Empty my FAAB for JDMart or wait for a SP?

[overkill94]

I realize this is being discussed in the Martinez thread, but this is a little more of a philosophical question.

My 12-team NL-only team is stacked now, but still stuck in 6th place since I only recently acquired guys like Bumgarner, Cozart, Russell, etc. As of now every one of my hitters has a starting gig (assuming Howie Kendrick starts when he gets back) but my pitching could use a little bit of a boost. Should I empty my FAAB for JD Martinez anyway or wait to see if someone like Sonny Gray comes to the NL? I have the 3rd most FAAB but the one with the most isn't contending and wouldn't really be able to trade him to a contender because our FAAB bid becomes their salary and most contending teams are cap-strapped. The guy with the 2nd most FAAB is about 10 points behind me and has a couple holes to fill so he'll probably put in a hefty bid as well.

Essentially, should this be my last big splash or should I wait for a pitcher? Another issue is that I only have $38 under the cap and the winning bid might be higher than that, necessitating another move just to stay under the cap. There's always the trade option as well, but then I have to give up keepable assets and finding a trade partner isn't always easy.

[Sharky]

Can you bid on JDM while trading a hitter for a pitcher?

[virgonomic]

I'd put in a bid to keep 'em honest, maybe 20-25? Then, go all in on the first good pitcher who comes over. Do some math to figure out what max salary you can make work with the cap and bid that.

[mjl]

How much did Quintana go for?

[overkill94]

Right now I'm waiting on activating Howie Kendrick to replace Raimel Tapia in case I get Martinez in FAAB. If I get him then I'll have to make a trade (or drop Kendrick if he gets traded somewhere where he won't get PT). Assuming I would trade/drop Kendrick, my max bid to stay under the cap would be $38 out of my remaining $44.

Quintana went for $35. Thought my $31 bid would be plenty but was surprised to see the higher bid.

Not sure if this helps clear up the picture, but here's my roster:
C - Grandal
C - Contreras
1B - Freeman
2B - Peraza
3B - Freese
SS - Seager
CI - Drury
MI - Cozart
OF - Thames
OF - Pollock
OF - Margot
OF - N. Williams
OF - Tapia (to be replaced by Kendrick)
Util - A. Russell

P - MadBum
P - Samardzija
P - Cole
P - Nelson
P - Rodney
P - J. Johnson
P - Bailey
P - J. Garcia
P - Baez
DL - Hendricks (will be replacing one of the last 3 when he comes back)
DL - Chen
DL - Woodruff

[overkill94]

Oh, also forgot to mention that someone dropped Maeda last week so I could put in a healthy bid for him instead.

[cool hand]

Another way of looking at this question may be:
"Should I take this here bird in the hand, or should I go after the two in the bush?"

Known vs unknown, blah blah blah.

Yet another way of thinking about it - if you have the bird in hand (JDM), what pitcher do you think you might be able to get for him in trade, and is that pitcher better or worse than what you think you may see come over in trade to the NL (or may not)?

[overkill94]

That's part of the problem, the dumping teams have gotten rid of all their good pitchers already. One team still has Wacha and Corbin, but I think I would be better off just bidding on Maeda instead of having to give up something for one of them.

[cool hand]

But can you trade him to a non-dumper? He wouldnt be a cheap asset, therefore not dump bait - but you might be able to get like value for him from a contender with a surplus of arms.

[overkill94]

Working on that as well - one owner has a similarly-priced DeGrom that I'm trying to acquire. Trades among contenders aren't all that common though.