N.L. FAAB Log: June 8, 2009

Mike MacDougal $17. Other bids $7, $6.
Joel Hanrahan was yanked from the Nationals closer's role Saturday with MacDougal getting the gig. The former Royals closer throws hard but has had problems with control for most of his career. He could pick up some saves (obviously) but like almost every other reliever who has paraded through that Nationals pen clearly isn't a safe bet. I'd stick with a $7-9 bid at most.

Antonio Bastardo $5. Other bids $3, $2.
John Sickels provided an excellent profile of Bastardo. He's got good stuff but without a lot of minor league innings under his belt is still a work in progress. He looked good tonight against the Dodgers but also made some mistakes that Dodger Stadium masked somewhat. He's a stronger play in 5x5, but is still a solid one in 4x4 and should be owned in all leagues right now. His 47 IP in the minor leagues this year is too small of a sample size to suddenly decide that Bastardo's a top prospect as opposed to "just" a good one, but it earned him the shot and so far he's delivering.

Matt Maloney $4
Sickels also put together a great write-up for Maloney prior to his call-up. Like Bastardo, Maloney came up in the Phillies system but was dealt to the Reds for Kyle Lohse a few years back. Like Bastardo, Maloney hadn't put up great numbers in the minors prior to this year and had been great this year, earning himself a call-up. I like Bastardo better than Maloney but think that Maloney's a little more polished and is a little more likely to work his way through any struggles he might have when and if he does hit the wall in the majors.

Nate Schierholtz $2.
With interleague play on the horizon, stashing someone like Schierholtz in deeper leagues isn't a bad play. However, he's not hitting well right now and extra playing time can't be assumed just because the Giants will have a couple of series in A.L. parks. They're home against the A's this week so I'd hold off a week on picking up Schierholtz if I could.

Edward Mujica $1.
Mujica's been a solid middle relief option for the Padres this year, but has virtually zero chance of supplanting Heath Bell unless the Padres decide to move the arbitration-eligible Bell. It sure seems to me like the Indians could use Mujica right about now.

Tyler Greene $1. Other bid $1.
With Khalil Greene on the shelf due to a mysterious anxiety-disorder, Tyler Greene will probably get most of the starts at SS and is a must pick-up at the moment. Despite the fact that he's a former first round pick, Greene isn't a prospect and profiles more as a back-up MI long term. He's hit for power in the minors with poor batting averages, so he'll need to stay hot so that he doesn't hit .200-.220 in the majors and simply disappear. This is a high risk/high reward buy, but I'd take the shot at $3-5 in an N.L.-only league if someone let me.

Jon Rauch $1.
Despite Rauch's struggles this year, he's a must pick-up if he's available in your league. Chad Qualls is suffering through forearm tightness and I wouldn't be surprised to see him hit the DL. Juan Gutierrez is the long-term option for saves in Arizona, but Rauch should get the nod this year if Qualls has to miss a significant portion of time; Rauch has two saves as a fill-in already thus far.

Adam Rosales $1.
Rosales hasn't parlayed Edwin Encarnacion's injury into a full-time gig at 3B. He's playing about half the time and - despite 2 HR - hasn't done much else except walk, which means he's a little better in OBP leagues. The Reds are at the Royals this week, which means that Rosales could DH in that series if he isn't playing 3B.