Fantasy baseball waiver wire options following MLB's trade deadline

New York Times

5 days ago

This year, the countdown to MLB's trade deadline was electric, and I'm still wrapping my head around how it impacts this week's waiver wire. The big implications will be for closers (see below), with some lesser but still meaningful implications for hitters' playing time and lineup positions. I don't have a crystal ball, but I'm generally working on the assumption that when a team acquires a good hitter, that hitter will play most days.
Let's start, as usual, with Yahoo's most added hitters.
Joey Loperfido had some prospect buzz before he debuted with the Astros last year. His 113.2 MPH maxEV in Triple A shows he has real power potential and has the sprint speed to be a steals threat. He's been among the hottest hitters in the sport since the Blue Jays called him up, and now he's getting regular playing time. He's playing way over his head, and the expected stats (x-stats) don't see anything special in the small sample. It's too early to make any real conclusions here, and these streaks sometimes last longer than they 'should.'
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While we're on young players getting a chance, Coby Mayo seems to be finally getting his shot in Baltimore. The early returns haven't been notable, but he destroyed Triple A last year with a 139 wRC+. He's worth tracking, and the 10% barrel rate is encouraging. For redraft leagues, he's not a need-to-roster below 14 teams, and even in deeper formats, you're enjoying the playing time and hoping for the upside.
Ryan O'Hearn had a power drought in July, but a home run on Thursday provides some optimism that he's getting back on track. He remains a decently productive platoon bat. He's now a Padre, which puts him in a better lineup and a worse park (though the difference between Camden and Petco is smaller for lefties like O'Hearn than righties).
I was at the Mets-Giants game when Ronny Mauricio went 4-for-4, including a homer he absolutely demolished. He hit another one the next day in San Diego. He has the strength to be a 25-30 homer hitter over a full season, and he's now hitting at that pace. The upside is there.
Josh Smith is a regular in this column. He's a solid contributor across the board with eligibility almost everywhere. Miguel Vargas is a decent player who is having a good month. I'm not especially excited about him, but he's a serviceable fill-in if you need help at corner infield. I feel similarly about Ernie Clement and Brooks Lee. Clement has a good average and little power; Lee is middling in both.
Moisés Ballesteros has catcher eligibility, though the Cubs have only used him as a DH. He has power and will likely be a solid MLB hitter at some point. For now, he's likely a platoon bat and a dart throw for catcher-needy teams.
As for the other backstops, I'm usually wary of players who never walk, but I like Dillon Dingler, especially grading on the curve of available catchers. He's running a high BABIP, so the average may come down, but overall, he looks like a productive bat. Kyle Higashioka is similar, with a shade less power.
Ramón Laureano (OF, SD)
The quality of contact keeps getting better. Laureano's career-best stats are fully backed by his underlying numbers. His resurgence is one of the wilder stories this year. I'm optimistic about him fitting well in San Diego.
Trent Grisham (OF, NYY)
Here's another resurgence I didn't see coming (or think would last). Grisham has established himself as a real power/on-base threat atop the Yankees' lineup.
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Sal Frelick (OF, MIL)
Frelick doesn't have much power, but he's a good bet to continue providing a good average, plenty of steals and steady counting stats.
Jesús Sánchez (OF, HOU)
The move to Houston could be significant for Sánchez. The park difference isn't as huge as you might think, but Miami weighs down right-handed power, and Houston plays like an average park. Add in the speed and better lineup around him, and Sánchez could be ready to step forward as a big fantasy contributor.
Austin Hays (OF, CIN)
I now agree with last week's commenter who wanted Hays in Cluster 1. The 12% barrel rate backs the strong average and 20-homer pace. There are flaws here, namely the high swinging-strike rate and low-zone contact. With health, he should be a top-50 outfielder.
Mickey Moniak (OF, COL)
He's a platoon bat, but he's legit against righties and will throw in a steal here and there.
Jordan Beck (OF, COL)
Beck has a slugger's profile — hard swings, lots of whiffs — but is a solid fantasy OF with a good (Colorado-inflated) average and decent speed.
Michael Conforto (OF, LAD)
For much of the year, Conforto's mediocre results didn't match the good barrel rate and sense of the zone. That changed in the last month, and Conforto looks like a good option if you can manage the inconsistent playing time. He also hits low in the lineup, but that's mitigated somewhat by the quality of that lineup.
Colton Cowser (OF, BAL)
He's reasonably productive against righties and below replacement level against southpaws. He has a role in 14+ team leagues, but you can likely do better in shallower leagues.
Noelvi Marte (3B, CIN)
I have similar feelings about Marte as I do about Jesús Sánchez. The tools are enticing, and the results aren't bad either. He's been hitting in the back of the lineup, but that's changed recently. Take what you see for now, but he's a player you can dream on for next year.
Andrew Vaughn (1B, MIL)
Did someone make him mad? Vaughn has been one of the hottest players in MLB the last two weeks, and unlike, say, Nathan Lukes, he has the underlying stats to back it up, namely his 14.3% barrel rate and .501 xSLG.
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Colt Keith (1B/2B/3B, DET)
He's hit a relative cold stretch, but I still believe in Keith's skills. He has a solid average and power leading off in a good lineup.
Ronny Mauricio (3B, NYM)
