N.L. FAAB Log: July 30, 2007

Ty Wigginton $26. Other bids $24, $21, $15, $12, $5, $3, $2.
Next Sunday will be the last FAAB period in most leagues before the non-waiver, Major League trade deadline. That's why trades like the Ty Wigginton/Dan Wheeler deal are challenging from a strategic standpoint. We don't know for sure if Mark Teixeira is coming into the league on Tuesday, but all signs point to yes, as my Magic 8-Ball likes to phrase it. So how do you handle bidding on a guy like Wigginton, who clearly isn't the difference maker that Teixeira could be, but will definitely be an upgrade for some teams over what they have now?

I'd argue that this is an extremely conservative group of bids. The Astros have already designated Morgan Ensberg for assignment, so they're clearly committed to playing Wigginton at 3B for the rest of the year. Clearly, Wigginton isn't as good as Teixeira in real life, but his value is pretty similar to Tex's so far, and there's a good chance Wigginton will keep hitting for power in his new venue. Most importantly, there are absolutely no guarantees at all that Tex will move to Atlanta. I don't think the Rangers are asking for as much as they are for Teixeira simply to play poker with the opposition. Rather, it sounds to me like they really don't want to trade a guy who is still young and isn't even a free agent until the end of 2008. I still think Tex is moving on Tuesday, but there are no guarantees. If he doesn't move, Wigginton will look like a FAAB steal come October.

Tadahito Iguchi $18. Other bids $9, $8, $6, $4, $3, $2.
If the Wigginton bids were extremely conservative, the Iguchi bids are the John Birch Society after a few drinks. Obviously, Iguchi's numbers have been extremely disappointing this year. But Utley's out until at least the end of August, and Luis Castillo is the only other possible middle infield import on the horizon. Iguchi's certainly worth the gamble, and I'm willing to bet that there were a few teams sucking along on the likes of Cesar Izturis and Adam Kennedy at their middle infield slots who are already regretting their tepid bids.

Randy Messinger $5. Other bid $1.
The Giants announced this week that both Messinger and Brad Hennessey will be "auditioning" for the role of closer next year. I think both are poor bets, and Messinger seems like a poorer bet with his declining K/IP rate, but this bid is certainly a worthy stab in the dark at catching lightning in a bottle.

Ubaldo Jimenez $2
Jimenez is like Kyle Kendrick before him in terms of FAAB. It's easy to get sucked into two solid outings and bid. However, there are a lot of warnings here. Jimenez was getting tagged at Colorado Springs. More significantly, his control leaves a lot to be desired, including a 5.42 BB/IP and 11 wild pitches in the minors. His strong outings against the Nationals and Padres say more about those offenses than they do about Jimenez. I'd avoid him. Don't even play matchups here.

Heath Bell $1. Other bids $1, $1
I'm not sure why Bell was released by his previous Roto team, but his value just took a mild spike with the move of Scott Linebrink out of town. Trevor Hoffman's not losing his job, but Bell is a great ERA/WHIP addition who should pick up the odd win here and there. I was almost as sorry the Mets let Bell get away as I was when they let Scott Kazmir go, and this is not hindsight talking.

Jeff Baker $1
It's amateur hour. Baker is a reserve outfielder on a team with three strong and young outfielders, and might very well be the weakest of the three reserves. Don't own.

Manny Parra $1
Having too many excellent pitching prospects is like having too many bars of solid gold. It's a great problem to have, but of course it's a problem no one ever really has, since young pitchers are more like pyrite than the real deal. The Brewers, though, are putting rest to this notion, as they seem to keep churning out pitcher after pitcher after pitcher. Parra isn't Yovani Gallardo by any stretch of the imagination, but you can't argue with his spectacular numbers in the minors this year. He simply dominated Triple-A in his four starts there. Maybe he should have finished the year there, but I can't blame the Brewers for taking a stab for a spot start. Parra is going back to the pen or the minors at some point, but this is a great long term play to make if he's available.

J.D. Durbin $1
Durbin's a terrible risk. He's had some OK starts in pitchers' venues in L.A. and San Diego, but I would be very afraid of using him when he returns to Philadelphia. The ball travels here in the heat, and Durbin's propensity to walk batters isn't going to do him any favors.