Time to pour one out for all the fantasy baseball managers in NL-only leagues. That MLB trade deadline was no fun. Max Scherzer? Gone. Justin Verlander? Almost to Dodger Blue, but adios. Jack Flaherty? Now tasting crab cakes. Coming back were Lance Lynn, Amed Rosario and Nicky Lopez, to name a few. Not quite a fair deal. The AL took it in a TKO.
AL and NL-only league managers white knuckle the final hours of the trade deadline, because seeing a player traded to the other league can bring with it a funeral dirge to a fantasy championship run. Losing Scherzer and Verlander to the Junior Circuit cuts deep, no matter how mediocre at best their production has been thus far. Those pitchers are a hot streak away from possibly getting a fantasy roster into contention, or they could be trade bait in keeper or old-school rotisserie leagues.
What did happen is that some closers did get traded, which can bring with them some openings for the fantasy stretch run. Those saves could be plenty valuable late, even if they’re coming from teams that are playing out the string. A save is a save.
Fantasy Baseball Deep Sleepers & Waiver Wire Pickups
Here are the Deep Sleepers for this week, featuring players rostered in less than 30 percent of leagues . So Jeimer Candelario, he of the white-hot debut for the Cubs, is not eligible because he’s just above that mark. But, there are plenty players who can make a difference.
Carlos Hernandez (RP – KC): Rostered 8%
With Scott Barlow going to the Padres, Hernandez appears to have the inside track on the closer role in Kansas City. He has 16 strikeouts in 12.1 innings, with six holds in the past 30 days. Hernandez got the save on July 30, pitching around a walk to protect a one-run victory over the Twins, and a win two days later. Any high-leverage game the Royals play in, he figures to be a part of it.
Brooks Raley (RP – NYM): Rostered 19%
Raley shut the door for a save on July 30, then two days later got the loss when he allowed the winning run aboard before another reliever balked in the walk-off run. Raley has 10 strikeouts in 8.2 innings covering the past month, with a pair of saves and three holds. He’s a lefty, and sometimes teams don’t like to trust a southpaw as a full-time closer unless he has a fastball like Billy Wagner. Raley could share saves with the next player on this list.
Adam Ottavino (RP – NYM): Rostered 17%
Ottavino has 39 career saves, including six this season, though he has not been called upon in the ninth inning since July 1. His strikeout rate is nothing to get excited about, as he has just four strikeouts in his last 10 innings. His average fastball speed is 92.8, so hardly dominant. A timeshare in the closer role could be problematic for fantasy managers, so only proceed with the pickup if you really need saves. Otherwise, this could be a headache.
Gregory Santos (RP – CWS): Rostered 12%
Santos is another pitcher who could inherit the ninth inning for the South Siders, and he has the power stuff that can thrive in that role. His fastball averages 98.8 MPH and his slider dives in at 91.7 MPH. He has 51 strikeouts in 51.1 innings, so he should see a fair number of whatever save opportunities the White Sox see.
Giovanny Gallegos (RP – STL): Rostered 29%
Gallegos has pitched very well the past month, recording cive holds and sporting a 0.75 ERA and 0.83 WHIP. He has 12 strikeouts in 12 innings. The righty also has eight saves on the season, and 14 in each of the previous two seasons. Manager Oliver Marmol may simply choose the pitcher with the most ninth-inning experience in his bullpen for closing opportunities.
Joey Votto (1B – CIN): Rostered 14%
Votto doesn’t play every day, so he might be a headache for leagues with weekly transactions. But in daily leagues, he can get subbed in on days he’s starting. On July 30, Votto joined a home run barrage for the Reds, and three days later smacked a pair of long balls with three RBI in Chicago. For managers who don’t have an elite first baseman, Votto can be a good substitute when he’s in the lineup. cc
Randal Grichuk (OF – LAA): Rostered 22%
Grichuk returns to the organization that drafted him 24th overall in the 2009 MLB Draft. That was one slot ahead of some guy named Mike Trout. Grichuk could help hold the fort until Trout returns from the IL, and could play plenty afterward. In his last 15 games, Grichuk has a .386 average with a 1.119 OPS, five home runs, 11 runs scored and eight RBI. The Angels need all the help on offense they can muster.
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