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Somebody here must have said my name 3 times, so....
KEEPERS, 0 for 0
yes, 0 for 0. in a keeper league.
where to begin?
our league - which began in 1984 and which still has two original owners (including me) and had four others from the 1980s, four from the early 1990s, and two "new kids on the block" from 2002 - suffered the death of one of those 1980s owners in January.
he was a year younger than me and went to the same high school. 8 of us were older than he was when he passed.
we also took 2020 off in "it never happened" form, as 4 owners just didn't have the stomach for the way the preseason shenanigans played out.
this led to a bonanza for those with farmhands who go into 2021 as 5-S2 contracts, like Bohm, KHayes, Carlson, Gonsolin.
or with studs who after a skipped year are only 5-S1 now, like Tatis, Fried, Grisham, Robles.
or players who would have played out Year 4 final in 2020 a 15-L1 but instead do that this year, like Bellinger and Hoskins.
and so on.
I went aggressive at the 2019 trading deadline and it crapped out, so I had a weak freeze list made exponentially weaker by a series of unfortunate events (for me, league-wise).
the main assets I had were lame ducks Realmuto 13, CSmith 1, and Marquez 10. last month, I realized that since I am doomed anyway in 2021, why not just START OVER?
so I dealt Realmuto and Smith for draft picks - and learned a little when Marquez drew nary a nibble.
I have Heliot Ramos, Baty, and McLain (if an NL team picks him in the farm draft this summer) in my farm, and by finishing 6th in 2019 I will take Lucky Luciano of SF with the first pick of the April 15 draft. I also pick 7th and 12th in this loaded April draft (since 2020 never happened), so looking at a possible Veen, AThomas, Bart type at 7 and Hassell, Mitchell, Liberatore level at 12.
I also may have the first pick in the July draft (since I'm rebuilding), and also have another of the 11 June picks. plus I have two first-round picks in April 2021 (8-team max farm list, but I have room).
so I walk in to the NL 11-team, 260-unit traditional 5x5 auction for 2021 (we just didn't feel like adding a 12th owner) with.. nothing.
WRINKLE:
Because the average age of our owners is about 65 (oldest is 78), and many had never been on Zoom or anything similar, our youngest owner - early 50s - set us up with WebEx Thursday night.
in the pre-game, the 1980s called and asked for one owner's modem back. two others didn't have any headphones at all, either, and few had add-on cameras. one had a loud dog barking at times, leading to a query of "Who let the dog IN?"
but we persevered through one round, before we begin the auction in earnest on Saturday night.
it went:
SP Max Scherzer 30 - I bid 29
3B Nolan Arenado 36 (!)
SS Trea Turner 44 TO ME
2S Jonathan Villar 8 - I bid 7
SP Luis Castillo 30
SP Trevor Bauer 37 - I bid 36
SS Francisco Lindor 40
OF Mookie Betts 50
2B Kolten Wong 20 - I bid 19
SS Trevor Story 46
C Willson Contreras 18 - I bid 17
I went after every player, actually, but... still, Turner might be most suited for my (formerly blank) roster and game plan - keeper, or bait for a massive rebuilding trade?
and while I had 5 runnerup bids on the other 10 players called out, I'm not confident I'd have gotten any with "just one more." in fact, the Castillo buyer told me he had 35 units set aside.
I did suck out of some of the pre-draft inflation, I suppose.
so my "keeper list" entering the main draw:
1 for 44
SS TREA TURNER 44-S2
NEED 22 for 216
GAME PLAN
I sort of wish I got a second player, but that mood may change by Sunday.
best remaining SPs are Nola and Hendricks, but there are about 5 others worth 15+ and up to 10 others worth 10+. I'll be willing to overpay for a couple, as these 216 units are non-refundable.
NL bullpens are a joke, of course - which is an opportunity when you're playing for 2022. nobody who can fog a mirror will go for a digestible price, so I'll monitor and presumably pass. same for Cs, where ANola/d'Arnaud are the "elite" leftovers.
1B is tasty, 6 to 8 available worth 10 or 15 or more - though Freeman and Bellinger are gone. 3B not as deep but ESuarez, JTurner, Segura.
2B is weak - Hiura, KMarte, or Segura or bust. SS has Baez and Swanson leading the way.
OF outlook is better, with the top 5 gone but SMarte, Harper, Ozuna, Blackmon, Pham, DSmith and at least a dozen more worth trying for 10+ units.
biggest challenge, as noted, is spending. I was mildly aggressive on Thursday - but only closed one deal. I need to land some star players by any means necessary - even if they'll just be dumped at midseason.
leaning severe stars and scrubs. if I can get 2 good SPs at possible 2022 keeper prices and luck into a closer, I'd be pleased. willing to buy up to 5 or 6 dollar-days SPs and 3 or 4 similar hitters - in part because having one fewer team after 20+ years of 12-team may lead some owners to run out of roster spots before they run out of money.
will look hard at wounded SPs like Thor, Clevenger, and so forth. I'm looking at a 2022 price - don't care if they do anything in 2021. but it is a Mets-loving league.
I always have liked to shake things up, and after all these years I am the first ever to submit an empty freeze list. kinf of cool.
it took 20 years, but the 5-S2 prices for farmhands in this league and better breakout percentages make it almost impossible to win the old-fashioned way anymore (the 2-time defending champ of 2018-19 won with my Albies, Bell, Acuna, and Buehler that I shipped out to cement my own 2015 and 2017 titles).
so I'm finally zigging, after all these years of zagging by selling farmhands for whatever I needed in the moment forever (once traded farmhand Helton - then at 10 units - for a half-season of HR McGwire. only finished 3rd, but no regrets on any of those deals, carpe diem, baby).
expecting to report back here with the "real" Anatomy sometime on Sunday...
