Proposed rule change for waiver claims

Gang, we're suggesting a rule change for how free agents are acquired. 

The current setup is a first-come, first-served system.  In other words, if multiple teams wanted to pick up Old Hoss Radbourn as a free agent in the same week, Radbourn would be awarded to the owner who sent the email first. 

We're proposing that players instead would be awarded based on overall standings as of Monday morning each week.  Like a real waiver system, in other words.  So if three teams try to acquire Radbourn, he would go to the team with the fewest points. 

Is everyone OK with this rule change?  If anyone objects, we'll scrap it and stick with the first-come system. 

Opening Day Lineups

Testosteraun Braun

Lineup: P. Goldschmidt, D. Murphy, A. Simmons, J. Francisco, R. Brantly, R. Braun, H. Pence, L. Duda.
Rotation: M. Bumgarner, J. Zimmermann, J. Teheran, M. Estrada. Closer: S. Romo.

Arbitration Losers

Lineup: A. Craig, N. Walker, B. Crawford, P. Alvarez, J. Lucroy, M. Kemp, M. Holliday, A. Pagan.
Rotation: C. Lee, J. Cueto, W. Miley, B. McCarthy. Closer: A. Chapman. Key DL: C. Headley.

Silver State Sagebrushers

Lineup: B. Belt, R. Weeks, S. Castro, D. Wright, A.J. Ellis, J. Upton, A. Ethier, D. Fowler.
Rotation: C. Kershaw, K. Lohse, C. Billingsley, J. De La Rosa. Closer: J.J. Putz.

Going Going Gonzo

Lineup: A. Gonzalez, D. Uggla, R. Tejada, M. Prado, W. Rosario, B. Upton, J. Bruce, N. Aoki.

Rotation: I. Kennedy, J. Samardzija, T. Cahill, A.J. Burnett. Closer: J. Grilli. Key DL: C. Hart, M. Garza.

Lawyers, Guns & Money

Lineup: I. Davis, D. Espinosa, I. Desmond, R. Zimmerman, Y. Molina, A. McCutchen, J. Werth, B. Revere.

Rotation: L. Lynn, D. Haren, T. Hudson, H. Ryu. Closer: C. Kimbrel.

Pitch You Blockhead!

Lineup: Y. Alonso, J. Rutledge, C. Pennington, P. Sandoval, K. Suzuki, C. Gonzalez, S. Choo, S. Marte.

Rotation: C. Hamels, K. Medlen, T. Lincecum, E. Jackson. Closer: J. Papelbon. Key DL: L. Morrison.

Rookies

Lineup: A. LaRoche, M. Scutaro, Z. Cozart, D. Freese, R. Martin, J. Heyward, A. Soriano, C. Gomez.

Rotation: S. Strasburg, G. Gonzalez, Y. Gallardo, P. Maholm. Closer: J. Axford.

Manwaring a Muumuu

Lineup: J. Votto, A. Hill, J. Rollins, A. Ramirez, B. Posey, C. Crawford, J. Kubel, D. Brown.

Rotation: M. Latos, M. Minor, M. Harvey, S. Miller. Closer: H. Street. Key DL: J. Motte.

Misfits

Lineup: F. Freeman, C. Utley, T. Tulowitzki, M. Young, W. Castillo, B. Harper, C. Beltran, J. Jay.

Rotation: A. Wainwright, J. Niese, R. Halladay, J. Garcia. Closer: R. Soriano. Key DL: B. McCann, C. Ruiz.

Fresh Fish

Lineup: R. Howard, B. Phillips, J. Segura, T. Frazier, M. Montero, G. Stanton, R. Ludwick, J. Ruggiano.

Rotation: M. Cain, Z. Greinke, H. Bailey, R. Vogelsong. Closer: B. League. Key DL: C. Ross, H. Ramirez.

Opening Day

First pitch in the National League is at 10 a.m. Pacific time Monday. Lineups will be locked in at that point, so send any changes to the FBLG email account before then or suffer the consequences.

Thanks again for an awesome draft on Saturday.

Post-draft, pre-season moves

Arbitration Losers: Move 3B Chase Headley to the DL and place 3B Pedro Alvarez in the lineup.

