TOUT WARS!

Here are the results of this week’s FAB bidding. Remember, if you want to check out the standings, rosters and full transactions for particular league, just click in the section heading.

American League

PLAYER	TEAM MANAGER	BID
YGurriel, KC	Patrick Davitt	106
BBichette, Tor	Patrick Davitt	106
BTeodosio, LAA	Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton	29
RGrossman, KC	Jeff Erickson	25
GCanning, LAA	Jeff Erickson	25
CPovich, Bal	Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton	22
CMcCormick, Hou	Mike Podhorzer	20
NLukes, Tor	Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton	11
TAlexander, TB	Jason Collette	6
LSosa, CWS	Andy Andres	3
NNastrini, CWS	Eric Samulski	1
JAmaya, CWS	Mike Podhorzer	0
PBerroa, CWS	Andy Andres	0
JSingleton, Hou	Andy Andres	0

National League

PLAYER	TEAM MANAGER	BID
AOller, Mia	Steve Gardner	31
LKnack, LAD	Ian Kahn	31
RGrichuk, Ari	Ian Kahn	24
KClemens, Phi	Rick Graham	20
GConine, Mia	Brian Walton	5
PSmith, Ari	Brian Walton	5
VBellozo, Mia	Derek Carty	2
MLuciano, SF	Rick Graham	1
DrSmith, NYM	Phil Hertz	1
BRaley, NYM	Phil Hertz	1
LWilliams, Atl	Erik Halterman	0
NFortes, Mia	Peter Kreutzer	0
KNewman, Ari	Peter Kreutzer	0
BWisely, SF	Erik Halterman	0
WWilson, Phi	Erik Halterman	0

Mixed Auction

PLAYER	TEAM MANAGER	BID
MConforto, SF	Kev Mahserejian	88
JTGinn, Oak	Jeff Zimmerman	56
TStory, Bos	Dave Adler	45
LWeaver, NYY	Scott Engel	44
ACivale, Mil	Dave Adler	39
LKnack, LAD	Frank Stampfl	34
PCorbin, Was	Doug Anderson – Mike Carter	27
JDeLuca, TB	Frank Stampfl	26
THolton, Det	Doug Anderson – Mike Carter	23
GPerdomo, Ari	Brent Hershey	22
JBride, Mia	Scott Swanay	20
AMarsh, KC	Scott Swanay	15
EJulien, Min	Doug Anderson – Mike Carter	13
NGonzales, Pit	Brent Hershey	12
PPages, StL	Doug Anderson – Mike Carter	11
TyAnderson, LAA	Kev Mahserejian	11
JIglesias, NYM	Scott Engel	9
AOller, Mia	Scott Swanay	5
GMcCray, SF	Scott Engel	4
TMegill, NYM	Andy Behrens	0

Mixed Draft

PLAYER	TEAM MANAGER	BID
LWeaver, NYY	Rudy Gamble	78
LKnack, LAD	Ray Murphy	70
JLeiter, Tex	Ray Murphy	70
RLowder, Cin	Ray Murphy	70
TStory, Bos	Adam Ronis	66
JJunis, Cin	Seth Trachtman	50
EJulien, Min	Rudy Gamble	42
JWinker, NYM	D.J. Short	40
TFrance, Cin	Shelly Verougstraete	21
KMontero, Det	Shelly Verougstraete	12
JBart, Pit	Adam Ronis	12
BPerkins, Mil	Mike Gianella	7
JMcMillon, Mia	Tim McLeod	6
TBeck, SF	Dr. Roto	5
AOller, Mia	Tim McLeod	5
RGrichuk, Ari	Anthony Aniano	4
BHurter, Det	Mike Gianella	1
TKinley, Col	Scott White	0
CKelly, Tex	Mike Gianella	0

Head to Head

PLAYER	TEAM MANAGER	BID
WLangford, Tex	Nick Pollack	176
ACobb, Cle	Joe Gallina	111
BStott, Phi	Nick Pollack	101
SBrown, Oak	Joe Gallina	81
NMartinez, Cin	Ariel Cohen	48
TWard, LAA	Ariel Cohen	44
JMiranda, Min	Ariel Cohen	29
JTGinn, Oak	Lauren Auerbach	27
TPham, KC	Lauren Auerbach	18
AKirk, Tor	Lauren Auerbach	9
THolton, Det	Joe Gallina	2
AAshby, Mil	Joe Gallina	2
TFrance, Cin	Greg Jewett	1

Mixed Draft with Alternate Categories

PLAYER	TEAM MANAGER	BID
SBrown, Oak	Jeff Boggis	12
LErceg, KC	Matt Trussell	21
PCorbin, Was	Matt Trussell	1
RGrichuk, Ari	Matt Trussell	2
TFrance, Cin	Sara Sanchez	12
LKnack, LAD	Zach Steinhorn	27
BRocchio, Cle	John Laghezza	3
CPovich, Bal	Ryan Boyer	27
IHerrera, StL	Geoff Pontes	21
AOller, Mia	Geoff Pontes	25
SDominguez, Bal	Ray Flowers	7

Here are the results of this week’s FAB bidding. Remember, if you want to check out the standings, rosters and full transactions for particular league, just click in the section heading.

American League

PLAYER	TEAM MANAGER	BID
ARizzo, NYY	Doug Dennis	110
KManzardo, Cle	Andy Andres	86
JHeyward, Hou	Doug Dennis	70
JTGinn, Oak	Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton	26
EDuran, Tex	Doug Dennis	20
BGamel, Hou	Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton	16
CDana, LAA	Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton	12
BRortvedt, TB	Doug Dennis	9
JAranda, TB	Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton	9
DCameron, Oak	Eric Samulski	6
RDetmers, LAA	Jason Collette	4
WVest, Det	Rob Leibowitz	3
RContreras, LAA	Doug Dennis	2
HBigge, TB	Eric Samulski	1
TJankowski, Tex	Mike Podhorzer	0

National League

PLAYER	TEAM MANAGER	BID
CBethancourt, ChC	Steve Gardner	55
NGonzales, Pit	Ian Kahn	42
JFraley, Cin	Ian Kahn	31
PCorbin, Was	Ian Kahn	13
RLowder, Cin	Peter Kreutzer	11
DSantana, Pit	Grey Albright	3
JBeeks, Pit	Grey Albright	3
TKinley, Col	Rick Graham	2
RHinds, Cin	Erik Halterman	1
CTaylor, LAD	Erik Halterman	0

Mixed Auction

PLAYER	TEAM MANAGER	BID
KManzardo, Cle	Kev Mahserejian	66
RLowder, Cin	Kev Mahserejian	66
PDeJong, KC	Justin Mason	33
YGrandal, Pit	Dave Adler	31
CDana, LAA	Todd Zola	27
RDetmers, LAA	Brent Hershey	21
MStroman, NYY	Andy Behrens	18
CPovich, Bal	Scott Swanay	18
WWagner, Tor	Brent Hershey	17
ABenintendi, CWS	Doug Anderson – Mike Carter	9
SEspinal, Cin	Doug Anderson – Mike Carter	7
JJunis, Cin	Doug Anderson – Mike Carter	7
RTellez, Pit	Doug Anderson – Mike Carter	5
GMitchell, Mil	Tristan Cockcroft	5
ARendon, LAA	Scott Swanay	5
JWrobleski, LAD	Scott Engel	2
LDeLosSantos, Tor	Scott Engel	2
JStallings, Col	Kev Mahserejian	1

Mixed Draft

PLAYER	TEAM MANAGER	BID
JTena, Was	Brian Entrekin	46
MSpence, Oak	Seth Trachtman	45
KStowers, Mia	Brian Entrekin	44
JWalker, StL	Scott White	42
CPovich, Bal	Rudy Gamble	34
KManzardo, Cle	Adam Ronis	28
RDetmers, LAA	Seth Trachtman	25
CDana, LAA	Anthony Aniano	20
CJoe, Pit	Brian Entrekin	11
YGurriel, KC	Anthony Aniano	7
ABarger, Tor	Mike Gianella	7
JTGinn, Oak	Shelly Verougstraete	3
VCaratini, Hou	Mike Gianella	1
JAranda, TB	Scott White	0

Head to Head

PLAYER	TEAM MANAGER	BID
SDominguez, Bal	Ariel Cohen	43
JMartinez, Ari	Ariel Cohen	33
PCorbin, Was	Joe Gallina	27
PCrowArmstrong, ChC	Joe Gallina	17
RLowder, Cin	Michael Govier	16
CMayo, Bal	Michael Govier	16
JWalker, StL	Greg Jewett	9
AWells, NYY	Greg Jewett	9
AGimenez, Cle	Greg Jewett	7
PHodge, ChC	Lauren Auerbach	6
RLaureano, Atl	Lauren Auerbach	5
KManzardo, Cle	Sky Dombroske	4
WWagner, Tor	Greg Jewett	3
JTena, Was	Greg Jewett	3
OLopez, Mia	Joe Gallina	1

Mixed Draft with Alternate Categories

PLAYER	TEAM MANAGER	BID
MAmaya, ChC	C.J. Kaltenbach	146
RSuarez, Phi	Zach Steinhorn	111
BHurter, Det	C.J. Kaltenbach	57
JTGinn, Oak	C.J. Kaltenbach	56
ABarger, Tor	John Laghezza	41
RDetmers, LAA	John Laghezza	25
ZMcKinstry, Det	Ray Flowers	6
TKahnle, NYY	Ray Flowers	4
RLowder, Cin	Ryan Boyer	3
GSanchez, Mil	Matt Cederholm	1
CBethancourt, ChC	Matt Cederholm	1
SFrelick, Mil	Matt Cederholm	1
AKirk, Tor	Ryan Boyer	1

Here are the results of this week’s FAB bidding. Remember, if you want to check out the standings, rosters and full transactions for particular league, just click in the section heading.

