2016 REL Dynasty League Update: Week 1

I’ve been a little wild on the wire spending $15 already, but learning some lessons.  Don’t spend $2 on young, upside-K relievers in mid-March, as they might not make the team (Barraclough, E Burgos).  And well, a few others learned-lessons I don’t want to share :)

I made yet another trade with the rebuilding and very responsive Braves owner (thanks for negotiating!) and gave up Blash (picked up) Tyler Goeddel (drafted) and Clint Coulter (farm prospect) for Hector Olivera.  First with ages – Olivera, yes, just turned 31.  But I’m hoping that’s closer to 29 in MLB wear and tear given he played so much in Cuba and their season is much shorter.  Second with ages – Blash is turning 27 this year and Goeddel is 23.5.  Coulter is nearing 23, and off a bad down season A+ ball (given High-A Brevard County is a Pitcher’s Park/division, but whatever).  That’s kinda old to struggle down there.  So it’s not like I went against a rebuild strategy too much by giving up that much youth.  That said, if one of those guys ends up being mixed-league relevant for an extended stretch, I probably lose the deal.  But everyday ABs are pure gold in a league like this, and 3B (or SS) was an absolute need, and I liked what I saw from Olivera this Spring.  I like his swing.

I hope everyone is enjoying the league!  If you have any league questions let me know, and as the Brewers, if you need some help and wanna give me prospects, I’m still your man!

So far, our starting pitching has been as good as advertised. None of the starters had great command this series, but they still managed to hold down a dominant Jays offense. This is definitely the best rotation in the AL, especially when Cobb returns. Cleveland’s rotation definitely can stake a claim to that title as well, but I would contend that the Rays have more consistency, while Cleveland has more upside. Regardless, both rotations should have a solid pitching advantage in the REL this year.

It’s gonna be a fun year! Good luck all!

I was surprised that I was the only bidder in free agency on Hanser Alberto. Clearly he’s not going to be starting unless there’s an injury, but that can be said about 95% of the free agents in this league. He is a 23yo shortstop that hit .392 with 2 HR and 3 SB in spring training, so there’s that. I also added another Blue Jay to stash on my DL in Aaron Loup, which will allow me another add to fill his vacated spot. There wasn’t any big FAAB money spent this past week, though the two highest guys (both at $5) were relievers, something I don’t think I can get behind spending my money on at this point.

This is going to be a long, long marathon of a season with a lot of bumps in the road. Here’s hoping my team can stay healthy at least. If not I feel like I’ve got some positional versatility to try to help carry me through the inevitable rash of injuries.

Was happy to pick up Ruggiano, had to spend $3 on him but he should be extremely serviceable for a stacked Texas lineup when he’s able to get some time. Hoping he holds off Mazara and Brinson.

Since I traded Upton for Rodon (please lord don’t turn into Erik Johnson)! I have somewhat of a “hole” in the outfield and this is what I’ll be working on moving forward. Jesse Chavez should be a very solid performer, nothing flashlighty but indeed consistent. Also, couldn’t be happier to have picked Shane Greene back up.

Pleased with Sanchez and Verlander so far. Making it to at least 5 innings isn’t ideal especially with my rancid bullpen but not shelling out 13 runs sure if nice. I didn’t keep many of the Tigers relievers and was extremely impressed with how Barbato was able to settle in after plunking his first ever batter. When Chapman comes back it will push him further down the line but is proving to be a nice K asset. Enny Romero seemed confident in his first appearance touching the high 90’s with his fastball. I believe both these guys could turn out to be real assets for my REL team, which was looking to be one of my biggest concerns at the beginning of the year. Yeah I’m looking at you KRod… “No! You stop that right now! Don’t you look at me like that”.

Lastly, Vmart is as cash as Johnny himself. Can’t be too mad at 2/2 with 2 Homers, I’ll take 30 more of those days no problem. Rest your body Vmart, I’ll need you throughout the season.

Looking forward to making some deals with other clubs. Been a lot of discussions but nothing materializing quite yet.

Tanaka: (1) His elbow is still attached, which doesn’t stop my face from making faces each time he finishes his windup. (2) He rebounded from a sub-par spring. Not that expectations are high but he limited the Astros offense, in cold weather, without hurting himself with control issues. I think Girardi left him in a batter too late, which leads me to wonder why a fantasy feature to pull your pitcher when “you” want to, does not exist. Alas, we’re still at the mercy of the “actual” manager.

Starlin Castro: I liked the trade a lot, so much so that I think I own him everywhere this season, which is surprising on this team because we are actually the fantasy Yankees. Big first two games of the season with a homer and 7 RBIs.

AROD: I only bring him up for the fact that he stole a base on opening day. So if you’re counting, and I actually now am, he has one more stolen base than I could have hoped for this season. Remember when he used to steal 20?!

Tex: He’s still healthy. When healthy, he hits home runs.

There’s a lot more “not so goods,” but who wants me to bullet point that? Owning this team allows me to be a homer and live in a world where everything the Yankees do is positive if I spin it right. (Too bad numbers can only spin so much). So I’ll save that for June when the realization of what this team is has taken it’s own shape. It’s a new shape though, one so full of twists and turns that you haven’t even heard about it. Stay tuned.