2009 Top 10 N.L. Free Agent Pitchers (through July 10)
| # | Player | $ | FAAB Bid | FAAB Date | '08 |
| 1 | Zach Duke | $27 | $1 | 4/6 | -$7 |
| 2 | Jason Marquis | $24 | $3 | 4/13 | $3 |
| 3 | Randy Wells | $22 | $1 | 5/11 | $2 |
| 4 | Ramon Troncoso | $21 | $1 | 5/18 | $1 |
| 5 | LaTroy Hawkins | $20 | $1 | 4/20 | $6 |
| 6 | Mark DiFelice | $18 | $1 | 5/4 | $2 |
| 7 | Dan Meyer | $18 | $1 | 5/18 | -$7 |
| 8 | Nick Masset | $17 | $0 | ||
| 9 | Todd Coffey | $14 | $1 | 4/20 | $0 |
| 10 | Pedro Feliciano | $13 | $1 | 6/22 | $1 |
| Average | $19 | $1 | $0 |
The best free agent buys are starting pitchers, but after the "Big Three" of Duke, Marquis, and Wells, the quality of free agent starting pitching falls off the cliff; the next best un-auctioned starter after Wells was Tommy Hanson, who was probably a farm or reserve player in most leagues.
Dipping into the free agent pool for starters is the most common practice in most leagues, and the league I track here is no exception. Despite his $17 projected earnings, not a single team in the league wants a piece of Masset.
Generally speaking, though, these guys are much cheaper than they were in the corresponding American League. Only Marquis goes over the minimum bid. It's a different story in the A.L., where Ricky Romero ($15) and Brad Bergesen ($8) get chased a little bit. If you've read my FAAB logs this year (and if you're reading this you probably have), you know that the A.L. I track is more aggressive when it comes to chasing free agent starters while the N.L. I track hoards its money.
Once again, I fall back on my most common nugget of advice: know your league. You know that some of these gems are going to come along. If your league is aggressive in chasing these guys, then you're probably going to have to make some aggressive bids as well. If, on the other hand, your league is timid, then you're probably better off making the minimum bid over and over again (or $2 if you really want the guy) and hoping that you wind up with your own version of Zack Duke in time.
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