American League

PLAYER	TEAM MANAGER	BID
JRogers, Det	Andy Andres	31
LRivas, Sea	Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton	21
JLeiter, Tex	Jeff Erickson	17
JQuijada, LAA	Doug Dennis	11
BHurter, Det	Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton	11
NKavadas, LAA	Eric Samulski	4
MSpence, Oak	Jason Collette	3
DMartin, CWS	Eric Samulski	2
KAkin, Bal	Mike Podhorzer	1
CSnider, Sea	Mike Podhorzer	1
JBoyle, Oak	Andy Andres	0
ESwanson, Tor	Patrick Davitt	0

National League

PLAYER	TEAM MANAGER	BID
CDoval, SF	Steve Gardner	95
GUrshela, Atl	Steve Gardner	72
DomSmith, Cin	Erik Halterman	9
LOrtiz, Pit	Peter Kreutzer	8
LBaker, StL	Peter Kreutzer	7
VBrujan, Mia	Ian Kahn	6
NFortes, Mia	Rick Graham	4
MMcCoy, SD	Rick Graham	1
BWoodruff, Mil	Phil Hertz	1

Mixed Auction

PLAYER	TEAM MANAGER	BID
PHodge, ChC	Scott Engel	67
DCrews, Was	Jeff Zimmerman	58
GPerdomo, Ari	Tristan Cockcroft	27
ABarger, Tor	Frank Stampfl	24
TKinley, Col	Scott Engel	20
EPhillips, LAD	Bret Sayre	16
RLaureano, Atl	Scott Chu	15
JMeyers, Hou	Scott Swanay	15
JAguiar, Cin	Todd Zola	13
JSchreiber, KC	Todd Zola	13
DHernaiz, Oak	Brent Hershey	11
JJung, Det	Dave Adler	7
RUrias, Bal	Scott Swanay	7
JTena, Was	Jeff Zimmerman	6
JLeiter, Tex	Jeff Zimmerman	6
JRogers, Det	Scott Chu	5
KLee, CWS	Andy Behrens	5
TAlexander, TB	Scott Swanay	5
GCanning, LAA	Scott Swanay	5
IHerrera, StL	Brent Hershey	3
CCriswell, Bos	Justin Mason	3
CFulmer, LAA	Justin Mason	3
YaRodriguez, Tor	Tristan Cockcroft	2
DomSmith, Cin	Kev Mahserejian	1
DRomo, Col	Bret Sayre	0

Mixed Draft

PLAYER	TEAM MANAGER	BID
GWilliams, Cle	Garion Thorne	225
DCrews, Was	Ryan Bloomfield	183
JLoperfido, Tor	Adam Ronis	88
CNorby, Mia	Garion Thorne	80
RLaureano, Atl	Adam Ronis	68
JrgLopez, ChC	Scott White	67
JLeiter, Tex	Seth Trachtman	65
VRobles, Sea	Tim McLeod	21
DomSmith, Cin	Ryan Bloomfield	18
PHodge, ChC	Mike Gianella	11
OLopez, Mia	Tim McLeod	8
PPages, StL	Brian Entrekin	6
AChivilli, Col	Tim McLeod	5
JCueto, LAA	Shelly Verougstraete	4
DHill, Mia	Mike Gianella	4
AlSuarez, Bal	Scott White	3
LHendriks, Bos	Dr. Roto	2
IHerrera, StL	Adam Ronis	2
CCriswell, Bos	Dr. Roto	1
JStallings, Col	Mike Gianella	0

Head to Head

PLAYER	TEAM MANAGER	BID
BFrancis, Tor	Lauren Auerbach	42
KCrawford, Bos	Ariel Cohen	34
FMontas, Mil	Ariel Cohen	34
TStephenson, Cin	Sky Dombroske	29
OBido, Oak	Sky Dombroske	14
TMadded, Det	Michael Govier	11
CNorby, Mia	Sky Dombroske	11
DPeralta, SD	Lauren Auerbach	9
DCrews, Was	Sky Dombroske	8
BMiller, LAD	Ryan Hallam	7
FFermin, KC	Joe Gallina	6
CBradford, Tex	Joe Gallina	5
CPovich, Bal	Frank Ammirante	4
CCriswell, Bos	Frank Ammirante	2

Mixed Draft with Alternate Categories

PLAYER	TEAM MANAGER	BID
DCrews, Was	Sara Sanchez	172
PHodge, ChC	John Laghezza	45
GWilliams, Cle	Ray Flowers	27
JAguiar, Cin	Derek VanRiper	22
JBoyle, Oak	Joe Orrico	16
JMartinez, Ari	Sara Sanchez	12
EUceta, TB	Ray Flowers	11
BLively, Cle	Geoff Pontes	11
SWhitcomb, Hou	Chris Towers	7
JrgLopez, ChC	Sara Sanchez	7
KHigashioka, SD	John Laghezza	3
JBeck, Col	Ryan Boyer	3
MMikolas, StL	Jeff Boggis	2
JStallings, Col	Chris Towers	2
JTena, Was	Chris Towers	2
BBlalock, Col	Geoff Pontes	2
LWade, SF	Carlos Marcano	1
JWilson, Oak	Ryan Boyer	1

This week’s question: What is one of your favorite pieces of advice when asked how to go about category management in roto leagues down the stretch?

Todd Zola (Mastersball, @toddzola): DO NOT ignore ratios (BAvg, OBP, ERA, WHIP). There is actually more movement in ratios than counting categories.

Larry Schechter (Winning Fantasy Baseball, @LarrySchechter): This should be obvious, but you only have six weeks so you can’t make up large deficits. Concentrate on what you can realistically achieve, and if you have a surplus in a category see if a trade makes sense; i.e. your big SB guy isn’t needed anymore if you are 18 steals ahead of the next guy.

Ryan Hallam (Fighting Chance Fantasy, @FightingChance): Obviously you have to look at the categories that you really can make up ground (if needed), but also don’t forget to look who is close behind you in categories as well. Holding on to the points that you have is just as important as trying to pick up points in other categories

Paul Sporer (Fangraphs, @sporer): You already put it, Todd, but I always quote you when I say it anyway, so let me underscore the ratios point. They MOVE a lotttt throughout the year. Never give up on them if you’re truly trying to make a run up the standings. This is anecdotal, but in a month span, I went from 15th to 4th in AVG in my Main Event (thank you very, Xavier Edwards among others!). The denominator’s constant growth obviously makes it tougher as we move forward, but far from impossible and too often I’ve seen folks give up on achievable ratios only to fall short of their title or cash spot because of it.

Todd Zola (Mastersball, @toddzola): OK, here’s another one. We’re around 75% of the way through. You’re not six counting stats behind the next guy, you’re eight. Granted, rosters have changed and the growth won’t be linear, but to make up six counting stats, you need six over above your current pace plus two (assuming the current pace continues). The main point is keep in mind your competitors are also doing the category math and may play some defense on your attempt to make up ground.

Rick Wolf (SiriusXM Fantasy, @RickWolf1): This is a super complicated topic. Here is what Colton & The Wolfman have been doing for years. It starts with monitoring all year and making adjustments real-time in a number of directions. With Tout Wars’ amazing flexibility, you have the opportunity to add two extra pitchers if you want in the SW positions, you cannot ignore that. Take each category and determine what is necessary in order to get into the top 3 positions. If all categories finish in the Top 3, you win. Look at each amount needed for the AVG/OBP, WHIP and ERA first. You can determine movement based on the number of IPs potentially left or the number of ABs. Now, you can use addition by subtraction. If we are ahead in HRs, you can DROP a HR guy who has a bad average or OBP. You are ALLOWED to do that to win. You can drop a good pitcher who hurts you ERA/WHIP. Now, most of this should be done with trades before the deadline, but that said, closing from here is harder if trades didn’t make sense. Maximizing at bats will help with runs and RBI. Maximizing starts can help with wins and strikeouts so if the number of innings of BAD ratios won’t make you drop from Top 3, GO FOR IT! CTW has employed 9 or 10 starters for the last 3 weeks to make up ground in those categories as bad innings wouldn’t move us more than a point or two in the ratio categories. Last thing, critical. Steals can be grabbed as teams expand rosters. Use that last SW or hitting spot to cycle speed through. Three to five stolen bases can be multiple points in September.

