A.L. FAAB Log: August 3, 2009

The A.L. bids tonight are going to seem limp in comparison to the N.L. bids, as the A.L. I track has a salary cap that applies all season long, while the N.L. cap expires with this week's FAAB bidding. I haven't even looked at the N.L. bids yet, but am assuming you will see a significant difference.

Edwin Encarnacion $21. Other bids $17, $13, $11, $10, $5.
Due to an aggressive flurry of trades in my A.L., only the $13 bid came from a contender; the rest of these bids were from teams trying to figure out what Encarnacion's keeper price is next season. Twenty-one dollars is probably too high for this talented but disappointing 3B if you're making a keeper bid. Obviously, if you're playing for this year, don't have a salary cap to worry about, and need a starter, you're probably going to have to bid more aggressively than this. Encarnacion might continue to disappoint, but he's the only starting position player who came over to the A.L. this past week.

Andy Marte $11. Other bids $10, $8.
I thought I had seen the last of Marte after last year's brief call-up, but he's b-a-c-k. Marte was tearing up International League pitching and the Indians are giving him yet another last look - this time at 1B - to see if he fits into the team's future plans. With V-Mart shipped off to Boston, Marte should get most of the AB at 1B for the Indians. He has 15-20 HR potential if he can finally put it all together, but as former Marte owners huddled together in dank basements in their support groups know, that's easier said than done with Marte.

Cliff Pennington $10. Other bids $10, $5, $4.
With Orlando Cabrera shipped off to the Twins, Pennington figures to get a good chunk of AB for the A's in the last two months. His biggest asset is bushels of speed; he stole 27 out of 31 in AAA prior to his call-up. His downside is just about everything else. Pennington's power is limited, his .264 BA at Sacramento looks like a .220 or 230 MLB BA to me, and at 25 what little prospect sheen Pennington once had is likely gone. If he can maintain the 345 OBP he had in the minors Pennington might be an OK Major League option, but odds are poor that he will. If you're making a keeper bid, there's a good chance the A's will find another alternative between now and Spring 2010.

Ian Snell $9. Other bids $8, $7, $7, $4.
Wow. With almost every entry in this list I can hear Green Day's Boulevard of Broken Dreams playing in my head. The once promising Snell was in the middle of his second disappointing season in a row when the Pirates finally bit the bullet and sent him down to AAA. Snell pitched lights out down there, but said he would not come back to Pittsburgh to start. The Pirates then shipped him to Seattle, where Snell had a solid start tonight against the Rangers. No one has ever doubted Snell's raw stuff, and he could be an OK short-term play while the A.L. adjusts to him. He's always walked a lot of guys, so don't expect an ace here, but Snell could be a valid bottom of the rotation guy in A.L.-only leagues.

Josh Reddick $8. Other bids $6, $2, $2.
With the exception of a brief stop in AA in 2008, Reddick has mashed just about everywhere he's played in the minors. This year that mashing took place at AA before Reddick got called up to the Sox with both J.D. Drew and Jason Bay day-to-day. There's a good chance that Reddick gets sent down once Bay and Drew are ready, so this bid makes more sense as a long term move. Reddick's certainly an intriguing prospect; he might have 25-30 HR potential in the majors a few years down the road.

Jack Wilson $7. Other bid $6.
I've probably written this about Jack Wilson elsewhere, but offensively he's a more valuable player in Roto than in real life (unless, of course, you use OBP). His 8-10 HR power and mediocre BA doesn't really do much to push a team toward a pennant, but in deep Rotisserie leagues you need a guy like this to compete. If you have the slot, Wilson should be purchased, but if you're in a carryover leagues with dump trading, hopefully you did better than this at the deadline.

Landon Powell $5. Other bid $2.
Powell was picked up to fill in after a trade left an owner with a vacancy at 1B. He has some power but he looks like a future back-up and is pretty firmly buried behind the solid Kurt Suzuki in Oakland. Powell's a stretch even in deep leagues at catcher.

Tommy Everidge $5.
John Sickels offers up a nice thumbnail summary of Everidge's career here. He's hit for power at every level, but he probably falls somewhat on the wrong side of Jack Cust to eke out a major league career, even with a team as cost conscious and numbers minded as the A's. He's supposed to get sent back to AAA on Tuesday for Jason Giambi, so Everidge's short term value is nothing right now anyway.

Casey Kotchman $3. Other bid $2.
Kotchman could have value in 2010 for the Red Sox, but trying to figure that out in August 2009 gives me a headache. He's almost worthless this year barring an injury; the Red Sox are primarily going to use him as a defensive replacement and pinch hitter.

Jerry Hairston $2.
Hairston was flipped to the Yankees by the Reds, and figures to get a few starts here and there all over the diamond. He offers a little speed and a little power, and isn't a terrible play at a MI slot if you need the body. Just don't expect an every day player here.

Jason Bulger $2.
After a horrible April, Bulger's been extremely solid for the Halos in a middle relief role. He has four wins out of the Angels pen and nearly a whiff an inning. He's an option in very deep A.L.-only leagues who should be OK going forward.

Josh Roenicke $2.
For all the talk of the Reds screwing the pooch on the Scott Rolen/Edwin Encarnacion trade, Roenicke is the guy who could make Cincinnati look really bad if he pans out. Rotoworld overstates Roenicke's velocity, but he does average about 95 MPH and has a biting slider that he seems to have working for him this year. He's a good long term gamble for saves in a solid but unsettled Toronto bullpen, and given Cito's mistrust of Jason Frasor, it's not completely out of the question that Roenicke will get some saves this year.

Joe Inglett $1.
Inglett's the latest warm body the Blue Jays are trying in their DH/OF platoon with Kevin Millar. As Inglett's on the good side of the platoon, he could theoretically get 5-6 starts in a good week. However, he offers next to no power and very little speed and probably has to play every day to be worth it.

Brayan Pena $1.
Trey Hillman sounds committed to giving Pena some more AB behind the plate at the expense of fellow catchers John Buck and Miguel Olivo. He has a little pop, but projects more as a contact hitter who in a good year could hit .280 to .280 as a starter with some ribbies. If you have a dead spot at catcher, Pena's worth riding as long as he's playing.

Bobby Seay $1.
Seay has quietly put some solid numbers up out of the Tigers pen as their LOOGY. He's what I call a drip pitcher, but he's provided enough value this year where you can stash him at the back of your staff if you need a little ERA/WHIP safety net.

Ramon Ramirez. Claimed by 8th, 5th, 2nd (tie), and 1st place teams.
Ramirez is yet another middle reliever who has put up solid numbers. He has five wins for a solid Red Sox team, so if you're looking for a vulture, Ramirez is a superior play to Seay.