Each week, we’ll look at a handful of players who fantasy managers should consider picking up in deeper fantasy baseball leagues. Many of these players will have the most value in larger leagues where waiver wire options aren’t as plentiful. Still, they could also occasionally be useful additions in other, more standard-sized leagues, depending on your options at each position.
All roster percentages mentioned in this column are via FantasyPros as of Friday afternoon.
Aaron Civale – 3%
Aaron Civale has both found success and struggled at times during his stint with the Chicago White Sox following a trade from the Milwaukee Brewers.
Civale has allowed five or more earned runs in two of his seven starts with the Whtie Sox so far, but has also allowed two earned runs or fewer in four of them.
As of late, he’s allowed four earned runs in his last 11.2 innings, striking out nine batters in the process and logging a pitcher win.
Both of those starts came against fairly fantasy-friendly competition in the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Cleveland Guardians.
And while Chicago’s upcoming slate of games for the next few weeks is decidedly not fantasy friendly, if the American League Central club trades Civale before the end of the month he’d not only avoid that stretch of games, but also see a considerable boost in terms of his rest-of-season fantasy ceiling if he’s traded to a team where he could start full-time.
Chicago’s upcoming schedule through the middle of August, for what it’s worth, features series against the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Angels, Seattle Mariners, the Guardians again, and the Detroit Tigers.
Entering play on Friday, the Cubs, Tigers, Mariners, and Phillies all ranked in the top 13 in the league in runs scored, with those first three teams ranking in the top 10.
Nick Martinez – 27%
Nick Martinez hasn’t quite been able to replicate the career year he had in 2024 for the Reds, but he’s still provided quality innings for Cincinnati and fantasy managers alike.
So far this season, the veteran has pitched to a 4.18 FIP in 116 innings, logging eight pitcher wins in 22 appearances (20 starts) while adding 81 strikeouts compared to 27 walks and 15 home runs allowed.
The home runs certainly haven’t helped the 34-year-old from an ERA standpoint, with the veteran’s ERA sitting at 4.73.
Still, Martinez has been better than his ERA would indicate, and after an unideal outing against the Miami Marlins on July 8, the starter has surrendered two earned runs or fewer in each of his last two starts.
Since July 13, Martinez has logged a 3.48 ERA and a 3.67 FIP in his last 10.1 innings, winning both of his starts in the process while registering eight strikeouts compared to three walks and a home run allowed.
Assuming the Reds’ rotation continues as is without any interruptions, the right-hander’s next two projected outings will come against the Los Angeles Dodgers at home and against the Chicago Cubs on the road. Both are obviously outings to avoid from a fantasy standpoint, but after that, Martinez should be a quality rotation option for fantasy teams in leagues with 14 or more teams.
Marcus Stroman – 4%
Marcus Stroman’s 5.64 ERA and 5.27 FIP in 30.1 innings this year might look unideal in a vacuum, but the reality is that the veteran has been much better as of late.
Stroman has surrendered three earned runs or fewer in his last four outings, throwing five or more innings in each start in the process.
The veteran has also done so against quality opposition.
Three of Stroman’s last four outings have come against teams that rank in the top half of the league in wRC+ in the Mariners (113 wRC+, fourth in the league), the Mets (109 wRC+, fifth in the league), and the Athletics (100, 11th in the league).
If the Yankees’ rotation continues as is without any changes or interruptions, Stroman’s next two starts are against the Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays. And while those aren’t the easiest matchups on paper, the veteran has been effective as of late against better lineups.
Plus, pitching for a team with the league’s third-highest scoring lineup should give Stroman plenty of pitcher win chances moving forward. Entering play Friday, the Yankees were also third in rotation pitcher wins.
Graphic by Carlos Leano.