Scott Chu (Pitcher List, @ifthechufits): There is no such thing as “best player available” in category leagues at this point. There is only “what does this guy give me and at what cost”. Asking if you should drop Lawrence Butler with Michael Harris II’s return is suddenly an awkward question, as these guys do VERY different things. Overall rankings of hitters matter less and less every day starting in March, and at this point in the season, your personal rankings should be entirely tailored to your needs and, to a lesser extent, the needs of your opponents. The ultimate question at this stage is simply “does this guy provide what I need, and if so, is it worth the cost I’ll have to pay (in either FAAB or losses in other categories).”

Mike Gianella (Baseball Prospectus, @): Pay attention to the bottom of the standings. There will be teams in nearly every league who are dead in the water and only making moves for next year in keeper leagues or have completely or somewhat checked out in redraft. These teams will be behind you in most Roto categories (there’s a reason they’re at the bottom), but sometimes there are teams dominating in 1-3 categories that stink everywhere else. These teams typically sink like a stone in those categories, and a point or two you thought was out of reach might not be out of reach at all. These opportunities aren’t plentiful or easy, but if you’re in a tight race picking up 2-3 points like this can make all the difference.

Fred Zinkie (Yahoo/Rotowire, @FredZinkieMLB): Here’s something I learned over the years… don’t get too comfortable in any category at this point in the season. Sure, we want to focus on the categories that are tightly bunched. But a seemingly safe cushion can evaporate quickly. Especially in the ratio categories. For example, let’s say that you have a 10-steal buffer. You’re feeling safe. Not targeting speedsters anymore. All of a sudden, your team inexplicably steals 1 or 2 bases for a week or two, and the gap is gone. All of a sudden, you’re in a tight race. Hopefully you didn’t cut all of your speedsters, because now you need them. The standings can still move quickly at this time of the season. I’ll change my tune in about three weeks, but for now, I’m still playing straight up in most circumstances.

Chris Blessing (BaseballHQ, @C_Blessing): I just had a talk with a BHQ subscriber about throwing out biases towards players you’d never roster. If a dude fills the need you are deficient in, it’s time to give him a look. I also echo the sentiments of Todd Zola. Paying attention to ratios this deep into the season is worth much more than paying attention to the counting stats. Weird things happen when the ratios are bunched up this late. A positive swing in your direction could yield 3 or 4 points in most formats.

Brian Walton (CreativeSports2, @B_Walton): Look for win-win deals where you can help yourself in a category, while helping a trade partner pass the team you are trying to catch in another category.

Derek VanRiper (The Athletic, @DerekVanRiper): Look at the categories in which the teams you’re competing with are most vulnerable in losing ground. If your trade deadline hasn’t passed yet, you might be able to trade with a third party to help them pass your competitor, chipping away at their overall points total and helping yourself in the process.

Doug Dennis (BaseballHQ, @dougdennis41): If you have surplus in a category, trade it without worrying that you are getting a good deal. The less than perfect deal is more important at this stage than keeping a surplus.

Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Football Empire, @JeffBoggis): When managing categories, look to where you can have your opponents surpass a category that will help you against those opponents that are ahead of you in the league standings. Typically, this is the time of year where teams in the bottom half of their standings start to focus on fantasy football. You almost have to roster manage their teams to prod them to make roster moves to where it’s to your advantage, while at the same time, staying ethical. I may not be able to move up in the standings by myself and it’s OK to have other league managers assist with having them insert a base stealer on their bench if it will help them pass teams ahead of you in that category. You can return the favor next season if the roles are reversed.

Scott Swanay (FantasyBaseballSherpa, @fantasy_sherpa): Do both a short-term (next week) and longer-term (rest-of-season at this point) analysis but err on the side of prioritizing short-term gains if choices become necessary.

Todd Zola (Mastersball, @toddzola): I’m going to disagree with Jeff B. It’s fine for the commissioner to remind the league to be active all season, but I don’t feel it’s proper for one team manager to prod another to make moves in a self-serving interest. Collusion is a dangerous accusation, and I’m not quite sure this fits the definition. but it certainly feels underhanded and against the spirit of competition.

Frank Ammirante (The GameDayHQ, @FAmmiranteTFJ): If you’re behind in Wins and Strikeouts, you can punt saves by benching your closers for starters. This is best in weekly leagues.

Michael Govier (Pallazzo Podcast, @mjgovier): What’s a number that’s feasible to attain with a set range of time? Also, ratio stats are harder to climb the ranks in than certain counting stats are. In my Main Event for example, our WHIP is too far gone to be able to reach any meaningful change. Even if we went down from 1.23 to 1.20 in the next month, we’d only net 2 positions higher. Compare that to pitching K’s where a 35-55 K gap can net us up to 5 points in the standings in that category. That means fire up more guys like Brayan Bello who can miss bats, but who also may cause trouble for our WHIP which can’t get much worse in a hurry. This scenario means it’s worth it to try to gain ground in K’s. With the WHIP in our Main, it’s too little too late to make it worth it. The numerical value of 2-3 spots gained in a category by season’s end doesn’t impact our bottom line compared to the K’s where it seems it’s worth the trouble because 5 points gained is something to sing about! Batting AVG, ERA & WHIP have a swollen sample size by mid-August. Too many 7ER outings by Logan Allen & company this year make the damage tough to overcome. A guy like Xavier Edwards though with his 20 SBs since July creates a bigger uptick in the SB category which makes season-long change over the last two months of the season viable.

Ray Murphy (BaseballHQ, @RayHQ): In terms of league standings, try to project whether you can gain enough points to cut whatever your deficit is in half… if you can do that, you can consider that “close enough” in that you can at least hope that the team you’re chasing will lose enough points to account for the other half of the deficit. Obviously better if you have enough upside to completely chase them down yourself, but even if you can’t find enough “potential attainable points” to close the entire deficit yourself, it doesn’t mean that you can’t get there… with some help.

Mike Podhorzer (Fangraphs, @MikePodhorzer): It’s so much easier to gain in counting stat categories at this point, plus ratios are volatile to begin with so they will be quite unpredictable over the final month+, particularly batting average. Also — punting your worst starting pitcher is just as good as trading for a starter you hope improves your ratios.

Eric Samulski (Rotoballer, @SamskiNYC): I always tell people to make a physical list for each of your leagues. It’s not enough to say “I’m close in saves.” I want to know exactly how many points I can realistically gain or lose in each category in each of my leagues. If I can gain 6 but lose 3 then that’s a 9-point category and is likely one I really need to focus resources on. Once I do that and I see a category where there will realistically be very little movement, I can drop players who only really help me there. Yes, that means even dropping a really good closer if I already have 3 and don’t need saves anymore.

Brian Entrekin (Fantasy Pros, BaseballHQ, @bdentrek): I’ve been doing it for a few weeks, but each weekend, before FAAB I make a list of which categories I can benefit more from via FAAB for the rest of season. Attack those categories harder as the weeks go on. Also, an obvious one, counting stats are usually easier to gain roto points than ratios.

Andy Behrens (Yahoo Fantasy Sports, @andybehrens): Don’t let the fear of losing a trade prevent you from winning a league. This is the ideal time of year to make a move for a category specialist who can give you a big points bump in a short period of time. When you deal for a single-category contributor, there’s a decent chance you’re going to take a loss on the trade in terms of the value of the players involved. But if you have a shot to add 5 or 6 roto points by adding a closer or base-stealer, it might be the move that wins you a title.

Erik Halterman (Rotowire, @erik_halterman): Not a specific recommendation, by my main piece of advice regarding category management is to do more of it than you think and to do it earlier than you think. I’ve faded down the stretch in a few too many leagues in recent years, and I think it’s because I spend too long in talent-maximization mode and shift over to category-management mode too late.

Eric Cross (Rotoballer, @EricCross04): This is the time of year that you really need to look at each category closely and figure out which category can you gain the most ground in, which categories are tight with teams right behind you, and which categories you have a decent gap down to the next manager. You don’t need to win steals by a massive margin, especially if you could put someone else in your lineup that could move the needle for you in other categories.

Anthony Aniano (Rotoballer, @AAnianoFantasy): You can’t make up ground in every category, so try to maintain leads and be selective in the categories you can gain ground. The free agent add you place FAAB on may not be the best player available, but he may be the best player to help you gain a needed point or two.

Matt Cederholm (Baseball HQ, @TheBigHurtHQ): Make sure you factor in what other teams are doing. Especially in keeper leagues, teams out of contention may fall in several categories. Contending teams will improve. That’s an important factor in deciding which categories to attack.

Peter Kreutzer (Rotoman.substack.com, @kroyte): Lots of excellent observations above. Roster configuration is always a series of choices, and the temptation is to choose based on an average expected week, but if you’re trailing and trying to catch up you don’t need average weeks, you need great ones. Shape your roster to target the most gettable points but do your best to also maximize in all categories. You never know when you’ll fall into a 20 homer, or 15 steal, or 8 win week. It could be this week, if you’re lucky.

Here are the results of this week’s FAB bidding. Remember, if you want to check out the standings, rosters and full transactions for particular league, just click in the section heading.

