Baseball's annual mid-July tradition of ceaseless and breathless rumor-slinging is upon us. Big names are, of course, up for grabs (Cole Hamels, Carlos Gomez, Johnny Cueto, and an assortment of others). For the most part, those players won't see much of a change in their fantasy outlook if they are moved. In effect, Cole Hamels will pitch and will be like Cole Hamels no matter what uniform he's wearing.
First off, there is the initial consideration of the main part/player of any deal. Does the player go from being a closer to a set-up man? Is he going to be part of a 6-man rotation so that a playoff hopeful can save innings on their younger arms? Does a hitter go from, say, batting 4th on his lousy team to batting 6th on his contending team?
Next up, is what happens to the lesser piece, usually going to the team who has waved the white flag on the season. Does the newly arrived prospect now have a shot at playing time after being stuck behind a vet with his old team? Is the flipped piece now landing in a grand hitting ball yard? Remember, teams that are housed in hitter havens like Cincinnati, Colorado, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia, will likely be involved in a number of deals.
Finally, what about the man who moves up a spot? This is most notable and worthy when we have a 9th inning spot open up because the lesser team has sent their current man packing. As usual, this July should offer a slew of names who could be moving ... Francisco Rodriguez, Aroldis Chapman, Koji Uehara, Joakim Soria, Jim Johnson, Jonathan Papelbon, and many, many others could be heading in to different roles (i.e., set-up man) depending on the team they end up with. And, when they move on, someone has to move up ... the proverbial relief 'hand-cuff.' Many of these current 7th and 8th inning arms are available in leagues. Elsewhere, we'll see outfield and infield spots open up because of deadline deals made by teams dead in the water.
The overall argument ... pay attention to the big name in the deal, but investigate the smaller names, who are often still on the waiver wire, who gain value.
(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
Carl Crawford, OF, LA Dodgers
Admit it, you missed him, right? The slap-shot down the left-field line. The race to 2nd base with the helmet tumbling off. The often-jittery work in left-field where it looked for all the world like we had a 50-year old man trying to track down the ball in the gap. Well, he's back! The Dodgers plan to activate Crawford early this upcoming week. I sure hope he's healthy. He hasn't been seen around these parts since late-April when he suffered an oblique strain. His contract demands that he goes into left-field and starts about 80% of the time. Someone in your league probably got tired of waiting sometime in early-June so take a look to see if Crawford's available. He provides decent help in all five categories and - if lightning strikes - you may steal a cheap 2nd-half lift here.
Suggested FAAB bid - $5
Jed Lowrie, SS, Houston
Riding in much the same boat as Crawford, we have Mr. Lawrie. At this point, he might go down in the history books as 'The Man Who Got Injured and Allowed All of Us to Enjoy Carlos Correa,' but he's not a terrible infield bat when he's available. He's had some positive news with his thumb injury and appears set for a rehab stint soon. Unfortunately, when's finally ready, he'll learn that the Astros have moved on and there appears to be very little playing time for the 31-year old. At the same time, thumb injuries aren't the easiest thing for a hitter to recover from. Do you see where I'm going with this suggested bid? It'll take an injury somewhere in the Astro infield to give Lowrie a shot.
Suggested FAAB bid - $1 ... if that
Kirk Nieuwenhuis, OF, NY Mets
It's been nearly a week, but let's hear for Kirk! His trio of home runs last Sunday against Arizona will provide hours of story time for his future grandchildren ... even if it means nothing for the fantasy player in 2015. Nieuwenhuis is positioned to bounce from team-to-team as the 25th man for the next few years. That said, he is in line for a little work as a starting outfielder in New York because Michael Cuddyer just can't seem to get right with his bum knee. Don't fall for it.
Suggested FAAB bid - $1
Peter O'Brien, C, Arizona
Arizona has a few true pieces (Paul Goldschmidt, A.J. Pollock, the overpaid, but serviceable, Yasmany Tomas) that certainly qualify as building blocks. The hope was that O'Brien can become the all-critical, leader behind the plate. That's not going to happen ... he just can't cut it with the mitt. So, the next move is to find this hitter a home on the diamond. The second-half plan is to see how he takes to the outfield or perhaps, third base. His bat will certainly play (15 homers and a SLG% a wink under .500) somewhere. For fantasy purposes, the interest would bubble to the surface if he got the call-up, was set for at least 15 at-bats per week, and you could use him as a catcher-eligible option in your league. Those stars may not align until August, so he's a random stash at this point.
