What do names like Robbie Ray, Drew Pomeranz, David Dahl and Jose Peraza have in common? In nearly every 10 or 12-team mixed league last year, none of those players were drafted. Every year this happens where we look back 12 months ago and think – huh, why didn’t we draft that fella? Whatever the reason the player wasn’t drafted, the fact is, every year guys like Adam Duvall, Hernan Perez and Steven Wright move from waivers to the rosters of teams that win championships. It’s just how it works. So, with that as the setup, what are some tips you will benefit from when working the waiver wire in your league?

Understand how your waivers work.

Is your league first-come, first-serve waivers?

Do your waivers run Monday morning? Sunday night?

Do your waivers run twice a week?

Are your waivers run on a daily basis?

How do you set up waiver claims on multiple players? This one can be a killer the first time you run through the process. Make sure you know how the process works, understanding that all the providers, pretty much, handle the situation differently.

You have to know your rules in order to adequately attack waivers. Read them closely. Suggest changes if need be. Make sure you understand when they run, what time the deadline is etc.? These minor details are huge.

Never do a first-come, first-serve waiver wire league.

These leagues are the bane of my existence.

Let’s say you live on the west coast. You’re watching the Dodgers game when Kenley Jansen blows out his arm at 10:35 PM PST. You run to the waiver wire and you add Pedro Baez. Not because you were smart, not because you broke down the skills of the pitchers, but merely because you were watching the game the moment the injury happened. If you lived on the East Coast, it’s 1:35 AM and you’re in bed sleeping – well hopefully not sleeping ;-) – so you didn’t even know that Jansen was hurt until you woke up at 7:15 AM the next day. If you lived on the east coast, you’re screwed in this example.

Let’s say you live on the east coast. You get up at 7:15 AM. As you drink your coffee you flip on the television and see a report that is breaking that the White Sox are calling up Lucas Giolito. You run to the wire and add him. If you live on the west coast its 4:15 AM. You’re sleeping. In this scenario living on the west coast screws you.

Let’s say its 10:15 AM PST / 1:15 PM EST. Everyone is awake. Theoretically everyone has access to news and can make the move to add Tyler Thornburg when he’s announced as the new closer for the Red Sox. However, what if you’re in a meeting and can’t check your phone? What if you’re out on a call and away from your phone? What if your husband is calling asking you to pick up some bread at work? The bottom line is, there are tons of reasons you might be away from your phone/computer and miss the update on the closing situation which allows someone else to jump in merely through luck.

In each of these scenarios life is happening. In each of these scenarios one group of people is, through no fault of their own, at a disadvantage if you simply have a first-come, first serve waiver wire. It’s random luck as to who happens to be on the internet and who doesn’t. Does that seem fair to you? It doesn’t to me. I would never want to be part of a first-come, first-serve waiver wire. You shouldn’t participate in one either. They are just lame.

Waiver Priority Leagues

Most leagues that use a traditional waiver wire run in reverse order of the standings. This is called a “waiver wire priority league.” An example.

You are in sixth place while another team is in fourth place in a 12-team league.

You both but in a waiver bid on Sergio Romo.

The team with the worse record holds the top option on waivers, meaning that the team in sixth place will be rewarded Romo.

After being awarded Romo, that team then loses their waiver priority. That means they drop down to No. 12 for the next run through of waivers (the team that lost out on Romo ascends a spot since the Romo winners has been dropped to the bottom of the rankings). Each time a player is awarded to a team that club heads to the back of the line in wavier priority.

I dislike this waiver option, if being honest, since people tend to hoard their top waiver spot. Instead of adding a solid player in the sixth week of the season, people pass on that player and hold on to priority for weeks on end hoping to hit a home run with a breakout star.

I don’t like this setup, but it’s better than first-come.

What is the “right” way to run waivers?

As noted, it’s never the first-come thing. As enumerated, that setup blows chunks. I also dislike the priority system which is better but still far from ideal. I would therefore recommend going with a Free Agent Acquisition Budget or FAAB (you can read more about that setup in How to Spend Your FAAB Bucks).

Be aggressive with adding players.

Regardless of the setup, being aggressive with waivers is likely the best way to play it. Being aggressive can take multiple forms.

First off, be proactive. Don’t wait until the team makes a change in the bullpen to add the former setup man. Add that reliever a week early to make sure you roster him.

Second, don’t wait for the next hotshot rookie to be called up to roster him. Note that dude is batting .350 with six homers the last month in the minors while the vet with the big league club has struck out 27 times his last 63 at-bats. Add that minor league player a week before the team makes the move to promote the player.

Third, understand that adding a solid player on May 1st might end up being better for your team than adding the superstar rookie on July 29th. The extra three months you get the “solid” player might be more helpful to your club than the star youngster who is pining away in the minors for three extra months.

In closing I would challenge everyone to do a FAAB league, over a basic waiver-wire setup, and I’ll dig into that in another article. Really folks, it’s the 21st century. We have cars that drive themselves. It’s time to move to the FAAB setup.