American League

PLAYER	TEAM MANAGER	BID
ZMatthews, Min	Chris Blessing	219
WWagner, Tor	Andy Andres	61
TSweeney, Det	Eric Samulski	41
BFrancis, Tor	Andy Andres	41
TWalls, TB	Mike Podhorzer	27
SWhitcomb, Hou	Jeff Erickson	20
KFarmer, Min	Larry Schechter	12
KMaeda, Det	Jason Collette	5
KKelly, TB	Jeff Erickson	3
OPeraza, NYY	Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton	2
BSammons, Det	Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton	2
KMontero, Det	Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton	2
HBigge, TB	Eric Samulski	1
MThaiss, LAA	Andy Andres	0
CThielbar, Min	Patrick Davitt	0
JMcArthur, KC	Andy Andres	0

National League

PLAYER	TEAM MANAGER	BID
RLaureano, Atl	Steve Gardner	115
JrgLopez, ChC	Steve Gardner	68
AChaparro, Was	Brian Walton	62
DRomo, Col	Derek Carty	41
GMcCray, SF	Rick Graham	9
JBeck, Col	Peter Kreutzer	3
BCasparius, LAD	Grey Albright	2
JTena, Was	Derek Carty	1
NMears, Mil	Phil Hertz	1
AGomber, Col	Scott Pianowski	0
JKoenig, Mil	Scott Pianowski	0
GStubbs, Phi	Wilderman/Prior	0

Mixed Auction

PLAYER	TEAM MANAGER	BID
STorkelson, Det	Bret Sayre	103
OCabrera, NYY	Bret Sayre	78
ZMatthews, Min	Kev Mahserejian	77
FMontas, Mil	Bret Sayre	74
ACobb, Cle	Frank Stampfl	68
MRodriguez, TB	Doug Anderson – Mike Carter	67
JrgLopez, ChC	Doug Anderson – Mike Carter	47
AChaparro, Was	Brent Hershey	25
OBido, Oak	Dave Adler	25
MMelendez, KC	Doug Anderson – Mike Carter	17
EUceta, TB	Justin Mason	17
JWalker, StL	Brent Hershey	14
VBellozo, Mia	Todd Zola	13
MAmaya, ChC	Doug Anderson – Mike Carter	11
DCarlson, TB	Doug Anderson – Mike Carter	11
EJulien, Min	Scott Swanay	10
DHill, Mia	Jeff Zimmerman	5
GSheets, CWS	Scott Engel	4
DPeralta, SD	Tristan Cockcroft	2
DMartin, CWS	Jeff Zimmerman	2
CSpiers, Cin	Jeff Zimmerman	1

Mixed Draft

PLAYER	TEAM MANAGER	BID
MKopech, LAD	Adam Ronis	124
JJung, Det	Shelly Verougstraete	86
SDominguez, Bal	Scott White	83
JNoel, Cle	Garion Thorne	55
MartPerez, SD	Adam Ronis	38
EUceta, TB	Tim McLeod	32
BFrancis, Tor	Ryan Bloomfield	22
CKelly, Tex	Mike Gianella	15
MRodriguez, TB	Mike Gianella	15
AChaparro, Was	Adam Ronis	12
VBellozo, Mia	Anthony Aniano	8
NKavadas, LAA	Tim McLeod	4
OCabrera, NYY	Dr. Roto	4
WWagner, Tor	Scott White	2
MMoniak, LAA	Dr. Roto	2
JOrtiz, Mil	Dr. Roto	2
QMathews, StL	Shelly Verougstraete	1
MParker, Was	Dr. Roto	1

Head to Head

PLAYER	TEAM MANAGER	BID
MBoyd, Cle	Ariel Cohen	54
JCaminero, TB	Sky Dombroske	52
ZMatthews, Min	Sky Dombroske	41
STorkelson, Det	Frank Ammirante	33
MMeyer, Mia	Ryan Hallam	27
MKopech, LAD	Greg Jewett	18
JNoel, Cle	Ryan Hallam	17
WMerrifield, Atl	Greg Jewett	9
PMeadows, Det	Ryan Hallam	8
NSchanuel, LAA	Lauren Auerbach	7
ADelCastillo, Ari	Lauren Auerbach	5
TAlexander, TB	Michael Govier	3
JBoyle, Oak	Frank Ammirante	3
AChaparro, Was	Joe Gallina	3
LOrtiz, Pit	Frank Ammirante	2
JEstes, Oak	Lauren Auerbach	2

Mixed Draft with Alternate Categories

PLAYER	TEAM MANAGER	BID
CWalker, Ari	Zach Steinhorn	277
JCaminero, TB	Derek VanRiper	177
ZMatthews, Min	Matt Trussell	111
STorkelson, Det	Ray Flowers	51
ACall, Was	Ryan Boyer	44
JEstes, Oak	Chris Towers	14
FFermin, KC	Ray Flowers	14
WWagner, Tor	Ryan Boyer	13
WMerrifield, Atl	Geoff Pontes	13
FMontas, Mil	Chris Towers	11
OLopez, Mia	Carlos Marcano	3
DCarlson, TB	Carlos Marcano	3
BFrancis, Tor	Carlos Marcano	3
AGomber, Col	Jeff Boggis	2
MBoyd, Cle	Jeff Boggis	2
KLee, CWS	Carlos Marcano	2
ABanda, LAD	Carlos Marcano	2
AChaparro, Was	Ryan Boyer	2
CPerez, Bal	Carlos Marcano	1
OBido, Oak	Derek VanRiper	0

This week’s question: How do you rank these five starting pitchers for the rest of the season: Gerrit Cole, Paul Skenes, Robbie Ray, Garrett Crochet and Blake Snell?

Grey Albright (RazzBall, @razzball): Skenes………………..Snell, Crochet, Ray……..Gerrit Cole will need surgery before next Opening Day

Matt Truss (Razzball, @MattTruss): Skenes, everybody else (Snell, Ray, Crochet for K/9 only, Cole)

Sky Dombroske (Fantistics Insider Baseball, @SkyDombroske): Snell, Skenes, Ray, Cole, Crochet. Snell is on an absolute heater right now. Cole doesn’t look right at all, but trusting anything about the White Sox seems chancy.

Eric Samulski (Rotoballer, @SamskiNYC): Skenes, Snell, Cole, Ray, Crochet. Hard to say Cole is 100% back given we’ve seen the command of his pitches vary from start to start. The White Sox limiting Crochet’s innings is hurting his value

Doug Dennis (BaseballHQ, @dougdennis41): Skenes… gap… Ray, Snell or Snell, Ray (could go either way). Another gap. Gotta feel for Crochet situation. And don’t understand what is going on with Cole. If something is wrong with Cole, what are the Yankees even doing?

Carlos Marcano (Triple Play Fantasy, @camarcano): Skenes, Ray, Snell, Cole, Crochet. Skenes is just otherworldly as everybody knows, Ray looks like the CY version of himself, just older, Snell is on a roll, Cole feels iffy, and Crochet will continue being limited and 4 IP per game are not going to make it for me.

Nick Pollack (Pitcher List, @PitcherList): Paul Skenes, Blake Snell, Gerrit Cole, Robbie Ray, Garrett Crochet. It’s possible this changes next week if Cole is starting to use his slider more effectively or if Ray showcases more volatility or if Crochet is allowed to toss 90 pitches again. As of now, those questions put them in this order with Skenes’ consistency favoring him over Snell, despite #HotSnellSummer. We all know Snell’s curveball feel could disappear overnight, which would put the brakes on his explosive run (even if we don’t expect it to).

Patrick Davitt (BaseballHQ, @patrickdavitt): 1. Skenes/Snell …. 3. Ray/Cole … 5. Crochet. Clearly both Skenes and Snell have mitigating concerns, IP for Skenes if PIT drops back, injury risk for Snell because…well, he’s Snell. But all five of these guys look at least somewhat risky for various reasons, and since my Ouija board is at the garage for a tune-up, I’ll just go by what I see.

Todd Zola (Mastersball, @toddzola): Please don’t tell Nick, but I’m ranking Snell No. 1. I’ve been one of his biggest skeptics (Snell, not Nick, who can question Nick?) but I’ve seen enough to trust him down the stretch, and I don’t see Snell missing any starts. Skenes is just silly good (duh), but he could have his workload tempered. I’m torn on Cole versus Ray. It’s hard to judge whether Ray’s command and control is 100% back after rehabbing from TJS, since he rarely exhibits them solidly anyway. I think I’ll give Cole the nod, expecting him to figure it out, though Grey has a point with the health concern. That leaves Ray, then Crochet. That said, I am not running away from Ray (unless it’s Flowers or Murphy and they claim I owe them some money).

Tristan H. Cockcroft (ESPN, @SultanofStat): Has anyone considered that Skenes is on pace for 162 innings and change despite being on a strict five-days’-rest schedule, for a team that’s probably not making the playoffs? I’m as much of a fan as anyone, but it’s hard to fathom this much of a divide in opinion over worries about Crochet’s and Skenes’ potential September workloads. Snell, Skenes, Cole, Ray, Crochet (whose might already be done as a fantasy contributor) for me.

Vlad Sedler (FTN Fantasy, @rotogut): Skenes, Snell/Ray, Cole, Crochet. Wins are a roto category, and Crochet will be hard-pressed to earn them as the White Sox leave kid gloves on him and are cautious allowing him to pitch more than four innings per start. It was already difficult for White Sox’ pitchers to rack up wins, but this makes it near impossible. Snell and Ray will both be exceptional down the stretch and should be among the K% leaders the rest of this season.

