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The MLB trade deadline has led to many players becoming hot commodities on the waiver wire. And we still have the usual mix of red-hot players and those who are heading into favorable upcoming schedules. Here is the best dozen of a large group of players to consider adding in your fantasy baseball leagues ahead of the weekend.
By being traded to Arizona, Bell has plenty of immediate value. He moves from the worst offense in the National League to the best, and he will replace injured Christian Walker as Arizona’s first baseman while also hitting in the heart of the lineup. Bell has also swung a hot bat of late, having homered five times in his past seven games.
Suddenly, Birdsong is a hot commodity in fantasy leagues. The youngster struck out 20 batters in his past two starts (albeit, with both games coming against Colorado), which prompted the Giants to clear space in their rotation by trading Alex Cobb to Cleveland. Among starters on the waiver wire, no one saw their value climb more in the past week than Birdsong.
Eugenio Suárez (3B, Arizona Diamondbacks, 50%)
Suárez is a streaky hitter who strikes out too often, but his performance in July cannot be ignored. The slugger homered 10 times last month, driving in 27 runs, scoring 21 times and batting .333. Suárez was a complete fantasy dud until July started, having accumulated no more than two homers in any previous month, which is a strong indicator that his usefulness will soon end. But until that happens, he needs to be rostered in category leagues (his strikeout rate is prohibitive in points formats).
Although Loperfido’s Minor League success hasn’t yet translated to the majors, it’s far too early to give up on someone with 111 at-bats. After all, we are talking about a player who produced 25 homers, 27 steals and a .880 OPS in the minors last year before logging a .933 OPS in 39 games this season. The Astros didn’t commit to the 25-year-old as a full-time player, which is something the retooling Blue Jays will do down the stretch.
Managers who are looking to stash a player for next week should target Bader. The Mets will play seven games next week, including three contests at hitter-friendly Coors Field against the worst pitching staff in baseball. Bader has been a solid five-category contributor this season, batting .265 with eight homers and 14 steals.
Managers have been slow to add Hays, who is much more valuable now that he is a member of the Phillies. The outfield logjam in Baltimore had sapped the veteran’s value, and the pitcher-friendly nature of Camden Yards wasn’t doing him any favors either. The career .261 hitter should play regularly going forward and contribute in homers, RBI and runs.
Roto managers who need steals in 12-team leagues can add Young, who ranks sixth in baseball with 26 swipes. The speedster’s playing time is locked in after the Nats traded outfielders Lane Thomas and Jesse Winker at the deadline, and Young may get some chances to hit higher in the lineup.
Tyler Phillips (SP, Philadelphia Phillies, 47%)
Phillips appeared in this article last week, and that was before he threw a complete game shutout against the Guardians. He will now take on a low-scoring, strikeout-prone Mariners lineup tonight. The rookie also owns an impressive 19:2 K:BB ratio and pitches for the National League’s winningest team. There is a lot to like here.
Those who need a weekend streamer should grab Woods Richardson, who will work at home on Sunday against a White Sox team that has the lowest-scoring lineup in baseball by a wide margin. The youngster is coming off his worst start of the season (3.1 IP, 6 ER), but he should be up to the task of silencing such a weak offense.
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The list of two-start streamers is a bleak one next week, which makes Sears a surprising player to add right now. The lefty is one of the few available players with favorable matchups, as he will open the week against the White Sox before closing it out against a manageable Blue Jays lineup. Sears is far from an elite starter, but he deserves credit for having allowed two or fewer runs in four of his past five starts.
Chad Green (RP, Toronto Blue Jays, 46%)
As expected, the Blue Jays resisted offers to trade Green, and he will remain the club’s closer for the rest of the season. The veteran is having a nice year (1.67 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 28:9 K:BB ratio) and should be a top-20 reliever for the remainder of the campaign.
Ferguson picked up saves in two of his past three appearances, and with Lucas Erceg having been traded to the Royals, he is the top candidate for ninth-inning work while Mason Miller resides on the IL. Miller is dealing with a fractured pinky finger on his non-throwing hand and does not have a timetable to return. Those in head-to-head leagues can do better with their reliever spots, but Ferguson will fill a need for some roto managers.