Mastersball

Each week, your friends at Mastersball will post the results of the weekly LABR FAAB run, featuring the winning bid as well as the runner-up bids. There are three LABR leagues, a 12-team AL only, 13-team NL only and 15-team Mixed League. You can see the complete standings for each league by clicking on the appropriate heading, located just under each player photo.

Included with each league report will be commentary from a Mastersball staff member participating in that league. We invite you to ask questions and post comments at the bottom of the report.

All contingency bids for awarded players are included. Sometimes, this bid is tied to a player that the owner received, so at times the bid amount is larger than the winning bid. We are including it to provide as much information and context as possible with each report...

AMERICAN LEAGUE

PLAYERS AWARDED

UNAWARDED CONTINGENCY BIDS

Perry Van Hook's Commentary

There was only one shiny nugget in the river that attracted double digit bids this week in the AL. The plus is that Yan Gomes qualifies at catcher as well as third base for Brad Evans’ Yahoo team. The down side of a $22 bid is that he might be sent back down to the minors right away. Yes he could be called back up and stick later but that seems like a lot of FAAB to bet on that (although USA Today’s Steve Gardner was also willing to risk $18).

My plan for the free agent bidding was to try and put two reservable players on my bench for this week (only players drafted in the reserve draft after the auction may be activated or reserved at will – otherwise players must be DLed or sent to the minors to put on the reserve list). So I bid $5 for Gomes and then $2 for Jayson Nix to use at my corner spot so I could reserve Alex Liddi until he is getting more at bats for the Mariners. On the pitching side I like Luis Mendoza back in the Royals rotation but am not thrilled with one start this week in New York, so I bid a dollar each on Oakland’s Graham Godfrey or the Royals’ Nathan Adcock so I could still get a start but reserve Mendoza. Well as you see I didn’t come close to getting Yan but I thought there was too much risk for a player who might be sent down today or any time later for a huge bid, but I did get Nix who will get some at bats for the Yankees. On the pitching side, Godfrey was not called up in time to make that move legal, so I got Adcock who hopefully will get a start late in the week in Baltimore which I thought was preferable to Mendoza in Yankee stadium.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

PLAYERS AWARDED

UNAWARDED CONTINGENCY BIDS

Lawr Michaels' Commentary

It while a wild week of LABR pains as owners scrambled to plus spots--that would be holes--in their respective lineups.

Probably the move that merits the most attention would be the acquisition of Brew Crew first sacker Travis Ishikawa for $13 by Ray Flowers.

Now, normally a weak hitting defensive backup would not draw that much interest. In fact, Ray had Ishikawa, and dumped him several weeks back, when I picked the first sacker up to spell Aubrey Huff. Once Huff returned, I dropped Travis, but following a surge week and a pair of dingers, plus a .267-4-13 line, Ray dropped a hefty $13 to get that "weak hitting defensive sub" back.  Does that count as everything that is old is new again?

Perhaps the tastiest newbie of the week was not even a free agent, as LABR Prime Director Steve Gardner activated Matt Adams from his reserve list to replace the hot htting, but equally cold bodied Allen Craig.

The big ticket item of the week, however, was San Diego's Evereth Cabrera for whom Rick Wolf and Glenn Colton spent $17, replacing Brooks Conrad. However, in a dollar and position battle, I spent $15 on Alexi Amarista, so between us, the Full Moon and Mastersball guys blew $32 total, each hoping they had the answer to the "who replaces the departed Orlando Hudson and the injured Jason Bartlett?" riddle. Stay tuned (though obviously I think I will win that one!).

Full Moon also went $7 on Josh Harrison to cover the slumping and demoted Gaby Sanchez, and Derek Carty tried to plug two holes, first with $7 for Elian Herrera to take the spot of broken Mark Ellis, and with Koylie Hill to replace the equally broken Giovany Soto.

Although, perhaps the wisest pickup in that vein was Greg Ambrosius and Shawn Childs picking up Adam Kennedy for another wounded bum, Juan Uribe for $4. Kennedy is one of those guys who like the Terminator, refuses to die, and always comes back with some swipes and pop (remember his three homer game in the playoffs?).

On the pitching side, I feel pretty well gobsmacked, having already lost Brian Wilson ($16) for the year, and then probably Cory Luebke ($15), and now after one start Tim Stauffer ($9) goes back on the DL. I grabbed Jeff Suppan ($5, and a major shudder) to fill that void, hoping Petco will be friendly, and Phils #1 pick of a few years back, Joe Savery, to try and keep my team which had seven starting pitchers after walking out of the draft. HAD is the key word.

What can I say?

Injuries happen.

MIXED LEAGUE

PLAYERS AWARDED

UNAWARDED CONTINGENCY BIDS

Todd Zola's Commentary

Matt Adams is the talk of the town as Lance Berkman has been quoted as feeling he could be out awhile. Check out The Hotpage for the 411 on the new Redbird first sacker.

The three pickups I find intriguing are Tyler Colvin, Todd Frazier and Alex Cobb. It isn't clear how yet, but the Rockies seem set on finding semi-regular playing time for Colvin, who can play all three OF spots as well as spelling Todd Helton at first. Scott Rolen could be out awhile so Frazier may get a decent look-see. In the GAB, anyone with a regular gig is worth a chance. Cobb is interesting since he benefits from a nice pitching park and a nicer defense.