The MLB trade deadline took some of the focus off of fantasy football this week as several big-name fantasy studs found new homes. There were several trades in which players moved from one league to the other and that will certainly affect waiver wire activity in AL and NL only leagues. Let’s analyze just a few of the many trades that took place this week in order to try to determine their impact on the rest of your fantasy baseball season.
It’s hard to imagine a World Series that doesn’t include the Dodgers and the Astros. The Astros trade for Zack Greinke gives them three top-flight starting pitchers (Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole obviously being the others) for their playoff run. In addition, having Greinke on their roster gives the Astros a little insurance in case Cole, who is a free agent at the end of the season, signs a deal with another team in the offseason. For those of you playing in AL-only leagues, you’re going to want to be very aggressive in your bidding for Greinke this weekend. Sure, Greinke has lost a couple of ticks off of his fastball but he’s been using his curveball more and enticing opposing batters to swing at his pitches outside of the strike zone at a high rate. He’s going to get plenty of run support from a potent Astros offense and with a lifetime 3.05 ERA and 1.173 WHIP, he’s had good success when pitching at Houston’s Minute Maid Park.
Nicholas Castellanos should get a boost from playing the rest of his home games at Wrigley Field after being traded to the Cubs this week. In four career games (19 ABs) at Wrigley Field Castellanos has hit three home runs and posted a .438/.526/.1.125 triple-slash. It’s a small sample size, but Castellanos should benefit from being part of a loaded Cubs lineup and it’ll be good for him to get away from Detroit’s Comerica Park which was eating him up alive this season (.405 slugging percentage). He makes for a nice trade target and if you play in an NL only league make him a top waiver wire target this weekend.
The Reds, Indians, and Padres got together and consummated a star-studded deal. The Indians traded Trevor Bauer to the Reds. It’s a tiny sample size, but in three career starts (14 IP) at Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark, Bauer has a 5.79 ERA and 1.571 WHIP. Bauer, who was touted as a potential Cy Young Award candidate at the start of the season has had an uneven year, giving up five or more runs in six of his 24 starts. The good news for fantasy owners is that in 29 career Inter-League games Bauer has posted a 2.54 ERA and 1.139 WHIP.
The Indians got back two potent offensive pieces in the three-team deal. Outfielders Yasiel Puig and Franmil Reyes add a lot of power to their lineup. Puig is enjoying a solid season with a .253 BA, 22 HR, and 61 RBI but those numbers are just part of the story. He has a .318/.376/.617 triple-slash over his last 42 games. Puig’s posted a .391/.417/.652 triple-slash in six career games at Cleveland’s Progressive Field. He also has a lifetime .299/.361/.532 triple-slash against American League pitching. If he stays clear of any future bench-clearing brawls, he’s poised to have a strong finish to the 2019 season.
Franmil Reyes has posted a .517 career slugging percentage in 586 ABs, and that was while playing his home games at pitcher-friendly Petco Park. MLB Statcast has his expected batting average at .273, compared to his current .255 overall batting average. DFS players should note that he has a career .309 batting average against left-handed pitching.
Shane Greene fantasy owners should rejoice! The trade to the Braves will most likely allow him to remain a closer, and he should also get more save opportunities playing for a much more competitive team.
Wrestling legend Rowdy Roddy Piper used to say “just when you think you have all the answers, I change the questions”! You can apply that statement to the New York Mets. Many thought they’d be sellers at the trade deadline but instead, they swooped in and traded for starting pitcher Marcus Stroman , who was coveted by their cross-town rival New York Yankees.
Stroman is a ground ball pitcher (59.4 career rate) who has a career 2.93 ERA and 1.123 WHIP against National League batters. The Mets have committed the fifth most errors in baseball this season which doesn’t bode well for a pitcher who keeps the ball in play, but they are a hot team right now.
Switching gears and turning our focus to some of baseball’s hottest hitters, when you mention players like Adam Duvall and a guy with the last name Yastrzemski you might be tempted to look at the calendar to double-check what year we’re talking about. However, 30-year-old Adam Duvall is swinging a scorching hot bat. While he might not end up being a long term solution for your fantasy baseball team, his .480 batting average and five home runs over his last six games shouldn’t be ignored. Based on his past history his batting average will plummet, but the power is real. With Braves outfielder Nick Markakis possibly missing up to eight weeks due to a fractured wrist, if Duvall keeps on hitting, the Braves will probably keep his bat in the lineup.
At 28 years old, Mike Yastrzemski is an older rookie. Yaz has been getting regular ABs and over his last 17 games, he’s batting .373 with four home runs and 14 RBI. He’s another player who DFS players should take note of because he’s been crushing left-handed pitching (.341/.386./561) this season.
Feel free to make small FAAB investments in guys like Duvall and Yastrzemski in season-long fantasy baseball leagues and ride them they’re hot but if you do, make sure to monitor their production on a weekly basis. If and when they cool off you don’t want them dragging down your fantasy team for a prolonged period of time during this crucial part of your fantasy baseball season.