A.L. FAAB Log: 4/21/08

Joey Devine $6. Other bids $1, $1.
Devine got a bit of a reprieve when he was traded from the Braves to the A's in the Mark Kotsay deal this winter, as the Braves had jerked him between the majors and the minors and often didn't seem to have a development plan for the kid. Like many closers of the future, there's no doubting Devine's raw stuff. His two biggest issues to date have been his command and a back injury early in his professional career (just because back injuries make me nervous). He's been lights out in the early going this year, and could move quickly to the front of the line in Oakland to wait for Huston Street to get traded.

Brandon Morrow $4. Other bids $2, $1.
There's no doubt that Morrow has amazing potential. His resume is thin, though: one successful season in college and 79 1/3 erratic professional innings entering this season. No one doubts Morrow's raw stuff, but it's very raw right now, and major league hitters won't flail at ball four. Morrow wouldn't be up right now if not for a desperate need in the Mariner bullpen. I'd stay away for now.

Sean Rodriguez $4.
History repeats itself. Last year, the Angels wasted a year of Erick Aybar's development time by sticking him in the majors as a back-up middle infielder, since they didn't have a decent option sitting by the phone in AAA waiting for the call. This year, Rodriguez comes up to caddy Aybar and Macier Izturis up the middle, as Howie Kendrick's perpetual day-to-day status finally called for a DL stint. Rodriguez is an intriguing prospect who could perhaps be a 20/20 guy someday if it all clicked for him, but he's also got a lot of problems, most notably a very low batting average that won't translate well to the majors at all. He's had one big year in the minors so far - at Rancho Cucamonga in 2006. He's a poor bet for this year, in other words, and will probably fill the role Aybar filled last year: rare spot start, but mostly sitting on the bench watching the game from the dugout.

Brian Buscher $3.
With Adam Everett hitting the DL, Buscher was called up by the Twins to take his spot on the roster. Buscher could see some AB at 3B, as Mike Lamb has had a terrible start and Nick Punto might play some SS while Everett's on the shelf. Buscher isn't a good Roto option: he doesn't hit for power or run, and your best case scenario is probably an empty .270-.280.

Willie Bloomquist $2. Other bid $1.
You have to squint to tell the guys on the Mariners bench apart, although they did make it a little easier by calling up Greg Norton for Charlton Jimerson. They're almost all speedy guys who play multiple positions but really are poor PH options late in the game. Bloomquist has slight Roto value for his speed, but he only stole seven bags last year, and is really more of a deperation speed move at this point. He's extremely versatile, but plugging him into your OF or CO slot won't help much, if at all.

Jason Hammel $2.
Hammel is off to a decent start, though two of his three starts have been against the Orioles and Twins. Watchers say that Hammel's control has been excellent, which naturally is the key to success for a guy who doesn't throw that hard. Hammel's start against the Blue Jays on Wednesday might be his last for a while with Matt Garza due back this coming weekend, but with Edwin Jackson slumping and Andy Sonnanstine off to a poor start, Hammel could stick around.

Brian Anderson $1.
Despite his relative youth (26), it looks like Anderson's settled in as a 4th or 5th OF type. He could get some playing time if there's an injury in the White Sox outfield, but that's obviously not something that can simply be figured out.

Andy Marte. Claimed by 11th place team.
The only reason Marte is with the big club is because he's out of options. The only reason to claim Marte is if you think the Indians would move Casey Blake to the OF, bench Jason Michaels and/or Franklin Gutierrez, and stick Marte in at 3B. It's not going to happen.

Paul Byrd. Claimed by 5th (tie) and 5th (tie) place teams.
Byrd was picked up for one week, waived, and then claimed this week by two teams. He's had two back-to-back nice starts against the Red Sox and Twins, and will face the Yankees this week. I'm still concerned about the drop in velocity on his fastball and think that this might be the year that Byrd falls off the map.

Vicente Padilla. Claimed by 5th place team.
Padilla's off to a decent start, but his great ERA masks his subpar WHIP, his low K/IP rate, and his generally not-so-pretty-peripherals. In other words, not much has really changed from last year to this year. He's OK filler for the back end of a Roto rotation, but be aware that you're going to have some outings where filler turns into cannon fodder.