Nearing the break! Unlike the lunacy of MLB front offices, teams in the REL have been buying and selling in rebuilds and postseason aspirations since the first few weeks. I still don’t understand why rebuild teams in real life don’t start trading guys right away! I’m mostly mad the Brewers didn’t sell Chris Carter when I did in the REL… Why I should be their GM! Not some nerd who played Rotisserie baseball at Harvard…
Nothing too huge in the standings, with the Nats still steamrolling the NL, but at least my Brewers gave em a 0-1 loss when I saw them play on July 4th! The AL is much more interesting, with the Blue Jays perched atop the standings. The Orange Birds and The Tribe both are within striking distance, while co-commish Slim has pushed the Astros into contention. With all their younguns, this should be quite the race! Here’s how week 14 went down in the 2016 REL League:
| NATIONAL LEAGUE | ||
|---|---|---|
| REL Dynasty – NL | ||
| Nationals | 138.5 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $100 | n/a |
| Cubs | 115 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $96 | n/a |
| San Fran Giants | 113.5 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $81 | n/a |
| J.T. Marlin | 95 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $100 | n/a |
| Pirates | 93.5 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $64 | Mauricio Cabrera Atl – RP $2, Steven Brault Pit – SP NA (called up) |
| Well…. The pirates are hot again winning, on a small winning streak. And, of course, it’s National Glasnow Day. If you haven’t seen him pitch, wait til you see that hammer curve. I haven’t synopsizised (for some reason there is a red line under that word) in a few weeks, so I thought I would check in again. Traded away Taillon for Matt Harvey and they both promptly go on DL with shoulder stuff. Assuming Harvey can get this fixed, my pitching staff looks nice for next year. Along with Cole, Harvey will join Brault, Kuhl, and Glasnow as the top of my rotation. Apparently he is seeing a vascular surgeon to rule out thoracic outlet syndrome. That could be both good and bad. Good because it could explain this crappy year. Bad because it could require season ending surgery. As there is no way I’m catching the Nats. I’m hoping, if surgery is necessary, it happens soon. Several pitchers have had this issue, including Chris Young, Josh Beckett, and Jaime Garcia. All three were markedly better the following year. Beckett threw a no-hitter the year he returned. In other words don’t be afraid to fire those bye low offers in dynasty. Oh, and my 3B may be a rapist. | ||
| Suplex City Cards | 92 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $85 | Chris Herrmann Ari – C,OF $1 |
| Mookie Mets | 85 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $95 | n/a |
| Knoche’s Rockies | 78.5 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $61 | Lucas Harrell Atl – SP $3 |
| Dodgers | 74 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $100 | n/a |
| Diamondbacks | 72.5 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $75 | n/a |
| Sitting here just biding my time. If only Shelby Miller weren’t such a goober I think I’d be in first place. But until we retroactively receive Dansby Swanson as the communion gift I never got from my grandmother in 4th Grade then I am content sitting in the middle of the pack. Heed my words: The Snake will rise again!! | ||
| Philadelphia | 65 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $46 | Tuffy Gosewisch Ari – C $1 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 54.5 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $5 | J.P. Howell LAD – RP $0 |
| Brewers | 46 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $48 | Brock Stewart LAD – SP NA $6, Jake Elmore Mil – 1B,2B,3B $0, Arquímedes Caminero Pit – RP $0, Louis Coleman LAD – RP $0 |
| So “someone has been caught with their hand in the kitty”… I couldn’t help myself making a bid on someone with my namesake! Yes, that’s what the B in JB stands for… And I was SHOCKED no one else even made a bid on Brock Stewart, who really looked great in his MLB debut minus an unlucky inning. Even though he was way down on their prospect list, he’s been a revelation in the Minors (105:15 K:BB 1.66 ERA 0.84 WHIP) and throws 95 with a good slider. His K rate has actually been the highest in AAA in the PCL through his 3 levels of the Minors this season, after starting the year in A+ ball. I think the 5 ER in his debut and the fact he got sent back down scared some people off, but he is my favorite SP stash on my active roster right now.
Elsewhere on the active side, still a pretty dreadful team, but Peter Bourjos has been friggin’ awesome! I’m still using him in an RCL – much less a $1 REL pickup – so feel free to shoot an offer if you need some O. I also snagged some relievers, and hit a jackpot with Caminero, who looks like he’s back in a prime set-up role with back-to-back holds this week. No big changes to the farm, and unfortunately we don’t get the weekly Chris Paddack no-hitter streak update since he was traded in that moronic deal the Marlins made for Fernando Rodney. At least Rodney was in the NL; I mighta punched someone if he came from the AL and was my return for losing Paddack… Victor Robles struggled initially getting promoted to high-A, but has since found his stroke again and I love the aggressive promotion. Some bumps in the road for Alex Reyes and Josh Hader – my hopeful young studs – but Hader is in friggin’ AAA Col. Springs and needs to get out of the mountains. Call him up! |
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| Jay the Wrongest | 41 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $100 | n/a |
| Braves | 36 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $84 | n/a |
| AMERICAN LEAGUE | ||
|---|---|---|
| REL Dynasty – AL | ||
| Blue Jays | 124 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $92 | n/a |
| Well, I’m in first place. The offense is rolling. The pitching is holding strong. And even some of the farm guys are playing well. All is right in the world. Right now the only real weakness in my teams stat line is in steals and average. Though even in those cats my guys are middle of the pack still. I think that’s something that will help me fight for the title, being competitive in everything (assuming I can keep that up). Right now there is only one other team in the entire AL that isn’t bottom 4 in at least one category, and that is the Tigers who are still in the large pack behind the Orioles and I.I gotta say, I’m very interested in what’s going to happen as we get into trade season. Not just in the REL with negotiations ongoing for a handful of my guys, but in real life as the Jays are in the hunt and will most likely be adding something. I have no idea how much they’ll do though, since they have a new president and GM this season.
