Yes, I'm poking a little fun at myself. I realize that a lot of people probably don't really care what the bids were in 2006 for free agents specific to my league. But since I was asked about FAAB in an earlier comment, it's worth continuing the thread and reviewing bids from last year in an effort to learn going forward.
As I explained in an earlier post, one wrinkle last year was that our transaction deadline was July 31 at noon but the Major League transaction deadline was four hours later. So you might bid $81 on Bobby Abreu or $32 on Cory Lidle only to find that someone better was waiting for you next week.
Judging by the names below, that didn't happen.
Sean Casey $54. Other bids: $15, $14, $10, $8, $3.
The team with the most remaining FAAB basically decided that he wanted Casey over Ryan Shealy and Craig Wilson, the two other N.L. imports this week. This owner had so much more money than anyone else that I was surprised he didn't bid less on Casey and also put in a bid on Ben Zobrist to replace Julio Lugo, who he lost to the N.L.
What baffled me even more was that this team needed pitching more than hitting. Why not wait to see if anyone got hot in August or came over in a late trade?
The final thing about this bid, as you can see, is that it didn't take into account money remaining for other owners as well as needs. The next highest bid on any player was $26. I don't quibble with Casey over Shealy. I liked Shealy better, but could see why an argument could be made for Casey. I just didn't understand why you would essentially take yourself out of the FAAB game all year for Sean Casey.
Joe Saunders $26. Other bids: $15, $12, $3, $1, $1.
It's easy to see why Saunders went so high on August 7, 2006. He had thrown up a 1.29 ERA in three starts against the Indians, A's and Rangers and looked like he'd stay in the rotation the rest of the way. He was on a strong team, so the wins looked like they would come.
We all know what happened. Six solid or great starts and four absolute shellings. The problem with Roto is that it's not Strat-O-Matic, where Saunders' effors leave you with a 6-4 or 5-5 record in his starts.
The team that picked him up had Halladay, Haren and Kazmir up until the trade deadline and had an incredible lead in ERA/WHIP, so felt he could roll the dice on Saunders. $26 seemed like too much (I bid $15), but I understood why this owner placed such an aggressive bid. Saunders' 4 wins grabbed him a point. His ERA/WHIP almost cost him two points, but that had more to do with a series of pitching moves that almost made his staff implode and lose the league.
But he won,which tends to heal all.
Ben Zobrist $16. Other bids $10, $6.
The lack of FAAB bidding on Ben Zobrist seemed like a reversal to Stage One to me. $16 was a lot to pay a guy who really didn't look like much of a prospect. But he had a job, was a middle infielder, and had enough speed that he looked like he could make a difference down the stretch. The $10 bid came from the last place team looking to add freezes for 2007 and the $6 bid from the aforementioned Lugo owner. The guy who got Zobrist was in a position where he couldn't jump or fall in BA. I didn't like the price but I again understand the concept.
Ryan Shealy $15. Other bids $14, $12, $3
Damn. Damn. Damn!
I bid $14. I lost out to a rebuilding team who bid $15. I really didn't think a team playing for 2007 would think Shealy would be worth $15 next year, but I probably should have put in a bid a few dollars higher. It helped that a non-contender grabbed Shealy, but Shealy's RBI would have kept me in the running for another point at the end and I might have made some different moves to obtain that point. As it was, I was surprised that more teams didn't take a shot on Shealy.
Seth McClung $15. Other bids $11, $1.
I won McClung. I lost Bob Wickman to the N.L. two weeks before and really wanted to continue competing in saves. McClung got me six of them, but the damage he did in ERA and especially WHIP was just not worth it. 21 walks in 19 freaking innings.
You can see based on the bidding how teams lose interest in saves. The $11 bid was again the last place owner looking for a possible freeze.
The happy ending here is that I traded McClung along with an $8 Juan Uribe in early March for a $19 Carlos Guillen. If Guillen holds up, I like this trade a lot for me.
Craig Wilson $14
You read correctly. Craig Wilson was not bid on by anyone else. Except me. For $14. And he quickly became a player that wasn't one of "Joe's Guys", so he rotted on the bench after a tepid start. To be fair, Wilson had an iron glove and it's not like the Yankees didn't have better options. Still, it is aggravating sometimes how Cashman acquires someone useful and Torre just decides he'd rather stick with Miguel Cairo or someone else because he has "heart".
Jason Davis $14. Other bids $5, $2
Remember when Jason Davis was going to close for Cleveland. It didn't last long, and the owner who plunked down $14 on Davis waived him soon after. I bid $5, still wanting my Wickman replacement but not trusting Davis to last in the job.
Kip Wells $7
The first place team again went for the SP for the wins. Wells put up three terrible innings, got hurt and that was that.
I'll mercifully conclude this series tomorrow.
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