The biggest trade made at the deadline may have been the one that was not made. The St. Louis Cardinals – true to form, went low and grabbed two workhouse starting pitchers in Jose Quintana and Jordan Montgomery. Innings eaters. What the Cardinals so desperately needed. President of Baseball Operations, John Mozeliak is betting on his bullpen, his MVP, his young core, and most importantly his two MVP candidates in Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado. So far it is working.
Coming out of the deadline with a sweep of the Chicago Cubs may not be very convincing, but the three-game sweep of the New York Yankees that followed was. The Cardinals welcomed backed a recently departed Harrison Bader and former Cardinals second baseman, Matt Carpenter. A very emotional return for Matt and his family. This is why baseball and romance are often so strongly associated.
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Blake Snell, SP: DK: $8,800 – FD: $9,400 – Blake Snell has logged five innings or more three consecutive starts. All three of those starts resulting in wins, taking him from 1-5 to 4-5 in two weeks. Snell has lasted at least five innings six of his last seven games, making him a safe start, especially with a limited game slate on Monday. This is not a must-win, but with all the noise the San Diego Padres made at the trade deadline, a win feels necessary. After being swept by the first-place, division rival, Los Angeles Dodgers, I am sure San Diego feels the same.
Keegan Thompson, SP: DK: $6,700 – FD: $8,000 – This selection is more driven by how bad Washington is, and not Keegan Thompson’s pitching. With that said, Thompson can shut teams down, as we saw against Pittsburgh on 7/26, going seven innings while allowing no earned runs. Thompson enters the game with a respectable 3.48 ERA. His counterpart, Anibel Sanchez will be starting for the Washington Nationals. Sanchez has not been good. Thompson can grab an easy win, by keeping the Nats in place. The Cubs will do their share of scoring.
Willson Contreras, C: DK: $4,900 – FD: $3,200 – See above. I do not think we need to add tremendous detail here. Anibel Sanchez is not good, Wilson Contreras is. I expect Sanchez to be run from the game early. Chicago was lucky to miss Sandy Alcantara in the Miami series, however, Contreras did not take advantage, going 2-12. He is due and this is a great matchup for him. My best Monday advice: grab the best offensive catcher, if he has a great matchup, grab him twice.
Luke Voit, 1B: DK: $3,700 – FD: $3,100 – Finding out your team just upgraded in a big way by adding several big names, including one Mr. Juan Soto must be cool. Later finding out you are part of the trade that landed Soto and you are heading to Washington, not so cool. One positive, Voit can easily be The Man in D.C. Luke was almost playing every day, but now he is truly an everyday player. He is coming off back-to-back two-hit games. Chicago Cubs starter, Keegan Thompson has good stuff, but Luke Voit has something to prove.
Donovan Solano, 2B: FD: $2,400 – An inexpensive addition who will hit second in the lineup but may be placed as low as 5th. Solano had a big game Saturday, getting on base three times, including a solo home run. He drove in two runs in Sunday’s ballgame, helping the Reds defeat the Brewers. You may have a tough time finding him on Draft Kings, but he is slotted under 2B on Fan Duel. Gleyber Torres will serve as a good backup if you cannot find Solano in your DK lineup.
Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B: DK: $3,500 – FD: $2,600 – Hayes has hit safely in five straight games, with six runs batted in and a stolen base. The Pittsburgh Pirates may not have a lot to play for, but if you only watched Hayes, you would not be able to tell. He will bat either third or cleanup. The proverbial low-hanging fruit. Cheap and will play. “He may not run like Mays, but he does not hit like sh*t.”
Bo Bichette, SS: DK: 4,500 – FD: $3,400 – Bo knows he does not hit right-handed pitchers well, nor does he hit pitcher, Jordan Lyles well. However, that is over just six at-bats. With seven hits in his last four games, Bo is seeing the ball well, with seven hits over his last four games.
Whit Merrifield, OF: DK: $4,300 – FD: $3,100 – All Merrifield has done since becoming a Blue Jay is go 5-13. The lust for W’s and playoff time is all it took to jump-start the 33-year-old veteran. The opportunities to contribute and be a part of a winner are much greater in Toronto than in Kansas City.
Brandon Nimmo, OF: DK: $4,700 – FD: $3,200 – The New York Mets will face the Cincinnati Reds and starter Justin Dunn. This is a great matchup for a left-handed Nimmo. Dunn was beaten up badly in the minors. He was called up with an ERA just a shade under 7 in Triple-A.
I’m Only Happy When It Rains
Nothing out of the ordinary
Doing Lines In Vegas
Blues Jays/Orioles over 9, Cubs -1.5
