A.L. FAAB Log: May 18, 2009

Aaron Cunnigham $17
This is a high bid, but I'm assuming that the thinking behind it is that the A's wouldn't have called Cunningham up to the bigs if he wasn't going to start playing semi-regularly. It's possible that Cunningham might wind up on the wrong side of a platoon with Travis Buck and eventually find his way into a more regular gig...or get a full-time gig if the A's dump Matt Holliday's salary. Long term, Cunningham strikes me as a player who will be a solid regular but probably not a superstar. Aaron Rowand springs to mind. I like Cunningham long-term, but don't see where he's playing right now and would shy away from an aggressive bid like this one.

Nolan Reimold $12. Other bids $7, $7, $6, $5.
I like these bids better than the Cunningham bid simply because Reimold seems to have a clearer opportunity to play every day, even if he doesn't have the ceiling that Cunningham does. Since Luke Scott's been out, Reimold's played every day and should continue to get regular time as the O's try and decide if he fits into their long term plans. He's not young, and the numbers he put up at Double-A last year were during his 24-year-old season, but Reimold was tearing into AAA pitching this year and deserved a shot. His best case scenario is probably the same as the guy he's replacing, Luke Scott: a decent power bat who might be overextended a little bit as an everyday player but who could have just enough power for a team to overlook that. He hasn't done much yet, but I think he can win himself an everyday job if he hits.

Daniel Bard $10. Other bid $5.
Bard is one of the best relief prospects in baseball, but his value - both now and in the long-term - is tempered by the fact that he's a Red Sox and buried behind Jon Papelbon in the pecking order for saves. Bard throws fast - he's hit 100 MPH on the gun, though sits more comfortably in the 95-97 MPH range - and could be a great long term set-up for the Sox. Right now he still seems like a work in progress, and he's throwing mostly fastballs in the limited work he's put up for Boston thus far. I think Bard could be useful in 4x4 Roto, but he's a reach at this price, and if you're playing for next year, he'd only be worth it if Papelbon suddenly went down with a career-threatening injury.

Matt Palmer $8.
Matt Palmer is a nice story in real life, but in Roto he's a disaster waiting to happen. He throws pedestrian stuff, averaging about 87 MPH on his fastball. So far he's gotten results, but he's also sporting a .191 BABIP, first amongst starting pitchers in the A.L. by a wide margin. Like a lot of pitchers of this description, he might survive for a few more starts, but the law of averages says he's going to get pounded at some point. He does have a favorable two-start week at Seattle and at the Dodgers, but he's a dangerous play anywhere if you expect some regression to the mean like I do.

Jose Morales $3.
Morales might have been OK at this price a few weeks ago, but with Joe Mauer tearing it up Morales will be buried on the bench for the Twins and probably sent down later this week after Delmon Young comes back from dealing with his personal family matter. Don't even bid $1 on Morales.

Josh Outman $2.
After a long stretch in the A's bullpen due to off days/rainouts, etc., Outman has come back and pitched decently against the Mariners, poorly against the Blue Jays, and very well against the Royals. As I said last year, Outman still seems like a work in progress, though he hits 93 MPH on the gun and when everything is going right for him has good movement. He's got a tough match-up early in the week against the Rays but then a favorable one against the Diamondbacks. It's too bad he can't face his own team; the A's are atrocious against lefties.

Scott Feldman $2.
The reliever-turned-starter continued to defy low expectations, tossing a gem against the Angels today. Feldman's game is getting hitters to pound the ball into the ground, and so far he's done just that as a starter. He's got very little margin for error - especially when he's pitching at The Ballpark - but is not a bad play this week in Interleague play at Houston. He's sort of a poor-man's Palmer in terms of luck: a 254 BABIP should regress to the mean soon and - when it does - Feldman could wind up taking his lumps.

Ramon Santiago $2.
Santiago had a monster game today subbing for Placido Polanco, but probably isn't going to wrest the SS job away from Everett as long as Everett keeps hitting. As a middle infielder, Santiago certainly has value, but don't let today's game cause you to lose too much perspective. Before his recent hot streak, Santiago went two weeks without an RBI, and he could disappear once again just as easily.

Alfredo Aceves $2.
I still like Aceves a good deal (though early reports of a 94 MPH fastball were somewhat exaggerated), but right now he looks like he's at the bottom of the Yanks pen as a long man/mop-up man. He could start if Phil Hughes bombed or if Chien-Ming Wang comes back and still doesn't look ready, but barring that Aceves' value as a mop up man is extremely limited.

Dontrelle Willis $1.
Mack Avenue Tigers provided a great post-mortem of Willis' first major league start in 2009. This is pretty consistent with what I've read elsewhere: the fastball looked OK, the slider was erratic, and Willis' seems to have abandoned the change almost entirely. He's a work in progress, and while I doubt he's ever going to get back to his glory days with the Marlins, he could be a serviceable #4 this year if everything breaks right for him. He's a projected two-start SP this week, but his first start is against the Rangers, which makes Willis a dangerous option.

Reggie Willits $1.
Willits has the same speed he's always had, but remains buried on the Angels bench unless the team decides to sit Gary Matthews Jr. at some point. I'd pass on Willits unless you're desperate for steals.

Willie Bloomquist. Claimed by 12th, 9th, 8th, 7th, 3rd, and 1st (tie) place teams.
Bloomquist continues to rack up fairly regular AB for the Royals, now playing some SS while Mike Aviles deals with a sore forearm. Bloomquist is going to cool off, but enjoy the ride while he's playing, and keep in mind that his speed means that he could sneak in another 5-7 SB while he's starting these next few weeks.

Ronny Cedeno. Claimed by 8th place team.
Cedeno is one of those players in Roto who only has sustainable value if he's playing every day. The Mariners have given him a couple of chances, but Cedeno's numbers so far this year are pretty pedestrian, so he should continue to soldier on in his utility role for now, which leaves him with next to no value.