10 Team Leagues

Shane Greene RP ATL; FAAB Bid: 25-30% - Not even I can possibly screw this call up, right? The Atlanta Braves closing job (and the bullpen in general) has been a glaring weakness for the defending National League East champions. Sean Newcomb blew the save earlier today against the Nationals, but fortunately the Braves rallied in extra innings to get the win. It looks like they finally got their closer in Shane Greene . Greene comes over from Detroit with 22 saves on the year and an ERA of 1.18 and he averages over a strikeout per inning. He’s available in less than 20% of leagues on Yahoo, but if he is out there in your league you should pay up to get him. If he’s unavailable, then Ian Kennedy is still floating out there in a majority of leagues.

Travis d'Arnaud C TB; FAAB Bid: 12-15% - d’Arnaud made an appearance in this article not too long ago and he hasn’t cooled off one bit. Entering Wednesday he has four home runs in his last eight games and don’t forget about his three-home run game back on July 15th. He has 15 RBI in his last eight games and he has three straight multi-hit games. He’s raking as of right now and can fill a big hole at catcher if you need the help.

Josh VanMeter 2B, 3B, OF CIN; FAAB Bid: 5-10% - VanMeter is the immediate beneficiary of the Yasiel Puig trade as it opens up more playing time for him. VanMeter collected a hit and a pair of walks on Wednesday to raise his season-long slash line to .312/.418/.532 and he’s not far removed from a stretch where he hit a home run in three straight games. Not to mention he also provides some roster flexibility so that bumps his value quite a bit. His ownership is beginning to spike so get him while you can.

 

12 Team Leagues

Zac Gallen SP MIA; FAAB Bid: 15% - In a surprising twist prior to Wednesday’s trade deadline, Zac Gallen was traded from the Marlins to the Diamondbacks in exchange for shortstop prospect Jazz Chisholm. Gallen’s looked very good for the Marlins in his rookie campaign especially in his last two starts. In those appearances he went seven innings in each outing allowing just two earned runs, but he did record 17 strikeouts. This seems like a big win for Arizona and as long as they aren’t too concerned with Gallen’s workload (why would they be? He’s only pitched 36.1 innings in the big leagues this year and 91.1 innings in the minors) then he can still contribute and keep on rolling with the impressive big league starts.

Will Smith C LAD; FAAB Bid: 10-12% - Smith made the Waiver Advice column at some point in the past week and he’s worth mentioning a second time because of the production he’s had since taking over as the primary catcher for the Dodgers. Sure enough in his first start at the big league level in over a month he hit a home run and collected six RBI in one game. In four games total since Saturday to now, he has six hits, five of which have been for extra bases. It’s worth mentioning he takes a big hit in points leagues because of his strikeout-to-walk numbers, but he’s definitely worth picking up in other formats if you’re needing help at catcher.

Adam Duvall OF ATL; FAAB Bid: 6-8% - Duvall is a solid player. He hit 30 home runs in 2017 and then again in 2018, yet he’s spent most of the year in Triple-A for Atlanta. But he’s spent the time trying to better his game and he’s looked great in a small sample size so far. In five games with the Braves so far he’s 11-for-25 with four home runs in a short span. On the off chance you’re in a five-outfielder league there’s a solid chance Duvall can offer some pop in your lineup.

José Leclerc RP TEX; FAAB Bid: 5-6% - With Shawn Kelley hitting the injured list there’s an opening for saves in the short-term and Leclerc figures to be the leading candidate for those opportunities especially with Chris Martin getting traded to Atlanta. He was on a nice little run prior to getting roughed up in his last appearance, but he averages well over a strikeout per inning and can help your team over the next few weeks with saves, if they get tossed his way.

 

15+ Team Leagues

Danny Salazar SP CLE; FAAB Bid: 2-4% - The Indians starting pitchers have had a roller coaster of a season. The always-healthy Corey Kluber has ended up on the 60-day injured list, Mike Clevinger and Carlos Carrasco have had their share of injury problems as well. Danny Salazar has been the poster boy for unsustainable health for the longest time, but he’s set to make his MLB debut on Thursday against the Astros. There’s a fair chance he gets knocked around, but if he’s really good you’ll want him on your roster. In his most recent work at Triple-A (7.1 innings) he didn’t allow a run to score and he’s averaging over a strikeout per inning at the minor league level. Don’t expect him to go deep into games just yet as he likely won’t go past five innings to start, but this will be a gradual progression for him.

Nick Anderson RP TB; FAAB Bid: 2-3% - This is a shot in the dark that maybe Anderson gets some save opportunities with the Rays since he was dealt from Miami to Tampa Bay prior to Wednesday’s trade deadline. If you’re in a categories league that utilizes ratio categories such as K/9 or K:BB then Anderson definitely helps there with high strikeout upside. The Rays needed a shutdown closer for their playoff run and while they didn’t acquire a big name, Anderson could step into some higher leverage situations and get some save opportunities over the remaining two months.

Gio Urshela 3B NYY; FAAB Bid: 1-2% - Urshela is a bit of a streaky hitter, but the good news is that it looks like his hot streak is occurring right now for the Yankees. Heading into Wednesday night’s action he has eight hits in his last three games, including four extra base hits. He has four home runs since July 15th despite hitting in the bottom-third of the order when he does get action for New York. He’s a cheap source of power and production and worth a look in deeper leagues.