See above. The playing time is not fully guaranteed, but he's an interesting bat.
Josh Jung (3B, TEX)
He's had a good stretch since returning in July, but I'm still having trouble getting excited here. The upside is a high average and acceptable power. I don't know if he will get there, but seeing Jung in good health for an extended period would be nice.
Otto Lopez (2B, MIA)
He barely makes the under-40%-rostered cut-off, and his last two weeks haven't been anything to write home about. Still, the combination of speed, hitting ability and decent power is worth rostering.
Colson Montgomery (SS/3B, CHW)
I'm in on the power, but the average is coming down unless he can course-correct on that 17.2% swinging-strike rate. We're just a month into his MLB career, so nothing's written in stone.
Carlos Correa (SS, HOU), Jeff McNeil (2B/OF, NYM)
I'm grouping these two solid veterans. With Cedric Mullins presumably pushing McNeil back to second base, he could get more days off, but McNeil's in a nice roster spot as long as he's in. Correa could also get pushed for playing time once Jeremy Peña returns, but the guess is that his old/new team finds a spot for him on most days.
Jorge Polanco (2B/3B, SEA)
Polanco had a scorching hot April, an icy May and a June that made the hot start look like a fluke, followed by a hot July. He kept his K% low despite the cold stretches, and his power has returned. The Mariners just added two infield power bats, but I'm optimistic he keeps most of his playing time between 2B and DH.
Carson Kelly (CHC), Tyler Stephenson (CIN)
I underestimated Kelly when he got hot at the start of the year. He has taken a real step forward this year and found more power. Stephenson is the more established name and is a quality bat at a weak position.
Ben Rice (NYY), Victor Caratini (HOU), Sean Murphy (ATL), Drake Baldwin (ATL)
Rice's playing time is inconsistent, but he's still a solid hitter when he's in the lineup. Caratini is a bat-control-over-power hitter, but he still pulls one out occasionally. It may seem odd to put both Atlanta catchers in here, but they find regular playing time between catching and DH and have real power.
Alex Freeland (SS, LAD)
Freeland has an enticing profile with good contact, decent power and great speed. If he hits the ground running, Freeland could carve out some playing time for himself, though how much is unclear, with Max Muncy presumably returning soon. Given the Dodgers' depth, Freeland is a tough player to roster, but he's worth monitoring in case the Dodgers give him a real run.
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Tyler Locklear (1B, AZ)
Locklear was promoted to the majors by the Mariners, then sent to the Diamondbacks in the Eugenio Suárez trade before playing a single game for Seattle (though he played in 16 games for them last year). That's good for his playing time chances, and if he sticks around, he could bring a great mix of power and speed. In 434 plate appearances in Triple A this year, he collected 19 homers and 18 steals, with a 136 wRC+. It is, of course, anyone's guess how the D-Backs use him and how he performs for the balance of this year.
Warming Bernabel (1B, COL)
Bernabel has some good tools and is off to a hot start in his first taste of MLB. Don't expect a lot of speed, but he has power, and his contact skills have improved to the point that he could be a plus in batting average. He's worth a flyer in deep leagues.
Zebby Matthews (SP, MIN)
The results have been mixed, but Zebby Downer looks great under the surface. Even if he can't maintain the K-rate north of 30%, he's showing a great mix of stuff and control. The BABIP and strand rate appear unlucky, and with the Twins selling at the deadline, he should have plenty of runway to establish himself. In fact, the Twins might make him pitch full games now that they traded their entire bullpen.
Joe Boyle (TBR)
Boyle is one of the more interesting pitchers out there. He continues to have great stuff and poor command, but he's kept his walk rate to a reasonable 10%, perhaps by throwing in the middle and letting his wildness do the rest. The Rays seem reluctant to use him for more than three innings at a time, meaning he's more valuable as a follower than a starter. We also just need more of a sample to know how low he can keep his BABIP (an unsustainably good .154) and if there is something about him that makes him run low left-on-base rates (he has an unsustainably bad 46.5 LOB%).
Adrian Houser (TBR)
Whatever he's doing is still working. His strand and home-run/fly-ball rates don't look entirely sustainable, but he can lose a little magic and still be worthy of a roster spot in most leagues. He could make a fun tandem with Boyle as completely opposite pitchers.
Cade Horton (CHC)
I went back and forth on where to put Horton, but there's enough upside here to keep him out of Cluster 3. The 17% K-rate is underwhelming, but the 12% swinging-strike rate makes me think more strikeouts are coming.
Jack Leiter (TEX)
Like Horton, Leiter's stuff and potential keep him in this cluster. He has similar results to the players in the next group, but has upside worth watching.
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Slade Cecconi (CLE), Matthew Liberatore (STL), Nick Martinez (CIN), Colin Rea (CHC), Logan Allen (CLE)
There's no one amazing here, but in deep leagues you could probably use a 4.00-ish ERA and 17-20% K-rate. All five pitchers use a kitchen sink approach, which helps them play a little above their stuff.
Ronny Henriquez (MIA), Alex Vesia (LAD), Dennis Santana (PIT), Randy Rodriguez (SFG), Jack Perkins (ATH), Cole Sands (MIN)
Henriquez is the main option for saves in Miami right now. The Dodgers' situation is more fluid, but if I'm picking one guy there, it's Vesia for now. The rest are best guesses on who picks up the ninth on their teams, listed in descending order of confidence in that prediction. The Twins traded their four best relievers, so their situation is unclear.
(Photo of Ronny Henriquez: Jared Lennon / Getty Images)