Manwaring a Muumuu: Move RP Jason Motte to the DL and acquire RP Huston Street and place him in the lineup. (April move #1)

Testosteraun Braun: Waive SP Mike Fiers and acquire SP Jose Fernandez (free move)

Pitch You Blockhead: Move 1B Logan Morrison to the DL and acquire 1B Yonder Alonso. (April move #1)

Lawyers, Guns and Money: Waive SP Brandon Beachy and acquire 2B Darwin Barney (free move).

Pickle Bugs: Move 1B Corey Hart and SP Matt Garza to DL.

Misfits: Move C Brian McCann to DL, sign and activate C Wellington Castillo (April move #1). (NOTE: Move to pick up SP Ross Detwiler negated - Detwiler is available as a free agent.)

Draft day update

It's draft day, friends. Here's a look at news, notes and injury updates from around the National League. As mentioned previously, the draft is at 5 p.m. today; please open the draft document in Google Drive at 4:45 p.m. to be prepared to get things rolling at the top of the hour. Best of luck to everyone (may your pitchers' elbows ne'er be examined by Dr. James Andrews, and may your hitters' hamstrings remain supple).  

• ARIZONA: Utility man Willie Bloomquist (oblique) could miss all of April. Shortstop Didi Gregorious (elbow) is out another couple of weeks and is expected to start the season in Triple-A. Pitcher Daniel Hudson (elbow) is expected back around the all-star break. Outfielder Adam Eaton (elbow) is expected back in late May. Outfielder Cody Ross (calf) will start the season on the disabled list. The D'backs will open the year with an outfield of Jason Kubel, Gerardo Parra and A.J. Pollock.

• ATLANTA: Catcher Brian McCann (shoulder) is expected back at the end of April. Infielder Paul Janish (shoulder) is expected to go on a rehab assignment in mid-April. Pitcher Brandon Beachy (shoulder) is out until midseason. Reliever Jonny Venters (elbow) is seeing Dr. James Andrews to gauge the extent of the damage to his arm.

Don't worry, Dodgers fans. L.A. won a
World Series with this guy at third base.

• CHICAGO: Ian Stewart (quad) is likely to miss all of April and will be replaced by Luis Valbuena. Pitcher Matt Garza (lat) might be back in May. Pitcher Scott Baker (elbow) has been shut down. Reliever Arodys Vizcaino (elbow) might be back by midseason.

• CINCINNATI: Reliever Nick Masset (shoulder) is out, and his return is undetermined.

• COLORADO: Outfielder Tyler Colvin has been sent to Triple-A. Catcher Ramon Hernandez has been released.

• LOS ANGELES: Shortstop Hanley Ramirez (thumb) is out until late May. Luis Cruz is expected to slide to shortstop, with a utility pu pu platter of Juan Uribe, Jerry Hairston and Nick Punto filling in at third. Outfielder Carl Crawford (elbow) is expected to be ready for opening day. Pitcher Zack Greinke (elbow) says he feels fine and will make his debut in the Dodgers' second series of the year. Pitcher Chad Billingsley (elbow) might start the season on the disabled list, as L.A. won't need a fifth starter until mid-April.

• MIAMI: Catcher Jeff Mathis (collarbone) is expected back in early May. Miguel Olivo will be the backup in the meantime. First baseman Logan Morrison (knee) is expected back in mid-May.

• MILWAUKEE: First baseman Corey Hart (knee) could be back earlier than late May. First baseman Mat Gamel (knee) is out for the season. Infielder Taylor Green (hip) is out, and his return date is unknown. Pitcher Mark Rogers is out with shoulder instability, whatever the hell that is. Pitcher Chris Narveson will have his innings limited to protect his arm and will start the season in the bullpen.

Starting at third base for the Padres...
Not Chase Headley, not Logan Forsythe,
not James Darnell and DEFINITELY
not this guy.

