Waiver Wired: Waiver Wired: Get Gallo
We haven’t had much activity yet, but trade deadline madness is right around the corner. Getting ahead on things and stashing some potential closers is a good strategy right now. I mentioned Hector Neris last week and have some others to keep in mind below. Next week we’ll talk about some of the fallout from the deadline, which will surely include some prospects getting an opportunity to shine down the stretch.
You won’t find Tyler Skaggs and Trea Turner in this week’s column and that’s because they were mentioned here last week, but both remain solid adds if they are out there in your league. Skaggs was impressive in his return from Tommy John surgery on Tuesday against the Royals, allowing just three hits and one walk over seven scoreless innings while striking out five batters. He’s still available in 70 percent of Yahoo leagues.
As for Turner, he has made back-to-back starts in center field this week. It’s worth noting that he did so while the Nationals had the luxury of moving Jayson Werth to the DH spot, so it will be interesting to see what happens when they move back to National League rules, but it’s not like Ben Revere has done much to keep his job. Turner has five steals in his last eight games and could pay off nicely if he gets regular at-bats out of the leadoff spot over the final two months. He’s available in 69 percent of Yahoo leagues.
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MIXED LEAGUES
Joey Gallo 3B/OF, Rangers (Yahoo: 29 percent owned)
The Rangers initially kept Gallo in the minors when Prince Fielder hit the disabled list last week with more neck problems, but he got the call earlier this week and showed off his massive power with this opposite-field 448-foot blast on Wednesday. The 22-year-old was batting .246/.381/.557 with 19 homers over 70 games this season with Triple-A Round Rock. Strikeouts are still a concern, but they were at least down a bit from where they were last year. It’s possible that Gallo (or Jurickson Profar) could be traded as part of a blockbuster in the coming days, but there’s an avenue for significant playing time with Texas down the stretch. Fielder is set for season-ending surgery on Friday and Mitch Moreland has disappointed with a .232/.299/.430 batting line this season.
Kelvin Herrera RP, Royals (Yahoo: 36 percent owned)
If you dropped Herrera after Wade Davis was activated from the disabled list, maybe you should think about stashing him again. The defending World Series champion Royals are reportedly listening to offers for Davis leading up to the August 1 non-waiver trade deadline. The asking price would obviously be significant, especially if you consider what the Yankees got in return from the Cubs for Aroldis Chapman this week. While Chapman is due to be a free agent this winter, Davis has a $10 million team option for next season. Anything is possible, so a speculative play is recommended. Herrera owns a dominant 1.58 ERA and 57/7 K/BB ratio over 45 2/3 innings this season. He’s clearly capable of being a top fantasy closer from the jump.
Jon Gray SP, Rockies (Yahoo: 37 percent owned)
Can we stop doubting Gray already? The hard-throwing right-hander has been on quite the roll of late, allowing just two earned runs combined over his last three starts to lower his ERA to 3.94 for the year. He has gone seven innings in all of them. Granted, Coors Field complicates things with most pitchers. But we’re seeing more and more evidence that Gray isn’t most pitchers. While he owns a 4.22 ERA at home this season, he’s actually been pretty good there dating back to mid-May. Overall, only 16 qualified starters have a higher strikeout percentage this season while only 10 have a higher swinging-strike percentage. He’s the real deal.
Jedd Gyorko 1B/2B/3B/SS, Cardinals (Yahoo: 37 percent owned)
Gyorko has seen an uptick in playing time in recent days due to injury and boy, is he taking advantage of it. The 27-year-old has socked seven homers over his last 10 games. Only two players (Trevor Story and Ryan Schimpf) have more homers for the entire month. It’s not like we haven’t seen this sort of power from Gyorko before, as he slugged 23 homers in 125 games with the Padres during his rookie season in 2013. As opposed to last season, Gyorko is doing most of his damage against right-handed pitching. Matt Carpenter could be back as soon as next Tuesday, but he’s a fine plug-and-play option due to his versatility and pop.
Howie Kendrick 1B/2B/3B/OF, Dodgers (Yahoo: 45 percent owned)
The Dodgers have played surprisingly well since Clayton Kershaw went down and Justin Turner and Kendrick are a big part of that. Kendrick was batting just .219 on June 12 and appeared to be a lost cause, but he’s hitting .346 with four homers, 13 doubles, 13 RBI, and 23 runs scored in 37 games since. He saw his 16-game hitting steak come to an end on Tuesday, but he bounced right back by going 2-for-3 with a walk on Wednesday. While he was at the bottom-third of the order at the beginning of his surge, he has been hitting fifth in the Dodgers’ lineup in recent days. With his multi-position eligibility, he needs to be owned in most formats again.
