It’s Wednesday, and you know what that means.
We are back from the All-Star Break, and we are ready to tackle the stretch run of the fantasy baseball season.
Each and every Wednesday, I’ll address 10 burning questions that I’m looking either for answers for during the week or questions that may help fantasy managers navigate the week-to-week grind of their team.
For this week, with the trade deadline less than two weeks away, I wanted to take a look at the players who I feel are most likely to get traded, have had rumors around their name, and what that would mean for fantasy managers.
Let’s get to it.
- Weekly Trade Advice
- Weekly Waiver Wire Advice
- Weekly Fantasy Baseball Content
- MLB Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
Will Cody Bellinger get moved?
It’s looking more and more like Bellinger will be moved from the Cubs. The Cubs and Bellinger have a mutual option for him for next season, but after a bounce-back year of sorts (I’m still not a full believer, fwiw), the Cubs would be wise to try to capitalize on his success by dealing him.
The batted-ball metrics aren’t great for Bellinger, but it wouldn’t be the first time a player has outperformed his metrics. If he were to get dealt, that could result in the Cubs calling back up Matt Mervis and/or Pete Crow-Armstrong.
Where will Marcus Stroman go?
After a bad first season with the Cubs, Stroman has bounced back in Year 2. And with that, he’s been vocal about his contract status earlier this season.
He has a player option after this year, so the Cubs would be wise – and I expect them to – to move on from Stroman.
On Sunday, we saw a rumor that the Blue Jays would be interested in a Stroman reunion, which would be fun.
It depends on the return and other moving pieces, of course, but Stroman moving out could open the door for a Hayden Wesneski recall or the debut of Ben Brown.
Will the Angels actually trade Shohei Ohtani?
Should the Angels trade Ohtani? The answer is a resounding yes. It’s not close, and there’s no argument aside from a sentimental one that they shouldn’t.
Ohtani is not going to re-sign in Anaheim after this season, and with Mike Trout and every other Angels player hurt, there’s no reason for the Angels not to let him go to get a return.
But if I know the Angels, I fully expect them to hold onto him and not deal him at the deadline, walking away empty-handed and losing the most talented player of all time in the offseason with nothing to show for it.
If he does get dealt, the Dodgers make the most sense as the most likely landing spot for Ohtani next season. Michael Busch, Nick Frasso, Maddux Bruns, and more would be a nice starting point to give them the inside negotiating track with Ohtani leading up to what should be a record-breaking free agent deal.
Juan Soto isn’t getting traded, is he?
How the turntables here, Michael Scott. When the Padres acquired Soto last season, it looked like the start of a potential dynasty in San Diego.
Instead, it’s been disappointment after disappointment – both on and off the field.
With Soto having a year of arbitration left before reaching the open market in 2025, I wouldn’t be shocked if a deadline deal is struck at the 11th hour with the Padres and a team like, say, the Phillies for Soto.
I still think the Padres are too talented to be this bad, and I ultimately expect – and hope – that Soto will remain in San Diego.
If he doesn’t, though, expect the Padres to blow it all up.
Should we buy Tyler O’Neill before the deadline?
I’m trying to phrase these questions in a different way so that I’m not just repeating the same formula for all 10. For this one, the answer is absolutely yes.
I was skeptical of O’Neill heading into last season after a career year in 2021. While he always smoked the ball, he had a track record of being a lot worse than he did of being that guy.
His time in St. Louis is numbered, and anytime there’s a player – even with his warts – that has his type of upside, I’m going to be interested in getting him before all of the hype surrounds him.
In redraft, I’m picking him up. In dynasty leagues, I’m putting feelers out on him now.
Will the Tigers make any big moves?
What do you mean by big? If we are talking about Javy Baez’ terrible contract? No. That’s a big number, but also a big number no one wants.
If we are talking about Michael Lorenzen, then I’d say he’s likely to be moved, but he’s not a big name. I don’t care if he was an All-Star. Evan Meek was, too.
But Eduardo Rodriguez? Yeah, now we are talking.
E-Rod has built back up his value after seeing it plummet last year. It never made sense to me how, even with the knowledge that the wins were the biggest driver to his success in Boston, we just put him down as an SP5 or so after drafting him as an SP3 last season.
He’s returned that value so far, and the peripherals back it up.
Where could he go, though? Maybe the Marlins or the Reds? How about the Giants, who need another arm behind Alex Cobb and Logan Webb? The Rangers would be fun, too.
We could see a return of Alex Faedo or, more exciting, an extended stay for Reese Olson.
Where will Lucas Giolito land?
If you believe the internet rumors (it’s best if you usually don’t), then it looks like Giolito is linked to the Dodgers.
That makes sense for many reasons, but for baseball reasons, the Dodgers have been hit hard with pitching injuries this year.
I trust the Dodgers to try to fix Giolito, who just isn’t missing the bats that we’ve seen him miss in the past when he had his true breakout.
The White Sox should be sellers, and outside of Luis Robert and Andrew Vaughn, no one should be off limits.
Their farm system is pretty bad, so there’s no immediate direct impact for fantasy managers if and when Giolito leaves.
Does it matter if Tim Anderson is moved?
So, umm, Anderson has been pretty bad for quite some time. I pointed it out on Twitter the other day, and despite the small error of it being a Flexor Strain surgery and not Tommy John surgery, it got picked up.
And it really, really took off, showing just how bad it’s been for him.
How long has it been since Tim Anderson’s last home run?
Tarik Skubal made three starts, got injured, underwent Tommy John surgery, returned, and has started two games for the Tigers.
That long. July 15, 2022.
– Pitch Mr. Perfect (@MichaelWaterloo) July 16, 2023
Yeah, not great, Tim.
The power has just been a literal zero, and while I do think a change of scenery could help – Miami or Seattle, especially – I’m tempering my expectations no matter where he goes.
Jeimer Candelario – hidden value?
The safest bet to be moved at the deadline is Candelario, as the Nats have absolutely nothing to play for and no reason to keep him around.
While the batted-ball data isn’t great, he’s been sneaky good for real life and for fantasy this year.
He’s the No. 17 third baseman in standard leagues this year, which not only makes him a viable 15-team option but also a corner infield option in 12-team leagues.
I could see the Marlins or the Yankees making a push for Candelario. We may see the return of Carter Kieboom if you want a post-post-post-hype player.
Which lefty brings back more for the Padres?
If Soto is dealt, everyone will be. Blake Snell and Josh Hader are free agents after this season, and both seem to have better than 50 percent odds to be dealt.
Both struggled last year in San Diego, but both southpaws have been really, really good so far this season.
Snell, especially, has rebounded over the last couple of months, looking like the Cy Young version of himself in Tampa Bay.
Pitching is needed throughout the league – especially left-handed pitching.
I think that a combo deal with both of them could happen – and I’m rooting for that as a fun move – but on the surface, Hader should return more as the electric bullpen arm. However, Snell will be the more valuable pitcher the rest of the way for whoever deals for him.
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Michael Waterloo is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Michael, check out his archive and follow him @MichaelWaterloo.
