TOUT WARS!

Tout Wars has some of the top minds when it comes to following the minor leagues. This week we asked

What prospects had their short and long term outlooks change the most after the deadline deals?

Doug Dennis (BaseballHQ, @dougdennis41): Maybe it is because I am a Reds homer, but I think the Reds will give Spencer Steer every chance to make the team in 2023 and that almost certainly would not have been the case in Minnesota. What Steer does with the opportunities, unknown, but it’s a real shot for him.

Brad Johnson (Patreon/BaseballATeam, @BaseballATeam): I like the Steer call out. Sticking with the Reds, Jose Barrero is just about out of time to make an impression in Cincy. Between Elly de la Cruz, Noelvi Marte, and Matt McLain, *somebody* is going to be knocking on the door by late 2023. And Edwin Arroyo isn’t too far behind them. It’s a real embarrassment of shortstop riches. These things have a way of working out over time. Barrero hasn’t shown much of a pulse this season.

Tim McLeod (Prospect361.com, @RunTMcP361 ): Search out players that were blocked prior to the deadline that no longer are. Three that I’m very bullish on for the stretch run are Michael Massey, Jake McCarthy, and Ryan Pepiot. Massey has demonstrated solid strike zone judgement with decent pop and speed at every level in the Minors. McCarthy slides into David Peralta’s spot and that speed could make a difference. Pepiot no longer has to worry about Mitch White and should slide into Clayton Kershaw’s rotation spot. His numbers down-on-the-farm are off-the-charts good. All that was missing was the opportunity and it’s now at-hand. As an add, I’d take a look at two Oakland starters in JP Sears and Ken Waldichuk. Montas is now a Yankee and there are more holes in the Oakland rotation than a block of swiss cheese. We could see both plying their trade in Oakland before the season concludes.

James Anderson (Rotowire, @RealJRAnderson): For me it’s the players who went from being pretty clearly blocked to unblocked. All the Yankees pitching prospects who were dealt now have a clearer path into a big-league rotation (I’d rank them Wesneski, Waldichuk, Sikemma, Sears). Additionally, the top two Twins position players (Encarnacion-Strand and Steer) who are nearing the majors now have a clear path into the Reds lineup when they’re deemed ready. Bonus: I liked Robert Gasser but like him even more now that the Brewers get to put the finishing touches on his development.

Patrick Davitt (BaseballHQ, @patrickdavitt): You probably look at all the rated prospects who went from contenders to pretenders, because by definition the paths to the big leagues have fewer obstacles on the latter. For example, Logan O’Hoppe is obviously less blocked by Max Stassi and Kurt Suzuki than by JT Realmuto. Steer got a couple of mentions, , and that seems right; even if he’s blocked by Barrero (jury’s still out), he can play lots of spots defenisvely and the Reds need help at most of them. I saw mentions of pitchers Waldichuk (OAK) and Wesneski (CHC), both of whom also get a boost from the lack of obstacles en route to The Show. And don’t forget that the prospects below these guys in their orgs benefit from the departures, just as prospects on the acquiring teams might move down a peg or two.

Chris Blessing (Baseball HQ, @C_Blessing): When most prospects are traded at the deadline, their development outcome is negatively affected, moving from a winning organization excelling at developing their prospects to an organization that isn’t successful developing their prospects. Sometimes, the stars align and a prospect goes to an organization where the player and the development staff seem to be a match made in heaven. The match made in heaven scenario for me is LHP Robert Gasser to the Brewers. Here is an organization who has successfully molded pitchers of different shapes, different deliveries and different attributes and turned them into solid or better pitchers. Gasser has a deceptive Low 3/4s delivery with a lot of funky stops and starts. Gasser’s best when commanding his high-80s-to-low-90s FB up, taking advantage of a flatten plane and riding action up. Scouting Gasser, it’s a matter of improving his in-zone command, which the Brewers do better than most getting out of their prospects. Gasser goes from an SP5 upside to a mid-rotation ceiling simply moving to a better development situation for him.

Tristan H. Cockcroft (ESPN, @SultanofStat): Ken Waldichuk probably stands a better long-term chance at success in Oakland than in New York, considering he’s a bit of a fly ball-oriented pitcher who gets a decent share of pop-ups, traits that fit the Oakland Coliseum much better than Yankee Stadium. C.J. Abrams almost assuredly will take over shortstop on an everyday basis in Washington sooner than he might have in San Diego, where it wasn’t entirely clear he’d stick at that position.

Joe Sheehan (The Joe Sheehan Baseball Newsletter, @joe_sheehan): I think about the three guys the Yankees sent to the Royals, three middling pitching prospects with low profiles. They’re the kind of pitchers the Yankees have had great success with, and in their organization, they had a strong chance to be developed into, at least, MLB-caliber relievers. Now, they’re Royals prospects, about as far you can fall when it comes to modern practices of pitcher development. I think those three guys were the three biggest losers at the deadline.

After a couple weeks of emptying the FAB wallets, bidding was a bit more conservative, though NL only had some aggressive claims.

To see rosters, standings and all the moves from each Tout league, just click in the league header.