• NEW YORK: Infielder Justin Turner (calf) is expected to start the season on the disabled list. Third baseman David Wright (intercostal) has been playing and is ready for opening day. Pitcher Shaun Marcum (neck/shoulder) is expected to start the fifth or sixth game of the season. Pitcher Johan Santana (shoulder) is out for the season. Pitcher Jeremy Hefner was hit on the elbow with a comebacker but is fine. Reliever Frank Francisco (elbow) won't be ready for opening day.

• PHILADELPHIA: Catcher Carlos Ruiz will serve a 25-game suspension. Outfielder Delmon Young (ankle) is out until early May.

• PITTSBURGH: Infielder Chase d'Arnaud (thumb) is out until May. Pitcher Francisco Liriano (broken arm) is expected back in mid-May. Pitcher Jeff Karstens (shoulder) is out, and his return date is undetermined. Pitcher Charlie Morton is expected back late in the season.

• SAN DIEGO: Catcher Yasmani Grandal will serve a 50-game suspension. Infielder Logan Forsythe (foot) is out until mid-May. Third baseman Chase Headley (thumb) is expected to miss all of April. Third baseman James Darnell (oblique) is expected to start the season on the disabled list. Infielder Jedd Gyorko is expected to split time between second base and third base, with Alexi Amarista playing second against righty starters and Cody Ransom at third against lefty starters. Outfielder Carlos Quentin (knee) appears to be ready to start the season. Pitcher Cory Luebke (elbow) is expected back around the all-star break. Pitcher Joe Wieland is expected back late in the season. Pitcher Casey Kelly (elbow) is out for the season.

• SAN FRANCISCO: First baseman Brett Pill will start the season on the disabled list. Third baseman Pablo Sandoval (elbow) might be ready for opening day. Pitcher Eric Surkamp is expected back late in the season.

• ST. LOUIS: Shortstop Rafael Furcal (elbow) is out for the season. Third baseman David Freese (back) is expected to be ready by early April. Pitcher Chris Carpenter (shoulder) is out for the season. Reliever Jason Motte (elbow) will start the season on the disabled list.

• WASHINGTON: Pitcher Christian Garcia (forearm) is out, and his return date is unknown.

Starting rotations for 2013

A team-by-team rundown of how the rotations are shaping up two days before Opening Day:

• ARIZONA: Kennedy-Cahill-McCarthy-Miley-Corbin/Delgado. No announcement has been made on the No. 5 slot; Hudson returns midseason.

• ATLANTA: Hudson-Medlen-Maholm-Minor-Teheran. Beachy returns midseason.

• CHICAGO: Samardzija-Jackson-Feldman-Wood-Villanueva. Garza and Baker will return at some point.

• CINCINNATI: Cueto-Latos-Arroyo-Bailey-Leake.

Sorry, Jacob Turner Overdrive.
You're headed to Triple-A New Orleans.

• COLORADO: Chacin-De La Rosa-Nicasio-Francis-Garland.

• LOS ANGELES: Kershaw-Greinke-Beckett-Billingsley-Ryu. Capuano, Harang and Lilly will be traded/relievers/DL'd/released.

• MIAMI: Nolasco-Eovaldi-LeBlanc-Alvarez-Slowey.

• MILWAUKEE: Gallardo-Lohse-Estrada-Fiers-Peralta. Despite last week's announcement to the contrary, Narveson will pitch in relief.

• NEW YORK: Niese-Harvey-Marcum-Gee-Hefner. Santana might miss the season with a bum shoulder.

• PHILADELPHIA: Hamels-Halladay-Lee-Kendrick-Lannan.

• PITTSBURGH: Burnett-Rodriguez-McDonald-Sanchez-Locke. Liriano, Karstens and Morton will return at some point.

• SAN DIEGO: Volquez-Richard-Marquis-Stults-Ross. In a surprise move, Cashner goes to the bullpen. Luebke returns midseason.

• SAN FRANCISCO: Cain-Bumgarner-Lincecum-Vogelsong-Zito.

• ST. LOUIS: Wainwright-Garcia-Westbrook-Lynn-Miller.

• WASHINGTON: Strasburg-Gonzalez-Zimmermann-Haren-Detwiler.

