Trade season kicked off this week, so pour one out for all those unfortunate single-leaguers who lost Jeff Samardzija or Addison Russell. Jason Hammel owners get no sympathy from me, since they have been playing with house money.
For mixed leaguers, the change in venues from this week’s trades didn’t really affect fantasy values much. Samardzija and Hammel move to the more difficult league, but a great pitcher’s park. Brandon McCarthy gets out of Arizona, but Yankee Stadium is not an upgrade.
Oscar Taveras
Was sent down after scuffling a bit earlier in the season, but is back with the major league team now. I wouldn’t worry much about playing time, and I don’t see any reason for concern over his performance. If you liked him previously, pick him up now whilst he is largely unowned.
Side Note: It’s pretty refreshing that the Cardinals haven’t had anyone come from out of nowhere and blow away their projections this year for the first time in seemingly forever. Matt Holliday and Allen Craig are even having down seasons! Welcome to how the other half lives.*
*Cringes and waits for them to go on a second-half tear.
Marcus Stroman
I have pushed for him before, but he’s still not owned in enough leagues. That said, he’s on the road against the Angels this week. I might wait until Thursday to pick him up.
Danny Salazar
Last four starts in AAA: 6 IP, 4ER, 9K, 3 BB; 7 1/3 IP, 1 ER, 9 K, 1 BB; 6 IP, 2 ER, 7 K, 2 BB; 5 IP, 4 ER, 9 K, 2 BB
According to reports, his velocity is not quite back up to 2013 levels. And even last year, he had trouble going deep into games, so I don’t see that changing in the forseeable future. That said, Justin Masterson is hurt (even if the Indians won’t admit it) and when Salazar comes back up, he has the potential to shift the balance of K’s in every league. A decent stash, depending on the depth of your league.
Tsuyoshi Wada
I’m not sure what to make of Wada, but am willing to take a flier.
Josh Tomlin
Uhh… where did this come from? Tomlin is striking out 22% of hitters, compared to just 15% for his career. He has always had great control. He’s a flyball pitcher, and he doesn’t throw very hard, so I think he’s still just a matchup play in shallow leagues, but still…
Pass
By all means, if he’s available in your 15-team mixed, pick him up. I wouldn’t touch him in a 10-teamer, though, and if I needed him in a 12, I would probably be very unhappy with the state of my team. He’s 31 years old, and has never previously managed to warrant 200 PA’s in a major league season. When players like that blow up, it’s usually very short-lived.