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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.
It warrants constant monitoring and tinkering to fully optimize your lineup, and the innings restrictions per roster slot certainly force you to make some shrewd decisions on who to start and who to sit based on matchups. For this reason, depth is critical. It’s easy to get preoccupied with stocking up on prospects (you could fill out your entire 18-man bench with minor leaguers if you wanted) but having reserve starting pitchers and bench bats to slot in on off-days is absolutely necessary.
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.
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Recently Completed Transactions (RotoBaller League)
Add - Leonys Martin (OF, DET) - $3
Average Ottoneu Salary - $1.83, 57% owned
Martin has always profiled as a leadoff hitter and now he's living up to the role. He's slashing a very respectable .276/.336/.478, and so far he's outplaying his career averages in both OBP and SLG. I don't see the elevated slugging percentage sticking around for the entire season, but that's not why you're adding Martin wherever he's available. The rock-solid on-base percentage is leading to runs scored, as Martin already has 24 in the early stages of the season. He's sitting on a .320 BABIP right now, so it's not as though there should be a ton of regression in that regard--especially when Martin is rocking the third-highest walk-rate of his career (7.5%).
Add - Mitch Moreland (1B, BOS) - $4
Average Ottoneu Salary - $1.67, 48% owned
Moreland is an interesting case, because he's having a terrific season (.319/.404/.606) but he is often finding himself the odd man out in the Red Sox lineup, what with the need to keep J.D. Martinez in the lineup every day either at first base or DH. Ottoneu is one of the few formats with a deep enough lineup where you can afford to sit on a player like this. Simply bench him on days he's not starting, and absorb the great stats when he is in. This is likely a savvy buy, because Moreland is one injury away from a full-time role, and with his position in that lineup he will carry great value in the format.
Cut - Dan Straily (SP, MIA) - $1
Average Ottoneu Salary - $2.46, 38% owned
Straily has certainly been effective in his four starts in 2018--he's allowed a total of 15 hits in 20 innings of work. That's helped get his ERA down to a usable 3.60 (2.25 in May), which certainly merits the $1 salary for now. However, there are some red flags here that fully support his dismissal from an Ottoneu roster. Straily currently has an astonishing .200 BABIP, indicating that his ability to keep runners off the basepaths is more luck than skill. His 3.60 ERA is backed up by a 5.78 xFIP, and to me it's only a matter of time before those runs start coming home. Tack on a staggering 6.30 BB/9 and you've got a recipe for Ottoneu disaster.
Cut - Ryan Braun (OF, MIL) - $6
Average Ottoneu Salary - $15.82, 90% owned
It's sort of odd to see a name this big cut so early, especially when he's only on the 10-day DL. He was having a fairly miserable season prior to his injury (a back issue this time), slashing just .222/.268/.413 with five homers and 14 runs scored. While I certainly wouldn't have given up on him this early, I also understand why the owner didn't want to keep him around. Braun typically hits for solid contact, but in 2018 he's struck out at the highest rate of his career (23.2%) while also walking at the lowest rate since 2008 (6.5%). With playing time increasingly tough to come by in the Brewers lineup, it wouldn't shock me if Braun was seeing the bench at least a couple of times a week when he does return from the disabled list.