KEEPERS, 0 for 0
yes, 0 for 0. in a keeper league.
where to begin?
our league - which began in 1984 and which still has two original owners (including me) and had four others from the 1980s, four from the early 1990s, and two "new kids on the block" from 2002 - suffered the death of one of those 1980s owners in January.
he was a year younger than me and went to the same high school. 8 of us were older than he was when he passed.
we also took 2020 off in "it never happened" form, as 4 owners just didn't have the stomach for the way the preseason shenanigans played out.
this led to a bonanza for those with farmhands who go into 2021 as 5-S2 contracts, like Bohm, KHayes, Carlson, Gonsolin.
or with studs who after a skipped year are only 5-S1 now, like Tatis, Fried, Grisham, Robles.
or players who would have played out Year 4 final in 2020 a 15-L1 but instead do that this year, like Bellinger and Hoskins.
and so on.
I went aggressive at the 2019 trading deadline and it crapped out, so I had a weak freeze list made exponentially weaker by a series of unfortunate events (for me, league-wise).
the main assets I had were lame ducks Realmuto 13, CSmith 1, and Marquez 10. last month, I realized that since I am doomed anyway in 2021, why not just START OVER?
so I dealt Realmuto and Smith for draft picks - and learned a little when Marquez drew nary a nibble.
I have Heliot Ramos, Baty, and McLain (if an NL team picks him in the farm draft this summer) in my farm, and by finishing 6th in 2019 I will take Lucky Luciano of SF with the first pick of the April 15 draft. I also pick 7th and 12th in this loaded April draft (since 2020 never happened), so looking at a possible Veen, AThomas, Bart type at 7 and Hassell, Mitchell, Liberatore level at 12.
I also may have the first pick in the July draft (since I'm rebuilding), and also have another of the 11 June picks. plus I have two first-round picks in April 2021 (8-team max farm list, but I have room).
so I walk in to the NL 11-team, 260-unit traditional 5x5 auction for 2021 (we just didn't feel like adding a 12th owner) with.. nothing.
WRINKLE:
Because the average age of our owners is about 65 (oldest is 78), and many had never been on Zoom or anything similar, our youngest owner - early 50s - set us up with WebEx Thursday night.
in the pre-game, the 1980s called and asked for one owner's modem back. two others didn't have any headphones at all, either, and few had add-on cameras. one had a loud dog barking at times, leading to a query of "Who let the dog IN?"
but we persevered through one round, before we begin the auction in earnest on Saturday night.
it went:
SP Max Scherzer 30 - I bid 29
3B Nolan Arenado 36 (!)
SS Trea Turner 44 TO ME
2S Jonathan Villar 8 - I bid 7
SP Luis Castillo 30
SP Trevor Bauer 37 - I bid 36
SS Francisco Lindor 40
OF Mookie Betts 50
2B Kolten Wong 20 - I bid 19
SS Trevor Story 46
C Willson Contreras 18 - I bid 17
I went after every player, actually, but... still, Turner might be most suited for my (formerly blank) roster and game plan - keeper, or bait for a massive rebuilding trade?
and while I had 5 runnerup bids on the other 10 players called out, I'm not confident I'd have gotten any with "just one more." in fact, the Castillo buyer told me he had 35 units set aside.
I did suck out of some of the pre-draft inflation, I suppose.
so my "keeper list" entering the main draw:
1 for 44
SS TREA TURNER 44-S2
NEED 22 for 216
GAME PLAN
I sort of wish I got a second player, but that mood may change by Sunday.
best remaining SPs are Nola and Hendricks, but there are about 5 others worth 15+ and up to 10 others worth 10+. I'll be willing to overpay for a couple, as these 216 units are non-refundable.
NL bullpens are a joke, of course - which is an opportunity when you're playing for 2022. nobody who can fog a mirror will go for a digestible price, so I'll monitor and presumably pass. same for Cs, where ANola/d'Arnaud are the "elite" leftovers.
1B is tasty, 6 to 8 available worth 10 or 15 or more - though Freeman and Bellinger are gone. 3B not as deep but ESuarez, JTurner, Segura.
2B is weak - Hiura, KMarte, or Segura or bust. SS has Baez and Swanson leading the way.
OF outlook is better, with the top 5 gone but SMarte, Harper, Ozuna, Blackmon, Pham, DSmith and at least a dozen more worth trying for 10+ units.
biggest challenge, as noted, is spending. I was mildly aggressive on Thursday - but only closed one deal. I need to land some star players by any means necessary - even if they'll just be dumped at midseason.
leaning severe stars and scrubs. if I can get 2 good SPs at possible 2022 keeper prices and luck into a closer, I'd be pleased. willing to buy up to 5 or 6 dollar-days SPs and 3 or 4 similar hitters - in part because having one fewer team after 20+ years of 12-team may lead some owners to run out of roster spots before they run out of money.
will look hard at wounded SPs like Thor, Clevenger, and so forth. I'm looking at a 2022 price - don't care if they do anything in 2021. but it is a Mets-loving league.
I always have liked to shake things up, and after all these years I am the first ever to submit an empty freeze list. kinf of cool.
it took 20 years, but the 5-S2 prices for farmhands in this league and better breakout percentages make it almost impossible to win the old-fashioned way anymore (the 2-time defending champ of 2018-19 won with my Albies, Bell, Acuna, and Buehler that I shipped out to cement my own 2015 and 2017 titles).
so I'm finally zigging, after all these years of zagging by selling farmhands for whatever I needed in the moment forever (once traded farmhand Helton - then at 10 units - for a half-season of HR McGwire. only finished 3rd, but no regrets on any of those deals, carpe diem, baby).
expecting to report back here with the "real" Anatomy sometime on Sunday...
)
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