Believe it or not, this is one of my favorite parts of the fantasy baseball season. Of course, there is the thrill of draft season. The chaos of the first few FAAB runs is also a delight. But this part of the season, post-trade deadline, pre-final stretch, offers all sorts of opportunity to make savvy moves.
The haze of fantasy football and NFL preseason games played in sweltering heat has washed over the eyes of many. In addition, many of the bottom-feeders in roto leagues have simply given up the chase. This creates a lull that can sweep across your leagues pretty quickly.
But don’t get sucked into the malaise. I’ve seen plenty of fifth and sixth place teams make pushes for contention as they plucked gems from free agent pools for the final month plus. Because of the fog filling some of your contenders’ minds, you will notice there are a lot of repeat suggestions this week. There’s some surprisingly good talent available for your team if you need help.
The stats and ownership percentages below are updated as of noon central time on 8/18.
As always, if you want advice on specific roster decisions you might have, feel free to leave a comment. You can also find me on twitter (X) (@mcouill7).
CATCHERS
10/12 Team Adds
Mitch Garver (TEX, 31% CBS Ownership) – With Jonah Heim’s return looming last weekend, people were wary of Garver’s future playing time and have continued to leave him on the waiver wire. However, that is a mistake as Mitch has played in three of the four games since Heim’s return. Plus, Heim can only hit left-handed right now, which you know, like, why bring him back then? Even if that makes your concerned Garver will be stuck in a short-side platoon, don’t be, as one of his starts has come at DH, where he is the best Ranger bat available even when Heim is catching. Texas has been carrying Austin Hedges on the roster as a third catcher, so there are no issues with trotting both Garver and Heim out in the same lineup. Much like Heim was a regular in this piece until everyone caught on, Garver will be a mainstay suggestion as his 13.3% barrel-rate and 113.2-mph Max EV are the best options you will find for generally available backstops. (3% FAAB)
QUICK HITS: Travis d’Arnaud (ATL, 46% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Alejandro Kirk (TOR, 43% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Yainer Diaz (HOU, 42% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Danny Jansen (TOR, 33% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Logan O’Hoppe (LAA, 30% CBS Ownership, 3% FAAB), Gary Sanchez (SDP, 29% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Endy Rodriguez (PIT, 22% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB)
15 Team Adds
Ryan Jeffers (MIN, 10% CBS Ownership) – I swear to god I’m not just lazily copying and pasting suggestions from last week. It’s absolutely crazy that a catcher with a .280/.382/.480 slash line (143 wRC+) with nine homers and three steals is still so widely available. Since we met last week, Jeffers has also cut his season K-rate below 30% (now 28.7%) and pushed his BB-rate over 10% (now 10.5%). He’s regularly batting fourth to sixth in the Twins’ lineup and should be a mainstay down the stretch. Jeffers is also the best choice behind Garver if you need help at catcher in a shallow league. (3-5% FAAB)
QUICK HITS: Patrick Bailey (SFG, 19% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Christian Bethancourt (TBR, 12% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Luis Campusano (SDP, 10% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Freddy Fermin (KCR, 9% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Connor Wong (BOS, 8% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), James McCann (BAL, 1% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB)
INFIELDERS
10/12 Team Adds
Masyn Winn (SS, STL 25% CBS Ownership) – Winn has conquered his recent butt strain and is arriving in St. Louis thanks to Lars Nootbaar’s recent testicle injury. (Good news! Lars has been cleared of “structural damage,” a phrase you don’t want to hear after taking a baseball to the beans.) The Cardinals should be using this stretch until the end of the season to audition Winn for the 2024 starting shortstop (and Rookie of the Year?) gig. If he comes anywhere close to his Triple-A line of .288/.359/.474 with 18 bombs and 17 steals, he might sway a league or two. Given Winn’s prospect pedigree and opportunity, you may have to really break the bank here to acquire him. I’d consider going up to 15% FAAB if you really need middle infield help and your league context dictates the aggression. Just know that his production down the stretch likely won’t warrant much more than the suggested amount here. (5-7% FAAB)