American League

Player	Team	Bid
KBradish, Bal	Ryan Bloomfield	43
KBubic, KC	Ryan Bloomfield	29
JSears, Oak	Patrick Davitt	29
NEaton, KC	Patrick Davitt	19
FMejia, TB	Patrick Davitt	14
SEffross, NYY	Jeff Erickson	13
JQuijada, LAA	Jeff Erickson	13
TDavidson, LAA	Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton	9
AEngel, CWS	Jason Collette	3
LSosa, CWS	Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton	0
MMaldonado, Hou	Mike Podhorzer	0

National League

Player	Team	Bid
VGrissom, Atl	Wilderman/Prior	270
FReyes, ChC	Grey Albright	109
JMeneses, Was	Steve Gardner	92
CEdwards, Was	Wilderman/Prior	80
CLeblanc, Mia	Todd Zola	67
IAnderson, Atl	Phil Hertz	51
ASampson, ChC	Todd Zola	37
PBurdick, Mia	Phil Hertz	22
LWilliams, Mia	Peter Kreutzer	14
MBush, Mil	Peter Kreutzer	8
THenry, Ari	Phil Hertz	6
AWynns, SF	Steve Gardner	2
PCorbin, Was	Derek Carty	0
ZThompson, Pit	Derek Carty	0
DNunez, Col	Phil Hertz	0
CFerguson, LAD	Brian Walton	0

Mixed Salary Cap

Player	Team	Bid
VGrissom, Atl	Brent Hershey	87
GAllen, Pit	Scott Pianowski	55
CEdwards, Was	Scott Pianowski	55
JSiri, TB	Scott Engel	37
JSears, Oak	Tim Heaney	36
RTepera, LAA	Zach Steinhorn	32
JSuarez, LAA	Brent Hershey	26
MMargot, TB	Justin Mason	20
MStassi, LAA	Zach Steinhorn	18
KBubic, KC	Brent Hershey	17
JBleday, Mia	Justin Mason	17
JMeneses, Was	Justin Mason	7
TToussaint, LAA	Jeff Zimmerman	6
YDiaz, TB	Brent Hershey	3
JDDavis, SF	Justin Mason	2
HCastro, Det	Jeff Zimmerman	2
JQuijada, LAA	Jeff Zimmerman	2

Mixed Draft

Player	Team	Bid
VGrissom, Atl	D.J. Short	155
TNaquin, NYM	Adam Ronis	44
JMeneses, Was	Adam Ronis	44
JSears, Oak	Adam Ronis	38
LWade, SF	Tim McLeod	17
ZPlesac, Cle	Shelly Verougstraete	13
JTrevino, NYY	Mike Gianella	6
GMarquez, Col	Mike Gianella	5
CMorel, ChC	Scott White	3
MManning, Det	Shelly Verougstraete	1
SEffross, NYY	Scott White	0

Head to Head

Player	Team	Bid
VGrissom, Atl	Clay Link	287
AChapman, NYY	Clay Link	57
TGrisham, SD	Ariel Cohen	33
SDominguez, Phi	Ariel Cohen	33
DPeralta, TB	Chris Welsh	31
CAbrams, Was	Frank Stampfl	28
PDeJong, StL	Nick Pollack	19
RWick, ChC	Ryan Hallam	13
DSmyly, ChC	Nick Pollack	11
DFletcher, LAA	Nick Pollack	7
DKremer, Bal	Paul Sporer	3
JMeneses, Was	Greg Jewett	3

Mixed with IP & Saves+Holds

Player	Team	Bid
DMay, LAD	Sara Sanchez	138
NLopez, KC	Chris Clegg	23
LNootbaar, StL	Chris Clegg	16
APuk, Oak	Chris Clegg	12
JMeneses, Was	Jake Ciely	3
ERivera, Ari	Jake Ciely	1
VGrissom, Atl	Jeff Boggis	0
WBernard, Col	Jeff Boggis	0
JSteele, ChC	Andy Behrens	0
KBubic, KC	Jake Ciely	0
JQuintana, StL	Jeff Boggis	0

As is the tradition in the Table following the trade deadline, the Touts were asked

What are some of the most fantasy-relevant under-the-radar repercussions of the deadline frenzy?

Jeff Zimmerman (Fangraphs, The Process, @jeffwzimmerman): The Reds traded away several pieces so track who of Aristides Aquino, Matt Reynolds, Albert Almora Jr., Jake Fraley, and Donovan Solano grab the most playing time.

Todd Zola (Mastersball, @toddzola): Single league formats have gotten away from hoarding for the deadline. I wonder if that may return after a decent level of crossover, with the notion it will continue with the new playoff format.

Steve Gardner (USAToday Fantasy Sports, @SteveAGardner): To play devil’s advocate, I didn’t think there was much value in the league-switchers this year. Luis Castillo to the AL was maybe the only impact move, and if you passed on him last week hoping for something bigger, you ended up watching Juan Soto stay in the NL and Willson Contreras stay in Chicago. On the NL side, Jordan Montgomery, Noah Syndergaard and Jake Odorizzi? Meh. I’ll still continue to save my FAAB for the big splash in mono-league formats, but last year’s deadline was much more fun.

Justin Mason (Friends with Fantasy Benefits, Fangraphs, Fantasy Alarm, @JustinMasonFWFB): In mixed leagues, the massive changes in closer values for some fantasy teams are disastrous. If you draft Iglesias in the third round, you are devastated right now (slowly raises hand.)

Matt Williams (TheGameDay.com, @MattWi77iams): Honestly, I think an under-the-radar takeaway is that no significant names (other than closers) change in value much. The real value is in vacated at-bats and available innings for lower end players. Time to study new lineups going forward and see who benefits.

Paul Sporer (Fangraphs, ESPN Fantasy Sports, @Sporer): Given how barren waiver wires have been for SPs in deeper formats (14+ team mixers), JP Sears could be a gem down the stretch. While we’ve only seen an 8% SwStr in the majors, he missed bats w/his slider throughout the minors so I expect more Ks as he settles into the majors. OAK is always a great spot to pitch, too!

