The trade deadline came and went in a blaze of glory. As a lifelong Cardinals, the rumors and conversations about trading for Juan Soto had me feeling like I was living on a prayer. In true Cardinals’ fashion, they would ultimately lose out on acquiring the 23 year old, generational talent, to the Padres. If we find out that it truly came down to not wanting to give up Dylan Carlson, it will leave a bad taste in my mouth like bad medicine does. While it wasn’t just Juan Soto, there were plenty of big names that had to learn new zip codes. Josh Hader was the first big name to pack his bags, as he joined Soto in San Diego. The Yankees brought in Frankie Montas and Lou Trivino, and shipped Jordan Montgomery on two separate deals. If the Cardinal faithful are upset over losing Harrison Bader, just know that I’ll be there for you, JOMO! If our friend CoolWhip didn’t have it bad enough with his Angels, they up and shipped Raisel Iglesias to the Braves, to which I felt shot through the heart, since he was a staple on a lot of my fantasy teams. While these are just a few of the big names, there are cascading effects across the league as a result of the movement. Maybe there are a few players that will see some increased playing time or go to a more advantageous environment? Let’s see if there are any names that might help you Get Ahead In Head To Head For Week 16.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR!
- Favorable Team Matchups
- SPARP(S) Of The Week
- R/L Matchups To Exploit
- SAGNOF
FAVORABLE TEAM MATCHUPS!
7 GAMES
ARI (vPIT/@COL)
BAL (vTOR/@TB)
CWS (@KC/vDET)
KC (vCWS/vLAD)
MIA (@PHI/vATL)
PIT (@ARI/@SF)
5 GAMES
LAD (vMIN/@KC)
MIL (vTB/@STL)
MIN (@LAD/@LAA)
TB (@MIL/vBAL)
SPARP(S) OF THE WEEK!
Mitch White-SP/RP-TOR (vCLE) (5% rostered in Yahoo)- White was brought in by the Jays as the Dodgers just didn’t have room for White in the rotation. White was just optioned to AAA on Wednesday, but with Ross Stripling going on the IL, I would bet that we will see him take the mound late in the week, most likely against the Guardians. Mitch has gone at least 5 innings in 6 of his past 8 starts, with the Cardinals being the only major blemish of the starts. The Guardians have been better than average on the season, but I am strictly chasing categories, and I like White’s odds to grab the W with decent ratios.
Jose Quintana-SP/RP-StL (@COL) (33% rostered in Yahoo)- This is entirely a recommendation with a look to the future. Sure, you could start Quintana against the Rockies in Colorado if you want, but I can’t take that stance. It’s the week following that I am encouraging you to consider. If you can get in a sneaky $1 bid or waiver claim, you are set up for a solid 2-start punch next week against the Rockies and Diamondbacks in the friendly confines of Busch Stadium. It’s yet to be seen just what Quintana is going to bring to the Cardinals, but one has to assume that his 45% ground-ball rate will play well with the defense behind him.
R/L MATCHUPS TO EXPLOIT!
Alek Thomas, OF, ARI (13% rostered in Yahoo)- It’s starting to look like Thomas is living up to the hype that was placed on him this season. Recently breaking out of his 0-14 slump, he has recorded multiple hits in 2 of his past 3 with a homerun and 4 RBI over that time. Granted it’s an extremely small sample size, but this upcoming week looks to be a solid stretch of games to keep the momentum going. The D’backs get 7 games for the week, with all of them expected to be against RHP. The icing on the cake is the weekend series against the Rockies at Coors!
Tommy Pham, OF, BOS (48% rostered in Yahoo)- Pham and the Sox aren’t exactly a R/L matchup as much as it’s a positive trend for Tommy and the Sox. This is merely a continuation from last week when he was scheduled to face a week’s worth of lefties on a decent hot streak. The switch to Boston has him firmly in the #2 hole between Jarren Duran and Rafael Devers, an ideal spot to see plenty of fastballs, which is always a positive!
Luke Voit, 1B, WSH (35% rostered in Yahoo)- What a wild ride this past week has been for Luke Voit! Eric Hosmer decides he doesn’t want to go play for the Nationals (who can blame him), so in return, Luke Voit is sent to the Nations’ Capital. Voit has been anything but consistent this year, but he has done all of his damage against RHP, which he is set to face the majority of this week. I am not going to draw you in with mesmerizing statistics or attractive pitching matchups, nope. I am going to just go with the gut that a series in Chicago followed by the revenge game narrative against the Padres will do the trick.
Dylan Carlson, OF, STL (50% rostered in Yahoo)- The missing piece to the Juan Soto trade! If that doesn’t give us all hope that he is set to explode, what else should? The Cardinals weren’t comfortable getting rid of Dylan Carlson, and then they cemented their support with a trade of Harrison Bader. I really do like Carlson, don’t let me fool you. He gets a solid 6 games this week, with 3 of them coming at Coors. That should be the only information that you need.
Seth Beer, UT, ARI (1% rostered in Yahoo)- Like a good German stout, gotta love a hot Beer. Just before being recalled, Seth Beer had been on fire in AAA, collecting 5 HR and 17 RBI over his past 17 games. Now there are plenty of ABs to be had at DH and it’s just in time for the D’Backs to play 7 against RHP, with a weekend series at Coors.
SAGNOF
Rafael Ortega, OF, CHC (2% rostered in Yahoo)- Good speed with solid OBP skills. Cubs will play 6 this week, with only lefties on the schedule. Matchups vs WSH and @Cin, both possess staffs that rank in the Top 5 in BB% in MLB.
Luis Rengifo, 2B, SS, 3B, LAA (19% rostered in Yahoo)- Has been on fire at the plate over the past month, hitting .344 with a near .380 OBP. His speed has been on display during that time (4 SBs) to go along with the on-base skills.
SAGNOF (PART DEUX)
Felix Bautista, RP, BAL (47% rostered in Yahoo)- Jorge Lopez was sent to Minn and it is Bautista as the next man up. To be honest, even prior to the promotion, there was a case to be made for Bautista. Standing at 6’6” and equipped with a 100MPH fastball, Bautista definitely fills the “Mountain” nickname.
Rowan Wick, RP, CHC (11% rostered in Yahoo)- As predicted, the Cubs dealt both Robertson and Givens. What was surprising was the deal to move Scott Effross, who I pegged as the next man up. With all three gone, it looks like the Cubs will lean on Wick. Since they didn’t move Contreras or Happ, the odds that they actually win a few games are also a lot higher.
Ryan Tepera, RP, LAA (9% rostered in Yahoo)- The shocking trade of Raisel Iglesias has left the 9th inning in shambles in LA. Entering the season, I thought Tepera would be a great arm to hold down someone’s 9th inning. When he signed with the Angels, I thought it would never happen. Well, he has his opportunity, and the Angels gave the first save opp to Jose Quijada. This is a situation that I am not heavily investing in, but I do believe that Tepera has the makeup to be a solid closer.
Zach Jackson, RP, OAK (19% rostered in Yahoo)- While Jimenez is eased back from his IL stint, it appears that it will be Zach Jackson in the 9th. Jackson has been an absolute revelation this year, and the A’s most likely want him in their high-leverage role.
Wil Crowe, RP, PIT (1% rostered in Yahoo)- With Bednar on the IL, the Pirates have looked Crowe’s way for their 9th inning. What else is there to say?
