Winter Waivers 2013 - Round 2

Decidely less action, but more success for those involved.  We had an e-mail delivery problem that has caused us to amend the previous post.  Here are the accurate results of Round 2 Winter Waivers.  Round 3 deadline is Thursday, January 17th at 3pm.

GRAGING BULLS  (Only 2)

Carlos Gomez .10*       (Nate Eovaldi .05)
Randall Delgado .05      (Chad Billingsley .05)
Placido Polanco

KENNDOZA LINE

Carlos Gomez*  .10   
Luke Gregerson .10  (Frank Francisco .12)

CLOWNS

Jacob Turner .07  (Emelio Bonafacio .10)

Winter Waiver Cuts 2013 - Round 1

Round One is official.  Below you will see the winning claims as well as all claims made.  A player listed in italics was unsuccessfully claimed.  A player with an * next to his name was claimed by multiple teams.  A player listed in bold was successfully claimed and the player listed next to him in () was been waived and is part of the second round of Winter Waivers.

Here are the Successful Claims:

Beatniks

Josh Beckett .20                            (Jesus Guzman .15)
Russ Wheeler .08                          (Ramon Ramirez .04)
Matt Guerrier .05                         (Alexi Amarista .10)
Jon Rausch .05                              (Jerry Sands .10)
Scott Hairston .05                         (Placido Polanco .04)

Ruffins

N/A

DoorMatts

N/A

Danger

N/A

Twin Killers

N/A

Graging Bulls

Garrett Jones .05                        (Luke Gregerson .10)
Nate Eovaldi  .05                         (Jacob Turner .07)
John Buck  .04                             (Joe Kelly .05)
Chad Billingsley .05                    (Jim Henderson .05)

Kenndoza Line

Cameron Maybin .19                  (Jayson Werth .31)
Jeff Karstens  .05                         (Randall Delgado .05)

Revenge

Andrew Cashner .04                     (Chris Capuano .10)

Dem Rebels

Mitchell Boggs .10                          (Joel Hanrahan .08)
AJ Burnett .10                                (Randy Choate .10)
Antonio Bastardo .06                     (George Kotteras .01)
Matt Szczur .05Mx                         (Carlos Gomez .10)

Clowns

None

As you will see below, there is a difference between N/A and None.  Four teams did not submit any claims (interestingly four of the five lowest placed teams) and one team (Clowns) were shut out.  Here is a complete list of the claims.

BEATNIKS (Only 5)

Josh Beckett
Russ Wheeler
Mitchell Boggs *
AJ Burnett *
Matt Guerrier
Jon Rausch
Scott Hairston
Wily Peralta
Garrett Jones *
Cameron Maybin *
Mike Baxter
Willie Bloomquist
Jeremy Affeldt
Jordany Valdespin

RUFFINS

None

DOORMATTS

None

DANGER

None

TWIN KILLERS

None

GRAGING BULLS  (Only 4)

Garrett Jones *
Nate Eovaldi
John Buck
Antonio Bastardo *
AJ Burnett *
Mitchell Boggs *
Chad Billingsley
Rafael Furcal

KENNDOZA LINE

Cameron Maybin *
Garrett Jones *
Jeff Karstens
Mitchell Boggs *

REVENGE

Andrew Cashner *
Garrett Jones *
Cameron Maybin *

DEM REBELS

Mitchell Boggs *
AJ Burnett *
Antonio Bastardo *
Matt Szczur

CLOWNS

Cameron Maybin *
Andrew Cashner *

So the players listed at the top of this post in () are eligible for the Second Round of Winter Waivers.  All players not claimed during the First Round are now either in the Free Agent Pool for Draft Day or Released (if they are on an American League Roster).

The Trade Season is officially open.  Remember, if you make a trade, both teams have to report the deal to make it official.  Also, if you make a lopsided deal - Let's say you trade one guy and get two in return.  That means you have 24 players and the team you traded with has 22 players.  If either team claims a player during Winter Waivers they HAVE TO WAIVE a player.  The 23 man roster was simply to start Winter Waivers.  From this point forward there is no limit to player requirement.  Simply that during the Winter Waiver process for every player you acquire, you must waive a player.

Questions?  E-mail me or consult the Constitution.

Winter Waivers 2012-13 Officially Submitted

It's official.  Below is the list of Winter Waivers.  Before you dive into the list, here are the rules going forward (also available in the Constitution).

