Russ Canzler $13. Other bids $5, $2.
The dollar amounts are irrelevant at this point; the bids have
more to do with how much money some teams have left than others. There were no
keeper bids for Canzler, but the non-contenders in this league are all almost
out of money. Canzler replaces Alexi Casilla; the losing bidders were
attempting to replace Nick Markakis and Brennan Boesch. Travis Hafner
mercifully goes bye-bye this winter once the Tribe pays the buyout, so it seems
logical that Canzler is going to get a long look this month. He offers some
power with a subpar batting average, although the BABIP gods have been on his
side thus far. Canzler is a must own in A.L.-only, but keep in mind that he's a
DH-only if you're playing using standard Rotisserie position eligibility rules.
Tony
Abreu $4
A.L.-only:
the only format on Earth where Abreu would be joining his second contender this
year. Abreu offers a slight power/speed combo at middle infield and his
versatility is marginally useful if you have an injury and need to slide Abreu
to another position. He's stealing some at bats from Johnny Giavotella and
could provide a little value down the stretch if that paradigm holds.
Thomas
Neal $3
Neal
was the Markakis owner's consolation prize after losing out on Canzler. Neal
was acquired at the trade deadline in 2011 from the San Francisco Giants for
Orlando Cabrera. He had a strong all around season in the minors, but is 25
years old and was at Double-A. Neal is your classic tweener: a guy with not
enough power to man a Major League corner and not enough speed to roam center
field in a big league ball yard on a regular basis. He'll get some at bats
against lefties down the stretch and with the Indians out of contention might
get more regular at bats as we get closer to the end of the 2012 campaign.
Ben
Francisco $2
There
are some pretty weird/funky job sharing arrangements going on in Tampa Bay, and
while they might be working wonders for the team's chances to win, it makes
figuring out whom to play in fantasy aggravating. Francisco has been stealing some
at bats in the outfield over the last few days. He has modest pop and a slight
amount of speed, but the danger with a guy like Francisco is that he can
disappear as quickly as he appeared, and it's not like he offers the potential
for ridiculous numbers even if he does play every day.
Adeiny Hechavarria $2
Hechavarria
was playing for Brett Lawrie, but started at shortstop today and should see a
fair amount of time in the infield for the Blue Jays down the stretch. Some
scouts love his glove, but with the exception of an incredible stretch at AAA
in 2011, Hechavarria has shown little with his bat. He is young, but profiles
as a future utility guy and not a regular.
Clayton
Mortensen $1
The
Red Sox have been justifiably slammed for a lot of poor decision making this
year, but Mortensen has turned out to be a solid acquisition. He has struggled as a
starter throughout his career, but a move to middle relief has done wonders for
Mortensen's numbers. He has also gone back to throwing a ton of sliders
(something he didn't do for the Rockies in 2011), which seems to have helped.
Mortensen is a safe looking rate stats play.
Mark
Teixeira. Claimed by 12th place team
Teixeira
carries a $39 salary for next year, so even if a contender wanted to gamble on
Teixeira's health the rest of the way, fitting him under the league's $350 cap
would be challenging. The play here for a non-contender isn't a keeper play,
but rather making sure no one sneaks Tex onto his team with a lowball bid next
week once Teixeira passes through waivers. I don't know when Teixeira is coming
back this year. The Yankees clearly need him in the line-up, but he didn't look
ready to me on Saturday even before he aggravated his injury.
Joe
Saunders. Claimed by 11th, 8th, 4th, and 2nd (tie)
place teams
With
a $10 waiver salary, you might wonder why the 11th place team is claiming
Saunders. The answer is innings. This team is behind the eight ball in innings
pitched and would lose 13 points in the standings if he didn't make the IP
requirement, impacting his potential draft pick next season. The 8th place team
is on pace to make innings but still not there and probably trying to do the
same thing. Saunders is projected to face the A's in Oakland this week: a
historically good match-up, but the way the A's are hitting one where you
should exercise caution if your rate stats matter.
Ricky
Romero. Claimed by 8th place team
Romero
showed some faint signs of life in a tough match-up against the Yankees to
close out August but then was demolished by the Rays in a home start on
September 2. The Blue Jays skipped Romero's turn last week and he should get the Mariners
this week. He's not worth owning if you're contending. The team that picked him
up is trying to make innings, though Romero isn't even a safe bet to accumulate
those right now.
Mitch
Moreland. Claimed by 7th, 5th, 2nd (tie) and 2nd
(tie) place teams.
Moreland
has been a pretty strong source of power when he has been able to stay on the
field this year, but then that has been the rub. Assuming the Rangers don't eat
Michael Young's contract, Moreland could get pushed out next year by the
emergence of Mike Olt. Three contenders tried to claim Moreland but were blocked
by a non-contender...an odd move, given that Moreland is an option player and a
league free agent once the season ends.
Sam
Fuld. Claimed by 6th place team.
Fuld
is part of the confusing Rays offensive alignment mentioned above, so has been
receiving a few starts here and there. He offers stolen base potential and
little else, and is only worth the gamble if you're in a tight, tight stolen
base race and locked in in the power categories.
Junichi
Tazawa. Claimed by 2nd (tie) place team.
Like
Mortensen, Tazawa offers some theoretically safe rate stats with little if any
chance at saves. Very quietly while the carnival has been in town, the Sox have
put together a decent bullpen core.
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