed Draft

Over in Mixed Draft, 16 players found new roster homes this week.

Kieboom caused the biggest blast, drawing a $235 winning bid from Greg Ambrosius of the NFBC. Other top dollar players were taken in other leagues as well, with Pagan and Canning each drawing top offers of $87 (from Tom Kessenich and Tim McLeod, respectively). Next up was Buttrey at $79, also to Ambrosius.

The first new name in the bidding hierarchy is Angels infielder Tommy LaStella, who went to Ray Murphy of BaseballHQ for $66. The 30-year old swatted three home runs last week and is a regular at third.

Review all 4/28 Mixed Draft bids here.

Head to Head

H2H action this week was moderate, with 17 free agents acquired.

Leading the way was Kieboom at $287 to Jake Ciely, followed by a round $150 for Pagan, paid by AJ Mass.

From there, prices dropped hard to the $34 winning offer for Luke Jackson of Atlanta, paid by Clay Link and $33 spent by Ciely on Phillies starter Jerad Eickhoff. With Braves closer AJ Minter in a tailspin, Jackson was called upon to pick up the save on Sunday and converted the three-out opportunity against the heart of the Rockies’ lineup. As evidenced by his sharp 2.12 ERA through three outings, Eickhoff is doing his best to make demoted Nick Pivetta a distant memory.

Review all 4/28 Head to Head bids here.

This is our Easter Sunday 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

In a busy week in the AL, 21 players received bids.

The scuffling Red Sox brought up top prospect Michael Chavis and give the third sacker his first start at second base. Jason Collette did not fool around, dropping $303 for the acquisition. The second-highest offer was $104 in the blind bidding process.

Chris Liss of RotoWire likes new White Sox center fielder Ryan Cordell enough to bid $135. The 27-year old has an uneven minor league history, but can lock down regular playing time with performance. Cordell is off to a good early start.

25-year old starter Erik Swanson was called up by the Mariners and made a strong first impression, with just two baserunners (including a solo home run) in six innings against the Indians. His stay could be longer than a cup of coffee.

Review all 4/21 AL bids here.

National League

Though only 13 players were acquired this week, the big money came out Sunday night.

When a rash of injuries occur, opportunity is created for others. Such was the case with the Pirates this weekend, as Bryan Reynolds and Cole Tucker were pushed into the starting spotlight for the hottest team in baseball after a horrific outfield collision between Erik Gonzalez and Starling Marte.

Shortstop Tucker has been leading off and has begun his career with a double and home run in two games. The speedster seems to have the better chance of securing a long-term job at this point. Switch-hitting center fielder Reynolds is 4-for-6 with a double and could be worth a stash for later in the season.

OK, what are the odds that two owners would bid exactly $326? Well, that happened with Tucker. Lenny Melnick edged Grey Albright by the narrowest of margins – standings tiebreaker. Reynolds went to Scott Wilderman for $79, based on what appears to be a shorter shelf life.

Jerad Eichkoff is back from the minors and made Sunday’s start for the Phils at Colorado. The right-hander carried a shutout into the sixth before allowing four runs and taking the loss. Tristan H. Cockcroft of ESPN submitted the winning bid of $107.

Review all 4/21 NL bids here.

Mixed Auction

31 players purchased this week is impressive, especially considering four owners stood pat.

Top dollar went for new Seattle closer Roenis Elias, who slipped through unpurchased last week. With Hunter Strickland out at least two months, Elias looks to be in the driver’s seat – at least until summer – or Anthony Swarzak takes it away. The winning bid was $89, placed by Scott Engel.

Cole Tucker drew considerable attention in Mixed Auction, with the top offer placed by Tim Heaney for $67.

At $62, my choice as the player of the prior decade, Albert Pujols, joined the roster of Zach Steinhorn. Interestingly, Zach benched Pujols’ Angels teammate Justin Bour in the process.

Review all 4/21 Mixed Auction bids here.

Mixed Draft

27 free agents joined Mixed Draft rosters this weekend.

Leading the way is Tucker, the most popular Tout acquisition this week, taken in all four leagues in which he was eligible. Seth Trachtman made the top Mixed Draft bid of $185 for the new Pirates shortstop and leadoff man.

Outfielder Dwight Smith Jr. of Baltimore is coming off a big week, with seven RBI in six games. The only yellow flag is a quad injury suffered on Sunday. New owner Peter Kreutzer has to be hoping his $177 went to a player only sidelined for a short period.