Nate Jones RP, White Sox (Yahoo: 18 percent owned)
Similar to the Wade Davis/Kelvin Herrera situation above, I’m not sure if the White Sox will actually trade David Robertson, but they should certainly try. Finding a suitor could prove difficult, as he owns a 4.35 ERA and has seen his walks shoot way up this season. He’s also owed $25 million between 2017-2018, so the White Sox could have to throw in some cash to get a good prospect back. Maybe the Nationals could be a fit? Jones should be stashed while we wait to see how things shake out. The 30-year-old has looked great in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery, posting a 2.58 ERA and 49/10 K/BB ratio in 45 1/3 innings.
David Dahl OF, Rockies (Yahoo: 32 percent owned)
While trade chatter continues to circulate about Carlos Gonzalez and Charlie Blackmon, the Rockies have called up what they hope will be a big part of their future. Dahl missed a big part of last season after undergoing surgery for a lacerated spleen, but he’s had a breakout in his return to action this season, batting .314/.394/.569 with 18 homers and 17 steals in 92 games between Double-A Hartford and Triple-A Albuquerque. The 22-year-old has been a regular on prospect lists dating back to when he was selected No. 10 overall back in 2012, but improvements in power and patience have been the keys to his progress. The future looks bright, but the big question is where he’ll fit in the short-term. One solution could be a trade involving Gonzalez or Blackmon, but there will be a log-jam if nothing happens by the time Gerardo Parra returns from the DL. Perhaps CarGo will be willing to try the first base experiment a little early? Dahl has the pedigree and Coors Field in his favor, so I think he’s worth a gamble in most formats.
Dylan Bundy RP, Orioles (Yahoo: 15 percent owned)
I have to be honest here, I was concerned when I heard that the Orioles were moving Bundy to the starting rotation. It felt awfully risky after injuries limited him to a grand total of 43 1/3 innings (all in the minors) between 2013-2015. I’m still concerned about his ability to hold up, but he has impressed thus far. After allowing just an unearned run over five innings against the Indians last Friday, he retired the first 15 batters he faced on Wednesday against the Rockies. Things went south from there, as he gave up a pair of homers and ultimately took the loss, but he finished with eight strikeouts against just one walk. The velocity is there and he’s getting plenty of swings and misses. The Orioles figure to be careful with him, but color me intrigued.
Alex Dickerson OF, Padres (Yahoo: 17 percent owned)
Many wanted to see top prospects like Hunter Renfroe and Manuel Margot after Melvin Upton was traded to the Blue Jays earlier this week. Count me among that group, actually. But it appears that nothing is imminent with either, as the Padres want to give playing time to Dickerson and Travis Jankowski in the short-term. I wasn’t sure what to make of Dickerson initially, but after hitting .382 with 10 homers and a 1.047 OPS over 62 games in Triple-A this year, he has six homers and an .897 OPS in 31 games with the Padres. He has gone deep in each of his last four games, including a pair of a mammoth blasts. Who knows where this is going. Dickerson is 26 years old and was never considered a top prospect, but he’s widely-available and is worth a shot in deeper formats if you need some pop. The same could go for Ryan Schimpf, though he’s already owned in 25 percent of leagues. That ownership level sounds about right. Let’s not go crazy here.
Cesar Hernandez 2B/3B/SS, Phillies (Yahoo: 15 percent owned)
After being a non-factor through the first two months of the season, Hernandez has turned things since the start of June by batting .325 over his last 49 games. He also also been active on the basepaths once again, going 7-for-8 in stolen base attempts through 23 games this month. This was after he had just three steals in eight attempts through his first 75 games this season. Hernandez swiped 19 bases in 127 games last year, so we know he’s capable of better. Hernandez has batted leadoff in four straight games, so it’s time to pay attention to him again in deeper formats if you are on the hunt for speed.
Shopping at the five-and-dime:
(Players owned under 10 percent of Yahoo leagues)
Cam Bedrosian RP, Angels (Yahoo: 8 percent owned)
Huston Street is an obvious trade chip for the Angels, but does anyone want him? I’m not so sure. The veteran closer is in the middle of the worst season of his career, posting a 4.79 ERA and 11/11 K/BB ratio over 20 2/3 innings. The Angels would almost certainly have to cover a significant portion of his contract (which includes $9 million for 2017) in order to make a deal feasible. Joe Smith is also likely to be traded, so it’s time to speculate on this situation. Bedrosian is the clear future here, as he owns a dominant 0.97 ERA and 43/11 K/BB ratio over 37 innings this season. He hasn’t allowed a run since Memorial Day. Heck, there’s value here even if Street and/or Smith stick around.
Hyun Soo Kim OF, Orioles (Yahoo: 4 percent owned)
Remember when the Orioles were trying to convince Kim to go down to the minors during spring training? There were even some rumors about the team trying to sell him back to his old club in the KBO. Well, it’s a good thing they were patient with him. Kim has done nothing but hit when given the opportunity, batting .327/.409/.447 with three homers and 11 RBI through 28 games. He’s making plenty of contact and showing patience, which is right in line with what the Orioles were hoping for from him. He’s being used almost exclusively against right-handers, but he’s worth a look in deeper leagues now that he’s back from a hamstring injury.