QUICK HITS: Edouard Julien (2B, MIN, 47% CBS Ownership, 3-5% FAAB), Geraldo Perdomo (2B/SS, ARI, 46% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Maikel Garcia (3B/SS, KCR, 45% CBS Ownership, 3-5% FAAB), Carlos Santana (1B, MIL, 43% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), J.D. Davis (3B, SFG, 42% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Joey Votto (1B, CIN, 38% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Luis Rengifo (2B/3B/SS/OF, LAA, 37% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Harold Ramirez (1B/OF, TBR, 35% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Yoan Moncada (3B, CHW, 26% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Ronny Mauricio (SS, NYM, 26% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Jordan Lawlar (SS, ARI, 25% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB) Ji-Hwan Bae (2B/OF, PIT, 24% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Chris Taylor (2B/3B/SS/OF, LAD, 21% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB)
15 Team Adds
Michael Massey (2B, KCR, 13% CBS Ownership) – After finding himself as a pre-season sleeper darling, Massey might finally be making good on that 13% barrel-rate from 2022 everyone dreamed on this spring. The former Illini has a blushing Savant page that supports his .243/.281/.458 line with six homers and five doubles since the All-Star break. The key in that slash line is the power, which Massey is corroborated with a 110.3-mph Max EV this season. It’s hard to find many power options in the middle infield on the waiver wire, so if you are chasing HR and RBI categories, this could be a sneaky option to make up some ground on your leaguemates. (3% FAAB)
QUICK HITS: Curtis Mead (3B, TBR, 18% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Mike Moustakas (1B/3B, LAA, 17% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Brice Turang (2B/SS, MIL, 17% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Luis Urias (2B/3B/SS, BOS, 16% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Enrique Hernandez (2B/SS/OF, LAD, 16% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Colt Keith (3B, DET, 16% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Noah Schanuel (1B, LAA, 15% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Josh Rojas (2B/3B, SEA, 11% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Jordan Diaz (1B/2B/3B, OAK, 10% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Brayan Rocchio (3B/SS, CLE, 9% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Isiah Kiner-Falefa (3B/SS/OF, NYY, 7% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Matt Vierling (3B/OF, DET, 7% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Liover Peguero (2B/SS, PIT, 7% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Elvis Andrus (2B/SS, CHW, 6% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Osleivis Basabe (3B/SS, TBR, 6% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Tyler Black (2B, MIL, 5% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Jose Caballero (2B/3B/SS, SEA, 5% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB)
Only Team Adds
Nicky Lopez (2B/3B/SS, ATL, 5% CBS Ownership) – Despite Vaughn Grissom arriving this week post-Ozzie Albies injury, Lopez looks to get the majority of playing time at the keystone in Atlanta during Ozzie’s absence. The combination of being a left-handed bat and possessing a supreme glove (95th percentile in Outs Above Average) should give him the edge over Grissom most of the time. Be careful scouting Lopez’s recent production, as the homer he hit against the Mets last weekend was an anomalous moonshot off Danny Mendick. Best to just count on some steady playing time in a great offense while Albies works his way back. (1-3% FAAB)
Cavan Biggio (1B/2B/OF, TOR, 3% CBS Ownership) – After I heavily touted here the virtues of Davis Schneider last week, John Schneider decided to place his brethren squarely on the pine most of last week in favor of Biggio. But maybe the Toronto manager saw a fire lit under Biggio’s ass as the hall-of-famer’s son finally found some footing with a .412/.565/.412 slash in 23 plate appearances over that span. Cavan could be a solid pickup as there are some nice matchups upcoming in the Blue Jays’ schedule with the next two weeks as follows: at BAL, vs CLE, vs WSN, at COL (!). (3% FAAB)
OUTFIELDERS
10/12 Team Adds
Max Kepler (MIN, 36% CBS Ownership) – At this point in the season, you won’t find many players in free agent pools with as much red on their Savant pages as Kepler. But even with all of those pink and red circles, my favorite part of Max’s page is the rolling xwOBA chart below. You can clearly see that recently he’s been finding a groove as he has slashed .286/.342/.541 (142 wRC+) with nine homers since the start of July. That production has made him the sixth overall outfielder in our Player Rater over the past 30 days. Kepler is a must add if sitting on your wire. (3-5% FAAB)
QUICK HITS: Luke Raley (1B/OF, TBR, 44% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Charlie Blackmon (COL, 43% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Adam Duvall (BOS, 39% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Tommy Pham (ARI, 30% CBS Ownership, 3% FAAB), Brent Rooker (OAK, 32% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Will Benson (CIN, 29% CBS Ownership Rate, 3% FAAB), Jose Siri (TBR, 27% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Mark Canha (1B/OF, MIL, 21% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Matt Wallner (MIN, 20% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB)
