With three days left in the regular season (and possibly four if the Rays force a play-off with the Red Sox), I thought I'd write more about process than players for my final FAAB log for 2011. If you want my specific opinion on a player, post in the comments and I'll reply ASAP.
Alex Liddi $12. Other bids: $10, $10, $5, $2, $1.
Liddi was reviewed on Friday. This was a no-brainer pick-up by a contender shooting for HR/RBI that doesn't have batting average in play. Liddi's strikeouts are a concern long-term, but the power play here is too strong to pass up for the final push.
J.D. Drew $11.
Drew came off of the DL on Sunday and went 1-for-5 with an RBI in the Yankees/Red Sox/nightcap. Terry Francona is down on Josh Reddick right now, so Drew could get two starts this week (the Orioles throw out a lefty on Tuesday) and maybe three if there's a Rays/Red Sox play-off on Thursday. The team that picked up Drew is pushing for RBI and trying to protect HR/BA. I'm not sure if this is the greatest pick-up in the world, but this team was locked out positionally on Liddi and was limited to an outfielder. You can look at the outfielders FAABed/claimed below and draw your own conclusions.
Matt Angle $7. Other bid $1.
Angle gets picked up by a non-contender. He looks like a fifth outfielder/pinch runner type and won't be worth hanging onto at $10 next year. Spoiler factor? Slim. This team is seven steals behind the second place team.
Louis Coleman $5, Everett Teaford $5
Both Coleman and Teaford were picked up by another non-contender. It doesn't seem likely that either pitcher is a keep at $10. Spoiler factor? It sounds like the Royals are shutting Teaford down so it depends on Coleman. The only place where there could be any possible impact is a stray save from Coleman, which is obviously unlikely.
Rich Harden $5.
Another non-contender, another pitcher who is done for 2011. This is a 4x4 league, so I doubt that Harden is a keep at $10 assuming he's in the American League again. Spoiler factor? N/A
Rene Tosoni $5.
This was the first place team's lone successful move (he attempted a waiver claim as well). This team is trying to gain a batting average and home run point and protect an RBI point. Tosoni is swinging a hot bat (8-for-his-last-15), though he is hitting .199 on the year. The team that picked up Tosoni dropped Danny Valencia; it will be interesting to see which hitter is better during the last three days of the regular season. Valencia has crumbled down the stretch (he has the third worst RC+ in the American League over the last 30 days behind Brandon Allen and Mike McCoy) so I can see why his owner made the move.
Jeanmar Gomez $3.
Gomez was written up on Friday. This pick-up was by the 4th place team, who is battling for 3rd. A two-win swing is good for 1 1/2 points, though a terrible outing could lose this team a point each in ERA/WHIP. A monster week for this team in wins could push him past the first place team in wins or at least into a tie. This team pushed hard for starters but lost out on a waiver claim for Phil Humber (see below) and overbid on Dustin McGowan, so he was clearly trying to make a huge wins splash in the final three days.
Leonys Martin $1.
Martin might get a start or two this week as the Rangers rest their regulars for the play-offs. Spoiler impact? None.
Sam Fuld $1.
A strained wrist has limited Fuld to pinch-hitting and pinch running the rest of the way. The 4th place team picked him up to protect a batting average point that is probably already safe.
Pedro Strop $1.
Strop was picked up by the 5th place team to replace a starting pitcher who is done for the year. ERA, WHIP and wins are all in play for this team. He also tried to pick up Humber (see below), so he probably liked Humber and not Gomez for this week.
Phil Coke $1, Boone Logan $1, Cory Wade. Claimed by 1st place and 5th place team (waived Wade last week)
The 2nd place team has clinched wins, ERA and WHIP and is trying to pick up a stray save here. This is very unlikely to work, but since there are no points to be lost this is a harmless maneuver if it doesn't.
Brian Dinkelman Claimed by 11th place, 5th and 1st place teams.
Both the 5th and 1st place teams are pushing for RBI, so I understand these claims. The 11th place claim is a mystery that even Nancy Drew couldn't solve. Dinkelman isn't a $10 keep next year and there's no way this team can even move up to claim a better farm pick. Spoiler Factor? None.
Phil Humber. Claimed by 10th, 8th, 5th and 4th place teams.
The non-contender waiver claims here are a little more defensible. I don't know if I'd keep Humber at $10, but someone might, and that's all that really matters when you're trying to add players for the off-season trading period. Spoiler factor? Highly unlikely. This team will need to run the table in wins to tie or pass the 1st place team and the same applies in WHIP.
Hideki Matsui. Claimed by 6th place team.
Matsui is playing every day but is in the middle of a terrible slump. It's telling that all of the contenders passed on him given that four of the five top teams need RBI. He's at a $13 waiver salary for 2012. Matsui has outfield eligibility, but might have trouble doing better than an NRI this spring given his poor overall numbers. I'd throw him back at $13. Spoiler factor? No. It would take a minor miracle in HR or RBI for that to happen.
Eduardo Nunez. Claimed by 4th, 3rd, 1st and 5th place team (5th place team waved Nunez last week)
Once again, RBI is the main factor driving these claims. The hope is that Nunez gets at least two starts this week (one for Robinson Cano and one for Derek Jeter). He mainly brings speed to the table, but that's a non-factor in this league's pennant race.
Jorge Posada. Claimed by 3rd place team.
Like Nunez, I'm not sure how much or how little Posada will play this week. He was picked up for Kevin Youkilis, and in the battle for counting stats a healthy body is better than nobody.
Thanks everyone for reading this year. See you in 2012.
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