Eickhoff was the third player who fetched more than $100 this week, with Kruetzer dropping $123 for the new-old Phillies starter for a tidy total of $300 on this latter pair.

Review all 4/21 Mixed Draft bids here.

Head to Head

21 is the number of new free agent acquisitions in the Head to Head League this Sunday.

The most expensive player is new Atlanta starter Mike Soroka, who was acquired by Clay Link of RotoWire for $102. The right-hander made a strong season debut this week, but with the wealth of rotation talent the Braves have, Soroka’s leash could be short.

Two of the four top acquisitions in the league this week went to Alex Chamberlain for a total of $150. $85 was deployed on Oakland’s Frankie Montas, with $65 spent on the aforementioned Seattle starter Erik Swanson. Four starts into the season and the 26-year old right-hander has a 2.70 ERA with a WHIP under 1.00 and better than a strikeout per inning.

Cole Tucker was picked up by Ralph Lifshitz for $77.  

Review all 4/21 Head to Head bids here.

Welcome to our 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

15 players moved from free agency to AL Tout rosters this week – but at mostly single-digit prices. The clear exception is Minnesota reliever Trevor Hildenberger. The 28-year old, recently thought to be third in the Twins closer hierarchy, bailed out Blake Parker on Sunday for his first save of 2019. That was enough for Jeff Erickson of Rotowire to put in a winning $65 offer.

At $59, Mike Gianella of Baseball Prospectus added Roenis Elias of Seattle. The 30-year old lefty has logged a pair of saves already this season despite apparently not being in the Mariners’ closing race.

Josh Phegley of Oakland has swung a hot bat in the early going, taking playing time away from Nick Hundley. Three home runs and eight RBI this week is an impressive haul, but Gianella won’t get those stats for his $26.

Review all 4/14 AL bids here.

National League

With recent call-ups Austin Dean (MIA OF) and Touki Toussaint (ATL SP) already rostered, NL owners were faced with an offensive talent pool led in at-bats for the week by Giants back-up catcher Erik Kratz with 12.

Another new Giant, Tyler Austin, has received decent playing time at first base and offered one of the few offensive upgrades this week. Yet, seven strikeouts in 13 at-bats across his two stops is hardly comforting. Yet, I bit the bullet and paid $55.

Miami reliever Nick Anderson is off to a strong start, with 14 punchouts in just 6 1/3 innings to go with just one run allowed. Mastersball’s Todd Zola won the bidding at $37 as a replacement for injured Atlanta closer Arodys Vizcaino.

Zola, who has been bidding aggressively early this season, plunked down $33 for Rockies outfielder Yonathan Daza. An 0-for-11 start with four K’s did not deter Todd, but the potential near-term return of David Dahl could put Daza back down to Triple-A.

In total, 13 players were acquired this week, including four $0 winning offers.

Review all 4/14 NL bids here.

Mixed Auction

There was both quality and higher prices paid this week in Mixed Auction. 21 players were acquired, led by the $203 paid for former Phillies closer Hector Neris. Jeff Zimmerman is Neris’ new owner. The reliever collected a save this week, but still seems behind David Robertson and Seranthony Dominguez in the closing hierarchy.

Braves starter Touki Toussaint was called up to replace another hurler who attracted FAAB dollars in week no. 1, Kyle Wright. After throwing six shutout innings on Saturday, Toussaint joined the roster of Brent Hershey of BaseballHQ for $179.

With injury to Scooter Gennett in Cincinnati and top prospect Nick Senzel biding his time in Triple-A, free agent signee Derek Dietrich has received regular playing time. The former Marlin has shown nice power and attracted the eye of Tim Heaney for $47.

Review all 4/14 Mixed Auction bids here.

Mixed Draft

21 new players acquired was also the total in Mixed Draft this week. The top dollar offer went for Pirates starter Jordan Lyles, joining the roster of Perry Van Hook for $123. Now on his fifth MLB team, the right is being skipped in the Pittsburgh rotation this week, but seems to have hold of the no. 5 spot. An 0.82 ERA over two starts has to have a lot to do with that.

Tom Kessenich of the NFBC acquired Toussaint for $69 and his boss Greg Ambrosius snared Angels infielder Tommy La Stella for $55. Earlier in the week, the veteran hit three home runs on Monday and Tuesday, but hasn’t had a hit since.

Outfielder Avisail Garcia is with Tampa Bay this season and joined the roster of Van Hook for $53. The veteran was red-hot this week, with a total of 11 hits in a four-game stretch. Eight of those hits were against his former White Sox teammates.

