Fun with closers.

[Gregg]

NL only 5x5 12 team keeper $260 budget.

I have a $3 Yates that I can play out or give a raises to at $5 per year. I may just play him out but may give him 1 year.

There are currently 4 closers on the trade block. I am considering making a play for one of them. Who gets the most saves this coming year?

Archie Bradley $6 and done.

Raisel Iglesias $19 for two years.

Craig Kimbrel $18 for two years

Carlos Martinez $16 for two years.

I wouldn't mind going into the auction with saves safely tucked away.

Thoughts?

[revo]

Obviously with the state of closers in baseball, I would not give any closer a raise. Just look at Blake Treinen -- best closer in baseball one year, tossed aside like garbage the next.

I'd probably just take a chance on Bradley, who's cheapest and is only for this current season. Kimbrel may rebound, but he may not; Iglesias always has a trade risk over his head; and who knows what Martinez's role will be.

[Ken]

No raises to closers, bank your profit on the cheap Yates.
And I'd stick with the cheap Bradley too based on information we have now.

[Gregg]

Thank you gentlemen.

Bradley is the most expensive to get followed by Kimbrel.

The owner wants a first round pick in our reserve round for either of them.

Since I have the first overall pick I know I can get either of them. I am not sure I want to burn it on a closer.

[DMT]

I think the Reds are sneaky contenders this year and Iglesias will have a great year, but I'm loathe to give up much for closers.

[Ken]

On the topic of closers, I just traded for Keone Kela. I gave up a 4th round reserve pick (note that I value picks after the first 2 rounds in reserves VERY little - it's all basically the same at that point), and an on par $38 Blackmon that I was not going to keep for a $6 Kela. We keep 15 so, while many would suggest rarely keeping closers relative to other options, as a 15th keeper I don't think it's out of the question.

I may not end up keeping Kela. He's not among my top 15 values right now. He's going at pick 254 in NFBC drafts. But IF he keeps the closer role, I suspect that value to go up as we get close to opening day (which is around when I have to make final keeper decisions).

Kela is around the range I like to have for a closer. I don't want to pay for top end guys. And I don't like the complete bottom end where there's huge turnover (although Kela could be approaching that area). But after the auction I like to have a couple cheap options in the 15-20th best closer range, with some upside.

I think guys like Bradley, Colome, LeClerc fit that mold as well.

[harmon]

The first overall pick in the reserve round sounds imposing but wouldn't Bradley at $6 be a fairly easy choice at that spot?

Also, you say the other owner is looking for a first round pick, so if you were to offer the first overall, he may be willing to toss you a later pick or a future pick (?)

[Gregg]

The first overall pick in the reserve round sounds imposing but wouldn't Bradley at $6 be a fairly easy choice at that spot?

Also, you say the other owner is looking for a first round pick, so if you were to offer the first overall, he may be willing to toss you a later pick or a future pick (?)

Not if he doesn't start the year as closer (as mentioned closers are volatile). He only had 18 saves last year and his whip was 1.44. In addition he uses up one of my keeper spots and he cannot be dropped without spending 6 real dollars to do so (the 6 bucks does not factor in to my decision as much as the keeper spot).

I do not mind paying for a low to mid priced closer pre-auction, but I want to make sure that I am not missing any news or intel that net me a middle reliever come auction time.

Our rules give us 13 reserve round picks. If we trade one we get one back. This owner will most likely be trying to peddle his 10th -13th pick in this deal.

I have the 1st pick overall then 13th, 25th and so on. I am considering offering my 3rd round (25th pick overall) for Bradley and his 11th.

[Ken]

Our rules give us 13 reserve round picks. If we trade one we get one back. This owner will most likely be trying to peddle his 10th -13th pick in this deal.

The value of reserve picks depends on the auction rules. If the entire player universe is available in the auction, the the last pick in the auction is worth $1 and the 1st reserve pick is worth $0 of auction money (although there may be a few players left that have value to you due to differing valuations - i.e. players with negative value going the auction).

If there are keeper implications of the reserve rounds, or if players who don't make the opening day roster can't go in the auction, then the reserve rounds gain more value.

[Gregg]

The value of reserve picks depends on the auction rules. If the entire player universe is available in the auction, the the last pick in the auction is worth $1 and the 1st reserve pick is worth $0 of auction money (although there may be a few players left that have value to you due to differing valuations - i.e. players with negative value going the auction).

If there are keeper implications of the reserve rounds, or if players who don't make the opening day roster can't go in the auction, then the reserve rounds gain more value.

Yes sir. And you have hit the nail on the head. Players who do not make the opening day roster cannot be bid on. They must go in the reserve draft.

The picks have value both for potential players and as trading chips/assets in the off season. Draft pick slots cannot be traded except in the off season. Actual rookie status players cannot be traded until after the All Star Game (both of these rules are relatively new and put in place to curb some inflation).

[harmon]

Yes sir. And you have hit the nail on the head. Players who do not make the opening day roster cannot be bid on. They must go in the reserve draft.

The picks have value both for potential players and as trading chips/assets in the off season. Draft pick slots cannot be traded except in the off season. Actual rookie status players cannot be traded until after the All Star Game (both of these rules are relatively new and put in place to curb some inflation).

Who were the first reserve picks the last couple of seasons?

[onejayhawk]

What's the most you would pay/earliest you would take a RP in a redraft league?
Does the answer change significantly as the league gets deeper?

J

[Ken]

What's the most you would pay/earliest you would take a RP in a redraft league?
Does the answer change significantly as the league gets deeper?

J

I don't like to pay over $15. However that's not a hard rule. One year the starting pitching market was insane and every starter was going for $10 more than they should even after inflation. So I ended up buying 5 closers at auction, including one for $20, and I flipped three of them (including the expensive one) after the auction for starters.

In a shallow league where I roster two closers I actually prefer to have both of them in the $5 range. In a deep league where having just one closer gets me enough saves to get a few points, I'll pay more.

[TranaGreg]

I don't like to pay over $15. However that's not a hard rule. One year the starting pitching market was insane and every starter was going for $10 more than they should even after inflation. So I ended up buying 5 closers at auction, including one for $20, and I flipped three of them (including the expensive one) after the auction for starters.

In a shallow league where I roster two closers I actually prefer to have both of them in the $5 range. In a deep league where having just one closer gets me enough saves to get a few points, I'll pay more.

it also changes if I'm in a strong position to contend - I might be willing to pay more for a top tier closer to lower my risk (tho it seems that top tier isn't what it used to be)

[Gregg]

I seem to look at saves different than most. I always want two. I prefer going into the auction with two. As a general statement I want to be $25 or under combined. If I cannot do that I try very hard to have one cheap one (under $10) going in. Our auctions are too funky and hard to predict when it comes to closers. It is not uncommon for the top ones to go high 20's to low 30's.

In my AL only I have Kennedy at $9 and done as well as Workman $5 and done as keepers. I like this going in.

In my NL only I have Yates $3. I would prefer to get another one before the auction. Which is why I started this thread to begin with.