Week That Was: Week That Was: Rumors Swirl

We’re about six weeks from the non-waiver trade deadline, and as that important date approaches we’re seeing more and more rumors and rumblings emerge surrounding certain players who are expected to be dangled.

The Reds, who look like clear sellers with a 12-game deficit in the NL Central, are known to be shopping Johnny Cueto, who is due for free agency after this season. Jon Morosi of Fox Sports reported that the Yankees and Tigers both had scouts in attendance at the righty’s start last weekend in Chicago.

It sounds like Cueto is not the only Cincinnati mainstay on the block. According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, the Reds “wouldn’t mind” moving second baseman Brandon Phillips, though it’s not clear how strong his market will be. The 33-year-old is nowhere near as effective as he once was, and is owed $27 million over the next two seasons.

Heyman also mentioned that the Braves have been trying to move third baseman Chris Johnson, who’s in the first season of a three-year deal with Atlanta and hitting just .233.

Meanwhile, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported that there was a “heavy scouting presence” at Philly closer Jonathan Papelbon‘s latest appearance on Thursday. The Blue Jays and Cubs are believed to be among the reliever’s suitors. Papelbon moving to a more competitive team would be a boon for his fantasy owners, who are no doubt hoping something comes to fruition sooner rather than later.

Editor’s Note: Having trouble figuring out hot streaks in FanDuel baseball? RotoGrinders‘ JM “JMToWin” Tohline has some more sound fantasy (and life) advice in this week’s column “The Girl Who Was Hot In High School“. He touches on what to do with mediocre players playing well, great hitters playing poorly and everything in between. Check it out.

* Cole Hamels, whose name has also been hot in trade rumors, was scratched on Friday due to a hamstring strain, but it sounds like he will avoid the disabled list and make his next scheduled start.

* Just hours after this column went live last week, headlined by the promotion of Carlos Correa in Houston, the Twins announced that they had called up Byron Buxton, viewed by many as the game’s second-best prospect behind Correa. Buxton made his big-league debut in Texas on Sunday and has since started every game in center field for Minnesota.

Unlike some of the other big names that have debuted in the majors this year, Buxton has not experienced fast success at the highest level. He has been very susceptible to big-league breaking balls and is batting just .091 after seven games. Until he gets a little more comfortable, owners in standard leagues should probably hold off, but his elite speed makes him a must-add in deeper leagues. He leads all of pro baseball with 13 triples this year, and figures to get the green light frequently when he reaches base after going 20-for-22 on steal attempts at Double-A.

* As expected, the Indians promoted their own top prospect, Francisco Lindor, to become their starting shortstop. The 21-year-old’s production in Triple-A had been decent, not great, and although he’s got tons of upside down the line he is expected to provide most of his value defensively as a rookie.

With that being said, shortstop is a very thin position the AL, with only three qualified players sporting an OPS above 700. If you’re hurting at the position and you missed out on Correa, Lindor’s speed and moderate power make him worth grabbing.

* Max Scherzer delivered a phenomenal outing last Sunday – a one-hit shutout over the Brewers with 16 strikeouts and one walk. He then followed up with a no-hitter on Saturday against the Pirates, hitting Jose Tabata with a pitch with two outs in the ninth to come just short of a perfect game. He struck out 10 and walked none in the historic gem.

This has got to go down as one of the best weeks for a starting pitcher in the game’s history. Simply incredible.

Scherzer leads the majors in ERA, WHIP and K/BB ratio. He is without question the most dominant pitcher in the game and has thus far proven to be a great investment for the Nats.

* What a great story Chris Young has been. Injuries derailed his once-promising career, limiting him to 22 total starts from 2009 through 2011, and he missed the entire 2013 season, but he rebounded with a strong campaign for the Mariners last year and now, at age 36, appears determined to prove that was no fluke.

Young has been revelation for the Royals, first excelling in a relief role and now cruising as a member of the rotation. After hurling seven shutout innings in Milwaukee on Tuesday, the 6-foot-10 right-hander is 4-2 with a 2.36 ERA in seven starts for Kansas City. His 24 percent ground ball rate, combined with a 17 percent K-rate, doesn’t seem like the most sustainable recipe for success, but his results have been phenomenal up to this point.

