Bargains…Bargains…Bargains! Today, we’re all about bargains. I’m all about supporting small businesses and we’re going to extend that philosophy to DFS today. Why pay up for a name brand when the local brand is as good, or better, at a much more reasonable cost? Don’t overlook these players because they are making the MLB minimum or playing for a non-playoff team. They are still eager to earn you money.
Additionally, many of the luxury models are on the bump today. With high dollar names like deGrom, Valdez, Darvish, Strider, Cole and Alcantara all tempting options to cap your rosters, the names below will be extremely important. Simple economics says, if you’re going to pay up for a top SP, you need to shop the bargain bins when filling out the remainder of your lineup. I’m here to help.
Before we go shopping though, feel free to drop by your favorite fantasy baseball site and pick through all the great information available for any of your fantasy formats. As always, my DFS picks are primarily powered by the Razzball Streamonator and Hittertron and the other DFS tools available on our site. If you don’t have access to them yet, well, what are you waiting for? Take the next few weeks to enjoy everything Razzball has to offer so you’re even better prepared for 2023.
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Jeffrey Springs, SP: DK: $8,700 / FD: $8,300 – Jeffrey Springs is not a household name in MLB, and certainly not in the DFS world. However, if he keeps pitching the way he has been lately, that little nugget is about to change. You’ve heard the saying, “a failed starter becomes a successful reliever.” Does it happen the other way around? Does a struggling reliever suddenly find success as a starter? In Jeffrey’s case, the answer appears to be yes. With the exception of a pair of starts for the Rangers back in 2018, Springs has strictly pitched out of the pen, and not always successfully at that. In 2019 for the Rangers, he pitched to a 6.40/1.89 ERA/WHIP. In 2020 for the Red Sox, those numbers were 7.08/1.82 ERA/WHIP. For reasons the rest of MLB still hasn’t figured out, the Rays saw something entirely different and inked him in 2021. Springs rewarded the Rays with a 3.43/1.10 ERA/WHIP over 43 games, with a K/9 over 12.5. This season though, he began starting games rather than watching from the pen and has pitched to a 2.41/1.09 ERA/WHIP over 21 starts. Today he faces off against his former club (Rangers) at the Trop. He’ll need to navigate around the hot-hitting Marcus Semien and Nathaniel Lowe, but otherwise should provide a solid SP2 start behind one of the big dogs.
Jordan Montgomery, SP: DK: $7,900 / FD: $9,200 – I really wanted to promote Michael Kopech here but shoulder inflammation landed him on the 15-day IL yesterday. Instead, I’ll go with the unofficial Cardinals MVP, Jordan Montgomery. Following his trade from the Yankees, Montgomery strung together games with one or zero runs in six of his eight starts for the Cardinals. He had a tough outing earlier this week versus the Brewers but faces a Reds team who find themselves in the top 10 in team strikeouts. That’s good news for a pitcher sporting a 141:32 K:BB rate this season. If Montgomery returns to form today, the Reds are in for a long day at the plate and we DFS owners will be rewarded nicely.
Yan Gomes, C: DK: $3,200 / FD: $2,600 – Remember, we’re shopping at the bargain bins today. I’ll be the first to admit Gomes is not a DFS target that gets me extremely excited, but he has put some nice games together recently. He’s given us double-digit scoring outputs in 4 of his last 7 and faces a Rockies SP that isn’t shy about giving up runs. Gomes got a day off yesterday, so he’ll be fresh for this final tilt with the Rockies. There’s also a weather element in Chi-Town today that will help hitters (see below). All-in-all, you could do a lot worse with the few bucks left in your pocket.
Vinnie Pasquantino, 1B: DK: $2,500 / FD: $2,200 – Bargain shopping or not, Vinnie Pasquantino happens to be Hittertron’s #1 recommendation at 1B today. Vinnie’s 8 HRs this season have all come against RHP. Facing Nick Pivetta in Boston, a RHP who he already has an extra base hit against in his maiden voyage in the majors, we can feel pretty comfortable at the dollars saved here.
