This weekend marks one of the busiest times for real MLB teams and those of us who play fantasy baseball. We, of course, are talking about the trade deadline. Baseball’s official trade deadline is on Monday, July 31, 2017, at 4 p.m. EST. After this time, the waiver wire process comes into play. Any deal completed after July 31 will involve putting players through waivers–a process that can allow any other team to block a potential deal or claim a waiver-wire player for themselves. This makes it a very interesting time for fantasy owners. Whether stocking up on players to make a playoff run or looking at players who might be keepers for future seasons, this is the part of the season that requires a good owner to keep up with breaking news. Following information on places like Twitter, including checking information on the @Fantrax twitter feed, helps keep an owner up to date with player movements. For now, let’s take a look at this week’s waiver wire recommendations of players owned in less than 50% of ESPN leagues. Stats as of July 28.
Rafael Devers, 3B, Boston Red Sox
Do not let the acquisition of Eduardo Nunez scare you out of picking up Devers. Indications from Boston indicate that the Red Sox plan to give the young prospect plenty of playing time. Devers has been one of the top hitters in the minors all season, hitting .305/.373/.575 with 20 homers in 85 games. The home runs represent a career-high, and they suggest he could be an elite power hitter in the majors. He hit .400 with a double and two home runs after a 10-day promotion to Triple-A. It seems that with the arrival of Nunez, Devers’ best chance to play may come from being the designated hitter given Mitch Moreland’s struggles at the plate as well as the team’s newfound reluctance to deploy Hanley Ramirez at first base. The acquisition of Nunez may have given you some time to pick him up for your team, especially if you are in a keeper/dynasty type league.
Jaime Garcia, SP, Minnesota Twins
Garcia was recently traded from the Atlanta Braves to the Twins and made his first start for them on Friday. After that, who knows where Garcia will end up. Around 24 hours after officially acquiring Garcia, the Twins were rumored to be interested in dealing him. What has happened since the trade is that Minnesota has lost three straight and four of their last five, which pushed them one game below .500 and allowed a surging Royals team to force them from second place in the division down to third place. What makes Garcia intriguing is that he has a career 3.65 ERA in 176 games, including 165 starts with the Cardinals and Braves. Garcia is coming off a solid start against the Dodgers in which he allowed three runs over seven innings.
https://twitter.com/ASAP_SportsNews/status/889600837101682688
Tanner Roark, SP, Washington Nationals
Roark has not been nearly the same pitcher this season as last, but he has now allowed two earned runs in his last 13 innings, including his last game, pitching seven strong innings in which he allowed two runs and struck out 11 batters. His stats for July now stand at a 2.50 ERA and a 0.83 WHIP. Roark appears to be back on track after correcting a minor mechanical flaw, which has allowed his command to improve. Improved command has played a huge role in his rapid resurgence, with his cutter being his best weapon. According to Brooks Baseball, 5% of his pitches throughout July have been cutters, and opposing hitters have yet to get a hit against it.
Bradley Zimmer, OF, Cleveland Indians
The Indians were cautious with outfielder Bradley Zimmer when it came to promoting him through the minor-leagues, and that patience has been paying dividends this season. For example, in a game last week against the Angels, Zimmer had three hits in five at-bats and drove in four runs with a grand slam. He has gone 8-for-13 over his last four games, which includes two homers, three doubles, and two stolen bases. Batting leadoff with the high base stealing upside would make him a valuable addition.
.@Bzimmer5 KNEW it. That’s his first career slam. https://t.co/9paHaBRDzH #PapaSlam pic.twitter.com/8EoJHubnVX
— MLB (@MLB) July 26, 2017
Lewis Brinson, OF, Milwaukee Brewers
Brinson had 10 home runs, 63 runs, 43 RBI, and 11 stolen bases with a .345 average through 68 games in Triple-A, and was in the middle of an 18-game hitting streak before being called up. He came in at No. 15 on MLB Pipeline’s midseason list of the game’s top prospects. This allows us to ignore the .097/.200/.161 line he posted during his first call up. Brinson had a two-run homer and a walk against the Nationals on Wednesday in his first game since returning to the big leagues.
#Brewers No. 1 prospect Lewis Brinson shows off his 💪, crushes a ball 461 feet for his 1st @MLB HR. Watch: https://t.co/qsVcDajyMk pic.twitter.com/LOTqyAT4Vv
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 27, 2017
Ben Zobrist, OF/2B, Chicago Cubs
My jaw dropped a bit when I noticed that Zobrist is owned in only 45% of leagues. He did struggle during the first half of the season. Recently, Zobrist has been put in the leadoff spot for the Cubs. His skill set is a perfect fit for the leadoff spot, as he has always been an on-base machine, posting a career OBP of .356. In addition, during seasons in which he has played at least 125 games, he has never had an OBP worse than .346. This on base skill set makes him a good option to hit in front of the Cubs’ big hitters and could lead to a resurgence in the second half of the season.