* Brock Holt became the first player to hit for the cycle this year when he did so for the Red Sox on Tuesday, capping the feat with an RBI triple in the eighth inning against Atlanta. Holt has been an extremely valuable piece for Boston, batting .314 while starting at seven different positions, and while his skill set doesn’t necessarily translate to huge fantasy output (he doesn’t have a ton of power or speed) he’s a good all-around hitter and his flexibility gives him a boost.

* Hard-throwing right-hander Mike Foltynewicz had a nice run upon being called by the Braves, posting a 3.96 ERA with 38 strikeouts over 36 innings in five May starts, but he was sent down this week after hitting a rough patch in June. Replacing him is another young righty, Matt Wisler, who was acquired by Atlanta in the Craig Kimbrel trade this spring. The 22-year-old doesn’t offer a ton of upside but is worth a look in deep leagues.

* Mike Pelfrey has been one of the most surprising and inexplicable stories of the 2015 season. He missed nearly the entirety of the 2012 and 2014 seasons due to elbow issues, and was reportedly contemplating retirement this spring if the injury problems flared up again. Instead, he’s been healthy and tremendously effective for the Twins, with a 5-3 record and 2.97 ERA in 13 starts.

Pelfrey’s terrible strikeout rate (4.2 K/9) has generated a lot of skepticism, and it appeared that his luck was starting to catch up with him when the Rangers pounded him for eight runs last weekend, but he bounced back with eight innings of one-run ball against the Cardinals on Thursday. It marked the seventh time this year he’s completed seven or more innings in a start.

Strange as it is to say, he’s looking like a borderline All-Star.

* Doug Fister was pounded by San Diego for seven runs in his last start before landing on the disabled list in mid-May, and he didn’t look a whole lot better in his return to the Nationals rotation on Thursday. Facing the Rays at home, Fister flashed decreased velocity and was knocked around for five runs on nine hits in 5 1/3 innings. His owners will need to see some positive signs before trusting him.

* Meanwhile, the pitcher that Washington traded away to acquire Fister is enjoying a ton of success. Robbie Ray, now with the Diamondbacks after one ugly year in Detroit, has a 1.09 ERA in four starts this season after hurling seven shutout innings in Anaheim on Monday. He is owned in only 9 percent of Yahoo! leagues and while I wouldn’t recommend going out and grabbing him in every league – regression is coming – he’s not a bad streaming option.

* Trevor Rosenthal was unavailable to St. Louis in the early part of the week due to upper arm discomfort, so Kevin Siegrist stepped in and picked up a couple saves in his stead. Rosenthal hasn’t pitched since June 13th but it sounds like he was healthy and available by the time the weekend rolled around.

* A wrist injury that has plagued Wil Myers throughout the season required surgery this week, and now the young Padres outfielder is expected to miss at least two months. It’s not the same wrist that hindered Myers during a rough 2014 campaign, but it is a brutal setback for the former AL Rookie of the Year. He’s expected back in late August; in the meantime, Will Venable and Melvin Upton, Jr. will handle center field in San Diego.

* The Tigers reactivated Victor Martinez on Friday following a month-long stint on the DL. His surgically repaired right knee has really hindered him this season, and while the hope is that a few weeks of rest helped alleviate the issue, we’ll just have to wait and see. V-Mart went 5-for-17 on a Triple-A rehab stint.

* The Rangers shipped Rougned Odor to Triple-A in May after the young infielder posted a dreadful 486 OPS over the first five weeks of the season, but Odor raked in the minors and was recalled last weekend. He went 3-for-3 with two RBI in his return to the Texas lineup on Monday, adding two more RBI and a steal in his next start on Thursday. Expectations should be kept in check.

* Jose Fernandez struck out 10 batters over 4 2/3 innings in a rehab start at Single-A on Wednesday, and is on track to make his 2015 debut for the Marlins on July 2nd. If he’s still available in your league, grab him now.

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