Armando Galarraga $12. Other bids $12, $7, $4, $4, $4, $1.
Galarraga was already written up on May 17. His previous owner waived him and missed the imperfect perfect game. I thought they would be a bigger bid here based on what Galarraga did against Cleveland, but we're a wise group of sages who don't get sucked in by one performance. Galarraga continues to be a 4th or 5th MLB starter and a 5th or 6th starter in Roto. His stuff is hittable, and his 186 BABIP thus far this season is an accident waiting to happen. I think Galarraga is OK to spot start, but don't think he's turned some kind of magical corner this past week. He hasn't.
Brett Lillibridge $10.
Lillibridge is plenty fast - he had 19 SB at AAA Charlotte prior to his call-up by the White Sox - but doesn't offer much else, and seems to be behind both Jayson Nix and Omar Vizquel on the Sox depth chart. He's worth a minimal bid in A.L.-only leagues if you're desperate for speed, but nothing more.
Josh Reddick $10. Other bid $2.
Reddick's getting to the point in his career where he probably needs a trade in order to get an opportunity to show if he's either a starter, a reserve, or a Quad-A guy. He has power potential, but is buried in the Red Sox OF behind a number of bodies and is probably only going to be up for a few days. This bid is a future bid, but I'm not sure Reddick is going to be a $10 keep next season.
Freddy Garcia $5. Other bid $1.
These days, Garcia gets by on an array of off-speed stuff...except when he doesn't. Seven of his 10 starts this year have been quality starts, but two of the other three have been unmitigated disasters. Garcia's arsenal of junk generally gets him by, but on the days he doesn't have it he's going to get pounded, and I do wonder how he'll fare his second time through the league. He's got the Tigers this week.
Bruce Chen $3.
It's hard to say that any 32-year-old ex-prospect is a work in progress, but that's exactly what Chen looks like right now. He's throwing a lot more sliders than he ever has, and the result seems to be more strikeouts but also more walks than usual. The problem is that his BABIP and LD% don't correspond in a bad way and that this is Bruce Chen pitching for the Royals. Don't take this ride.
Jayson Nix $3. Other bids $1, $1.
With Mark Teahen out, Nix could get some AB at 3B for the White Sox...though right now Vizquel is getting most of the playing time. Nix is intriguing because of his power potential but worrisome because of his historically terrible BAs. If you can take the BA hit, he's worth the gamble, though there's no guarantee Ozzie won't keep going with Vizquel.
Andy Sonnanstine $1.
Sonnanstine has been solid in middle relief for the Rays, though a look at his FIP says he's due for a fall. He's living and dying off of the cutter this year. His value comes if the Rays decide that Wade Davis needs a breather and Jeremy Hellickson isn't ready yet, and given Sonnanstine's track record as a starter, I wouldn't get too excited.
Danny Valencia $1.
Injuries to the Twins infield necessitated a call-up for Valencia, even though he'd done nothing in the minors to earn it. At 25, he's starting to look like a Quad-A guy. He doesn't have enough power for a MLB corner, probably would struggle to hit over .260, and his defense isn't even special enough to guarantee him a utility job. He's worth a gamble as long as he's playing, but it probably won't pan out for you or the Twins.
Brendan Harris $1.
For the last three years, Harris has been an OK guy to have in A.L.-only leagues as your third middle infielder. He offered some power and his versatility made him someone to slide over to another position if an injury hit your squad. This year, Harris has tanked in every way and isn't even worth keeping on reserve. No HR means no value.
Scott Moore $1.
Moore has fallen off of the prospect lists, but at 26 he's not old and it's certainly too soon to label him as a Quad-A guy. He has 20-25 HR potential if he gets a shot somewhere. The problem is that he'd probably hit .220 to .230 with a lot of whiffs if he did get that shot and unless you're Mark Reynolds and can hit 40-45 bombs, you're not going to get that opportunity. Moore is somewhat interesting because the Orioles are in a state of flux and will probably start showing some of their high priced veterans the door soon, but right now he isn't much of a short-term or long-term move.
Eddie Bonine $1.
Bonine isn't going to be in line for saves in Motor City any time soon, but he's put up some strong numbers for the Tigers in middle relief, and his peripherals support those numbers. He's a good guy to grab in 4x4 A.L.-only leagues and is borderline in 5x5 as well.
Luis Valbuena. Claimed by 12th, 10th, 7th, 6th and 2nd place teams.
Overall, Valbuena's numbers have been awful. But a hot week has put him back in line for regular AB and has made him intriguing in A.L.-only leagues again. The best news for Valbuena is that in 17 plate appearances last week he only struck out once. If he can keep making contact and avoid piling up the whiffs, he could reclaim some of the intriguing 15-20 HR middle infield potential he had at the beginning of the year. He's more suitable for rebuilding teams, but still worth it in A.L.-only.
Mike Wuertz. Claimed by 6th and 2nd place teams.
Wuertz picked up a save yesterday, but that was just because Andrew Bailey needed a rest. However, it's good to know that the A's still trust Wuertz on that rare day Bailey needs a day off. Wuertz is off to a slow start, and his peripherals tell me that he won't be as dominant as he was last year but has also been somewhat unlucky this year. Unless the K/IP rate picks up, don't expect dominance, but Wuertz should be solid in the set-up role going forward.
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