A.L. FAAB Log: July 30, 2012

Zack Greinke $42. Other bids $39, $38, $32, $21, $17, $8, $6. Amazingly, four teams didn't bid on Greinke. Of those four, one was a non-contender with virtually no FAAB, another a contender that had a moderate amount of cap room and FAAB but inexplicably didn't bid, a third a team whose owner was in Barcelona where the Internet apparently doesn't exist, and a fourth owner who perennially checks out in late May and probably should have gently been shown the door many years ago. For the owners that did bid, the contenders bid their max to the league's salary cap, even allowing for some creativity, while the non-contenders bid their FAAB max or close to it. The lone exception was the $32 bidder. He spread out his remaining FAAB among Greinke, Anibal Sanchez and Omar Infante. This owner held the hammer and had the most FAAB of anyone in the league but opted not to go all in on Greinke. He got Sanchez (see below), so we'll see if his strategy of landing a cheaper commodity to trade (keeping in mind the cap) works.

Anibal Sanchez $21. Other bids $18, $12, $10, $5.
We drop from eight bidders for Greinke to a mere five here. While that seems odd, keep in mind that two of the Greinke bidders already have strong pitching staffs and were trying to play keep away with Zack. There isn't the same imperative with a lesser pitcher in Sanchez, so what you see here are some pretty conservative bids from teams that perhaps are hoping that something better comes through from the National League in the next two days. I bid $18 and am one of the owners that didn't need the pitching (I have 47 out of a possible 48 pitching points). I think the league miscalculated here, and I would have been very aggressive had I needed the arm. The non-contender that got Sanchez will surely be trying to work out a trade this week.

Omar Infante $20. Other bids $19, $11, $10, $8, $3.
Still more conservatism from the league. One of the contenders that didn't bid on Infante put nothing but the $21 bid in on Greinke while another did nothing but activate Chris Iannetta. Even if your team is extremely deep, you should be able to find room for Infante. I was willing to waive an everyday player but an inferior one nonetheless. Infante's power/speed combination at the keystone makes him plenty valuable in A.L.-only.

Ryan Roberts $19. Other bids $10, $4, $2.
If the contenders were conservative on Infante then they were downright John Birch Society on Roberts. But he should play everyday while Evan Longoria is healing and should still get a lot of PT if/when Longoria comes back. Roberts is having a down year, but the power/speed combo makes him somewhat appealing even if the batting average isn't quite there in '12.

Omar Quintanilla $2.
Quintanilla is getting the playing time, but the only owner that bid is trying to make at bats and was just looking for a warm body. Quintanilla is swinging a hot bat for the O's, but he's really a utility player. It's OK to play him in the short-term if your team has an injury, but this isn't a player you want hanging around if the injury is more than just a 10-14 day issue.

Trayvon Robinson $1. Other bid $1.
Robinson was once a highly regarded prospect with the Dodgers, but a sluggish Major League campaign in 2011 followed by a soft 2012 at AAA has pushed Robinson off of the prospect radar and onto the fringe 5th OF/Quad-A profile. Robinson still has a good amount of power, but has struggled turning this raw power into MLB home runs. He's still relatively young at 24, but it's doubtful many see him as a prospect anymore. Robinson is up right now to provide depth and isn't fantasy worthy, even in A.L.-only.

Sam Fuld $1. Other bid $1.
Fuld came off the DL for the first time this year and is off to an extremely fast start this week. He should see some PT in Tampa as long as he stays hot and is a candidate for some sneaky steals if he can get and keep the playing time.  I like him in A.L.-only as a short-term speed play.

Jeff Mathis $1.
Mathis hasn't been any great shakes during his career, but at $1 he's a steal for any Roto owner given J.P. Arencibia's injury and the playing time that's been opened up for Mathis. He has shown a decent amount of HR power this year and could be better than your average sinkhole behind the plate.

David Robertson. Claimed by 12th, 11th, and 6th place teams.
Robertson has been a solid reliever when he has been healthy, but Rafael Soriano has been a buzzsaw most of the season so Robertson is an unlikely saves candidate at this point. He's not a bad stash for 2013 but with Rafael Soriano holding a significant player option for $14M, it's doubtful that Sori will leave this winter. Robertson is a pure spec play right now, and isn't a saves option.

Kyle Farnsworth. Claimed by 11th place team.
Farnsworth is back off the DL but the odds of him supplanting Fernando Rodney for the Rays are extremely slim. Farnsworth could wind up back in a closing gig at some point, but it's not going to be with the Rays and it won't be in 2012.

Brett Cecil. Claimed by 8th place team
Cecil has been plastered by his opponents thus far. While the whiff rate is solid, everything else has been bad. The team that claimed Cecil is trying to make innings and is out of the race. That makes sense; otherwise I wouldn't bother.

Derek Lowe. Claimed by 6th place team.
After a quick start, the league has caught up to Lowe and then some. Avoid in fantasy, even if the match-up looks good. After a quick start, Lowe has been beyond awful; I don't even know why the Indians are running him out there anymore.