Jesús Aguilar, 1B/OF TB - Aguillar went 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, and a dinger Sunday. The new Ray poses an interesting issue. On the plus side, he is a player who blasted 35 dingers just a year ago. Also, on the plus side is the fact that advanced metrics point to better days to come. Despite making better contact and chasing outside the zone less often while still hitting the ball hard (over 40-percent), Aguilar has a weak .270-ish BABIP. On the minus side, he is hitting just .236 with nine dingers this year and his HR/FB rate has regressed substantially. Bottom line: Team CTW reduced their bid on Aguilar on worries about playing time (he sat against the only RHP the Rays faced this weekend). If Aguilar plays, he should produce. Twelve-teamers can pass but 15-team or only leagues should probably pounce. I am having some non-buyer remorse right now.
Trent Grisham, OF MIL - Grisham went 3-for-4 Sunday with a run, RBI, and a dinger. I do not know how much he is going to play either, but if he does, look out. In 134 at-bats in Triple-A, Grisham mashed 13 dingers and stole six bases while posting a gaudy .381 average. Yes, I know 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.
Travis Demeritte, 2B/OF DET - Unlike Grisham, Demeritte is not off to a hot start (only 1-for-11 so far). However, we do know a few things that make Travis an interesting buy. First, he will play on the rebuilding Tigers. Second, he is 2B eligible in many leagues despite playing the OF in the majors. Third, this is a guy who posted a .387 OBP with 20 dingers in fewer than 400 plate appearances in Triple-A. There will be growing pains but power and batting eye are a good combination for those looking for cheap production.
Scott Heineman, OF TEX - Like Demeritte, Heineman is not off to a roaring start, but 2-for-8 with a .375 OBP is not awful. Again, there are some playing time questions but, I believe Texas will play the OF as they try and rebuild. Plus, there are some things to like. Scott was an OBP machine in Triple-A this year posting a .435 OBP (yes, .435) while chipping in six homers and four swipes in under 130 at-bats. Those in OBP leagues should invest at the ground floor before the price goes up.
Bo Bichette, SS TOR - Last week we wrote: “In football, the song goes “I have been waiting all day for Sunday Night”. Well, in fantasy baseball 2019, it is “I have been waiting all year for Bo Bichette ”! Had Bo not been hit by a pitch and broken a hand, he likely would have beaten fellow HOF son Cavan Biggio to the bigs. Well, what can we expect now? For one thing, Bo knows power and Bo knows Speed. On the year at Triple-A (bookending the broken had), Bichette has eight home runs and 15 swipes in just 242 plate appearances. Digging deeper, I see a K-rate under 20-percent and an OBP of close to .340. Team Colton and the Wolfman has a ton of shares and will be trying to buy more this week. I suggest you do too!” Well, Bo does know baseball! In the last week, Bichette has been nothing short of great: .406 average; 1,200+ OPS and two home runs. Yep, it was worth the wait. Buy if there is any chance at all to do so.
Finally, the moment you have been waiting for (sort of) -- Schultz says: “Unquestionably, the most exciting event of this week's The Week That Was is not the return of Schultz to The Week That Was but rather was this past week's multiple trading deadline trades that took place in the week that just was. (Grammar check insists that that sentence is grammatically correct). Depending on your roto league's trading deadline, the MLB trading deadline can be a scary event. If, for some unknown reason, you were counting on Sergio Romo for saves, it's soul-crushing to see him traded into a set-up role in Minnesota. Meanwhile, all Felipe Vázquez nee Rivero roto-owners can breathe a sigh of relief. Rather than setting up the ninth for a contender, he will amass saves for a team that struggles to win. Nonetheless, anyone hoping that their stash of Clint Frazier or Kyle Tucker would pay off with a trade to a team that will play them in the major leagues can lick their wounds. Finally, anyone that salivated over their multi-year wait for the return of Danny Salazar - who not only stunk but re-injured himself as well - should have known better.
Veering into the real world - and because El Senor Supremo (Schultz aprende Espanol) is dying to know - let's discuss the Indians deadline deal. Surely, it's a rare thing when a team that is furiously chasing the division leader while sitting atop the Wild Card race trades it's arguably best starter (MVP "NOT JUSTIN" is lights-out in non-Astro scenarios and deserved better from Topps) out of town. However, since the Tribe is not blessed with unlimited financial resources, they must get creative. In sending the mercurial Trevor Bauer to southern Ohio, the Indians not only fixed their troublesome outfield situation, they may have greatly improved themselves going forward. Putting Yasiel Puig and Franmil Reyes on either side of Oscar Mercado has resulted in the biggest positional upgrade of any other MLB team and with the resurgent José Ramírez and resplendent Carlos Santana , the Indians now boast a fearsome lineup. As for losing Bauer, a free agent that never endeared himself to his teammates and will forever be remembered for bleeding all over the mound in 2016 as the result of a moronic drone incident, the Indians didn't hobble themselves to the extent it might seem. Even with the uncertainty of Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco 's return, Shane Bieber , Mike Clevinger , Zach Plesac , Adam Plutko and whoever else gets the call from the minors have more than been up to the task.
Once Nelson Cruz grows tired of carrying the Twins on his (ageless) 39-year-old shoulders, there will an Indian uprising in the AL Central.”
Response: I admire Schultz’s unending optimism. An Indians/Yankees playoff redux would be fun.