Ryan Boyer (Rotowire, Baseball Prospectus, @RyanPBoyer): I’ve got Snell at the top, followed closely by Skenes. Snell presents obvious risk, but when he’s cooking, boy, does he cook. Additionally, the injuries he dealt with earlier in the season could be a blessing in disguise since he should be fresh down the stretch. I have him over Skenes because of the risk of Skenes’ workload being tempered if/when the Pirates fall out of playoff contention. Rounding out the five for me are Cole, Ray and Crochet.

Jeff Erickson (Rotowire, @Jeff_Erickson): I also have Snell at the top, followed by Skenes. Like Tristan suggested, I’m concerned about Operation Shutdown when it comes to Skenes, especially seeing what the Padres did to the Pirates this week. I’d follow that with Ray, then Cole, and then finally Crochet. The shutdown/White Sox concerns weigh way too heavily on Crochet – I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t throw a single pitch in September.

Tim McLeod ( Prospect361, @RunTMcP361): Snell (On a roll and will be out there every fifth day), Skenes (The Pirates will shut him down at some point, one would think?), Cole ( Won’t overwork him with the playoffs looming), Ray (With his walk rates and on a pitch count, getting through 5 innings could prove a challenge), and finally Crochet (He’ll shut himself down if that hasn’t already started to occur). I agree with Jeff re:Crochet and wouldn’t be counting on much if anything in September.

Garion Thorne (DraftKings, @GarionThorne): Think you have to go Skenes at the top of the list. He’s leading MLB in ERA (1.99) and he’s sixth in strikeouts (107) since debuting on May 11. Snell and Ray feel like the next tier. Snell’s been incredible since using rehab as Spring Training, while Ray’s just a poor man’s version of his teammate. Not that poor, though, as evidenced by a 17.3% swinging strike rate. Finally, I’ll take Cole over Crochet to close things out. Cole’s numbers (and elbow) are worrisome, but Crochet might just be a glorified long man at this point. Who knows how he’ll be deployed in September.

Chris Clegg (Pitcher List, @RotoClegg): Snell, Skenes, Cole, Ray, Crochet. Snell has been the best second half pitcher in baseball since 2021 and looks like he is doing it again this year. He and Skenes are close at the top for me.

Scott White (CBS Fantasy Sports, @CBSScottWhite): The Pirates did a good job managing Paul Skenes’ innings at the front end, so I don’t think he’ll have any workload concerns and should be No. 1. I’ll admit it’s weird the way Blake Snell just turns on a dime midseason, going from being completely unusable to the best pitcher in baseball, but after three consecutive years of it, I’m inclined to bet on it happening again, making him No. 2. I’ll stick with Gerrit Cole at No. 3 for now, but he’ll need to get his act together soon. Let’s put Robbie Ray No. 4. I’ve mostly been happy with what I’ve seen in his handful of starts back from Tommy John surgery, but he’s been pretty erratic over the years, which makes for a wide range of possible outcomes. Garrett Crochet is No. 5, and it’s entirely because of workload concerns. Preserving his value should be the White Sox’s top objective to close out the season.

Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Football Empire, @JeffBoggis): It all depends on if the Pittsburgh Pirates shut down Paul Skenes early or not. I’m going to rank Paul Skenes first. Blake Snell is pitching well and is ranked a close 2nd. I have Ray 3rd, Cole 4th, and Garrett Crochet 5th. The wildcard here is Cole as he’s not pitching very well right now.

Howard Bender (Fantasy Alarm, @RotoBuzzGuy): Snell, Cole Skenes (I fear the shutdown), Ray, Crochet (another shutdown coming)

Phil Hertz (Baseball HQ, @prhz50): 1. Snell – the ace is back. 2. Skenes – a little risk of a September shutdown, but a risk I’ll take; 3. Ray – here because I prefer him to 4 and 5. 4. Cole – I don’t think he’s 100% and NYY will be careful with him. 5. Crochet – terrible team and a shutdown coming, perhaps before August is over.

Ron Shandler (RonShandler.com, @RonShandler): I’d rather have seen a ranking of how many innings everyone thinks these pitchers are going to get the rest of the way. That’s going to be the driving factor behind any other rankings. Once Pittsburgh falls out of wild card contention, Skenes’ value will drop. Snells’ heath will always be a question. I would not be the least surprised to see Ray as the most valuable the rest of the way.

Lauren Auerbach (Fantrax, @lkauerbach): Skenes/Snell/Ray/Cole/Crochet. Skenes has been successful pitching every six days, and I expect that to continue — especially while the Pirates are in the playoff hunt. Snell closes out seasons on a strong note and ranks as a close second for me. Ray can be volatile but brings strikeout upside and could surprise rest of season. Cole hasn’t looked very Cole-esque this season — Ks are down and command is shaky. He has the talent to turn things around, but color me concerned. Crochet hasn’t surpassed four innings in his last six starts while carrying a 13.9% K-BB% in that stretch. That’s not going to cut it moving forward.

Fred Zinkie (Yahoo/Rotowire, @FredZinkieMLB): Skenes, Snell, Ray, Cole, Crochet. To me, there is a big drop-off after the top two. And another drop-off before Crochet, who may not earn another win this season.

Larry Schechter (Winning Fantasy Baseball, @LarrySchechter): Skenes, Snell, Cole, Ray, Crochet. Crochet shouldn’t even be on this list, probably won’t pitch 5 innings again which means zero wins.

CJ Kaltenbach (Fantasy Guru, @TheSeigeDFS): Snell, Skenes (only #2 because of the shutdown risk) HUGE GAP, EVEN MORE OF A GAP, Then Cole (injury risk but will pitch rest of the way), then Ray (shutdown risk at end of the year) and Crochet is closer to a cut than being on this list thanks to him never pitching 5+ innings anymore

Scott Chu (Pitcher List, @ifthechufits): SKUBAL, Skenes, Snell…………… Ray, Cole…………. Crochet. One thing on shutdown risk – teams have gotten more creative on how they limit innings, and also, I tend to be more worried about injury/poor performance than the shutdowns themselves. I get too many questions about what to do when so-and-so gets shut down, and the reality is that unless that shut down is in the next 2 starts, there isn’t anything actionable. And why aren’t we asking about Skubal? People should be talking about Skubal all the time because that high leg kick and nasty stuff make this world a happier place.

Michael A. Stein (Fantasy Judgment, @FantasyJudgment): 1. Skenes – of course there is a risk he gets shut down, but if the Pirates remain on the periphery of a wild card position, then it is hard to imagine they pull the plug on him. 2. Snell – I have never been a fan of his but there is no denying that he has been dominant lately and is certainly pitching like he has something to prove. 3. Cole – he clearly does not seem right, but he is a gamer and will find some way to still be productive. However, if he is trying to fight through something more serious then all bets are off. 4. Ray – it is always tricky when immediately coming back from Tommy John surgery. Expect inconsistency and a possible shut down if the Giants truly fall out of playoff contention. 5. Crochet – he has been a nice story and the only positive aspect of the White Sox season, but I think it is all downhill from here.

Rick Graham (Pitcher List, @IAmRickGraham): Snell, Skenes…Cole, Ray…Crochet. I think Snell vs Skenes is a toss-up but I’m leaning Snell here because he’s peaking at the right time while there’s risk Skenes is limited down the stretch. Cole and Ray are close for the 3rd spot, both having their issues when it comes to health, but I’ll give Cole the edge given what his upside can be. Crochet will be limited down the stretch and there’s a very good chance he won’t get a win again this season.

Bret Sayre (Baseball Prospectus, @BretSayreBP): Snell, Skenes, Cole, Ray, Crochet. When Snell is on a heater, there’s almost no one better. I do think Cole turns it around over the last two months but without the same kind of strikeout numbers we usually come to expect from him. Crochet may not have more than 30 innings left in him the rest of the way.

Alan Harrison (The Fantasy Fix, @TheFantasyFix): Skenes, Snell, Ray, Cole and Crochet. Skenes has been and should continue to be a force for as long as the Pirates let him go. Second-half Snell is here – he’s been out of his mind. Ray is back. Is Cole okay? Crochet was a fun story while it lasted but the limited innings and team context makes him last on this list.

Glenn Colton (SiriusXM Fantasy, @GlennColton1): This is tough, and it is tough to feel super confident about any. Call me a homer but I think Gerrit Cole rises to the occasion as the Yankees desperately need him to be well, Cole. As to Paul Skenes and Garrett Crochet, tough to trust that their teams will fire that many more bullets and thus, their value for this year, is questionable. As to Ray and Snell, do you feel lucky? My ranks: Cole, Skenes, Ray, Snell, Crochet.