1)  Your Winter Waiver Claims for Round 1 must be submitted no later than 3pm on Thursday, January 10th, 2013.
2)  There is no limit to the amount of player you claim, BUT for every player being added to your team, one must be waived.  So if you submit four claims and want all four (should they pass to you) you MUST submit the names of four player you want to waive from your current roster.  If you submit four claims but only one name for waiving, you will receive a maximum of one player.  I WILL NOT chase you down to see if you meant to waive more players.  Any question - please e-mail me.
3)  The salary listed next to the player is the salary that you will get that player at with a contract of 15+.  If there is a minor leaguer on the waiver list, his contract will remain Mx.
4)  A by-product of the Winter Waivers is that at the conclusion of the first round (3:01pm Thursday, January 10th, 2013 - TRADING SEASON IS OPEN!!)

Here are the players:

Clint Barmes    .01            Ryan Roberts   .05
Ramon Hernandez  .07      Casey McGehee  .07
Jeremy Affeldt   .06          Trevor Bauer   .15
Ben Sheets  .17                  Ryan Wheeler  .08
Matt Guerrier   .05             Kameron Loe  .10
Eric Hinske     .01              Laynce Nix   .01
Juan Uribe     .10                Juan Cruz   .05
Jon Rausch    .05                Mike Baxter  .05
Matt Downs   .05               Scott Hairston   .05
Clay Hensley   .05              Jonathan Herrera  .10
Cody Ransom   .05             Shane Robinson   .05
Takashi Saito    .10             Ryan Webb  .10
Wesley Wright   .05           Reed Johnson   .01
JD Martinez       .05            Chipper Jones   .09
Garrett Jones    .05              Willie Bloomquist  .08
Martin Maldonado  .06        Ronny Cedeno  .05
Greg Dobbs      .10              Ryan Mattheus   .06
Trevor May   .05 Mx          John McDonald  .05
Logan Ondrusek   .05        Rudy Owens   .05Mx
Scott Podsednik   .10         Randy Wolf   .10
Cameron Maybin    .19      Shane Victorino   .27
Juan Rivera         .01           Joaquin Arias    .05
Tyler Pastonicky    .05        John Buck   .04
Antonio Bastardo   .06        Sean Burnett    .05
Francisco Cordero   .08       Nathan Eovaldi   .05
Victor Marte   .05               Drew Pomeranz   .15
Kurt Suzuki   .05                Justin Turner  .05
Brad Ziegler   .10               David DeJesus  .13
Skip Schumaker  .10          Chris Snyder  .01
Dan Uggla  .25                   Josh Beckett  .20
Ted Lilly  .15                     Mark Buehrle  .09
Scott Camp  .05                 Wellington Castillo  .05
Kevin Correia  .05              Luis Valbuena  .09
Jordany Valdespin  .05      Barry Zito  .11
Tony Campana  .05            Scott Rolen  .05
Stephen Drew  .06             Ryan Theriot  .05
Ricky Nolasco  .12             Anibal Sanchez  .02
Rod Barajas  .10                Mark Ellis  .10
Wade LeBlanc  .05            Chris Volstad  .05
Lance Berkman  .14           Eric Bedard  .01
Chad Billingsley  .05          Andrew Cashner  .04
Edison Volquez  .07          Vance Worley  .05
Bobby Abreu  .16               Joe Blanton  .05
Jhoulys Chacin  .05             Rubby DeLaRosa  .05
Jesus Flores  .02                 Logan Forsythe  .10
Henry Rodriguez  .10         Marc Rzepczynski  .05
Matt Sczur  .05Mx             Drew Stubbs  .42
Rafael Furcal  .08               Jed Lowrie  .07
Ty Wiggington  .03            Heath Bell .18
Mitchell Boggs  .10            AJ Burnett    .10
Jose Altuve  .05                 Ronald Belisario  .09
Jeff Karstens  .05               Ryan Madson  .05
Hector Sanchez  .02           Brett Wallace  .08
Carlos Lee  .18                   Jim Thome  .10
James Loney  .15               Geovany Soto .14
Ernesto Frieri  .05              Josh Johnson  .29
Jair Jurrjens  .08                 Chris Denorfia  .06
Jason Giambi  .05              Austin Kearns  .05
Brandon Lyon  .06             Donnie Murphy  .05
Leo Nunez  .05                  David Ross .05
Bryan LaHair .09               Jason Castro .03
Tyler Greene  .07               Bud Norris .01
Steve Clevenger  .05         Josh Lindblom  .05
Steve Lombardozzi .10     Wily Peralta  .10
AJ Pollock  .05                  Eric Young, Jr. 15

Winter Waivers

I would love to say the Winter Waiver list is below.  However we had a couple of owners challenged with counting to 23, so we're on hold for a little bit.  Since I wasn't able to access the internet much while I was gone, and I just got back into town two hours ago, I'm going to allow a little leeway on this.  Hopefully I will hear from the owners in question by early Monday and then I will have the Winter Waiver list posted during the day Monday.