Review all 4/14 Mixed Draft bids here.

Head to Head

This was a relatively quiet week in Head-to-Head, with 14 players acquired, none over $75.

In fact, $75 was the highest offer made, as Brandon Lowe of the Rays was acquired by Dr. Roto. The second baseman had two standout outings this past week, with three long balls and six driven in. Lowe is working on an eight-game hitting streak.

Max Fried looks to have positioned himself in the Braves youthful starting rotation, justifying a $71 bid from Clay Link of Rotowire. Five other owners placed lesser offers.

Franmil Reyes, competing for time in a crowded and talented Padres outfield, brought $49 of Ralph Lifshitz’ cash. The 23-year old outfielder launched his first three home runs of the season this past week.

Review all 4/14 Head to Head bids here.

Welcome to our weekly reports, 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 big money in AL Tout this week went toward Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier, the recipient of regular playing time now that about half the Bronx Bombers’ roster is on the injured list. Chris Liss of Rotowire made sure he got his man, spending a hefty $443, the top bid of the week across the five leagues. Interestingly, the next two offers were exactly $348 and $347.

Alen Hanson, always a stolen base threat, but never hitting enough to earn regular playing time, moved this week to his third MLB stop, Toronto. Nando DiFino of The Athletic needed an infielder to replace Troy Tulowitzki and took home Hanson for $133.

15 other AL players were acquired this Sunday evening.

Review all 4/7 AL bids here

National League

The Giants needed a center fielder and were willing to give up three players to Toronto to acquire veteran Kevin Pillar. Never an OBP machine but a consistent source of double-digit steals, the 30-year old should get regular at-bats by the Bay. Despite a dreadful start to the season, Pillar was in demand in a very shallow talent pool. Mastersball’s Todd Zola’s $312 topped bids of $225 and $221, among others.

Another outfielder receiving at-bats currently is Jason Martin of Pittsburgh. However, this may be short-lived as Gregory Polanco has already begun his minor league rehab with two other mates soon to follow, Lonnie Chisenhall and Corey Dickerson. Yet, Craig Mish of SiriusXM bought for today, paying $57 for the 23-year old.

A total of 15 players were added to NL rosters this period.

Review all 4/7 NL bids here

Mixed Auction

21 players were rostered in this busy week in Mixed Auction.

Scott Pianowski of Yahoo whipped out his bankroll, spending a total of $462 on two veterans enjoying an early season power revival – second baseman Kolten Wong of St. Louis ($331) and Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward ($131).

Seattle Opening Day starting pitcher Marco Gonzales had to complete a pair of starts before generating interest, but the lefty, not known for high strikeouts, drew a stout $146 winning offer from Ray Flowers of Fantasy Guru.

Jake Lamb’s return to his home away from home, the IL, opened the door for Christian Walker to secure regular playing time at first base in Arizona. Michael Rathburn made the purchase for $129.

Review all 4/7 Mixed Auction bids here

Mixed Draft

A whopping 28 players were purchased in Mixed Draft this Sunday evening, with all 15 owners participating in the action.

The dollar amounts were somewhat muted, however, with just one player fetching triple digits. Arizona first baseman Walker went to Michael Beller for $179.

Ask Rotoman, aka Peter Kreutzer, acquired Yankees pitcher Jonathan Loaisiga for $97. It is not clear how long the 24-year old will remain up, but the prospect tossed four one-run innings his first time out.

Thought to be a fourth or fifth outfielder coming into the season, injuries to others not only elevated Jarrod Dyson to a starting role for the Snakes, but he is leading off. Anthony Perri submitted the winning bid of $86.

Review all 4/7 Mixed Draft bids here

Head to Head

Many observers scratched their heads when D.J. LeMahieu and the Yankees paired up this off-season. It took less than a week for Miguel Andujar’s injury to create a need at third base, now filled by LeMahieu. Dan Strafford paid an even $200 get D.J. on his roster.

Jake Ciely targeted saves, spending a total of $165 for Anthony Swarzak of Seattle ($83) and a dollar less for Minnesota Twin Blake Parker.

20 players were acquired across the league this week, with Andrea LaMont executing a major spring housecleaning. RotoLady bought a whopping seven free agents, coupled with one IL move and six releases. Her winning bids ranged from $41 (Heyward) to just $1 (Kelvin Herrera).

Review all 4/7 Head to Head bids here

4/7 Chat Transcript is here.