We’re about a quarter of the way through the season and that’s nearly the point where you can start peeking at your overall standings (but not yet!). By this time, you should have a sense of your team’s strength and weaknesses, and identified the areas you need to address.
As always, you should look first to plug any holes through the waiver wire, where the cost of any acquisition is minimal. But if the pickings are slim, then often times you need to look to the trade market.
To help you with that endeavor, we’ve created this handy trade chart below, which assigns trade values to players in rotisserie leagues. Simply add up the values on both sides of the trade, and see if you come out on top.
As always, we’ll note any differences from last week and discuss any significant changes. Ready? Let’s roll.
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The Injury Movers
Robinson Cano would have lost value this week because of his fractured pinky, but he obviously plummets even more significantly after his PED suspension. Cano should be back sometime in August and give his owners about a quarter of a season of probably above-average production. That’s not insignificant, but it’s also not worth all that much either. Cano is droppable at this point if you really need the space, but if you have deep benches, he wouldn’t be the worst trade target if you can acquire him for next to nothing.
Cano is far from the only player who lost value this week for non-performance reasons. Carlos Martinez (lat), A.J. Pollock (thumb), Adrian Beltre (hamstring), DJ LeMahieu (thumb), and Miguel Sano (hamstring) all suffered injuries or are having slower recoveries than expected. Of the injuries, Pollock’s is the most significant, both because of the caliber of player and because of the time he is expected to miss (four to eight weeks). Pollock appeared to have made a concerted effort to become a part of the fly-ball revolution, pulling the ball and hitting it in the air much more than he had in his career. Nothing in his early performance seemed fluky, but it’s worth noting that he’s reached 137 games only twice in his career. Feel free to target him in trades, but expect closer to the eight-week absence.
In the positive injury news department, Justin Turner returned from his wrist injury . . . . That’s all. But hey, he moves up in value, so, hooray?
The Performance Movers
Surprisingly, there wasn’t all that much performance-based movement this week. But let’s do some ridiculous speed analysis to touch on some players.
I feel pretty confident that there’s going to be a massive hot streak for Paul Goldschmidt at some point, but there’s no denying that he’s been awful so far (.213/.341/.373). But there’s now way he’s suddenly someone who strikes out 30% of the time or makes soft contact 22% of the time. Still, his slump has gone on long enough to move him down somewhat, albeit slightly.
There’s some luck behind Aaron Nola’s fast start, but a sub-2.00 ERA and sub-1.00 WHIP can’t really be ignored at this point. And although wins are fickle, playing on a good team in a division where you get to feast on the Marlins and the Mets suggests that Nola’s six victories may not be fluky.
Man, I know the Braves can’t possibly be this good but it’s hard to ignore some performances. I do believe that Ozzie Albies is due for some regression, but this looks an awful lot like when Francisco Lindor showed little pop in the minors only to develop some significant power in the big leagues. And holy heckfire Ender Inciarte. He’s always had speed (he once stole 43 bases in a 127-game season in the minors), and he’s plainly decided to run at every single opportunity. If healthy, you could easily see a 45- or 50-steal season.
Finally, Jack Flaherty got yet another call-up, and I’m thinking this one will be for good, in light of Adam Wainwright’s injury and Carlos Martinez’s slower than expected recovery. Ignore the three-strikeout performance against the Twins. Flaherty has elite stuff and huge strikeout upside, and should be a reliable fantasy starter for the rest of the season.
Happy trading!
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Dan Harris is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Dan, check out his archive or follow him on Twitter at @danharris80.
