A non-contender snagged Rasmus with this bid, presumably in the hopes of trading him before this league's trade deadline next week. The problem with this strategy is that the other bids are low because just about everyone else is capped out. While Rasmus is solid, he isn't the kind of player that will make someone toss away important components of his roster to make Rasmus fit under the cap. Contender bids: $39, $27, $8, $5. One contender did not bid because he put all of his eggs into the next basket...
Ubaldo Jimenez $33. Other bids $32, $31, $22, $21, $15, $14, $12, $5.
The contending team who passed on Rasmus did get U-Ball, so all's well that ends well I suppose. The winning bidder is desperate for pitching, but so was another owner, and he bid a tepid $21 on U-Ball. Despite the decent xFIP, I think the concerns about Jimenez's diminished velocity won out here. I'm concerned, too, but the move out of Coors is going to help here. Not counting Saturday's abbreviated start, Jimenez has a 2.67 ERA/3.22 xFIP away from Coors versus a 4.07 ERA/3.67 xFIP at home. His diminished velocity still puts his fastball in the top 10 among MLB qualifiers, and he's been dominant at times. U-Ball's a risk to be sure, but this is almost definitely your last chance to buy into an ace in 2011. Contender bids: $33, $21, $14, $12, $5.
Kosuke Fukudome $30. Other bids $10, $8, $7, $4.
One owner decided that if he couldn't have Rasmus, he was going to get Fukudome come hell or high water. The rest of these bids are much more in line. Fukudome's best asset this year is that he moves the chains without hurting your batting average; the moderate power/speed he showed in 2010 has disappeared this year. Ryan Ludwick didn't make it to Cleveland, so Fukudome should play every day at least into September and possibly all year if Grady Sizemore doesn't make it back. This makes him worth owning in A.L.-only, even if he's not an exciting guy to have.
Brandon Allen $20. Other bids $11, $10.
Allen is one of those three true outcomes prospects who could hit 30+ HR in the Majors if he gets a shot, but could also flame out entirely. There were a lot of people on Twitter yesterday making fun of the fact that the A's already have a hitter like this and his name is Chris Carter. Allen should get an opportunity in the short-term to play and the power makes him an intriguing play in A.L.-only. However, he is a gamble, particularly if you're playing with batting average and not OBP.
Mike Adams $12. Other bids $12, $12, $7, $5, $4, $3, $2, $1.
Even though there's a good chance Adams doesn't get any save opportunities, his ERA/WHIP made him a relatively hot commodity yesterday. Neftali Feliz has struggled, but I don't think Ron Washington is going to make a change unless Feliz completely blows up. Adams is still plenty valuable. While Petco obviously helped him out, Adams' road numbers were still tremendous, and he shouldn't have any problems continuing to top up double-digit value as a middle reliever in A.L.-only.
Charlie Furbush $6.
The Tigers wanted a starting pitcher but didn't want to cede Jacob Turner. So they gave up lesser prospects and get a #3-4 in Doug Fister. Furbush takes Fister's place in Seattle's rotation. Furbush will probably get the start on Wednesday in a favorable match-up against the A's, but might be on a strict pitch count as he's bounced between the rotation and the bullpen this year. Furbush is more of an interesting long-term play, but he's not a bad option for this particular match-up.
Alejandro de Aza $3. Other bid $2.
I wrote about de Aza on Friday. He has started twice in four games. It looks less likely that de Aza will take Alex Rios' job, but de Aza should provide some outfield depth for the White Sox and start 2-3 times a week. He has some value in A.L.-only.
Matt Tolbert $1.
Alexi Casilla's on the DL, and Tolbert is getting a few starts here and there at second and short. Michael Cuddyer is playing some second base, though, so Tolbert's not quite a regular. Tolbert is a bad option for your team, which I keep saying over and over and over.
Ramon Santiago $1.
The Tigers recent acquisition of Wilson Betemit and Carlos Guillen's return from the DL bury Santiago even further on the Tigers bench.
De Los Santos continues to strike out a lot of guys in middle relief for the A's. Andrew Bailey stayed put, so any speculative saves play on De Los Santos won't be for 2011.
Delmon Young. Claimed by 11th, 4th, and 1st place teams.
Don Kelly. Claimed by 10th place team.
Matt LaPorta. Claimed by 6th, 4th and 2nd place teams.
Blake Beavan. Claimed by 4th place team.
Tony Sipp. Claimed by 1st place team.
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