Mid-March injury update

The latest on who's hurt and who's healthy with 10 days until the greatest draft on Earth (in honor of bad sports announcing, I'll refrain from using the word "injury"):

• ARIZONA: Outfielder Cody Ross is taking batting practice but seems unlikely for opening day because of a calf. Pitcher Daniel Hudson is out until mid-July with an elbow.

• ATLANTA: Catcher Brian McCann, who has a shoulder, is expected to be on the disabled list until April 16. Pitcher Brandon Beachy is out until late June with an elbow.

• CHICAGO: Third baseman Ian Stewart has been ruled out for opening day as he recovers from a quad. Pitcher Matt Garza is playing catch but is expected to be out until early May with a lat. Pitcher Scott Baker has been shut down because of an elbow and is out indefinitely.

• CINCINNATI: None.

• COLORADO: First baseman Todd Helton, who missed time with the flu, will be ready for opening day. Pitcher Juan Nicasio, who missed time with a knee, has won a spot in the rotation and will be ready for opening day. 

• HOUSTON: Forget it. They're in the AL West now.  Still, here's a fun photo of Jose (Velveeta) Valverde looking like an idiot.

• MIAMI: Catcher Jeff Mathis, who has a collarbone, hopes to return by early May. First baseman Logan Morrison, out with a knee, hopes to return by mid-April. 

• LOS ANGELES: Shortstop Hanley Ramirez is wearing a splint on his thumb and will be checked out by team doctors. Shortstop Dee Gordon is day-to-day with an ankle sprain. Pitcher Zack Greinke is having no issues after having elbow irritation and might be ready to start the season. Pitcher Chad Billingsley's elbow has shown no problems, and he will be in the rotation to open the season. GM Ned Colletti says oufielder Carl Crawford, recovering from an elbow, might be ready for opening day. Pitcher Ted Lilly, recovering from a shoulder and the flu, is expected to be ready for opening day.

• MILWAUKEE: Pitcher Chris Narveson, recovering from a shoulder, is in the rotation to open the season. First baseman Corey Hart, who has a knee, is off crutches and is expected back in May. First baseman Mat Gamel, who has a torn ACL, is out for the season. 

• NEW YORK: Third baseman David Wright, out with ribs, could be out until mid-April. X-rays on infielder Justin Turner's ankle were negative, and he is expected to fill in at third base to open the season. Pitcher Johan Santana hasn't been ruled out for opening day with a shoulder, but it doesn't look likely. Second baseman Daniel Murphy is out indefinitely with a stiff intercostal. Reliever Frank Francisco might be ready for opening day with an elbow.

• PHILADELPHIA: Pitcher Roy Halladay is day-to-day with the flu. Outfielder Delmon Young, out with an ankle, might return by late April. 

• PITTSBURGH: Pitcher Jeff Karstens, recovering from a shoulder, might be ready for opening day. Pitcher Francisco Liriano will miss the start of the season with a broken nonthrowing arm. Pitcher Charlie Morton, out with an elbow, isn't expected back until after the all-star break.

• SAN DIEGO: Third baseman Chase Headley has a broken thumb tip and is out until early May. Pitcher Casey Kelly might need Tommy John surgery and is out indefinitely. Infielder Logan Forsythe is battling plantar fasciitis but hopes to be ready for opening day. Pitcher Andrew Cashner, out with a thumb, might be ready for opening day. Pitcher Cory Luebke, out with an elbow, hopes to return around the all-star break. Outfielder Carlos Quentin, recovering from a knee, is expected to be ready for opening day.

• SAN FRANCISCO: Third baseman Pablo Sandoval, out with obesity (or an elbow or something) is expected to be ready for opening day. Catcher Hector Sanchez, out with a shoulder, might not be ready for opening day. 

• ST. LOUIS: Pitcher Chris Carpenter, out with a neck, might never pitch again. Shortstop Rafael Furcal, had Tommy John surgery and will miss the season.

• WASHINGTON: None.

Early March injury update

A few injuries/suspensions to be aware of as we move closer to draft day:

• Arizona outfielder Cody Ross has a calf strain and is expected to begin full weight-bearing activities March 18 or 19.  He might not be ready by opening day.