For now let's assume first round of claims is due Thursday.  If this drags out we'll modify.

Thanks for your patience.

Winter Waivers - 2012

We are a scant 19 days away from the Winter Waiver deadline.  Your cuts are due to the Commissioner by 3pm, Sunday January 6, 2013.  How did I know the time cuts were due?  I checked with the Constitution which has all you need to know about Winter Waivers.

However, I will give a brief reminder/synopsis to the process.

By Sunday, January 6, 2013 at 3pm CENTRAL TIME, you must submit your cuts and keepers to the Commissioner.  For your roster's safety I STRONGLY suggest submitting both a Keeper List AND and Cut List.  That way there shouldn't be any misunderstanding.  You are to cut down to 23 players.  For Winter Waivers there is no position requirement (you can keep 23 pitchers), there are no major or minor league restrictions (you can keep 23 minor leaguers - you know who you are).  You may NOT cut below 23 players.

You may want to use this as an opportunity to purge your roster of all unwanted "talent".  You cannot - beyond getting down to 23 players.

Keep in mind that anyone you had on your roster at the end of the season that played out their final year of their option or final year of a Long Term Contract or was acquired in September has already been purged from your roster and isn't eligible to be waived.  Uncertain who is still on your team?  Download the Roster Excel Spreadsheet located on the right.

Anyone on the roster sheet highlighted in yellow is currently on an American League roster.  I have tried to keep this roster accurate, but errors there may be.  Anyone in yellow is eligible to be kept or waived (and thus claimed).  If said player is still in the AL come Roster Freeze Day, then he must be cut.

You MAY NOT cut anyone currently on a Long Term Contract (Sean Marshall, Jay Bruce, Brandon Belt, Andrew McCutchen, Gaby Sanchez, ok, there's too many to list, but you get the idea).

Your cuts are due to the Commissioner no later than 3pm, January 6th.  I will be submitting my cuts to the remaining two members of the EC by that same deadline.  As luck seems to always have it, the Bentel Family Vacation runs into Winter Waivers, but not too much.  I will be out of town 12/30 - 1/6.  So I will be back the day cuts are due.  Hopefully this will not cause a delay in me releasing the list of available players.  However, if you have any questions about the waiver process, there may be a slight delay in me getting back to you.  I will have my computer with me, but I may not respond to you until later in the evening.

If possible, look things over and if you have questions, please contact me before the 30th.  Between the Constitution and your previous experience, there shouldn't be many problems, but it's always better to ask a question rather than assume an answer.  I would hate for anyone to lose a player from their roster because of a misunderstanding.

Post Season Stuff

First an official Front Office congratulations to the Clowns for capturing their first ever Copperfield Trophy.  Job well done.

There is some off-season things to be aware of.  First of all . . .

Hometown Discount  Here's how it breaks done, budget-wise.

Kenndoza Line beat out the Bulls for the Sweet Spot and garnered the maximum budget of .06.  They have the rights to the following players:

Ian Desmond
Jose Tabata
Jonathon Lucroy
David Freese
Logan Morrison
Jason Motte
Ian Kennedy

Graging Bulls  .05
Pablo Sandoval
Hunter Pence
Troy Tulowitzki
Jonny Venters
Brett Myers

Twin Killers .04
Omar Infante
Angel Pagan
Carlos Zambrano

Stranger Danger .04
Ike Davis
Nick Hundley

DoorMatts .04
Chris Johnson
Carlos Ruiz

Ruffins .03
Chris Young (OF)
Drew Storen

Beatniks .03
Brandon Phillips
Andres Torres
Josh Thole

Revenge .00
Yadier Molina
Jose Reyes
Matt Cain
Mat Latos
Eric O'Flaherty
Tommy Hanson

Dem Rebels .00
Ryan Zimmerman
R.A. Dickey
Mike Minor
Cole Hamels

Candy Colored Clowns .00
Ryan Hannigan
Pedro Alvarez
Roy Halladay
Johnny Cueto

Some other resposibilities for you the owners over the next few weeks.

1)  Please contact Commissioner Bentel and let him know your intentions for next year.  If anyone isn't coming back we need to know ASAP to try and find new ownership.  Are you in or out?