Michael Massey, 2B: DK: $2,300 / FD: $2,400 – With Michael Massey the selection at 2B, we’re really digging deep. This is like going to the flea market and finding a little gem at the bottom of a random box. Massey doesn’t hit for much power but what he can do is hit…and his AVE and OBP versus RHP gives me some optimism headed into the tilt versus Nick Pivetta. He can also cause some havoc on the basepaths so adding some DFS points with a SB is not out of the question either. If you need additional validation, Hittertron has him as the #6 3B overall today.
Elehuris Montero, 3B: DK: $2,800 / FD: $2,600 – Some of you probably just asked, “Who is Elehuris Montero?” and I wouldn’t blame you. Elehuris Montero is certainly not a household name by any means having only 42 games at the MLB level with the Rockies this season. Montero has put together a decent resume at the plate with an OPS of .743 and 5 HRs. He’s always demonstrated solid bat-to-ball skills and keeps his K’s low. In his 65 games at AAA earlier this season, Montero launched 15 HRs and log 54 RBIs. Sure that’s Albuquerque, but Wrigley Field may resemble Albuquerque today and Montero has the potential to pay big dividends compared with the cost.
Oswald Peraza, SS: DK: $2,000 / FD: $2,3000 – Oswald Peraza is still getting his sea-legs under him at the MLB level, but he comes today at essentially the DFS minimum and more importantly, the upside for great value. Peraza got off to a slow start after his call-up on Sep 2 but broke through the following week and has scored in DFS over his last 5 games in a row. This includes logging his first SB yesterday. His AAA numbers are quite impressive, a .770 OPS with 19 HRs and 33 SBs. As he gets more comfortable against MLB pitching, I expect we’ll start seeing returns lining up with the minor league numbers. Again, we’re looking for potential at an extremely low cost and Peraza fits the bill nicely today.
Franmil Reyes, OF: DK: $2,700 / FD: $2,300 – Franmil Reyes strung some nice games together after he donned the Cubbies uniform but has since returned to what we saw before the trade deadline. He’s historically stronger at the dish against RHP and has 40 HRs over the past 3 seasons against pitchers like Ryan Feltner. When he makes contact, he still hit the ball hard so it’s not inconceivable for a multi-HR game. With the hitter-friendly wind element in play today, the “Franimal” could even put a ball on top of the right field scoreboard like Kyle Schwarber did in 2015. Do I get extra points for being the first to call that one?
Sam Haggerty, OF: DK: $2,100 / FD: $2,400 – The Mariners are a fun team to watch these days, led by a core of exciting young talent. Everyone knows Julio Rodriguez by now but if you haven’t paid much attention to Sam Haggerty yet, now’s the time to start. Over 71 games at the MLB-level this season, he’s slashing an impressive .281/.342/.452 with 5 HRs, 12 SBs and 14 XBH. We just want points so whether they come from the plate or the base paths, we really don’t care right? His splits versus LHP is even more impressive at .420/.482/.780 and conveniently faces southpaw Reid Detmers today (2-3, XBH). Sam rounds out our bargain shopping spree and leaves us with just enough coin to grab a cherry slurpee for the ride home!
I’m Only Happy When It Rains
No major weather concerns across MLB today. You may have heard by now; the winds are forecasted to be blowing out at Wrigley Field today. As you may have noticed, there are some low-cost options available in this game so stack accordingly. Even better, why not consider doing lines in Vegas too…
Doing Lines In Vegas
Since I have a couple Royals bats on my radar today, it goes without saying I’ll be investing in the +177 odds for a KC win. There’s no doubt Spencer Strider has been exceptional but the lines-makers are giving +220 for a Phillies team that could break out at any time. Call me a sucker but I’ll need to get a little action here too.
On the props side, I’ll be heavy into the COL-CHC game. Pick your favorite right-handed batter (Reyes, Happ, Wisdom, etc.) on the Cubs and left-handed batter (McMahon, Blackmon, etc.) on the Rockies. Then sit back and watch what could turn into a HR derby on the North Side.
There you have it, my bargain plays of the day. Happy “shopping” everyone.