• Arizona pitcher Daniel Hudson is recovering from Tommy John surgery and won't be back until the all-star break.

• Atlanta catcher Brian McCann is recovering from shoulder surgery and will miss at least the first two weeks of the season.

• Atlanta pitcher Brandon Beachy is recovering from Tommy John surgery and hopes to return by late June.

• Chicago pitcher Matt Garza has a lat strain and is likely to miss the first two weeks of the season.

• Chicago pitcher Scott Baker is recovering from Tommy John surgery and might not be ready to start the season.

• Cincinnati outfielder Shin-Soo Choo is still having quad soreness, but he is expected to be ready for opening day.

• Colorado first baseman Todd Helton is having knee soreness. 

• Los Angeles outfielder Carl Crawford had forearm tightness in his recovery from Tommy John surgery and is expected to start the season on the disabled list.

• Los Angeles third baseman Luis Cruz could face a suspension for inciting a brawl in the World Baseball Classic.

• Miami catcher Jeff Mathis has a broken collarbone and will start the season on the disabled list.

• Miami first baseman Logan Morrison is recovering from a torn patella tendon and is likely to be out until mid-April.

• Milwaukee third baseman Aramis Ramirez has a sprained knee but is expected to be ready for opening day.

• Milwaukee first baseman Corey Hart has been cleared to ramp up his rehab after knee surgery and is hoping to be ready in May.

• Milwaukee first baseman Mat Gamel is out for the season with a torn ACL.

• New York pitcher Johan Santana is expected to start the season on the disabled list as he recovers from shoulder surgery.

• New York pitcher Frank Francisco has shoulder inflammation and might start the season on the disabled list.

• Philadelphia catcher Carlos Ruiz will serve a 25-game drug suspension to open the season.

• Philadelphia outfielder Delmon Young is recovering from an ankle problem and is expected to return by May.

• San Diego catcher Yasmani Grandal didn't swing a bat during the offseason because of tendon inflammation in his finger and will serve a 50-game drug suspension to open the season.

• San Diego outfielder Carlos Quentin is recovering from knee surgery but is expected to be ready for opening day. 

• San Diego pitcher Cory Luebke is recovering from Tommy John surgery and is expected to be ready by midseason.

• San Diego pitcher Andrew Cashner is recovering from a lacerated thumb tendon and might be ready to start the season but could miss one or two starts.

• St. Louis pitcher Chris Carpenter has irritation in his cervical spine and shoulder and could miss the entire season.

• St. Louis shortstop Rafael Furcal had Tommy John surgery and is expected to miss the entire season.

• Washington pitcher Jordan Zimmermann is experiencing "dead arm" symptoms.

2013 pre-draft information

We've shared a number of documents with all of you over the last week or so, and I wanted to make sure everyone has access. You should have:

• A list of email addresses for all FBLG owners
• A copy of the FBLG rulebook
• A spreadsheet with recent stats for most draft-eligible players (2013 FBLG stats)

Please let the Commissioners know if you don't have access to any of these docs.

As the season gets closer, we'll share a list of projected starters for each team and the FBLG draft document. Since we've heard no objections, we are still looking at a draft at 5 p.m. Saturday, March 30.

Also, if you'd like an email notification when new posts are added here, fill out the Follow by Email form just to the left of this post.

2013 draft order and other notes

Rich mentioned this in a recent email, but it's worth posting here as well.  (Mostly, I'm just adding this so I can figure out how to use this fancy blogging technology.)

• Brian Sandford and Matt Monaghan are replacing Pete and Ken, so please give them a warm welcome and treat them well.  At least until the season starts.

• The draft is scheduled for 5 p.m. Saturday, March 30. We'll use the Google Doc format that we've used in past seasons.

• A 2012 statistics document is forthcoming.  Stay tuned.

• Let Rich and/or me know when you come up with a team name.  If you haven't chosen one after a few weeks of the season pass, we'll give your team an outdated or irrelevant name, like The Elster Unionists or Loggins & Mussina.

Draft order

1. Bill

2. Tim

3. Brian S. 

4. Jon

5. Matt

6. Scott

7. Henry

8. Rich/BD

9. Reid

10. Rick