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NFBC Free Agent Bids

My two cuts: Luke Hochevar (sent to the minors by the Royals); Eugenio Velez (lost the job battle to Emmanuel Burriss - plus there are many fungible MI types out there on the waiver wire if I eventually need a replacement).

First slot: Scott Downs, Jensen Lewis, Rafael Perez, Tony Pena, Ryan Perry, Justin Masterson, Santiago Casilla, Ryan Madson, Matt Thornton.

I wanted to make sure that I picked up one reliever speculation type, to go along with my other reliever speculation plays in Manuel Corpas and Leo Nunez. My only full-time closer right now is Jason Motte, so look for me to constantly churn here until one of my lottery tickets come in. I'm going to try to be a little ahead of the curve and bid in small increments, rather than holding out for a sure job and spending a bigger percentage of my budget.

Second slot: Travis Ishikawa, Emilio Bonifacio, Marcus Thames, Matt Joyce, Nick Adenhart, Nick Blackburn, Josh Outman, Ricky Romero, Jon Garland.

I don't have a specific need, but rather am just looking for value. There are a slew of interesting outfielders and starting pitchers beyond those listed, but these are the ones I like best for the short-term.

A few things to keep in mind about this week:

- While you don't want to hoard your money for just one free agent, it's also important to not go overboard this week. If Fernando Rodney is available in your league and you need a closer, great, bid on him - maybe even up to 25|PERCENT| of your budget if you're desperate for a closer. Just keep in mind that he's not necessarily a panacea for all of your ills - he's had a hard time keeping the job in the past, and can't stay healthy.

- Pay really close attention to all the drops. Often you'll see a lot of players get impatient when their stud prospect gets sent down, or their pitcher ends up being a fifth starter and doesn't start this week. The same holds true next week, when players will overreact to one bad start.

- Speaking of fifth starters, stay alert to who is getting skipped this week. Among those include: Max Scherzer, Jordan Zimmermann, Andrew Miller. Bench them all for this week.