Dave Adler (Baseball HQ, @daveadler01): Cole rights the ship over the rest of the year, so I have him at 1. Snell second as his strand rate normalizes. Skenes and Crochet probably up against innings limit, so while they will pitch well, their usage is likely to be curtailed. Ray last…

Michael Govier (Pallazzo Podcast, @mjgovier): Skenes/Ray/Cole/Snell/Crochet for me. Crochet has to be looking at a reduction in innings here any day now. I can’t imagine they run him out there regularly ROS. Skenes is a god. I completely missed out incredible he would be right off the bat. I have no shares at all. He just got drafted last year for crying out loud! I am in awe of what he has done. Ray has looked good since returning & the Giants are on fire right now! Maybe I should have put Snell second & Ray 4th? I am always against Snell because I don’t trust his consistency, but is Ray really that much more consistent than Snell? I may need to check myself before I wreck myself.

Shelly Verougstraete (Fantasy Feud Podcast, @ShellyV_643): Snell, Skenes, Ray, Cole, Crochet. Snell appears to be on one of his patented hot streaks. I’m worried about Cole. Something just seems off.

D.J. Short (NBC Sports, @djshort): I’ll put them in tiers. Tier 1 – Snell, Skenes, Tier 2 – Cole, Ray, Tier 3 – Crochet. Snell has the least questions of anyone on this list, at least in terms of certainty through the end of the season. The Pirates are sliding and therefore the chances of a shutdown in September appears more likely.

Scott Engel (The Game Day, @ScottETheKing): Tough call on the top two as Skenes may fall off a bit and Cole will likely be the real Cole the rest of the way. I will lean to Cole first then Skenes. Snell would be third, as he has quickly recaptured good form. and Ray fourth, even though I like him. The shine has worn off Crochet and I will now be looking ahead to his 2025 campaign.

Brian Entrekin (Fantasy Pros, BaseballHQ, @bdentrek): Fun list here. I have 2H Snell leading the way. Give me Skenes second, hoping he can finish the season strong. Cole and Ray are a 3A/3B. Crochet is a distant 5th, I even dropped him in my leagues this week.

Corbin Young (Baseball HQ, Rotowire, @corbin_young21): Snell, Skenes, Ray, Crochet, Cole. Snell and Skenes have shown ace-like upside to carry your squads. Ray and Crochet have some volatility but still have above-average skills on a per-inning basis. It’s probably injury related, but Cole’s metrics look concerning. Cole’s skills went from elite to above average to mediocre in 2024, and it’s unlikely for him to bounce back completely.

Anthony Aniano (Rotoballer, @AAnianoFantasy): Skenes at the top of the list. He’s must watch TV at this point. I expect Cole to find his groove and remind people he’s a CY Young Winner at number 2. Snell sits 3rd since it seems he’s finally woken up and decided to pitch. Ray sits 4th and Crochet comes in last because on inning and obvious team concerns.

Frank Stampfl (SportsGrid, RotoExperts, @Roto_Frank): I’ll go Skenes, Snell, Cole, Ray, Crochet. Skenes has looked a touch more human recently but still boasts ridiculous K-BB% and GB%. Snell looks to be fully back to Cy Young form, which makes him a borderline ace. Skenes edges Snell out because of control but it’s close between the two. Gerrit Cole finally looked like himself this weekend, racking up 26 swinging strikes on 90 pitches against the Rangers. I need to see more consistency before I fully buy back in. Robbie Ray has mostly been solid but the velocity was down in his latest start plus I think Cole’s upside is still higher. Crochet checks in last because I have no idea what to expect moving forward. He got bombed in his latest start and hasn’t thrown more than four innings in a start since June 30. My guess is the White Sox continue to limit Crochet, perhaps even shut him down completely.

Joe Gallina (Fantasy Alarm, @joegallina): Snell is my number one. He’s hot, the Giants are hot, and he’s always been a very good second half pitcher (3.98 career first half ERA, 2.41 in the second half). I would have picked Skenes as my number one but with the Pirates tanking right now, wins might be tough to come by. Cole is number three, but he has been pitching much better lately and by the end of the season he’ll likely be performing like the ace that fantasy managers drafted him to be. Robbie Ray has pitched well but Cole has a better chance of giving fantasy managers wins. That leaves Crochet who is a good pitcher, pitching for a horrible team who will have his innings limited the rest of the way.

Matt Cederholm (Baseball HQ, @TheBigHurtHQ): Skenes, despite potential IP limit. Ray looks back to 2022 form. Cole should be heathy ROS. Snell is hot, until he’s not. Crochet has too many team-related questions to trust ROS.

Eric Cross (Rotoballer, @EricCross04): It feels weird to rank a rookie first here, but that’s how good Paul Skenes is. Gotta go with Gerrit Cole after that followed by Blake Snell, Robbie Ray, and Garrett Crochet. The only reason why Crochet is last is that I believe he gets shut down soon. He just went past the 120-inning mark after having 12.2 innings combined in 2022/2023 and a previous career high of 54.1 innings back in 2021. With the White Sox on pace for a million losses this season, it makes sense for them to shut down their prized lefty soon.

Seth Trachtman (SethRoto.com, Yardbarker, @sethroto): Snell, Skenes, Ray, Cole, Crochet. I find it really tough to put Skenes No. 1 because of the innings uncertainty, especially if Pittsburgh falls out of the race in early September. Snell is in a groove, so I’ll put him No. 1 and Ray’s velo has also shown promise. I’m not sure we will ever see peak Gerrit Cole again given the velo decline, and Crochet is struggling and on a pitch count.

Joe Orrico (Fantasy Pros, @JoeOrrico99): Snell, Skenes, Ray, Cole, and Crochet. Snell looks primed to be an SP1 down the stretch (as he seems to do every year). Skenes is great but I worry about some potential restrictions over the final month, and he’s also looked a bit more human as of late. Ray vs Cole is an interesting one, but I just don’t trust that Cole is fully healthy, on top of the signs of decline we have seen over the past year or so. Crochet would arguably be 1/2 on this list for me without the restrictions that CWS has put on him as of late. You could argue that he’s droppable in shallow formats at this point

Steve Gardner (USA TODAY Sports, @SteveAGardner): 1. Snell, 2. Skenes, 3. Cole, 4. Ray, 5. Crochet. All based on innings pitched, which translates to more strikeouts and wins. I believe in Snell finishing strong and in Skenes’ talent. Cole has been a mystery this season but can find the groove at any time. Not sure what Ray can give down the stretch. And there’s no reason for the White Sox to push Crochet at all ROS.

Greg Jewett (The Athletic, @gjewett9): Snell seems to be the consensus pick. I understand worries about Cole and his workload, but the Yankees have the third easiest remaining schedule, and Skenes’ workload will be tapered soon. Going against the groupthink a bit here: Snell, Cole, Skenes, Ray, and Crochet.

Ian Kahn (@IanKahn4): This is tough, and I keep moving guys around except for Crochet. He has to be the bottom no? Then Cole, because he could be actually hurt. Then Ray, because he looks like old Rob Ray out there, and that is grunty and good. Then Blake Snell, because he’s certainly got the guns, and hasn’t used many bullets, and he throws real good when he throws good. Right now he’s throwing real good. Then Skenes, but not by a mile, because yeah, he’s better by a mile, but he only could be running 1/2 of that mile. But he is really good at running metaphorical miles. SO Skenes, Snell, Ray, Cole and Crochet. Have an excellent day!

Here are the results of this week’s FAB bidding. Remember, if you want to check out the standings, rosters and full transactions for particular league, just click in the section heading.

American League

PLAYER	TEAM MANAGER	BID
MBoyd, Cle	Larry Schechter	366
NSogard, Bos	Larry Schechter	118
ZDezenzo, Hou	Eric Samulski	97
SDominguez, Bal	Chris Blessing	64
WBrennan, Cle	Eric Samulski	61
OBido, Oak	Chris Blessing	38
RUrias, Bal	Doug Dennis	35
MStefanic, LAA	Larry Schechter	30
DHernaiz, Oak	Doug Dennis	17
TStory, Bos	Andy Andres	11
RGonzalez, Bos	Jeff Erickson	11
CKelly, Tex	Jason Collette	4
KBubic, KC	Mike Podhorzer	3
ASlater, Bal	Patrick Davitt	2
CSnider, Sea	Eric Samulski	1
JCousins, NYY	Doug Dennis	0
BSmith, Bal	Jason Collette	0
MOtanez, Oak	Andy Andres	0

National League

PLAYER	TEAM MANAGER	BID
JMartinez, Ari	Scott Pianowski	144
JEncarnacion, SF	Scott Pianowski	99
DHall, Mil	Steve Gardner	39
VBellozo, Mia	Peter Kreutzer	23
ADelCastillo, Ari	Peter Kreutzer	22
DHill, Mia	Ian Kahn	18
TWalker, Phi	Derek Carty	8
MartPerez, SD	Rick Graham	1
SMoll, Cin	Grey Albright	1
HBrazoban, NYM	Phil Hertz	0
RStanek, NYM	Grey Albright	0

