Ottoneu Waiver Wire Report - RotoBaller Staff League

Ottoneu leagues, available on Fangraphs, are a different beast, and for good reason. Most of the scoring formats are more advanced, there are intense roster requirements and it’s a year-round commitment.

The RotoBaller staff's lack of experience with the format was borne out by how poorly many of us drafted, making in-season improvements via the waiver wire all the more crucial. The following exchange from the draft chat neatly summarizes how the evenings went:

• [11:02 PM]We're Outta Barracloughs: who's writing the article about this draft
• [11:02 PM]Master wOBA: i can
• [11:02 PM]We're Outta Barracloughs: if it doesn't contain the words "nobody actually knew the rules" your journalistic integrity is forfeit
• [11:02 PM]Traif Turner: please don't quote me on the line about a $1000 budget
• [11:02 PM]Pierre: Zolli will submit another article one second before you
• [11:02 PM]BellRoto: hahahahaha
• [11:02 PM]RotoDubs: please do
• [11:02 PM]Boss Z Man: hahahahahaha
• [11:03 PM]We're Outta Barracloughs: A Comedy of Errors: 2018 RotoBaller Ottoneu Staff League
• [11:04 PM]Traif Turner: oy sorry i missed my nom

With that said, here are some recent free agent acquisitions and cuts from our RotoBaller experts league that were noteworthy along with the final bid amount and what these players are going for on average in Ottoneu leagues. One thing to keep in mind is the scoring format. This particular league uses Classic Ottoneu 4x4 scoring, which includes HR, R, OBP and SLG for hitters and K, HR/9, ERA and WHIP for pitchers.

Recently Completed Transactions (RotoBaller League)

Add - Brandon Nimmo (OF, NYM) - $3

Average Ottoneu Salary - $2.44, 95% owned

No surprise to see Nimmo here, as he has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball of late. What may be a bit surprising is how cheaply he went given how well he's been performing. A leadoff hitter who draws plenty of walks and has flashed more pop than in prior seasons is a guy who carries significant value in this format. If Nimmo can keep up anything close to his current pace and remain an everyday player, Alex Roberts may have gotten a steal.

Add - Ryan Braun (OF, MIL) - $6

Average Ottoneu Salary - $15.45, 90% owned

Bill Dubiel covered the surprising cut of Braun in last week's report, and it wasn't at all surprising to see another team snap him up pretty much immediately. The veteran has dealt with nagging injuries as usual and hasn't produced enough to make up for them when he has played. Combined with a roster crunch in Milwaukee, there are obvious concerns moving forward. But Braun's StatCast data suggests he has been fairly unlucky to this point, with a expected wOBA 45 points higher than his actual mark. Pierre Camus snagged him for six bucks, hoping to catch lightning in a bottle and invigorate his moribund roster.

Cut - Jon Gray (SP, COL) - $3

Average Ottoneu Salary - $10.45, 99% owned

Both cuts featured in this week's report came from the same team, that of Mario Hernandez. Currently in second place, Mario appears to be making an effort to drop dead weight in a push to catch league leader Chris Doyle. This cut is one I wouldn't have made myself. Gray's ratios are ugly (5.68 ERA, 1.48 WHIP) but he is a plus in strikeouts and has kept his HR/9 under 1.00 despite pitching half his games at Coors Field. That's the rub, of course; ERA estimators love Gray, but the nature of his home park is such that he'll probably always underperform them. There's a reason his career BABIP stands at .337. Of course, his current mark is .376, so some regression should be expected. Likewise, Gray should see a bump in his 63.5% strand rate as well.

Cut - Byron Buxton (OF, MIN) - $6

Average Ottoneu Salary - $15.08, 85% owned

Buxton, on the other hand, I completely support cutting in this format. Without stolen bases as a category, Buxton was always a long shot to return on the $12 investment Mario made during the draft. His .314 OBP, .413 SLG, 16 HR, and 69 runs (nice) were all career bests, and his batted ball data didn't even really support those modest numbers. Now that he's once again battling a nagging injury - this time, a broken toe that seemingly refuses to heal - there's no reason to let Buxton eat up valuable cap space.

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