15 Team Adds
Stone Garrett (WSN, 5% CBS Ownership) – It’s time for all of you Stoners out there to toke up as Garrett has been 8th in our Player Rater for all hitters the past week (naturally slotting between Ozzie Albies and Fernando Tatis Jr.). And yeah, a week of .435/.500/.826 with two home runs and 11 ribbies will do that for you. With that performance, he has pushed his season line to a respectable .271/.347/.463 with nine homers, three steals, 38 runs, and 40 RBI over 253 plate appearances. Pretty easy to simply double production that and see he’s a dependable outfield option. Garrett also shouldn’t have any competition for playing time down the stretch in Washington as the roster is littered with rejected former prospects far less likely to be a part of the Nationals’ future. (3-5% FAAB)
QUICK HITS: David Peralta (LAD, 17% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Ryan O’Hearn (1B/OF, BAL, 15% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Johan Rojas (PHI, 13% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Seth Brown (1B/OF, OAK, 12% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Lawrence Butler (OAK, 11% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Oscar Gonzalez (CLE, 11% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Everson Pereira (NYY, 9% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Drew Waters (KCR, 8% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Jake Bauers (1B/OF, NYY, 7% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Akil Baddoo (DET, 3% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Rafael Ortega (NYM, 1% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB)
Only Team Adds
DJ Stewart (NYM, 0% CBS Ownership) – It’s impressive that the Mets tore their team down so far that they are giving regular at-bats to a castoff from the tanking Orioles teams of the past few years. Stewart has settled nicely into a strong-side platoon role, garnering enough at-bats to rank in the top 20 outfielders over the last seven days in our Player Rater. He is only going to offer pure, unfiltered power as he looks to unleash all of studly 210 pounds on every swing he takes. DJ is a classic all power, three-true-outcomes bat right now with his 23.3% K-rate, 11.7% BB-rate, 15.8% barrel-rate, and 44.7% HardHit-rate. (1-3% FAAB)
Nelson Velazquez (KCR, 4% CBS Ownership) – The Royals acquired Velazquez from the Cubs in a small deadline deal for Jose Cuas, so it’s possible the 24-year-old is still available in your AL-only league after being lost in the shuffle. However, it looks like he may end up being one of the most consequential players to cross the AL/NL divide as he has now popped four homers with the Royals and slashed .348/.348/.870 in his first 23 Kansas City plate appearances. And no, that is not a typo, his average and OBP are the same as Nelson didn’t come to watch pitches, he came to hit (he has no walks with the Royals). (3-5% FAAB)
STARTING PITCHERS
10/12 Team Adds
Zack Littell (TBR, 24% CBS Ownership) – I covered Littell last week in the 15-team portion of this very piece. Since then, he turned in another steady start at San Francisco, going 5.2 innings with two earned runs and five Ks. Since he entered the rotation full-time on July 30th, Littell has produced a 2.78 ERA and 15:1 K:BB ratio in 22.2 innings over four starts. Wins might be hard to come by as the flailing Rays trudge through the rest of the season and Littell might not always go five innings, but he’s become steady enough to rely on in virtually every matchup. (3% FAAB)
QUICK HITS: Kutter Crawford (BOS, 50% CBS Ownership, 3-5% FAAB), Mike Clevinger (CHW, 47% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Hyun-Jin Ryu (TOR, 39% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Cristopher Sanchez (PHI, 38% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), JP Sears (OAK, 38% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Jose Quintana (NYM, 32% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Brandon Williamson (CIN, 30% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Brandon Pfaadt (ARI, 29% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Matt Manning (DET, 27% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB)
15 Team Adds
Paul Blackburn (OAK, 18% CBS Ownership) – Blackburn had his sharpest outing of the year on Wednesday when he totally handcuffed the Cardinals in St. Louis to the tune of seven shutout innings with eight Ks and one walk. His performance is inconsistent and has oscillated greatly as he struggled in his previous start against the Nats on August 11th, allowing four earned runs over 5.2 innings with only three Ks versus four walks. Here’s to hoping he can find some balance in between for his juicy upcoming two-start week against the Royals and at the White Sox. (1-3% FAAB)
