Aristides Aquino , OF CIN:  Well, not only does he have a cool name, but Aquino can back it up.  In his first week in the show, Double-A hit a robust .500 with six home runs and a ridiculous 1,900+ OPS.  Yes, you read that correctly – his OPS is over 1,900. Of course, he will not remain this hot, but there is plenty of reason for optimism.  Cincinnati is a great place to hit over the summer. Moreover, this is a guy who blasted 28 home runs in fewer than 300 Triple-A at-bats this year.  Finally, he is willing to be selective as he has walked more frequently in the show than he did at Triple-A. Pay the freight and enjoy the ride.   

Nicholas Castellanos , OF CHC:  The outfielder is rewarding all those who said: “he will rake as soon as he escapes Detroit.”  Well, he has and he is. Since joining the Cubs on the north side, Castellanos is 17-for-49 (.347) with four homers, 11 runs scored, and six RBI.  Will he stay hot? Why not? This is a guy who scorches the ball, registering hard-hit rates of 43-plus-percent in each of the last three years. Now he is in a better lineup in a far better park and gets to visit divisional bandboxes like Milwaukee and Cincinnati.  I am ALL in here.      

Dinelson Lamet , RHP SD:  The righty was good, not great, Sunday, going five innings while giving up two runs and striking out seven.  However, when you look at his last three starts, you see a guy who has tossed 17 IP, struck out 24 and given up only five earned runs.  Can this continue? Yep. First, he pitches in Petco which, of course, is nice. Second, the 14-percent swinging-strike rate says he will continue to miss bats.  Third, the hard-hit rate against of, just, 31-percent says hitters are not squaring him up. Finally, the average fastball velocity of almost 96 MPH says the arm is live.  Invest.     

Asdrúbal Cabrera , INF WAS:  Cabrera went 2-for-4 with two RBI in Sunday’s win.  Yes, I know Cabrera flamed out in Texas. Yes, I know the Nationals have a crowd in the infield.  However, Cabrera is off to a nice start in Washington hitting .308. This is the same guy who has hit double-digit home runs in eight-straight seasons,  is still eligible at multiple positions, and is hitting the ball hard, but has had some bad BABIP luck. Is he a star? No. Can he be a good deep league find as you try to navigate the dog days of August?  Yep.      

Trent Grisham, OF MIL:  Last week, we wrote: “Trent Grisham went 3-for-4 Sunday with a run, RBI and a homer.  I do not know how much he is going to play either but if he does, look out.  In 134 AB in Triple-A, Grisham mashed 13 home runs and stole six bases while posting a gaudy .381 average.  Yes, it is the PCL and the ball is likely juiced but still, those are some REALLY good numbers. Milwaukee is a great park in which to hit, the lineup is strong, and Grisham is off to a very good start.  Buy while you still can.”   Well, the Brewers outfielder was solid but unspectacular this week hitting .273 with three runs and three RBI.  The good news is that some of your league mates may be willing to leave him on the wire. You should not do so.  

P.S. –While the jury may be out on Grisham, we can admit that advising a pick on Scott Heineman did not work out.  Why the Rangers decided to yo-yo him back to Triple-A is hard to understand but they did. Apologies for that one!

Finally, the moment you have been waiting for (sort of) -- Schultz says: “Mid-August is the time of year when quick fixes are hard to find. Trading deadlines have passed, the hyped-up uber prospects have already been called up and the waiver wire has been scraped clean of any potential sleepers. So, I guess there's nothing more to say here. We'll see you next March.

(long uncomfortable pause)

The Overlord will confirm that Schultz never lets the absence of something to say, keep him from talking. 

If you need to a deep dive into your league's waiver wire, you could do worse than taking flyers on Lewis Brinson and Isan Díaz. The Marlins recently called up the centerpieces of the Christian Yelich deal that has worked out somewhat magnificently for the Brewers. Schultz has long advocated having a long memory when it comes to superstar deals as the prospects involved tend to become noteworthy in a year or two. 

Despite having immense talent, roto-heads most likely know Brinson from his Buxton-like repertoire of disappointments. However, like Buxton, he's going to be given every chance to flourish and will be permitted to fake being a major-league hitter until he makes it as a major league hitter. Similarly, Diaz, who was torching the PCL with a .305 average and 26 home runs and took Jacob deGrom deep in his MLB debut, hasn't immediately kept up the pace. He too, though, will be given every opportunity to stake his claim.

If you are surely going to be out of the running in your league's Trent Grisham, Dustin May, and Aristides Aquino sweepstakes, you could do worse than to speculate on a couple of bargain-basement roster stashes from the Sunshine state.”

Response:  All true – especially the talking despite absence of things to say!  Just kidding (sort of). Seriously, the Schutz-ism of keeping tabs on minor leaguers traded at the deadline is one you should write down and continue to remember.