Expert League FAAB Report - Week of 8/28
After a drop in spending in recent weeks, the FAAB action intensified this week as managers looked to make category-specific improvements or get a boost from some of the new call-ups.
Every Monday throughout the season, I’ll be reviewing some of the top purchases along with my own buys in the Tout Wars Mixed Auction and LABR Mixed leagues. Note that the Tout Wars season budget is $1000 with $0 bids allowed while the LABR season budget is $100 with a minimum bid of $1.
TOUT WARS MIXED AUCTION
TOP BUYS
Yennier Cano ($171) - Felix Bautista’s UCL injury will almost certainly sideline him for the remainder of the season and Cano is the clear favorite to step into the closer role in Baltimore. The 29-year-old righty has been the Orioles’ most reliable setup man this year, posting a 1.57 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP through 59 appearances, so there’s little reason to doubt his ability to get the job done in the ninth inning. There were a lot of Cano believers in this league as my $52 bid was only the fourth-highest, though the winning bid was the lone triple-digit dollar offering.
Parker Meadows ($120) - I tried to add Meadows but my $38 bid fell way short. In six games since getting called up by the Tigers last week, the top prospect boasts a .300 batting average (.440 OBP) to go along with one homer, four RBI, three runs and a steal. His minor-league stat line this season, which includes 19 homers and 19 steals in 113 games at Triple-A Toledo, gives us confidence that he can be a solid mixed-league contributor down the stretch.
Jordan Wicks ($115) - Rounding out the triple-digit dollar buys was Wicks, who is fresh off a strong big-league debut on Saturday in which he limited the Pirates to one run on two hits over five innings while striking out nine. He’s most likely earned himself another start with the Cubs, which would come on the road against the Reds. It’s a tougher matchup than his first one but Wicks carries enough upside, especially in the strikeout department, to deserve a roster spot in deeper mixed leagues. Besides the extravagant winning bid, Wicks received only three other bids, the runner-up offering being surprisingly low at just $5.
MY BUY
Rowdy Tellez ($17) - Needing a hitter to either replace the struggling Masyn Winn or fill in for Matt Chapman, who could be heading to the IL, Tellez was my backup choice behind Meadows. The risk with Tellez is that he isn’t guaranteed everyday at-bats but he’s looked good in four games since returning from the IL, launching one homer while tallying seven RBI. Perhaps a hot streak is on the horizon. Or perhaps this is wishful thinking.
LABR MIXED
TOP BUYS
Parker Meadows ($8) - Determined to not miss out on Meadows in both Tout Wars and LABR, I decided to submit an aggressive $8 bid in LABR. Nine other managers attempted to acquire him but eight bucks turned out to be more than enough as the runner-up bid was only $2. I’m fine with wasting some FAAB dollars here as even after the Meadows buy, my remaining FAAB budget of $17 is the third-highest in the league.
Tanner Scott ($3) - Scott was another popular FAAB target as he received a total of four bids. David Robertson has recorded two blown saves in his last three appearances while Scott hasn’t allowed a run in nine appearances this month. Robertson’s track record suggests that he will bounce back and hold onto Miami’s closer job. But Scott is a worthy pickup just in case the unexpected happens.
MY BUY
Meadows was my only LABR acquisition this week, which is a good thing considering the steep price I paid for him.
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