Mixed Auction

PLAYER	TEAM MANAGER	BID
RWalker, SF	Justin Mason	189
ACall, Was	Scott Chu	81
JBart, Pit	Dave Adler	64
MBoyd, Cle	Todd Zola	57
BFrancis, Tor	Tristan Cockcroft	45
ADelCastillo, Ari	Frank Stampfl	34
AChapman, Pit	Frank Stampfl	34
THolton, Det	Doug Anderson – Mike Carter	33
BHurter, Det	Todd Zola	23
TFrance, Cin	Kev Mahserejian	15
ABenintendi, CWS	Tristan Cockcroft	14
JBride, Mia	Doug Anderson – Mike Carter	11
MMassey, KC	Doug Anderson – Mike Carter	9
LKnack, LAD	Kev Mahserejian	8
SDominguez, Bal	Jeff Zimmerman	7
IKinerFalefa, Pit	Jeff Zimmerman	4
LVarland, Min	Dave Adler	3
TyRogers, SF	Scott Engel	3
ZDezenzo, Hou	Jeff Zimmerman	3
VScott, StL	Scott Engel	3
DDaniel, LAA	Jeff Zimmerman	2
AThomas, Ari	Kev Mahserejian	2

Mixed Draft

PLAYER	TEAM MANAGER	BID
RWalker, SF	Seth Trachtman	400
PBlackburn, NYM	Rudy Gamble	78
ZDezenzo, Hou	Scott White	53
JMontgomery, Ari	Garion Thorne	51
GHolmes, Atl	Ryan Bloomfield	46
NMartinez, Cin	Ryan Bloomfield	45
ADelCastillo, Ari	Tim McLeod	43
GPerdomo, Ari	Brian Entrekin	33
DHamilton, Bos	Garion Thorne	31
BNaylor, Cle	Garion Thorne	26
OBido, Oak	Tim McLeod	19
MBoyd, Cle	Dr. Roto	15
ZMatthews, Min	Tim McLeod	14
AChapman, Pit	Scott White	13
JEncarnacion, SF	Dr. Roto	12
MAmaya, ChC	Ray Murphy	11
VScott, StL	Adam Ronis	8
LJimenez, Tor	Brian Entrekin	4

Head to Head

PLAYER	TEAM MANAGER	BID
AVaughn, CWS	Blake Meyer	27
PBlackburn, NYM	Blake Meyer	26
TRogers, Bal	Blake Meyer	24
MartPerez, SD	Lauren Auerbach	22
MWallner, Min	Lauren Auerbach	18
IKinerFalefa, Pit	Blake Meyer	17
JPederson, Ari	Greg Jewett	15
ACall, Was	Michael Govier	13
GPerdomo, Ari	Lauren Auerbach	11
NMartinez, Cin	Greg Jewett	7
JBart, Pit	Ryan Hallam	4
BFrancis, Tor	Michael Govier	4
RWalker, SF	Joe Gallina	2

Mixed Draft with Alternate Categories

PLAYER	TEAM MANAGER	BID
JBurger, Mia	Joe Orrico	260
YKikuchi, Hou	Geoff Pontes	210
MMiller, Oak	Sara Sanchez	112
JMcCarthy, Ari	Zach Steinhorn	57
AlSuarez, Bal	Joe Orrico	51
PBlackburn, NYM	Matt Trussell	49
ADelCastillo, Ari	Chris Towers	27
AChapman, Pit	Geoff Pontes	25
JBride, Mia	Sara Sanchez	23
YaRodriguez, Tor	Ray Flowers	19
JButto, NYM	Joe Orrico	14
ANardi, Mia	Sara Sanchez	12
JEncarnacion, SF	Derek VanRiper	11
JMartinez, Ari	Ray Flowers	9
VVodnik, Col	John Laghezza	7
ABenintendi, CWS	Jeff Boggis	5
CFulmer, LAA	Derek VanRiper	2

This week’s query:

In keeper leagues, how do you like to assemble your freeze list? Are there certain types of players you prefer, or avoid?

Mike Alexander (Razzball, @Roto_Wan): When prioritizing keepers I’m usually weighting upside the most. These are players you’re getting a discount on, so it makes sense to take on more risk. That typically means younger names.

Rick Wolf (SiriusXM Fantasy, @RickWolf1): When selecting the guys to keep, I look at the scoring system, scarcity, age, projected value and pro team. If the player pool that year is scarce at a position and I am deciding between two players that are close in projected value, age and both on good teams, then we select the scarce position within the pool. For full disclosure, I don’t play in any mixed keeper leagues, all mine are AL only. For mixed leagues in the past, I handle the keepers straight up. Select the players who would score the highest points or roto value coupled with the most upside (age and career trajectory).

Doug Dennis (BaseballHQ, @dougdennis41): I want undervalued players (of course), and more than that want as many young bats as I can get who fill the stat sheet. I typically don’t love pitchers as keepers unless they are very, very cheap versus value because the results fluctuate a lot more with rate stats and wins and then the injury risk is often higher with pitchers as well.

Mike Podhorzer (Fangraphs, @MikePodhorzer): I only played in a keeper league for a couple of years, but it’s all about profit. Assuming my most profitable players qualify at a variety of positions (not all pitchers or outfielders), then it’s almost certainly just ordering players by expected profit (projected dollar value vs salary). While it’s not a perfect correlation between dollar value amassed and standings points, the name of the game is still to build the most profitable team. The best way to do that is by starting your squad with your most undervalued players as keepers.

Alex Chamberlain (FanGraphs, @DolphHauldhagen): I will articulate instead what I try not to do (but don’t always succeed): I try not to keep players whose salaries are lower than their market values (i.e., AAV or salary-equivalent ADP) that I am otherwise fading in redraft leagues. If there’s a little voice telling you not to draft this guy in redraft leagues, it’s probably a good enough reason to not keep him in a keeper league, even if he is a “good price.” I definitely have been swayed by the groupthink of market value into keeping someone I didn’t necessarily like, and more often than not I have paid the price. Keep guys that you do like who have salaries significantly lower than their projected value—or significantly lower than their market value, even if the market value outstrips the projected value. (That is, if you know everyone is going to bid up a hype guy, but you still want that hype guy, you should just keep him, even if there is not significant surplus to glean.)

Peter Kreutzer (Rotoman.substack.com, @kroyte): 1) Whether a player is a fair keeper or not is determined by his freeze price compared to his draft price plus inflation. So, a fair $20 keeper price in a league with 20-percent inflation is below $24. Heeding this calculation should help you determine your best keeps (the one’s with biggest discount), help you avoid keeping players you should throw back, and if the pickin’s are slim help you find minor bargains to round out your list. 2) The other important thing with keepers is planning for them. When you’re filling out your roster in the endgame, prioritize guys who are better bets to shine in two years than necessarily ready this year, over old guys scrambling for jobs. Actually, there’s probably room for both, but the art of keepers is often found in the planning and thinking ahead.

Mike Gianella (Baseball Prospectus, @): A lot depends on if I’m going for it this year (I usually am) or playing for next year. If I’m playing for next year, I’m focused on value and balance, in that order. I don’t mind getting multiple shortstops or closers on the cheap, but don’t want to overload. If I’m playing for this year, I don’t focus much on freezes until the offseason. In that case, I’m usually looking at value but also making sure not to forget inflation. One mistake teams make is getting nothing BUT mild or moderately undervalued players and then having way too much to spend in a moderate or high inflation environment. I’ve seen so many teams lose this way, especially if some of their young upside players don’t work out.

Brent Hershey (Baseball HQ, @BrentHQ): League context / dynamics always matters to me, also. In one long-term league I participate in, I have learned that I can avoid the situation MikeG warns about above (keeping ONLY moderately undervalued guys; then having “too much” money to spend on not enough talent) by going ahead and keeping the elite superstar player who is highly, or even excessively, priced. I only do this for the best of the best, the well-rounded categorical superstars, but I’ve found that a tact like that can give me a foundational player to build around during the draft and the season, searching for the multiple undervalued complements rather than having those players fill up my keeper list.

Brian Walton (CreativeSports2, @B_Walton): To the context point, one league in which some of us play has a lower annual salary escalation price for players originally acquired as minor leaguers compared to ones acquired once they reach the majors. That swings the appeal pendulum toward these former farm player keepers as they have a financial advantage annually. Also, as already mentioned, when everything else is equal, hitters seem better long-term bets than pitchers.

Todd Zola (Mastersball, @toddzola): My approach is different in a single AL/NL only league (or mixed with at least 16 teams) compared to a mixed league with 15 or fewer teams. In the only leagues, I don’t like speculative keepers. I love it when others focus on the cheap injured players from the previous season. Sometimes I miss out, but more often, I benefit. I also don’t mind protecting salary; it’s not all about built in profit from keepers, but also what you can extract from the auction. I get the hitters are better keepers than pitchers mantra, but you still need to draft pitching (and in a keeper league, likely trade for it), so if there is a keeper arm at a good price, sign me up. In mixed leagues, I may be a little looser with the speculative keepers, but I still prefer solid, proven talent and then I’ll take my chances at the draft. In the shallow mixed leagues, I don’t like keeping a player under $5, even if they’re projected to earn a profit (unless it’s a double-digit profit). Even in a league with inflation, there are going to be huge bargains in the end game, and the opportunity cost of keeping a $3 guy projected to earn $7 (or whatever) is too much to lock up the spot. I can draft a similar player, often with a greater profit potential. On the other hand, since the endgame in the only leagues is so different, I’ll keep a cheap guy even if he projects to just break even.

