For anyone who puts most of their concentration into league-specific set-ups, the so-called 'trials and tribulations' of those in mixed leagues can seem like nonsense. Their worries of an everyday player who happens to be going through a one-week slump don't register. Their option of snagging a two-start hurler, such as Dan Haren, does little but cause your blood pressure to rise. After all, you waiver options are a 2B who maybe gets three starts a week and a middle reliever working the 7th inning for the Angels. In other words, there's just so little meat on the bone in a league-specific competition.
But, what the NL- and AL-only leagues do offer is the sudden waiver lightning bolt that strikes in the months of June and July. Most leagues invoke an open season bidding system when a player makes the parallel jump from one league to the other. Hmmm ... I wish there were an example laying around somewhere ...
Oh, yeah, Mark Trumbo!
The comatose Seattle Mariners made a much-needed addition to the middle of their order this week by flipping four prospects for the slugger and pitcher, Vidal Nuno. There's more on Nuno below, but Trumbo, of course, is the guy that everyone will be sweating out in their AL-only waiver period this weekend.
Some of you have been holding onto FAAB (or, waiver priority) all season for just this scenario. The advice is simple - if you need a bat, blow your savings on Trumbo. The market of available NL hitting options who could wind up making the cross-league jump this summer is not bursting at the seams. There's always Ryan Howard, but he's really just Trumbo-lite. Troy Tulowitzki may finally be moved, but that's been the case for the past two seasons and the cost for an injury-prone, aging, and regressing former-superstar should be too rich for most any contender. His teammate, Carlos Gonzalez, has been in the lineup all year and struggled for most of it. He's not the same guy. Andre Ethier, Brandon Phillips, Jay Bruce, and others, could be packing their bags and might end up in the American League, but are any better than Trumbo? What I'm getting at is this is a 30-homer, 90-RBI bat that is up for grabs. They're rare.
Trumbo is having a very solid season with nine homers, 23 RBIs, 23 runs, and even an average within in sniffing distance of .260. His move to the junior circuit shouldn't be much of an adjustment as he did spend four seasons with the Angels before landing in the desert. Trumbo will never be a consistent on-base threat (a near-awful career OBP mark under .300), but guys with this amount of pop never show up in league-specific waiver pools. He's not flawless, he's just miles better than most.
I have Trumbo pounding out 14-17 homers the rest of the way, while driving in 60+. The average will be around .240, but there will be a decent push of runs for you squad, too. This is not the stuff that dreams are made of, but it is the stuff that makes for a mid-season impact ... especially, for the wary AL-only traveler who's been dealing with the likes of Kyle Blanks or David Lough this year.
(Note: To make the list, I'll apply a loose definition that says you have to likely be unowned in a vast majority of 12-team mixed leagues. At the end of each player note, I'll also provide a suggested bid for those that use FAAB (Free Agent Acquisition Budget) for their waiver process (based on a $100 budget). Understand that this is only a suggestion ... if you just lost you're a starting outfielder to injury and you have an immediate need or gaping hole in your lineup, you will find it necessary to bid more in order to get that week's top available outfielder.)
Hitters
Javier Baez, 2B, Chicago Cubs
The competing Cubbies have already shown that they are more than open to moving talented pieces around the diamond if it keeps them competitive. Baez is such a piece. When Kris Bryant trotted out to left-field in Miami earlier this week, the North Siders played their hand. Baez is crushing at AAA, coming on strong with five round-trippers and nearly 20 RBIs in the past two weeks. The natural shortstop/third baseman has also been honing his craft at 3B. The Cubs head to Detroit for interleague action (and, the extra hitter it provides a lineup) next week and we could see them pull the trigger then, bringing yet another youngster back into the fold. Baez has immense contact issues (like many guys with the Cubs), but with the multi-eligibility, playing time, and surrounding talent, his numbers could be more than palatable.
Suggested FAAB bid - $8
Junior Lake, OF, Chicago Cubs
Lake has a moment every season, usually lasting for less than a month, where he gets unstuck from the waiver wire and finds himself on a fantasy team. The good fortune eventually runs out and the 'forever big league back-up' finds himself heading back to the dustbin. Currently, we've just started the clock on Lake's one month. Jorge Soler has an ankle injury that sounds like more than a two-week deal. Of course, as noted above, the Cubs may juggle their players and positions eventually, but Lake makes for a decent fill-in, right now. He provides some pop and has handled clean-up duties in the last couple of games. The opportunity is nice, but it's probably just a two-or-three week dress rehearsal.