Suggested FAAB bid - $1
Martin Prado, 2B/3B/OF, Miami
Prado makes it a trio of guys in this weeks' column who were drafted, got hurt, were released, and then forgotten by fantasy players. He's nothing like he may have been a few years back, but the Marlins are desperate to plug him in and get some hitting. Finding a guy who should hit 2nd in the lineup (eventually, in front of Giancarlo Stanton) at this point is a gift. If you find yourself looking for an excellent daily plug-in for your starting lineup when other guys are banged up or just taking a day off, Prado should be your man. His numbers this year are, well, ugly to say the least, but the playing time, history, and positional flexibility make him target.
Suggested FAAB bid - $5
Pitchers
Neftali Feliz, RP, Detroit
Joakim Soria has started to fray a tad (a closer sporting a 3.28 ERA and a sinking K-rate earns that tag) and the Tigers are reaching desperation mode in the Motor City. The team is not only falling out of the AL Central race, but they're even becoming an afterthought in the Wild Card battle. Feliz was cut by Texas as the Rangers just seemed to get tired with waiting for the 'former' Feliz to ever appear again. I don't bring him up because I believe that the Tigers will discover some magic elixir for his rough run in Arlington. Instead, it's all about the possible August and September chances. Soria is a free agent at the end of the season, so he's a major bit of trade bait. Feliz isn't guaranteed the shot, but Detroit didn't go out and sign him to see if he can be a 7th inning guy. I expect the Tigers to keep skidding and Soria to be traded in the next two weeks. Place a bargain-basement bid now.
Suggested FAAB bid - $1
Kyle Gibson, SP, Minnesota
Gibson never registered much respect last year and he's struggling on that front again in 2015. Amazingly, a hurler with eight victories, a sub-3.00 ERA, and a plus-WHIP, can still be found bobbing up and down on the waiver lake in some leagues. He'll never get much love in our community (ugh, the embarrassment of that K-rate!), but he's a viable streamer. There's going to be an overall pullback, but if you're a smart owner, you can pick-and-choose the right match-up's and score some win and ERA help down the stretch.
Suggested FAAB bid - $3
Jeremy Hellickson, SP, Arizona
Hellickson is always prone to the 'What?' blow-up effort. Look no further than his outing at the end of June in San Diego. The Padres actually punched him up with 10 hits and seven runs in just over five innings. So, yes, there's danger here. But, look at the overall picture. The former Rookie of the Year winner (it's true!) has allowed two or fewer earned runs in six of his last eight starts. He's also finally started to lift his K-rate out of the grave ... in that same eight game run, he has 9.0 K/9 mark. He's similar to Gibson, but there's actually more upside here. Just tread carefully with when and against whom you choose to start him.
Suggested FAAB bid - $4
Aaron Nola, SP, Philadelphia
Every week we seem to get a new, young, exciting, hard-throwing pitcher who's ascending into the big-time. Nola is this week's award-winner as the Phightin' Phils will hand him the horsehide this upcoming Tuesday for his first MLB start. He's not an uber-prospect, but he's the best that Philadelphia has on the mound. I believe that he'll be extremely limited in the final two months of the year. He only fired 50+ innings last year and is already nearing 110 innings this summer. That means we may see him for just another 40-50 innings for the remainder of the year before the Phillies shut him down. Well, wait a sec ... this is the Phillies we're talking about, so ... hmmm ... who knows. Surely, they won't be that foolish with him, right? Overall, he's a solid prospect, but nothing overly special in terms of his pitches. His best attribute is command and control. Limited innings on a bad team mean you shouldn't get crazy with any bid. Make a trade instead if you need the help.
Suggested FAAB bid - $3
Arodys Vizcaino, RP, Atlanta
Jason Grilli (Achilles) is finished for the year. The new closer, Jim Johnson, shouldn't get too comfortable as the 9th inning guy. He's not only assuming Grilli's former job, but he's also assuming his former role as 'tradeable commodity who is ready to be moved.' When/if that happens (and, it could be a post-July 31st trade) Vizcaino would likely be the best option to handle the final three outs for the remainder of the Braves' season. He's been injured most of the season, but is now back in the major league bullpen. Atlanta sought him out in a trade last November with Chicago and he's currently pitching just in front of Johnson in the 8th frame. If you're on, thus far, dire hunt for saves, Vizcaino could return some profit. He's a better bet than Feliz.
Suggested FAAB bid - $4
You can hear Kyle each weeknight on 'The SiriusXM Fantasy Drive' from 7-10 ET, Sirius 210, XM 87.
Draft Advisor: bring our winning strategy (Serpentine / Auction) to your draft. Our player rankings adjust as players are selected, adhering to the changing dynamics of your draft. After a player is selected/drafted, the software will display/suggest the best players remaining. Purchase Today!