Joe Orrico (Fantasy Pros, @JoeOrrico99): Generally speaking, I like to look about three years into the future when setting keeper lists. That usually means I’ll just end up keeping the best available players to me, but age definitely plays a role. Once a player gets to the age 33/34 range, they have to be pretty special to remain a keeper. As for the young guys (specifically prospects) I need to be able to project really excellent production over the next few seasons to even consider keeping them over established players (Jackson Holliday, for example). Price also comes into play but overall, I end up keeping my best 3/4/5 players outside of some extreme circumstances

Ray Flowers (Fantasy Guru, @TheRayFlowers): I think nuance is key here. How many do we keep? How long can we keep them? What is the yearly inflation? We are often seduced by the power of the dark side – the what could be – versus the known (this usually shows itself in our desire to roster younger players at bargain basement prices). We want to focus on players that can be had below cost, but at the same time, you still need the production, so if you pay full price, and get top end production, I’m never going to be against that.

Ian Kahn (, @IanKahn4): I lean heavily towards younger bats on low contracts. Each keeper spot holds so much value. If I have a veteran pitcher I can keep who was bought cheaply coming off of injury, there is upside, but otherwise I am always building for the future with these valued spots. Also, the young bats are great trade capital.

Matt Cederholm (Baseball HQ, @TheBigHurtHQ): Obviously, we keep “bargains,” but I don’t like to keep players whose projected value is under $10 even if they are a “bargain.” Even in expert leagues, there are usually a bunch of players who go cheap in the endgame. I also don’t mind keeping studs that are at their inflated value. One challenge I frequently find is having a lot of money for few spots. When that happens, it can be a challenge just spending your full budget without overspending on players. I do pay for upside or future value, but judiciously. $5 for Joey Ortiz? Sure. $20 for Junior Caminero? No thank you.

JB Branson (Rotoballer, @RowdyRotoJB): It’s all about value for me. I use a formula that I created for all the managers in my old keeper league that takes into many factors like age, previous stats, projections next year, positional value, and of course the cost of keeping them. It all comes down to opportunity cost. Is the leftover player pool that you could draft in the early rounds closer in value to your early round keeper options compared to the gap in your late round keeper options who might not be as studly versus the late round player pool? Knowing your league, possible player pool, and your drafting abilities makes these decisions much easier but again I’m always looking for maximum value for every draft pick. (https://www.rotoballer.com/2022-keeper-value-rankings-top-150-overall/1001841) – Here’s an old example. As you can see some top tier guys were still top value picks even with an early round cost, but a lot of the top tier scores were finding rising studs with later round costs.

Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Football Empire, @JeffBoggis): It all depends on the number of years that I get to keep the player, and at what cost or what draft round I would have to keep them in. All things being equal, I tend to keep my least replaceable players. I never pay for saves, so I tend to throw closers back into the pool. I do value hitters over pitchers. If there is a prospect or a player coming back from injury that is a deep discount to value ratio, I may keep them, based on salary cap.

Dave Adler (Baseball HQ, @daveadler01): I try to avoid over-valuing highly rated minor league SP, even if they are on cheap contracts. The learning curve is often rough; for every Paul Skenes, there are numerous Forrest Whitleys. Of course, I continue to fall into the trap (cough Rickey Tiedemann cough). Young, up-and-coming hitters, not as many worries, although they occasionally struggle as well. Other than that, priority goes to guys with positive indicators, particularly those who have the opportunity to see more AB/IP in the coming year(s).

Patrick Davitt (BaseballHQ, @patrickdavitt): It’s been a while, but I’m pretty mechanistic about it. I get a good solid projection of dollar value for the coming year, then calculate the projected profit in each coming year of the keeper contract, using an aging curve to predict value in future seasons. Then I add the projected profit (value-salary) back to projected value, stack-rank all players most-to-least, then keep as many as I’m allowed starting at the top and working down. I’ll eyeball the resulting list to see if there’s anything that just “feels wrong” and give it another look, but basically, that’s it. Like I said, pretty mechanistic.

Zach Steinhorn (Steinhorn’s Universe on Substack, @zachsteinhorn): Keeper cost is the most important factor but when the costs are similar, I’ll usually keep the hitter over the pitcher as hitter performance tends to be more predictable from year to year. I generally try to avoid players with extensive injury histories, and I pay some attention to position. If I can only keep five, I’m not going to choose four outfielders or three starting pitchers.

Erik Halterman (Rotowire, @erik_halterman): I tend to be the happiest when I manage to keep a handful of players who are worth $6-$10 for only a buck or two. (If your league lets you keep players at their waiver price, keep an eye out for that sort of player coming back from injury in late September, as they can make great keepers.) Ideally, I can pair those guys with some expensive stars, but if not, I’ll have the money to pay for stars in the auction. I don’t love keeping many mid-tier players at full price if I can help it. I’d rather keep a worse player for much cheaper and have more money to play with.

Michael A. Stein (Fantasy Judgment, @FantasyJudgment): I have been burned too many times over the years by keeping pitchers who ultimately get injured. I can’t say I won’t keep a pitcher going forward, but I am certainly heading in a direction where I might be willing to just keep hitters and take my chances on pitching during the draft. It is quite frustrating because I bave worked to build a solid, young foundation for my pitching staff only to have it blow up in my face. For hitters, of course younger players are preferable, but I am also looking for which players are on the upswing and appear to be at least improving. Even if it is not a long-term keeper, I want to focus on players who will be in good situations the following year for a reasonable price. Position eligibility does not play a factor for me because if I have 3 outfielders worthy of keeping, I will choose them rather than settle on a lesser valuable player.

Eric Cross (Rotoballer, @EricCross04): With any sort of keeper league, I lean even more heavily to bats over arms due to the increased stability. Positions also don’t play as much of a factor. If two players are close, I’ll factor position in, but only when it’s close. Trades can always be made to address any areas of need after your draft and/or keeper deadline.

Jason Collette (Rotowire, @): It’s all about projected return on investment for me. When in doubt, keep the hitter over the pitcher, and if a player is close to value, better off throwing him back to see if you can save even a buck or two in the draft.

Rob Leibowitz (Rotoheaven, @rob_leibowitz): Total upside is good, but I tend to play keeper leagues on a two-year cycle with a “go for it” year and a “dump” year, with an eye going for it if the cards put me in striking distance (20 points out at mid-season is far from impossible especially if you play in a semi-aggressive keeper league, so I do give a little more weight at times to players who are closer to contributing than the deep dynasty picks. I focus on them as trade acquisitions in seasons where they may be two seasons away and could help the next time I cycle up to go for it.

Ryan Hallam (Fighting Chance Fantasy, @FightingChance): Given the general consistency from year to year I definitely go for more hitters over pitchers, I think we saw why right at the start of the season. How great would you have felt with Eury Perez and Spencer Strider coming into drafts to see them barely pitch at all. I also love to try to keep guys at positions that aren’t deep as I can fill my team with players from deeper positions during the draft the next year while league mates are picking lesser guys trying to fill tough spots. It is always a tightrope to walk every year though for who will keep it together in the future

Anthony Aniano (Rotoballer, @AAnianoFantasy): In Keeper formats, I always look for value as well as age. Find the gap between the value the player would be drafted and the keeper round or auction cost. For example, Pete Alonso was a keeper for me since his rookie year with costs starting into the $20s and this year up to the $40s based on league rules. Next year he will be over $50 which is why I traded him mid-year for more cost-efficient players.

Eric Samulski (Rotoballer, @SamskiNYC): With keeper leagues, I always lean towards having more hitters as keepers than pitchers because I feel like there are always pictures who emerge as late round value or waiver wire pickups in the early going. I obviously lean towards upside, but I’m always trying to make sure I’m getting the most value, based on either keeper round or keeper dollar amount. I also try to diversify the categories that I’m keeping, ensuring that I start the year with some value across all categories, and I try to ensure I’m not only keeping young rookies with upside but also have some established veterans so it’s not all risk.

Carlos Marcano (Triple Play Fantasy, @camarcano): I also prefer to prioritize hitters over pitchers in keeper leagues but mostly because I’m usually risk adverse and pitcher’s injuries are a big concern for me. Of course, if there’s a good deal, I’ll go for it but most of the time I’ll be hunting pitchers from the draft or waiver later on.

Joe Gallina (Fantasy Alarm, @joegallina): I play in an Ottoneu keeper style league which has a hard overall salary cap and an arbitration period where league mates can add extra dollars to your top individual players salary and that forces you to turnover a chunk of your roster every year so I usually have 8 to 10 combined hitters and pitchers (guys like Judge and Acuna and even a pitcher like Cease) as my anchors and then I fill the rest of my roster with value plays. I tend to spend more on offense than pitching because there obviously seems to be more volatility among pitchers and I feel that I can find good pitchers throughout the season on the wire.

Kev Mahserejian (Fox Sports, @RotoSurgeon): My home league is a Keep 3 and the best bets are usually guys who I can keep the cheapest that provide the most value for the impending season. Keepers in this league have expiration limits so younger is not always better. For example, I could have kept Junior Caminero heading into this season but what good is a player with massive upside who is not even up yet?