Until next week, I will continue to hold my breathe and hope that nobody flies by me in the standings. We may be well into the season but there still seem to be 7 or 8 point swings at the top pretty regularly, so you never know what it will look like when you wake up. |
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| Orange Birds | 121 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $79 | Chaz Roe Bal – RP $0, Marco Hernández Bos – 3B,SS $0, Derek Holland Tex – SP DL $0 |
| The Tribe | 110 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $79 | TJ House Cle – SP $0, Cody Anderson Cle – SP NA $0 |
| Astros | 103.5 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $55 | n/a |
| Ya know I really can’t complain about the way things have been going. Sure my Stros SPers are terrible, sure outside of Altuve my best hitter is hitting .265, and sure the vast majority of my team is years away from hitting their ceilings. Fortunately though they always seem to do just enough to keep moving me up the standings.I’ve basically stopped looking for trades since I’m happy with what I’ve been getting top to bottom. The only guys I’d be interested in moving are guys that rebuiding teams aren’t interested in and truth be told there’s a good chance I eventually just drop them. First up is Jason Castro. He just isn’t good with the bat and ever since Gattis got catcher eligibility Castro has barely seen my starting lineup. Kyle Ryan is only 24, pitching well, and has SP eligibility, although he won’t next year so I’m just holding onto him for the extra innings and hopefully a random win or hold until I get bored with him. Mike Fiers’ inconsistency is driving me up the wall, can we just replace him with Musgrove yet? Please.
I guess there are a few rebuilding type players that I would entertain an offer for but I would only be looking for someone I can slot into my everyday lineup that I feel will also produce next year. They include names like Tyler White, Preston Tucker, Jake Marisnick, Jefry Marte, and Logan Morrison. I know not the sexiest names around but they’re at least MLB calibur players who are ready to contribute now. I’ve had people trying to pry away my milb SPing but that simply isn’t going to happen. Musgrove is close and even had a start skipped last week as I assume they are limiting his innings to make sure he can pitch in September for the big league club, well I hope so at least. Paulino hit the DL with ‘soreness in his pitching arm’ but he should be back to dominating in AA Corpus Christi soon enough. Martes had a heck of a month of June. 0.99 WHIP, 8:30 BB:Ks, but in his 1st start in July he couldn’t find the plate and walked 4 before getting yanked in the 3rd inning. We both know who we’re really waiting on though. What a week for Alex Bregman. Hit a HR in the AA All-Star game, get selected to the futures game, get promoted to AAA, and hit .400 with a 1.338 OPS in his 1st 7 games. It doesn’t all scream imminent callup though. We assume his position in the majors will be 3B but in those 7 AAA he’s yet to see a single out at 3B, and even if he did he’s going to have to wait for the red hot Valbuena to cool off 1st. Not to mention Valbuena is a very good defensive 3B. All in all I’m still looking at August 1st as the day Bregman gets called up, and Hinch will find a way to get Bregman’s bat in the lineup everyday irregardless of what everyone else is doing. |
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| Red Sox | 98.5 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $22 | Sandy León Bos – C $3, Ryan Hanigan Bos – C $2, Sean O’Sullivan Bos – SP $2 |
| Tigers | 98 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $52 | Dixon Machado Det – SS NA $0, Reymond Fuentes KC – OF NA $0, Bobby Parnell Det – RP $0 |
| Mariners | 90.5 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $25 | Drew Butera KC – C $0 |
| White Sox | 83 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $84 | n/a |
| Yankees | 72.5 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $59 | n/a |
| Power Rangers | 67 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $70 | n/a |
| Royals | 61.5 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $61 | J.B. Shuck CWS – OF $0, Ryan Garton TB – RP $4, Patrick Schuster Oak – RP $1 |
| Well, seems like one of those years for the Royals, both the real-life ones and the REL version. After I decided to begin trade discussions for Wade Davis, he becomes the latest Royal to hit the DL, with “forearm strain”. Despite the ominous prognosis, Royals don’t seem very concerned, so I guess I’ll just need to delay my trade plans for a couple weeks.
Still shopping Kendrys Morales. While it was extremely painful to watch him play right field, he got the requisite 5 games in and is now OF-Eligible (also 1B). |
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| Rays | 61 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $4 | Jesse Chavez Tor – SP,RP $0 |
| Halos | 60 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $51 | n/a |
| Athletics | 33.5 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $83 | n/a |
| Whoa, where am I? Why am I in a cave? What’s up with the black and white flag and all the star wars toys?
What’s that? Manage the Athletics or death? Can I have a minute to think about it? WAIT, WAIT, PUT THE KNIFE DOWN…. I’LL DO IT. Geez… |
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| Minnesota Twins | 16 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $70 | Clay Buchholz Bos – SP,RP $0 |