2)  We need to plan the Award Banquet.  Let's assume the Line, Beatniks and Ruffins aren't coming into town for pizza and beer (although you of course are welcome to attend).  The other seven owners please e-mail Commissioner Bentel with preferable dates/days or problematic dates/days so we can find a time to celebrate.  As always majority will rule, but there is always special weight given to the newly crowned Champion's schedule.

3)  Speaking of the banquet, you will be receiving the Awards Ballot in your In Box soon (hopefully within the week).  Please take time to vote, but return it in quickly.  The Banquet cannot occur until all votes are in.  This will be repeated when the ballot is e-mailed out but "Please vote for the most deserving candidate.  Most deserving does not necessarily constitute the player on your CFCL team or your favorite National League team."

That's it for now.  See (hopefully) most of you at the banquet!

Coming Down To The Wire

In what has become virtually an annual experience, the CFCL title is back up for grabs.  A couple of years ago the Line and DoorMatts duked it out until the last out of the season before the Line won in a tie-breaker.  Last year the Ruffins leapfrogged their way from third with half a week left in the season to win the championship yet again.

This year what looked like a run away romp by the Candy Colored Clowns has turned into a closer-than-it-appears battle between the Clowns and Rebels.  After Week 10, the Clowns lead the league by twelve points and that lead soon ballooned up to 21 points shortly after the trade deadline.

Now we are staring at fifteen days left in the season and the Clowns still hold a strong, but vulnerable eight point lead over the Rebels.  Additionally we see the standings have three other races as well.  The Revenge look to be a strong bet for third, but the Bulls and Line are fighting it out for the Sweet Spot (a.k.a. 4th place).  The Killers are firmly entrenched in sixth while the DoorMatts and Danger keep flipping the seventh and eighth spots.  And last year's champion Ruffins are doggedly fighting off the Beatniks for ninth.

Since it's been said that no one remember who finishes second, let's take a look at the categories that are in play and how they impact the Clowns eight point lead.  First of all, I didn't not include the opportunities the Clowns have to increase their lead, since if that happens nothing is different than it is today, the Clowns in the lead.  What follows is only potential for the Clowns to drop points or Dem Rebels to gain points to see if this is a close pennant race.  So by category, here we go.

Stolen Bases
Dem Rebels trail the Revenge by one stolen base.  (One potential point for Dem Rebels)
The Clowns are safely 16 bags ahead of the Killers (No potential loss in points)

Runs
The Bulls trail the Clowns by seven Runs (One potential point lost for the Clowns)
Dem Rebels are 32 runs away from the Revenge (No potential gain in points)

RBIs
The Clowns safely lead Dem Rebels by 94 RBIs (No potential loss for the Clowns or gain for Dem Rebels).

Total Bases
This one may be a bit of a stretch, but maybe not.
The Clowns lead Dem Rebels by 47 Total Bases.  That breaks down to Dem Rebels needing three more Total Bases than the Clowns each day for the rest of the season to pass the Clowns.  Likely?  Don't know, but possible.  (One potential point lost by the Clowns and one potential point gained by Dem Rebels).

On Base Percentage
Dem Rebels trail the Killers by .0018 (One potential point gained by Dem Rebels)
The Ruffins trail the Clowns by .0009 (One potential point lost by the Clowns)

Offensively there are conceivably six points in play.

Earned Run Average
The Clowns are safely .233 ahead of the Danger (No potential point lost)
Dem Rebels are .037 behind the Revenge and .051 behind the Bulls (Two potential points gained)

WHiP
Danger is securely .0381 ahead of Dem Rebels (No potential point gained)
Danger is .0242 behind the Clowns (One potential point lost)

Quality Starts
The Bulls are three QS behind the Clowns (One potential point lost)
Dem Rebels are nine QS behind the Killers (No potential point gained)

Holds/Saves
The Clowns are a secure seven H/S ahead of the Line (No potential point lost)
Dem Rebels are a distant twelve H/S behind the Bulls (No potential point gained)

K/BB
The Line is a mere .002 behind the Clowns (One potential point lost)
Dem Rebels trail the DoorMatts by .106 (One potential point gained)

Pitching has six points in play.  In total there are twelve points available to move with an eight point lead.  Some are more possible than others, but the potential for another last day show down is still there with fifteen days remaining.  If nothing else, this yet again points out to Bud Dumber of Major League Baseball that you don't need to create stupid ass rules and monkey with the system to have drama at the end of the season.

Good luck to all for an exciting finish to 2012!!