That was the wildest trade deadline in any sport that I can remember in my adult life. There were guys going from one organization to another all the way up to the last minute of the deadline as the Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, Pittsburgh Pirates and – most notably – the Minnesota Twins liquidated their MLB rosters to make room for prospects that need to be evaluated over the final third of the season. Meanwhile, the San Diego Padres, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees and several other squads looked to improve with acquisitions. A lot of roles changed, opportunities have risen and new names make for better FAAB bids this week and beyond. We’ve finally had a chance to see each of those guys that moved at the deadline in action with their new teams and there’s some that are performing differently or making philosophical changes to align with their organization. We’re going to try and capitalize on those changes and improve our teams.
As a reminder, this column is designed to help guide those in Free Agent Acquisition Budget (FAAB) leagues in making the best choices regarding who to target on the waiver wire. Specifically, we’re focusing on players who are between 20-25% rostered in most 12-team leagues and/or 25-50% rostered in 15-teamers. Every league is different, so we won’t be labeling player bids with any sort of recommended dollar amount but instead will use a four-tier investment rating system, ranging from a minimal spend to a potential difference-maker (or LEAGUE-WINNER, if you will).
Let’s dig in!
Investment Rating System
Nearly every team will play six games with the lone exceptions being six squads going seven games this week. The Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twin, Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals are all scheduled for full seven-game slates, making their hitters slightly more valuable and allowing for a couple more two-start pitchers than usual. The Diamondbacks and Rockies play a four-game series at Coors Field over the weekend. The Reds host Philadelphia and Milwaukee – each for a three-game series, while the Athletics host Tampa Bay and the Angels for three games apiece in their rinky-dink ballpark.
SEVEN GAMES: ARZ, COL, DET, MIN, PHI, WSH
Batters
Outfielders
Isaac Collins ($$$): A scorching week or two for Collins has put him near the top of FAAB waterfalls entering this weekend. The Brewers outfielder is batting 17-for-40 over the past two weeks and is on one heck of a tear right now. With a solid hit tool, good speed and a little bit of power, Collins can help out in several categories if he continues the incredible pace for another week or so.
Nathan Lukes ($$): Lukes has outlasted his competition as rookie Alan Roden was shipped off to Minnesota at the deadline. He keeps performing and has hit five home runs in his past 60 at-bats, scoring 14 runs and driving in 16 RBI over that span. Now granted, some of that production was in an historic series at Coors Field, but Lukes has still proved his merit as a fantasy asset in five-outfield leagues.
Wenceel Pérez ($$): Out of almost nowhere, Pérez is stealing bases at a prolific clip, with three stolen bases in his last two weeks of action. The stretch of speed has doubled his season total to six stolen bases and he’s also homered twice in that stint. Having carved out a full-time role, at least for the time being, Pérez could be a factor over the final two months of the season.
Miguel Andujar ($): Acquired by the Reds at the deadline, it appears that Andujar enjoys hitting at Great American Ballpark – or just in a Reds uniform. He smashed a pair of home runs in his first series with his new team and could earn more at-bats than just short-side platoon appearances. Right now, he’s a speculative add on a team that isn’t super strong in the outfield.
Infielders
Coby Mayo ($$$$): Mayo is finally beginning to get regular at-bats, and LO AND BEHOLD he is beginning to hit the ball well. Assuming that the Orioles management wants to see what they have in their prospect, Mayo should be in line for a regular workload the rest of the way after the Orioles sent Ryan O’Hearn and Ramón Laureano to the Padres. Ryan Mountcastle will be back soon but it would be foolish of the Orioles to take playing time away from the developing Mayo to allow Mountcastle – an impending free agent – to get more swings in.
Spencer Horwitz ($$$): Horwitz has been on fire from the plate the past three weeks, batting 21-for-56 with three home runs, 16 RBI, and 11 runs scored. Batting leadoff for the Pirates as the strong side of a platoon, Horwitz’ second base eligibility makes him super-appealing in 15-team leagues. If the bat can stay hot for a sustained period, the Pirates infielder could be one of the better late-season values on the board.
