AL only auction keepers - help me with the last 3

[Vecmizer]

Bader, Mateo are locks for me.

Perez-never been a believer and never will; Maybe this is a sell high guy. Urquidy is just as you said Meh. Since you already have 4 solid SP keepers I would not use a 5th for a meh or a very combustible pitcher.

Fairbanks I agree with the above notes about how TB uses their pen. Sewald is a nice price and will earn it but I do not see him even as a mid tier closer. He could lose the job quickly.

I generally do not keep catchers unless they are top tier. I would go Heim over Haase.

If you cannot make a deal (Perez and a catcher since they are overvalued for a solid keeper) I would lean toward Sewald but I would still feel that closer was a big need at the auction. Heim would be next in line.

[Pauly]

Maybe im missing something but i just dont understand all the love for Jonah Heim here. Both he and Haase are essentially the same guy by projections - a catcher who hits .220 with mid-teens power and basically that's it. Yes, I understand the AL only 2-catcher situation, but ATC's 20th ranked AL catcher is Jose Trevino, who is basically Heim with 5 less HR. I think if you can trade these catchers for anything you should.

[madducks]

I mean if in 6 months we wrote right in this post that it turns out Martin Perez was a total fluke, would anyone be surprised?

The Rangers would be surprised.

[SlideRule]

The lack of consensus here is interesting to me. Everyone makes some good points I think. What about the McKenzie $10 trade proposal (for my Bader $6 and Fairbanks $7)? I'm not too excited about it as I have a good start on SPs already,

I think there is some idea that Heim can recapture his first half numbers, which iirc were pretty great. He fell off a cliff somewhat in the last months (or maybe turned back into his normal pumpkin-self) but at least he showed something at some point. Typically I'm happy to punt catchers, but in this case I wasn't sure if my last keeper spot was worth using on Heim for $1. At least a few of you seem to think yes.

[The Feral Slasher]

The lack of consensus here is interesting to me. Everyone makes some good points I think. What about the McKenzie $10 trade proposal (for my Bader $6 and Fairbanks $7)? I'm not too excited about it as I have a good start on SPs already,

I think there is some idea that Heim can recapture his first half numbers, which iirc were pretty great. He fell off a cliff somewhat in the last months (or maybe turned back into his normal pumpkin-self) but at least he showed something at some point. Typically I'm happy to punt catchers, but in this case I wasn't sure if my last keeper spot was worth using on Heim for $1. At least a few of you seem to think yes.

Since you have a bunch of guys that are aruably of somewhat equal value, I think moving two of them for McKenzie makes a lot of sense. McKenzie is clearly a better keeper than either of them. or possibly try to replace Fairbanks with Sewald or Bader with Mateo if you value them less. But if it were me I would not waste a lot of time and risk losing the deal that was offered.

[madducks]

McKenzie is going to be an ace. I would try to get him and have five good starting pitchers locked up for $37 going into the draft.

[Sharky]

I would jump on the McKenzie trade. Sure you’ll have a lot of pitching but he’s the better talent hands down.

[SlideRule]

I traded my Fairbanks $7A and Urquidy $5A for McKenzie $10B. High variance on what McKenzie might be but it's an upgrade for sure, I like his upside and hope 2022 wasn't too flukey.

Now I have to pick one last keeper from Heim $1A, Benintendi $8A, Nick Gordon $2A. (Turns out my Bader was ineligible to be kept, oops.)