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Fantasy Baseball Mailbag: Erick Fedde, Fernando Tatis, Tanner Houck, Cedric Mullins

Is Kyle Harrison or Erick Fedde better in quality start leagues?

Kyle Harrison or Erick Fedde is a great question, especially regarding quality start leagues.

So far, Harrison has five quality starts of his 10 starts this year. Fedde has four of 10. There is not much difference there, and since this league tracks quality starts, Harrison being on a better Giants team than Fedde’s White Sox does not matter.

Both have had somewhat low strikeout numbers (Fedde 52 Ks in 58 innings, Harrison 49 Ks in 55 innings). We can see that Fedde is marginally better in 2024 with strikeouts and control, with only 15 walks to Harrison’s 19.

Fedde’s edge is in ERA and WHIP – he has a 3.10 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. Harrison has a 3.60 ERA and 1.27 WHIP.

The two pitchers are very similar, and all these stats do is look at the past, but so far Fedde is having a slightly better season, and his MVP in the KBO last year leads me to believe in his potential and prefer him here.

Trade Fernando Tatis and Elly De La Cruz for Freddie Freeman and Corey Seager?

This trade seems pretty even to me.

Fernando Tatis has been slightly disappointing this year and did not live up to his maximum potential in 2023. Trading away Tatis is not the end of the world, although he will certainly step it up soon.

Elly De La Cruz is an electric player. He will always be marred by strikeouts.

Freddie Freeman is getting older yet remains a consistently great player.

Corey Seager has been heavily underperforming but has great value as one of the best hitters in 2023.

This trade is honestly one of the most balanced I have seen lately. It is so even that you might want to consider keeping the players you have unless position eligibility is important to your roster construction.

Trade away Tanner Houck for Teoscar Hernandez?

Tanner Houck has been an elite pitcher so far. Is it sustainable? Will Houck end the year with a 1.94 ERA? No.

Houck’s improvements will inevitably regress in some way, but he is still on pace for a great season.

Although Teoscar Hernandez is good, elite is not a word I would ever use to describe him. There are much better swaps fantasy managers can make.

Stash Jordan Lawlar or Noelvi Marte in redraft leagues?

Jordan Lawlar and Noelvi Marte are both young guys with great potential.

It’s hard to predict how prospects will do in the majors, but I like Marte better this season. He hit .316 in 114 major league at-bats in 2023. He has a small sample size of success. Plus, Marte has a predictable return to the majors after he finishes serving his suspension on June 21.

However, if Lawlar is called up before Marte, claim him instead.

Drop Andy Pages for Jackson Merrill?

Maybe. Jackson Merrill’s positions help with roster flexibility.

However, Andy Pages has elite potential. I am not sure we have seen such hot stretches from Merrill. I would not make that move – I am not too high on Merrill – but it is not unreasonable.

Remember how good Pages was just a few short weeks ago?

Is Cedric Mullins droppable?

Mullins can be dropped in shallower leagues. He was decent last year but got hurt often and did not play much. The lefty is years removed from an elite season.

Although Mullins is healthy this year, the outfielder is often on the Orioles bench and performing at a lower level than the rest of his career. Mullins has the potential to be a top MLB outfielder. Right now, he is performing as one of the worst.

I do not feel too bad about managers dropping Mullins as long as they keep an eye out on the waiver wire.

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