Lenyn Sosa ($$): It’s been an up-and-down season for Sosa who has shown signs of life earlier this year. However, he’s never shown power like what he has flashed over the past month. Nine of his 13 home runs this season have come in the past two months, with four of them in the past two weeks. Sosa’s positional flexibility makes him an asset, while the power is a nice bonus. The White Sox have hit a ton of home runs since the All-Star Break, so maybe there’s something going on in that clubhouse that fantasy managers will want to be a part of down the stretch. Or maybe it’s just a bunch of young kids having fun and hitting taters.
Catchers/UT
Dillon Dingler ($$$): Dingler has been one of the better hitting catchers in the MLB this season with 10 home runs and a .270 batting average and yet he’s still available in 10% of 15-team, two-catcher leagues. He should be rostered in every two-catcher league and considered as a streaming option in one-catcher leagues as well.
Freddy Fermin ($): The bat isn’t great. Like below the Mendoza Line not great. But he should see primary catching duties now that he’s in San Diego, and the home park is a pretty big upgrade as well. For a guy who’s available in more than half of 15-team leagues, he seems like a solid second catcher with built-in volume at the bottom of a newly stacked lineup.
Pitchers
Starting Pitchers
Charlie Morton ($$$): Morton has quietly been outstanding since June 1, with his curveball leading the way. The bender has generated a 33.8% CSW across the entire season, and a 66.1% strike rate. Now he’s on a competitor and will be relied upon to earn wins every fifth day. I trust the changes and adjustments that he’s made and believe that Morton can be an effective fantasy asset the rest of the way.
Slade Cecconi ($$$): As a baseball fan, it was cool to see Cecconi – a once highly-touted prospect – complete his recovery and take the mound in a major league game earlier this season. As a fantasy manager, it would be even cooler if he could continue his streak of quality starts. Cecconi has leaned on his fastball for success, with CSW% of 39.0% last time out against the Mets and 32.7% in his start before that against Colorado. If he can continue to get swings and misses on the fastball, the rest of his arsenal plays well off of that. With starts against the White Sox (this weekend), Braves and Diamondbacks looming he has some favorable matchups to take advantage of.
Dustin May ($$): May was dealt to the Red Sox at the deadline, one of the very few moves that Boston made at the deadline in an attempt to remain somewhat competitive while spending the least amount of money possible – or at least that’s how it appeared. The Red Sox have publicly come out and talked about integrating his cutter much more, which they did in his first start with the team, throwing it at a 30% clip. If he and the Red Sox are leaning into the cutter as a weapon, it could yield success down the stretch. Against the Royals, it garnered a 51.9% CSW including five whiffs on 27 pitches. It’s a work in progress, but I’m curious to see how he’s molded by his new team and pitching coach.
Janson Junk ($): Junk got shelled by the Yankees two starts ago, which is probably why he’s more available now than he was a few weeks ago. He’s got two starts this coming week at Cleveland and at Boston, both of which are not completely intimidating matchups. He’s led with his slider and sweeper combination which plays better against right handed hitters. If he can navigate the lefties, he ought to be fine in accumulating decent volume for managers bold enough to claim him this week.
Relief Pitchers
JoJo Romero ($$$): Romero was masterful (and fortunate) against the Dodgers earning a win and a save across three games. The left-hander leans heavily on a slider that generates a 38.9% CSW and follows up with a sinker with good tunneling that also generates a 32.3% CSW. The Cardinals have used him a several high-leverage situations, though not always in the ninth inning. He should be a valuable reliever, even if he doesn’t get all of the save opportunities the rest of the way.
David Bednar ($$$): Since joining the Yankees, Bednar has been used for multi-inning purposes in two of his first three appearances, including a five-out save against the Rangers on Wednesday. If the Yankees are going to deploy Bednar for multiple innings and use him in high-leverage situations I’m in on him. He’s available in nearly 20% of 15-team leagues and shouldn’t be. He’s been very good since returning to the MLB after a rough April.
Calvin Faucher ($$): Faucher has been the late-inning guy for a hot Marlins team. Miami is 12-7 since the All-Star Break, including an historic sweep of the Yankees. Faucher has three out of seven saves over the last 30 days for the Marlins, but that leads the team. And he’s nearly always featured in high-leverage situations just not always in the ninth. A committee leader on a team that’s growing ever-closer to .500 is worth a bid, especially this time of year.
Isaac Collins Photo by Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire) | Coby Mayo Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire) /| Designed by Aaron Asbury (@aarongifs on Instagram)
