Welcome to the MLB Trade Deadline Edition of DraftKings value plays. Teams have until 4:00 pm this afternoon to make a deal, so please be more attentive to breaking news today than normal. Of course, if you’re reading this after the deadline, I can’t urge you enough to investigate the trade scene. If a club sells off their entire bullpen like San Diego or the White Sox already have, then this could be a great target spot if there is a Triple-rich bullpen being called upon to do more than usual.
Check out today’s MLB Moonshot contest at DraftKings
Pitcher
Michael Fulmer (DET): $8,100 @ NYY
If Sonny Gray is dealt away from the A’s, that will force ownership off of him and onto other arms like Charlie Morton. Fulmer may be slightly contrarian today given his matchup against the Yankees. The Yankees are far from potent when it comes to facing elite arms this season, especially elite righties. If you don’t consider Fulmer elite, please reconsider. He’s only walked 28 batters all season and has hovered around a 29% hard contact rate. Yes, it’s Yankee Stadium, but Fulmer should be able to get in an efficient outing, and he makes for an exceptional GPP play tonight.
Matt Cain (SF): $5,100 @ OAK
At this price, against an Oakland lineup potentially without Yonder Alonso…it’s so tempting. I’m likely to have a sprinkle of exposure tonight due to the circumstances surrounding the trade deadline mixing well with opponent and salary. The A’s are actually decent when it comes to hitting right-handed pitching, but most of the run creation stems from their HR-or-bust approach as they still whiff a quarter of the time against RHP boosting Cain’s low K upside to a useful amount. However, if it weren’t an eight-game slate, we wouldn’t see Cain’s name here. Don’t use him in cash games.
Other Notables
- Mike Clevinger (CLE): $7,800 @ BOS
- Jose Urena (MIA): $5,600 vs. WAS (GPP punt)
Catcher
Brian McCann (HOU): $3,900 vs. MIA
Catcher is gross on this slate, and if you’re not going to punt, McCann is a good option. He’s gone deep three times in the last two weeks, and Alex Cobb has given up 38% hard contact versus lefties this season. While this isn’t an A+ matchup, there isn’t really anything else out there at catcher aside from Sal Perez at the same price versus the always interesting Ubaldo Jimenez. However, the BvP numbers are screaming in favor of McCann.
Other Notables
- Salvador Perez (KC): $3,900 @ BAL
First Base
Adam Lind (WAS): $3,600 @ MIA
Lind has been crushing righties this season and has earned more playing time as a result. His .391 wOBA, 139 wRC+, and .241 ISO are all very healthy marks versus RHP, but he’s also sporting a 41% hard contact rate against them. He went deep yesterday and has been scorching the ball in the last two weeks. Like McCann, Lind has also gone deep three times in that time frame. Lind is a solid play in all formats and especially as part of a Nationals stack. If you need someone cheaper, you can move down to Danny Valencia for a $500 savings with a better park factor.
Other Notables
- Danny Valencia (SEA): $3,100 @ TEX
Second Base
Joe Panik (SF): $2,900 @ OAK
Second base is even worse than catcher on this slate, but I think paying up is the play today. There really isn’t a “good play” under $4,000, but I see two punt options cheap enough to unlock enough salary to be useful because you’ll likely need it. Panik might not even crack the lineup if Sonny Gray is dealt, but if the A’s do roll him (or another righty) out there, you can expect him to hit out of the two hole. Plus, the A’s are one of those teams that have a sub-par and inexperienced bullpen. If not, simply pivot to Brad Miller for $200 less.
Other Notables
- Brad Miller (TB): $2,700 @ HOU
Third Base
Joey Gallo (TEX): $3,900 vs. SEA (also 1B eligible)
I don’t want to get in the habit of recommending hitters at the bottom of the lineup, but Gallo has the pop to win you a GPP with more multi-homer games than multi-single games this year. He’s truly a GPP special and not ideal for cash games. His .353 wOBA and 117 wRC+ are solid, but what really pops off the page is his incredible .332 ISO against righties. It’s going to be hot in Texas and Gallo has plenty of pop to take King Felix deep. Hernandez has been more like a peasant versus power lefties this year, allowing a .379 wOBA and .513 slugging percentage to LH bats.
Other Notables
- Yoan Moncada (CWS): $3,600 vs. TOR
Shortstop
Wilmer Difo (WAS): $4,000 @ MIA (also 2B eligible)
Again, there aren’t many solid options at 2B, giving you the option to plug in Difo who should be batting second for the Nats. He’s had a nice uptick in exit velocity the past two weeks, but more notably, he’s been consistent in outperforming his salary more often than not. Difo is perfect for a Washington stack and also is a consideration in cash games. You can make him work at SS if you pay up at 2B or vice-versa.
Other Notables
- Brandon Crawford (SF): $3,100 @ OAK
Outfield
Carlos Beltran/Nori Aoki (HOU): $3,700/$3,500 vs TB
These two Astros are equally priced, but Beltran provides a little more upside with the bat to go along with a better lineup spot. Aoki will likely bat ninth, but for Houston, that spot has been productive all season and Aoki offers a bit more speed/extra-base hit upside. You can easily incorporate Aoki on a wrap-around stack if you want exposure to him, or possibly stack the bottom of the lineup to get in both. With George Springer out, all the Houston bats have stepped up on a nightly basis seemingly taking turns producing in clutch spots. I literally like every hitter in this lineup. There is no wrong way to play it.
Nelson Cruz (SEA): $3,900 @ TEX
Cruz versus a lefty. There are very few things I lock in when playing MLB DFS, but this is as close as it gets, and I’ll likely have 75-100% exposure to him tonight in Texas where it’ll be hot. Even though his power is down against southpaws this year, he still has a lofty .255 ISO over his career, and the price is low enough to consider in cash games. Cruz will bat cleanup on the road so you may get that extra AB against a shaky Rangers pen that may move a couple of better pieces today.
Jose Bautista (TOR): $4,000 @ CWS
Joey Bats has been producing an excellent flyball rate since the break but hasn’t had much luck in the HR department which suggests a change of luck is due with a 12.3% HR/FB ratio, by far the lowest since his reinvention in Toronto. A nice matchup today in Chicago with a park upgrade against the gas can known as James Shields helps as he’s taken “Big Game Flames” deep five times in 34 ABs. The Jays have a six-run implied total today. I’ll even be as bold as to say he does it again today. I also like Bautista because he follows me on Twitter, something you should do if you’re reading this. Seriously though, he’s a good play. Thanks in advance for the follow!
Other Notables
- Steve Pearce (TOR): $3,400 @ CWS
- Derek Fisher (HOU): $3,700 vs TB
- Carlos Gomez (TEX): $4,000 vs. SEA
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Josh Dalley is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, follow him @JoshDalley72.