OK - all fall, my only decision to make about keepers was whether to keep Josh Barfield at $11 or Josh Johnson at $12 (NL-only).
With neither of them an option, I’m having the damndest time deciding… Any thoughts?
NL-only, 12 team 5X5 rotisserie style auction, standard $260 team salary… Keep up to 5, sliding 10-8-6-4-2 raises (lowest to highest salary). I figure my definite keepers are Brian McCann ($10), Brian Fuentes ($10), Andruw Jones ($26), and Lance Berkman ($26).
For reference purposes - Roy Oswalt was our highest paid pitcher last year ($37). Pujols went for $46. Few, few bargains at the end of the auction - I paid $17 for Corey Hart last year because he was simply the best bat left for my utility spot (3 other owners were also sitting on ~15 at the end game).... but I figure $20 or more is too much for Hart (I think he may ultimately end up WORTH 20 - but I’m thinking he’ll go for less than 10).
I figure I have 3 - maybe 4 - scenarios:
Scenario 1 (leaning towards)
Brian McCann $17
Josh Bard $11
Andruw Jones $29
Lance Berkman $29
Brian Fuentes $17
...$28 on catchers - one of whom is a big gamble, but now that Josh Willingham has lost his C eligibility, I think there’s a 1 in 3 shot Bard/McCann are the 2 best offensive catchers in the NL.
Scenario 2
Brian McCann $19
Brian Fuentes $19
Andruw Jones $31
Lance Berkman $31
Carlos Zambrano $33
Keeping Z bumps everyone else’s salary up 2 - but he could be the most valuable SP in the NL, especially if his improved command this spring carries into the regular season.
Scenario 3
Brian McCann $19
Brian Fuentes $19
Andruw Jones $31
Lance Berkman $31
Luke Scott $11
Scott will start in Houston, or at least have the good half of a platoon - he’ll probably go for ~11 anyway.
Scenario 4
Brian McCann $17
Brian Fuentes $17
Andruw Jones $29
Lance Berkman $29
Josh Johnson $12
I know Johnson is out for at least 6 weeks - maybe 2 months, but I would have paid $12 last year for Johnson’s ~3 months in the rotation had I known then, etc… maybe he’s still worth keeping, even hurt?
We also have a screwy “long term contract” deal - if you keep a player for 2 straight years, you can offer him a multi-year deal: +$3 in year one, +$1 for up to 4 additional years. The salary is “guaranteed” - so it comes out of your $260 except in case of trade (salary stays with the player) - for every year of the deal. Technically—McCann, Fuentes and Jones are all multi-year deal eligible (Fuentes at 13, McCann at 13, and Jones at 29) - but all 3 are risky long term deals - McCann might be worth it, but I can always give him a long term deal next year and I think I’m better off seeing stay healthy all year and prove the 2nd half power spike was for real. Fuentes might get dealt, ditto Jones (plus the aging body).