QUICK HITS: Javier Assad (CHC, 19% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), John Means (BAL, 18% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Patrick Corbin (WSN, 15% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), David Peterson (NYM, 13% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Ross Stripling (SFG, 12% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Luis Medina (OAK, 12% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Jesse Scholtens (CHW, 9% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Ryan Yarbrough (LAD, 9% CBS Ownership, 3% FAAB), Adrian Houser (MIL, 8% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Cole Irvin (BAL, 7% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Jake Irvin (WSN, 6% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Alex Faedo (DET, 6% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB)
Only Team Adds
Bailey Falter (PIT, 3% CBS Ownership) – In three starts since joining the Pirates, Falter has been boringly solid with a 4.05 ERA and 10:4 K:BB ratio over 13.1 innings. During those Pittsburgh starts he even impressively faced the Braves, who accounted for four of the six runs he’s allowed. It’s not often that you get a chance at a two-start week in an only league, but that might be the case if Falter is on your wire. He’s slated for two interesting matchups at home against the Cardinals and Cubs next week. (3-5% FAAB)
Angel Zerpa (KCR, 0% CBS Ownership) – I so desperately want some Royals pitcher to take advantage of the opportunity in the starting rotation and the pitcher-friendly confines of Kaufmann Stadium. Zerpa might be that arm as despite a 6.08 ERA in 13.1 innings so far, he’s sported a 4.59 xERA and 4.86 xFIP. He does an admirable job of limiting free passes (2.03 BB/9) and looked sharp in his latest outing against the Mariners (allowed one run over four innings with 6:2 K:BB). There isn’t a much better entry point to the Zerpa experience than his upcoming start in Oakland. (1-3% FAAB)
RELIEVERS
10/12 Team Adds
Matt Brash (SEA, 28% CBS Ownership) – Just when Andres Munoz owners were getting comfortable with a secured closer role post-Paul Sewald era, Brash popped up and closed out the Mariners’ past two saves. Looks like Seattle is back to their old saves share thing, but Munoz and Brash are good enough for ratios and strikeout volume, respectively, that both are valuable if even splitting save oppos down the stretch. (3% FAAB)
QUICK HITS: Giovanny Gallegos (STL, 38% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Yennier Cano (BAL, 32% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Gregory Santos (CHW, 28% CBS Ownership, 3% FAAB), Michael King (NYY, 27% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Bryan Abreu (HOU, 27% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Joel Payamps (MIL, 24% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Justin Lawrence (COL, 24% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Brusdar Graterol (LAD, 21% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB)
15 Team Adds
Trevor May (OAK, 19% CBS Ownership) – Death, taxes, and Trevor May. He certainly showed how sideways save opportunities can get when he yielded five runs (three earned) via three hits and two walks in a blown save at Washington on August 13th. You just aren’t likely to find a more reliably available source of saves at this point in the season. (3% FAAB)
QUICK HITS: Adam Ottavino (NYM, 19% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Brooks Raley (NYM, 17% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Mark Leiter Jr. (CHC, 12% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Carlos Hernandez (KCR, 11% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Tyler Rogers (SFG, 11% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Jason Foley (DET, 9% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Reynaldo Lopez (LAA, 6% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), JoJo Romero (STL, 6% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Chris Martin (BOS, 5% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB)
Only Team Adds
Ryan Brasier (LAD, 0% CBS Ownership) – Brasier hasn’t picked up a save since July 17th, but he’s been a steady source of ratio help since with a 0.82 ERA, 0.73 WHIP and 8.1 K/9 over 11 innings. And he’s added two wins in that time to boot! He’s another Dodgers renaissance piece that continues to chug along and provide solid work for those in desperate need of pitching category help in an only league. (1% FAAB)
Taylor Clarke (KCR, 0% CBS Ownership) – With a less than stellar last two outings, good for a 20.25 ERA with one blown save over 1.1 innings, Carlos Hernandez’s grip on the Royals’ closer role is slipping away. Here comes Clarke, who was activated from the IL on Friday. He served as the 7th inning option before Scott Barlow was shipped out of town, so don’t be surprised to see Clarke get a shot at some save opportunities to give Hernandez a rest. (1-3% FAAB)