Todd Zola (Mastersball, @toddzola): Steve – Tyler Mahle should be a nice consolation for AL only. It isn’t so much the number of crossovers, as it is the sheer number of trades, more of which may be crossovers. That said, I am still spending liberally early, since the counter is more minor league players are being promoted earlier.

Brad Johnson (Patreon/BaseballATeam, @BaseballATeam): I’ll reach deep for the hell of it. Josh Palacios has an interesting, possibly five-category profile. It’s also a 0-2 WAR profile which is why he hasn’t had chances any sooner. With Juan Soto gone, he should play daily for the Nationals. Of course, that’s only of use to those of us in deep leagues.

Sara Sanchez (bleedcubbieblue.com, @BCB_Sara): I mean, I don’t know if this is underrated, but as someone who has Whit Merrifield in a couple of places, I am really hoping he gets that vaccination status cleared up before 8/12 when the Blue Jays play in Toronto. On the more underrated side, I am going to be paying a lot of attention to the Padres line ups in the coming days to keep an eye on Drury’s playing time. I’m looking for pitching in a few leauges, so I’m also going to speculate a bit on who will get the fifth starter spot in NY with Montgomery moving to St. Louis, and will be keeping an eye on starters in Oakland and Cincinatti looking for useful starters and/or guys with enough innings/Ks to be useful for the last couple of months.

Doug Dennis (BaseballHQ, @dougdennis41): Starting pitchers–gimme Jordan Montgomery and Jake Odorizzi in the NL and Tyler Mahle and J.P. Sears in the AL. Closers–gimme Felix Bautista and Jose Quijada in the AL and in the NL, I’m back on Anthony Bender and Rowan Wi . . . hahaha nope, can’t do it, sorry Sara. But hey, Willson stayed home!

Doug Dennis (BaseballHQ, @dougdennis41): Under the radar = the minor leaguers that are going to get promoted and may immediately be handed a starting role. While the majority will be worth adding in mono leagues, some of them may even be worthy of consideration in shallower mixed leagues.

Alex Fast (Pitcher List, @AlexFast8): The closers! There is an assortment of relievers that just turned into closers that you can pick up off of your waiver wire. Thinking of guys like Felix Bautista, Ryan Tepera, Rowan Wick, etc. Don’t be fooled by what team they’re on, either; they’ll still get plenty of save opportunities. Focus more on guys who have the best stuff and you’ll be just fine.

Lenny Melnick (LennyMelnickFantasySports, @LennyMelnick): Dont save FAAB for Trading Deadline

Phil Hertz (BaseballHQ, @prhz50): Doug D nailed it, but in particular pay attention to the Nationals. Someone(s) is/are going to get plenty of playing time over the next several weeks.

Michael A. Stein (Fantasy Judgment, @FantasyJudgment): The carousel of closers continues to spin at the trade deadline. An already volatile category opens up more options for saves with teams trading closers that may not have opportunities to save games on their new teams. Obviously the teams trading away their closers will give chances to set-up relievers that may be on the waiver wire. Also for NL-only or AL-only leagues, there could be bidding wars for players newly eligible that were traded.

Anthony Aniano (Rotoballer, @AAnianoFantasy): Lots of playing time has opened up for teams like the Reds, Nationals and A’s but I am paying attention to the A’s starting staff. Ken Waldichuk is now the team’s top rated prospect. For the Yankees AAA team he averaged 13.22 K/9 with a 3.59 ERA. I’d love to see him get a few starts for the A’s.

Ariel Cohen (CBS Sports, @ATCNY): Always look at closing situations. Tepera in LAA? Wick in CHI? Bautista in BAL? Williams in MIL? etc. As for some other under the radar players … Mickey Moniak should get playing time with the Marsh trade and Trout injury right away. JP Sears should start right away in OAK in place of the traded Montas. The best place for value is in increased playing time, and those are likely right off the bat.

Scott White (CBS Fantasy Sports, @CBSScottWhite): Statcast says that if Trey Mancini had played all his games at Minute Maid Park this year, he’d have 22 home runs as opposed to the 10 he actually has. The difference between the newly altered left field fence in Baltimore and the Crawford Boxes in Houston is literally dozens of feet, plural. As usual, the Astros know what they’re doing.

Brent Hershey (Baseball HQ, @BrentHQ): The Astros still believe in Jake Meyers. Traded away Straw to clear space for him last year; Meyers was surprisingly fantasy relevant down the stretch. Despite Meyers’ slow return from injury, HOU didn’t complete any sort of upgrade in CF this year and even traded away Jose Siri. Might be nothing; might be something.

Jennifer Piacenti (SI.com, @jenpiacenti): Sadly, Brent. I think it’s nothing. Though maybe that’s just the pessimistic fan in me. I hope it’s something! I like the Mancini grab for Houston as today we already saw one leave the yard that wouldn’t have in Camden. Brantley isn’t even swinging a bat, so I think Mancini will also get turns in OF with perhaps Tucker moving to CF like he did in postseason. I also like Jordan Montogmery in St. Louis. Let’s be real: most pitchers are better after leaving Yankee Stadium. Devin Williams is now really interesting, and I’m going to say it: I like Eric Hosmer in Boston.

Jason Collette (Rotowire, @jasoncollette): Jose Siri is going to get all the playing time his bat can handle. They need his defensive abilities in center, and Cash will let him run on the bases if Siri can manage to get on base. He could steal 10 bases ROS and is already hitting in the middle of a thin lineup.

Charlie Wiegert (CDM Sports, @GFFantasySports): Obviously there are closers to be had with others traded away, so you can get 10 saves fairly easily if you’ve saved some faab or get lucky on the waiver wire…Bautista in Baltimore, Wick in Chicago, in LAA someone emerge, etc. remember what Lester and Happ did in St. Louis last year? Quintana and Montgomery will be better than they were last year, leading Cards to Central Division Championship

Glenn Colton (Fantasy Alarm, @GlennColton1): Not enough focus on who was not traded but now has a bigger role. Closers are more obvious when they step in for a departed closer. It is so critically important to watch lineups from Thursday to Sunday — days where players traveling to their new teams or up from the minors are all in place.

Frank Stampfl (Fantasy Pros, @Roto_Frank): I’m very intrigued by the Royals calling up prospect Michael Massey after trading away Whit Merrifield. Massey was batting .312 with 16 HR and 13 steals across 87 games between Double-A and Triple-A this season and could be an interesting power-speed combo in deeper leagues.

Scott Swanay (FantasyBaseballSherpa, @fantasy_sherpa): If you’re desperate for Wins (and who isn’t), I think Jordan Montgomery and Jose Quintana, who both get to face 3 NL Central doormat teams, are appealing targets who probably wouldn’t cost a ton to acquire.

Clay Link (Rotowire, @claywlink): Miguel Vargas’ addition to the Dodgers. They selected his contract — added him to the 40-man — to lengthen the lineup, as they are now feeling the heat a bit from the Padres. The back of the Dodgers’ order is a little thin and could leave them susceptible to the Padres in the postseason, so I think they want Vargas to take the job and run with it and get into a groove before the playoffs.

Nick Pollack (Pitcher List, @PitcherList): In deeper leagues, I’m curious what Tucker Davidson does with his opportunity in Los Angeles as a regular starter. He’s been able to find a rhythm during his chances in Atlanta and there could be some sneaky streams to be had.

Brian Entrekin (Benched with Bubba, @bdentrek): Seeing the closing landscape open up some more solid options. Felix Bautista & Devin Williams could be elite. Rowan Wick may get some chances as well as maybe Ryan Tepera. On the flip side seeing Raisel Iglesias’s value disappear.

Derek VanRiper (The Athletic, @DerekVanRiper): Can Josh Palacios be the Rafael Ortega of 2022?

Shelly Verougstraete (Dynasty Guru, @ShellyV_643): Is Zach McKinstry going to cut into Christopher Morel’s playing time? I’m in agreement with Frank. Michael Massey dealt with injuries since being drafted but was destroying the minor leagues before his call up. There is pleny of PT in KC with Whit out of the picture.

Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Football Empire, @JeffBoggis): The trading of Trey Mancini from Baltimore to Houston was very intriguing to me. Mancini needed a change in scenery and so far it appears that Houston is a good fit. Trey Mancini’s first three hits with the team since arriving at the MLB Trade Deadline have all been home runs, including a monster grand slam on Friday night.

Greg Jewett (Fantasy Alarm, @gjewett9): Many save situations went through turnovers in their leverage ladders, Félix Bautista and Devin Williams receive a big boost in fantasy value. However, Ian Kennedy, Erik Swanson, Rowan Wick and Jonathan Hernández also could receive ancillary, or larger save shares. Last, maybe Colorado provides Elehuris Montero a clear path towards plate appearances the rest of the season. Trusting the Rockies with doing the right thing comes with inherent risk, but there’s some power potential for those needing it in his bat.

It took a while to get going, but the deadline frenzy availed some useful crossover players for AL and NL only along with shuffling rosters enough so there were some mixed league repercussions as well.

If you want to check out the complete standings, rosters and transactions for any of the Tout leagues, just click in the league header.

American League

Player	Team	Bid
TMahle, Min	Joe Sheehan	605
EHosmer, Bos	Jeff Erickson	566
JSiri, TB	Jason Collette	555
BThompson, Tex	Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton	102
HBader, NYY	Howard Bender	102
MMargot, TB	Patrick Davitt	79
MMassey, KC	Larry Schechter	60
JLamb, Sea	Doug Dennis	41
CRagans, Tex	Chris Blessing	38
MFesta, Sea	Doug Dennis	21
TVavra, Bal	Larry Schechter	15
BBurke, Tex	Joe Sheehan	7
JHerget, LAA	Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton	5
TStephan, Cle	Ryan Bloomfield	5
KPlawecki, Bos	Larry Schechter	1
PMaton, Hou	Chris Blessing	1
TAlexander, Det	Larry Schechter	1
CCasali, Sea	Jeff Erickson	0
PGosselin, LAA	Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton	0

National League

Player	Team	Bid
JMontgomery, StL	Brian Walton	589
NSyndergaard, Phi	Steve Gardner	501
BMarsh, Phi	Grey Albright	323
JOdorizzi, Atl	Derek Carty	294
JGallo, LAD	Tristan H. Cockcroft	238
ABender, Mia	Wilderman/Prior	151
LNootbaar, StL	Phil Hertz	91
DHudson, StL	Peter Kreutzer	90
RGrossman, Atl	Phil Hertz	84
NMadrigal, ChC	Tristan H. Cockcroft	70
RIglesias, Atl	Grey Albright	57
JDelay, Pit	Todd Zola	47
JarGarcia, SF	Todd Zola	17
JDunn, Cin	Brian Walton	2
ERivera, Ari	Phil Hertz	2
TMarcano, Pit	Brian Walton	2
TNido, NYM	Brian Walton	1
EMontero, Col	Brian Walton	1
JPalacios, Was	Brian Walton	1
BBoxberger, Mil	Ian Kahn	1
DLee, Atl	Derek Carty	0
BHamilton, Mia	Wilderman/Prior	0

Mixed Salary Cap

Player	Team	Bid
FBautista, Bal	Eric Karabell	100
JHernandez, Tex	Scott Pianowski	61
LThomas, Was	Scott Pianowski	44
MMassey, KC	Michael Rathburn	32
JIglesias, Col	Scott Pianowski	27
EMontero, Col	Michael Rathburn	25
NLopez, KC	Scott Pianowski	22
WBenson, Cle	Michael Rathburn	22
RWick, ChC	Justin Mason	22
CArcher, Min	Brent Hershey	21
LGonzalez, SF	Alex Chamberlain	15
VCaratini, Mil	Brent Hershey	15
NGordon, Min	Brent Hershey	14
BThompson, Tex	Jeff Zimmerman	12
JMcCann, NYM	Zach Steinhorn	12
MManning, Det	Derek VanRiper	11
MFesta, Sea	Alex Chamberlain	10
ZJackson, Oak	Eric Karabell	10
WCrowe, Pit	Scott Engel	6
CPoche, TB	Scott Engel	3
TNaquin, NYM	Scott Engel	3
JBarrero, Cin	Derek VanRiper	1
DSmyly, ChC	Jeff Zimmerman	1

Mixed Draft

Player	Team	Bid
BThompson, Tex	Seth Trachtman	90
NGordon, Min	Ray Murphy	65
KCrawford, Bos	Anthony Perri	55
WCrowe, Pit	Tim McLeod	52
EMontero, Col	Rudy Gamble	47
RTepera, LAA	Jeff Barton	43
JQuijada, LAA	Tim McLeod	37
RWick, ChC	Rudy Gamble	37
MMassey, KC	Tim McLeod	33
TraThompson, LAD	Anthony Perri	32
JDDavis, SF	D.J. Short	25
GAshcraft, Cin	Perry Van Hook	23
IKennedy, Ari	Perry Van Hook	23
LNootbaar, StL	D.J. Short	15
BGamel, Pit	Perry Van Hook	11
EHosmer, Bos	Jeff Barton	11
CArroyo, Bos	Shelly Verougstraete	10
TVavra, Bal	Adam Ronis	6
JSuarez, LAA	Adam Ronis	3
TMarcano, Pit	Shelly Verougstraete	2
VCaratini, Mil	Perry Van Hook	1
ESwanson, Sea	Scott White	0
CEdwards, Was	Scott White	0

Head to Head

Player	Team	Bid
JBart, SF	Geoff Pontes	98
JMcNeil, NYM	Frank Stampfl	37
FBautista, Bal	Greg Jewett	27
MMuncy, LAD	Ryan Hallam	23
TAlexander, Det	Ariel Cohen	23
JBarrero, Cin	Clay Link	23
JSears, Oak	Dan Strafford	10
JSuarez, LAA	Dan Strafford	10
DDunning, Tex	Greg Jewett	9
THouck, Bos	Ryan Hallam	8
DVogelbach, NYM	Dan Strafford	7
WCrowe, Pit	Greg Jewett	3
NGordon, Min	Greg Jewett	2

Mixed with IP & Saves+Holds

Player	Team	Bid
AFrazier, Sea	Chris Clegg	17
KWong, Mil	Chris Clegg	15
AHeaney, LAD	Chris Towers	14
MMassey, KC	Chris Towers	5
CIrvin, Oak	Jake Ciely	2
KRuiz, Was	Andy Behrens	0
ADiaz, Hou	Jake Ciely	0
JLyles, Bal	Jeff Boggis	0
NCruz, Was	Jeff Boggis	0

As we all prepare for the trade frenzy, the Touts were asked:

Who has the best chance of reverting to form, Lucas Giolito, Jose Berrios or Trevor Rogers?

(Please note, the question was posed prior to Rogers being placed on the IL)

CJ Kaltenbach (Fantasy Guru, @TheSeigeDFS): Lucas Giolito has the best chance to reverting to form mostly because his bad raw stats right now are thanks to a ton of bad BABIP luck (.349). Once that starts to turn around, he’ll have fewer runners on base which will help the walk rate and improve the strand rate. His xFIP right now is basically identical to 2021 (3.76 in 2022 vs 3.75 in 2021) so should be optimistic he turns it around soon.

Nick Pollack (Pitcher List, @PitcherList): It’s definitely not Trevor Rogers for me – he hasn’t had his changeup and slider working consistently since the start of last year – and it’s close between Lucas Giolito and José Berríos. The latter has been improving over the last month with his curveball and Berríos often finds a way to normalize across a full season. Meanwhile Giolito has now gone three starts hovering 92 mph. Without that strong fastball, Giolito’s struggles are likely to continue as it sets the foundation for his elite changeup.

Grey Albright (RazzBall, @razzball): Giolito

Fred Zinkie (Yahoo! Fantasy Sports, @FredZinkieMLB): Most are saying Giolito, so I will go in a different direction and take Berrios, who may have already started to turn things around by posting a 3.41 ERA and a 36:6 K:BB ratio in five July starts. That feels pretty much like what we expected of the right-hander at the start of the season.

Perry Van Hook (Mastersball, @): I would say Giolito is the best bet. He will have both good games and some not so good for the rest of the season but the upside is also the highest of the three

Charlie Wiegert (CDM Sports, @GFFantasySports): I’ll say Berrios. He has the skill set to rebound and has had some flashes of dominance recently. Working against him is the schedule and a heavy does of hitter heavy AL East teams.

Scott White (CBS Fantasy Sports, @CBSScottWhite): It kind of seems like Berrios already has with his strong month of July, so I’ll say him. I’m on the fence about Giolito. His xFIP is about the same as last year and his K/9 remains high, but his velocity, spin and whiffs are all down a bit. Those are generally the markers I look at when judging whether a pitcher has declined. As for Rogers, he turned back into a pumpkin even before the end of last year. We were basing a lot on three incredible months that are now far in the rearview mirror. I’ve been dumping him for 50 cents on the dollar even in dynasty leagues.

Seth Trachtman (NBC Sports Edge, @sethroto): Trevor Rogers still looks lost with his control, so this debate comes down to Giolito vs. Berrios. The peripherals show likely improvement for both pitchers, but the White Sox extremely favorable schedule the rest of the way gives Giolito a better chance to get on track. Giolito lines up against the likes of KC, Texas, and Detroit over his next three outings, and it’s hard to imagine an easier schedule than what the White Sox face in September. The team has a heavy dose of weak AL Central matchups, along with Oakland and Colorado (at home) sprinkled in. This seems like an obvious point, but Giolito’s ERA is nearly two runs better (4.20) with an 11.5 K/9 in games vs. sub-.500 teams this season. With the smaller sample size, schedule matters.

Eric Cross (Fantrax, @EricCross04): Can I say none? I’m fairly confident that we’ve probably seen the best season for each of these arms, but I do think that Giolito and Berrios are better than what they’ve shown. With Berrios, he was just always a bit overrated and now has to deal with the robust American League East on a regular basis. Many of Gioloto’s ERA indicators are much better than his surface stats, so he’s my pick here I suppose.

Vlad Sedler (FTNfantasy, @rotogut): Nice grouping here because the easy answer would be “trust none of them”. If I had to pick one to have the strongest rest-of-season, it would be Berrios. Strikeouts have been a boon and he’s cut his barrel rate in half lately (6% over his last six starts, 12.6% over his first 14 starts.

Brad Johnson (Patreon/BaseballATeam, @BaseballATeam): I’ll WAG Rogers since his issues seem to be mostly mechanical. Echoing sentiments from others, I wouldn’t bother trying to buy low on any of them.

Patrick Davitt (BaseballHQ, @patrickdavitt): Solely on a wishful-thinking basis, I’ll say Berrios

Dr. Roto (DrRoto.com, @DrRoto): Torn here, so I will cop out and say both Giolito and Berrios will revert to form and Rogers will continue to struggle.

Paul Sporer (Fangraphs, ESPN Fantasy Sports, @Sporer): I’ll go Berrios as he’s shown more glimpses of his good self than the other two this year and has a longer history of success, too.

Alex Chamberlain (Rotographs, @DolphHauldhagen): Didn’t expect to say Berríos, but, Berríos, primarily because Rogers and Giolito are having pitch shape issues (CH and SL, respectively), whereas Berríos’ specs are largely unchanged. Not that pitch shapes are the be-all/end-all, but it helps explain why those pitches—and, thus, those pitchers—haven’t been successful. The question doesn’t specify reverting to form within 2022 or, like, ever, and I don’t think it’s off the table that Rogers and Gio find their CH and SL again. But I think Berríos has less to claw back this year than they do.

Jock Thompson (Baseball HQ, @JOCKatHQ): We’re in ride-the-hot-hand territory entering August. That would be Berrios.

Ron Shandler (RonShandler.com, @RonShandler): If not for his last two starts, it would easily be Giolito. He still has the most upside but also the most risk. Berrios is the safest bet right now, but at a lower ceiling. Rogers’ ceiling is pretty much the floor for everyone else. PQS logs rule.

Howard Bender (Fantasy Alarm, @RotobuzzGuy): My ego says Giolito because I couldn’t possibly have picked a guy this crappy to win the Cy Young this year, but I’ll be sensible and lean Berrios who has, at least, flashed some talent this year.

Matt Williams (TheGameDay.com, @MattWi77iams): Berrios seems to not only have less issues to work through than the others, but already seems to have turned a corner in July. So I will go with Jose Berrios.

Phil Hertz (BaseballHQ, @prhz50): Not Rogers, probably not Giolito, since he’s been more of an innings eater of late. Berrios actually has been pretty good over the last month.

Sara Sanchez (bleedcubbieblue.com, @BCB_Sara): I think I’m most optimistic about Giolito. He has the highest K%, lowest BB% and the best FIP/xFIP of the three. That said, I also think Berrios is probably going to be better rest of season and just picked him up in the 12-team mixed league where I need innings. I am not as optimistic about Rogers.

Brad Johnson (Patreon/BaseballATeam, @BaseballATeam): Rogers is on the IL with back spasms now so I rescind my WAG. Let’s say Berrios. Tough schedule though… I still prefer none of them.

Mike Podhorzer (Fangraphs, @MikePodhorzer): Giolito’s SIERA is a run and a half below his actual ERA, as he’s been BABIP’d to death. That can’t continue for much longer, especially given his history. He’s the easy call between the three, even though Berrios’ SIERA is also significantly below his ERA. However, Berrios’ strikeout rate has tumbled, so even an improved ERA could still result in disappointing fantasy value versus pre-season expectations.

Frank Stampfl (Fantasy Pros, @Roto_Frank): I have legitimate concerns over both Lucas Giolito and Jose Berrios but I think it’s more likely Berrios returns to form this season. He mostly looks like himself, albeit allowing a bunch of hard contact with a reduced swinging strike rate. Giolito just has so many things working against him right now from a velo dip to lack of control to home runs allowed. I almost wonder if Giolito isn’t right physically this season.

Zach Steinhorn (CreativeSports2, @zachsteinhorn): Maybe I’m biased because he’s on three of my teams and I’m desperately rooting for him to revert to form but I’ll say Berrios. The WHIP is still problematic but he’s pitching much better lately, allowing three runs or fewer in each of his last five starts with 36 strikeouts in 29 innings. With Berrios, at least we’re seeing clear signs of improvement. The same cannot be said for Giolito and Rogers.

Mike Sheets (ESPN, @MikeASheets): Give me Berrios, who has at least been showing some positive signs of late. With only two months left in the regular season, time is running out for a turnaround, so I’ll take the guy who has already been delivering some positive value over his last handful of starts.

Joe Sheehan (The Joe Sheehan Baseball Newsletter, @joe_sheehan): Rogers is the easy “no,” given that he has the shortest track record and there were mild indications that last year was a peak. Between the other two…I’ll take Berrios, because he’s already well on his way. 3.41 ERA/3.15 FIP in July, six QS in his last ten, and a seventh that missed by an out. I’ll bet on that for the next two months.

Greg Jewett (Fantasy Alarm, @gjewett9): Even before the start against the Tigers, I leaned towards Berrios on this one. Trust the Blue Jays getting him on track for the second half and helping fuel a strong push in the playoffs. Rogers landing on the injured list makes him the easy pass in this question and after having Giolito on multiple rosters last year, he was an avoid this season. This remains true.

Brian Entrekin (Benched with Bubba, @bdentrek): This is a tricky one. I lean Berrios who has shown signs of life of late, especially at home. The strikeouts have improved and he is keeping the ball in the ballpark. Can’t say the same for Giolito who struggles to get through five everyday and Rogers is so broken he is now on the IL. Give me Berrios, but it does not feel great.

The calm before the storm? There was a little activity for AL only leagues and it was a busy week for the 15-team Mixed Auction and Draft leagues. Hopefully things will pick up before the 6 PM ET trade deadline on Tuesday.

If you want to check out the standings, rosters and all the moves for any of the Tout leagues, just click on the header.

American League

Player	Team	Bid
LCastillo, Sea	Mike Podhorzer	940
DPeralta, TB	Rob Leibowitz	687
LRaley, TB	Patrick Davitt	49
JKaprielian, Oak	Larry Schechter	23
YKikuchi, Tor	Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton	19
MagSierra, LAA	Howard Bender	12
RPinto, TB	Larry Schechter	7
JJunk, LAA	Jeff Erickson	7
AVoth, Bal	Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton	6
MGarcia, KC	Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton	6

National League

Player	Team	Bid
LGarcia, SD	Ian Kahn	88
JMcCarthy, Ari	Phil Hertz	66
NNeidert, Mia	Todd Zola	23
CLeblanc, Mia	Grey Albright	13
SAlcantara, Ari	Michael Simione	9
LDiaz, Mia	Peter Kreutzer	6
MVientos, NYM	Grey Albright	3
MVargas, LAD	Steve Gardner	3
ChMartin, LAD	Peter Kreutzer	2
JOutman, LAD	Tristan H. Cockcroft	1
HHarvey, Was	Brian Walton	0
JStephens, Atl	Brian Walton	0
ABarnes, LAD	Steve Gardner	0

Mixed Salary Cap

Player	Team	Bid
YDeLosSantos, Pit	Tim Heaney	46
DMay, LAD	Scott Swanay	30
JCandelario, Det	Scott Swanay	29
JMcCarthy, Ari	Jeff Zimmerman	26
DRuf, SF	Zach Steinhorn	26
JJunk, LAA	CJ Kaltenbach	23
SWatkins, Bal	CJ Kaltenbach	12
CAbrams, SD	Brent Hershey	11
AVoth, Bal	Derek VanRiper	11
ADiaz, Hou	Scott Engel	7
PDeJong, StL	CJ Kaltenbach	6
CMitchell, Pit	Scott Engel	6
LGarcia, SD	Scott Engel	6
JKelenic, Sea	Justin Mason	5
BStott, Phi	Tim Heaney	4
LNootbaar, StL	Scott Engel	3
SHoward, Tex	Brent Hershey	3
KIsbel, KC	Derek VanRiper	3
BFalter, Phi	Jeff Zimmerman	1
MMoore, Tex	Scott Pianowski	0

Mixed Draft

Player	Team	Bid
FPeralta, Mil	Adam Ronis	222
JKelenic, Sea	Tim McCullough	221
PFairbanks, TB	Seth Trachtman	110
APuk, Oak	AJ Mass	100
LGarcia, SD	Tim McLeod	83
JOutman, LAD	Perry Van Hook	69
LDiaz, Mia	Seth Trachtman	45
JSteele, ChC	D.J. Short	30
ADiaz, Hou	Tim McLeod	28
JHernandez, Tex	Mike Gianella	20
JMcCarthy, Ari	Rudy Gamble	18
BStott, Phi	Ray Murphy	14
BDalbec, Bos	Rudy Gamble	14
NVelazquez, ChC	Shelly Verougstraete	12
KIsbel, KC	Shelly Verougstraete	12
DSmyly, ChC	Seth Trachtman	11
JMantiply, Ari	Tim McLeod	9
PDeJong, StL	Adam Ronis	8
MMoore, Tex	Charlie Wiegert	5
TTaylor, Mil	Adam Ronis	3
RYarbrough, TB	Charlie Wiegert	2

Head to Head

Player	Team	Bid
KCrawford, Bos	Ryan Hallam	53
APallante, StL	Ryan Hallam	47
BFalter, Phi	Dan Strafford	45
MGonzales, Sea	Ariel Cohen	36
TanScott, Mia	Ariel Cohen	36
JCandelario, Det	Geoff Pontes	29
JOutman, LAD	Ryan Hallam	21
MStassi, LAA	Andrea LaMont	12
RGrichuk, Col	Andrea LaMont	12
SDominguez, Phi	Ryan Hallam	11
JMateo, Bal	Frank Stampfl	7
ADiaz, Hou	Greg Jewett	1
YGurriel, Hou	Clay Link	0

Mixed with IP & Saves+Holds

Player	Team	Bid
JGKirby, Sea	Sara Sanchez	64
DVogelbach, NYM	Sara Sanchez	18
CSantana, Sea	Chris Towers	14
FBautista, Bal	Brian Entrekin	13
RSuarez, Phi	Chris Towers	12
JCandelario, Det	Brian Entrekin	12
ADiaz, Cin	Brian Entrekin	6
SLangeliers, Oak	Jake Ciely	1
LLynn, CWS	Andy Behrens	0
ONarvaez, Mil	Andy Behrens	0
SEffross, ChC	Jake Ciely	0
JProfar, SD	Jeff Boggis	0

The calm before the storm. There will no doubt be some deals consummated this week in time for next Sunday’s July 31 FAB run, but there will be many more announced before Tuesday, but they won’t be available until Sunday, August 7.

If you want to check out the standings, roster and all the moves for any of the leagues, all you need to do is click on the league heading.

American League

Player	Team	Bid
NPratto, KC	Doug Dennis	203
CPinder, Oak	Ryan Bloomfield	42
ZJackson, Oak	Larry Schechter	42
KCrawford, Bos	Jason Collette	24
RMontero, Hou	Patrick Davitt	19
YolmSanchez, Bos	Jason Collette	17
CSchmidt, NYY	Chris Blessing	13
SWatkins, Bal	Jeff Erickson	13
CArcher, Min	Howard Bender	8
RQuinn, TB	Chris Blessing	7
EClement, Cle	Howard Bender	4
BZimmer, Tor	Ryan Bloomfield	4
JKelly, CWS	Joe Sheehan	3
KLee, Hou	Jeff Erickson	3
CChang, TB	Jeff Erickson	3
JMatijevic, Hou	Jeff Erickson	3
DHall, Bal	Patrick Davitt	1
CCulberson, Tex	Patrick Davitt	0

National League

Player	Team	Bid
JBleday, Mia	Todd Zola	57
NVelazquez, ChC	Todd Zola	53
MBrosseau, Mil	Wilderman/Prior	14
JDelay, Pit	Ian Kahn	13
DVillar, SF	Phil Hertz	8
MPapierski, Cin	Grey Albright	3
APujols, StL	Wilderman/Prior	3
RCano, Atl	Grey Albright	3
BFalter, Phi	Derek Carty	2
ASampson, ChC	Derek Carty	1
SEffross, ChC	Peter Kreutzer	0
TGott, Mil	Peter Kreutzer	0
AWynns, SF	Steve Gardner	0

Mixed Salary Cap

Player	Team	Bid
JAdell, LAA	CJ Kaltenbach	68
NPratto, KC	Justin Mason	37
EPhillips, LAD	Scott Swanay	28
DBundy, Min	Bret Sayre	23
ZPlesac, Cle	Doug Anderson	23
APollock, CWS	Derek VanRiper	22
GUrshela, Min	Brent Hershey	21
NMazara, SD	Doug Anderson	17
BKeller, KC	Brent Hershey	13
DMoore, Sea	Scott Swanay	13
JQuintana, Pit	Bret Sayre	12
SBrown, Oak	Tim Heaney	11
KCrawford, Bos	Jeff Zimmerman	11
BDalbec, Bos	CJ Kaltenbach	8
SEffross, ChC	Justin Mason	5
JBleday, Mia	Jeff Zimmerman	2
ABaddoo, Det	Derek VanRiper	2
EDuran, Tex	Scott Engel	2
ZJackson, Oak	Scott Engel	2
DPeralta, Ari	Justin Mason	1

Mixed Draft

Player	Team	Bid
RSuarez, Phi	Charlie Wiegert	62
MKeller, Pit	Tim McLeod	34
HDozier, KC	Jeff Barton	22
MFranco, Was	Jeff Barton	22
LRengifo, LAA	Rudy Gamble	17
ASlater, SF	Rudy Gamble	12
EDuran, Tex	Scott White	4
NPratto, KC	Scott White	4
MStassi, LAA	Adam Ronis	4
JBrubaker, Pit	Adam Ronis	4
SHoward, Tex	Shelly Verougstraete	1
JCandelario, Det	Perry Van Hook	0

Head to Head

Player	Team	Bid
NHoerner, ChC	Ariel Cohen	48
SWatkins, Bal	Andrea LaMont	38
ASampson, ChC	Ariel Cohen	32
JDuran, Min	Ryan Hallam	31
JMiranda, Min	Clay Link	29
RUrias, Bal	Andrea LaMont	27
DGerman, NYY	Frank Stampfl	27
TEstrada, SF	Andrea LaMont	14
NPratto, KC	Frank Stampfl	12
APollock, CWS	Chris Welsh	10

Mixed with IP & Saves+Holds

Player	Team	Bid
MCarpenter, NYY	Jeff Boggis	70
NPratto, KC	Brian Entrekin	21
KCrawford, Bos	Brian Entrekin	21
BRaley, TB	Steve Phillips	20
JOdorizzi, Hou	Steve Phillips	15
ASlater, SF	Brian Entrekin	12
JJunis, SF	Brian Entrekin	7
EHaase, Det	Brian Entrekin	6
AHicks, NYY	Brian Entrekin	6
JBart, SF	Jake Ciely	2
RUrias, Bal	Jake Ciely	2
IParedes, TB	Sara Sanchez	2
BGarrett, Mia	Jake Ciely	1