$1 player types in only leagues

[Moonlight J]

What's your theory on these types of things? I tend to go both ways on this. If I have a $1 player that may only have a $3 ceiling, I'll still protect the guy because I like him. I have David Robertson and Joel Peralta for $1 each along with Jim Johnson for $5 and am planning on keeping all 3 although I may not even get 20 saves from the group which forces me into drafting a 4th reliever who will get saves or blow money on a lot of starters. I only have Britton as a protected guy but have Moore as a rookie keeper to add as well.

It has worked both ways for me in the past but I do struggle with it every year.

[Hammer]

I have decided unless I feel the ceiling is high, I prefer the flexibility and will toss him back.

[Hammer]

reason being, I dont want to miss out on some possible goodies because I locked up a $1 James McDonald.

[chancellor]

I won't keep a $1 player with a $3 ceiling unless I had a very low confidence that I could do better in the endgame later. I might also keep them if they provide positional flexibility.

That being said, I don't see David Robertson as a $1 player with a $3 ceiling in an AL-only league, even a 10-teamer. Mid 2's ERA, 4 wins, 85 Ks, and 1.1ish WHIP would be good for about $6 by my calculation.

[wannabegriffey]

I tend to always throw the $1/$2 guys back unless their potential earnings is high, ie. potential saves, speed, etc. As mentioned above, I always worry that a gold bar might slip through to the dollar days...

[revo]

why lock up a shlub whose $1 could mean the difference between landing a guy you want and having to settle for another guy?

[Todd Zola]

Echoing most of the replies already, if you are good enough to draft last year's David Roberston/Joel Peralta at $1, throw them back, let someone else pay $8-$10 and draft this year's version for $1 if nothing else falls to you.

[Controller Jacobs]

why lock up a shlub whose $1 could mean the difference between landing a guy you want and having to settle for another guy?

And if you do like a guy like Robertson, it can be better to start a new contract at $5. Though it seems at this point like Mariano will go on forever...

[Sharky]

All depends on context. How many keepers are you allowed? What do your other keepers look like (not facially)? Will the extra money allow you to get someone decent at auction? Is the $1 guy a catcher? outfielder? Position also plays into it. Pitchers can be good keepers at that price if you don't have a fixed number of keepers (or don't have better choices, of course). Better than lousy endgame types. But it's less clear-cut than for hitters, who can be very good keepers just because of playing time, etc.

[Grinch]

I generally keep one cheap reliever--no more than that. In my AL-only league I know I'm gonna end up with 2 end gamers, if I start with one @ $1 (with at least a $3-4 profit) now I can go to $3 on one of my end game targets and be OK. Unfortunately, this year I don't have one.

[The Dane]

For me, it's all about my list. I usually try to get as close to the maximum amount of keeper slots as I can. Obviously, I don't keep non-keepers just to get to the max, but with keepers, I feel the more, the merrier, because will fewer slots to fill, you have more control over auction dynamics. If you've ever been the guy with every spot to fill at the auction, you know that that is not hardly EVER an advantage.

Given that, I play each one as a an individual strategic unit. For example, in one of my NL-leagues, 3B is going to be a bloodbath, with so few good players available at draft... and I have a $1 DeRosa. In another situation, I wouldn't even consider keeping him -I would just toss him back and get him again as a $1 late-game scrub- but in this instance, filling that position frees me up to stay out of the hot 3B battles and concentrate on where the better values may be.

I also often try to trade them to owners who have expensive keeper lists. Oftentimes that owner has great values on some awesome players, but so many of them that they go into the draft with no flexibility. Sometimes you can get them to part with a real stud at a below-market -but still high- price just so that they can fill that spot with a $1 and free up some salary. That trade may look like a win-win on the surface, but it is really just a win for you and simply a little comfort for him.

Normally, I keep very few of these guys, but I won all four of my only leagues last year and my keeper lists are not very strong, especially on hitting. So, that $1 DeRosa looks more palatable than he might in a year after I had been rebuilding for a while.

[axman]

I love $1 players that you know will give you a positive return. With inflation you know going into the draft that many of your roster spots and auction dollars are going to under produce. I think in your case I would definately keep Robertson and Johnson (unless for some reason he doesn't get named the closer). Peralta is solid value but like you stated yourself he may handicap your flexability at the draft. On the other hand having Moore in the minors gives you the option of starting the season with 6 starters while drafting only 5.

Personly I like to have at least one or two cheap pitching options going into the draft. This way if I am unable to get any quality pitchers early I can easily direct my excess fund to hitting knowing what I've got on the pitching side. I also don't like fighting over the top tier of middle relievers with guys who budgeted poorly and just want to spend their remaining dollars and say they spent it all.