Ramon Castro went down, so Flowers is up to caddy A.J. Pierzynski. This is probably all that Flowers will do, as Pierzynski is one of the most durable catchers in baseball. I wrote Flowers up early this month. He was hot at AAA in July prior to his call-up, but my overall assessment of Flowers hasn't changed. The $10 bid is from a non-contender who is likely hoping to catch lightning in a bottle with Flowers. Pierzynski is signed relatively cheaply through 2012, so it is unlikely that Flowers supplants him next year.
Eric Sogard $3.
Sogard was called up by the A's to provide middle infield depth. The organization really likes him, and as a skills-over-tools player he's definitely in the right organization. On the other hand, he has really stagnated in a strong hitting environment over the last year and a half and - at the age of 25 - it's hard to take him all that seriously as a prospect. Sogard's best-case future probably rests as a back-up infielder, and he might not even stick. Keep in mind that for every David Eckstein or Marco Scutaro, there are 100 guys in the minors like this who never make it.
Matt Angle $1.
Angle is a burner who doesn't get on base enough to take seriously as a prospect. He's intriguing from a Roto perspective if the Orioles give him playing time, but he's probably going to be used as the last guy off of the bench. Like Sogard, he's 25 and has stagnated at AAA for the last year and a half. It's unlikely that Angle is going to make it.
Mike Gonzalez $1.
I'm fairly certain that Gonzalez was snagged because he picked up a save last week after Kevin Gregg couldn't. It seems unlikely that Gonzalez would take over unless Gregg completely implodes, but the fact that Buck Showalter used Gonzalez tells you that he probably is next in line. I suppose Gonzalez could get a shot at the job if Gregg is traded, but Gregg is signed through 2012 with a 2013 option while Gonzalez is a free agent this winter. Feel free to bid and cross your fingers, but I wouldn't count on anything major happening here.
Anthony Swarzak $1.
Not much has changed since I last profiled Swarzak. His ERA/xFIP luck is Karstens-esque and simply cannot hold. Swarzak is a projected two-start starter this week against the Indians and Tigers at home, but is still a hard-to-recommend play. He's going to regress; let him do so on the free agent pool or on someone else's team.
Mark Teahen. Claimed by 10th place team.
Jack Cust. Claimed by 7th place team.
Jason Frasor. Claimed by 3rd place team.
It's worth noting here that this team has both Frank Francisco and Jon Rauch. Frasor is OK to own anyway, but this claim was obvious...though this bullpen is really a crapshoot.
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