A reminder of the rules in place for this:
- 40 Rounds, serpentine
- 16 protected players
- Auto-protect < 2 years
- Maximum 5 picked from any team
The decisions, especially so close after the culling of a year earlier, do not get any easier. There's so much strategy you put into the protected list, trying to cover as many permutations as possible while predicting the way the two new clubs will lean with their choices and ensuring that, worst-case, you still have a functioning squad left. In the end, here's who is off limits to the Mets and Colt .45s:
Some musings on the ins and outs:
- Piersall is a strategic leave, with Virdon ready to step up and Geiger a cheaper, more flexible backup option until hopefully one of the Alou boys picks up some CF ratings. At 31, Jimmy has limited trade cachet and we can't transact now until Jan 1 anyway.
- We are concerned about Andre Rodgers' defence moving forward and with Schofield now on board he is a viable risk.
- We choose Gene Freese over Lee Walls and Mudcat Grant over Ron Kline.
- Larry Sherry and Hank Aguirre are at risk, as are any of our backup catchers because the other clubs seem to be overly protective of theirs.
Our assessment is more accurate this time as they take Piersall, Rodgers, C Sammy Taylor, Aguirre (probably the one who hurts most) and George Brunet.
Here are the first 9 Rounds:
