We warned that this baseball season could be crazy and through the first week we have seen it all. Due to an outbreak of COVID-19 with the Miami Marlins, four teams will not play this weekend as Major League Baseball hopes to control the spread.
The July 31 St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers matchup has been canceled as well due to positive tests, and the weekend series could be in jeopardy.
These are obviously the correct decisions as we are in uncharted territory and baseball is trying everything to ensure a full season. I stressed that fantasy baseball leagues needed to be flexible with their rules to keep the integrity of the league intact. Those that have weekly lineups instead of daily transactions are hurting as they have impact players who aren’t playing.
We needed to think outside the box for this 60-game season, and I hope many leagues have done that.
Waiver Wire:
Seattle Mariners Shortstop J.P. Crawford — The former top 10 minor league prospect in baseball when he was with the Philadelphia Phillies organization has yet to show that can translate to the big leagues. The Phillies traded the 25-year-old to Seattle in 2018 and the youngster is getting a full chance to show he can stick in the big leagues. Crawford is off to a great start, batting .375 with seven runs scored and two stolen bases. Crawford is also batting at the top of the lineup, which gives him more opportunities to make an impact. We need to ride the hot streaks in a shortened season and Crawford provides the first opportunity to do that, especially at less than 10 percent owned in Yahoo! Sports leagues.
Texas Rangers Reliever Nick Goody — We get our first closer-by-committee this season, as the Rangers placed Jose Leclerc on the injured list with a right shoulder injury. Goody was able to earn a save July 29 and appears to be first in line to replace Leclerc. It may shake out as a committee, especially if Goody struggles in his next appearance, but if needing saves, Goody is the first to grab.