Suggested FAAB bid - $4
Devin Mesoraco, C, Cincinnati
What's this guy doing on the list?! Well, I'm just covering my bases. A fantasy owner full of (well-deserved) frustration may have cut Mesoraco 7-10 days ago when he finally landed on the disabled list. Frankly, he's been out all season because he's been unable to handle his defensive position thanks to a hip impingement. It's nearly certain that he'll need surgery at the end of the year, but at this point, the Reds are thinking a little outside the box in an effort to get him in the starting nine. Manager Bryan Price indicated that Mesoraco would do some work in the outfield in the upcoming days. If he takes to it (and, it appears to be a stretch as he's been behind the plate since beginning his pro career in 2007), there could be some 2nd-half numbers here. Still, understand it's unlikely and you must have stash space on your roster.
Suggested FAAB - $2
Rougned Odor, 2B, Texas
Odor is owning the Pacific Coast League. In 74 at-bats, he's off to a start that features a .338 average and an OPS over 1.100. His MLB work has been much less thrilling, but he's always had the tag of future asset for fantasy players. Hopefully, he's gaining a more thorough understanding of what is a strike and what is a ball. He was sent down with specific instructions to be more judicial with his 'Attack! Attack! Attack!' approach in the batters' box. He has a job at 2B waiting for him (seriously, Adam Rosales and Hanser Alberto???) and should be back in the bigs by July, if not sooner.
Suggested FAAB bid - $5
Pitchers
Josh Fields, RP, Houston
Nearly every time that a reliever is brought up in this space, it's because I think he's due to get some 9th inning shots. Fields doesn't have that future outlook. For now, Luke Gregerson, is holding down the fort, but Fields is one of a slew of hard-throwing, highly-productive middle relievers that brings ratio help to any team. He's sent 21 batters back to the dugout muttering in just 13 innings. He's allowed a grand total of six hits in those same 13 innings while coughing up just 2 earned runs. If you're bullpen has been pulverized by injury or ineffectiveness, Fields is a cheap and helpful option.
Suggested FAAB bid - $4
Lance McCullers, SP, Houston
The hype has arrived for McCullers after the 21-year old carved up Baltimore for 11 Ks in a 9-inning win. His first four major league starts have yielded a sub-2.00 ERA, plus more than a K-per-inning. Oh, and here's a scheduled two-start week coming up! In effect, the bidding this weekend (if he's still out there) will reach great heights. Heights that are much too towering for me. McCullers is a prospect and will be a regular part of a major league rotation in future seasons. His fastball-curve combo is legit. But, he's shown lapses of concentration at the minors and is very raw and inexperienced (two full minor league seasons, all below Triple-A). Spot starts can work, but that's how you should bid, too. Unfortunately, a logical bid won't get him.
Suggested FAAB bid (if you really want him) - $23; Suggested FAAB bid (if you're sober about it!) - $12
Charlie Morton, SP, Pittsburgh
Morton is back in the rotation for the Bucs and his first two outings have looked fairly good. Against Miami and San Diego, the right-hander has rolled with 14 innings, just 11 hits, one walk, and three earned runs allowed. He's proven to be a ground-ball maestro, too, putting 36 of the 55 hit balls against him on the turf. You won't get any punch-outs, but you can get decent 6-7 inning outings in the right situation. If healthy (a huge 'if' throughout his career), Morton should stick in the Pirate rotation and be good for low double-digit wins.
Suggested FAAB bid - $5
Vidal Nuno, SP, Seattle
Nuno is the overlooked or forgotten piece to the Mariners trade. He's bounced around from New York to Arizona, between the minors and majors, and now finds himself in the Pacific Northwest with a chance to make a bit of an impact. Seattle's preferred 5-man rotation is taking a lot of bullets (injuries to Hisashi Iwakuma and James Paxton), so Nuno should get an early shot with his new team. He's always been fairly good with the K's (a K-per-9 around 9 in his minor league career), but his rising fastball has led to plenty of fly balls that, well, fly ... a long way (27 long balls in just 180+ MLB innings). Seattle's Safeco Field will take care of some of that. The 27-year old lefty is a longshot, but it would not be shocking to see him figure out some things in a new environment. Remarkably, he could be more important than Trumbo to the M's fortunes this summer
Suggested FAAB bid (more upside than the bid indicates) - $4
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