The Major League Baseball trade deadline is upon us, and there have already been many moves that could impact your fantasy team. We will take a closer look at those later in the week in a waiver-wire article, as there could be players available whose fantasy stock has improved.
Three Up:
1. San Diego Padres Third Baseman Manny Machado — I always felt there was another gear Machado could reach, which was Most Valuable Player status. The 28-year-old has never been in serious discussions for that award throughout his career, but 2020 could be different. The third baseman has been red hot for weeks now and is hitting .309 with 11 home runs and 29 RBIs. During the last seven days, Machado collected 14 hits with three home runs, eight runs scored and seven RBIs. Machado and teammate Fernando Tatis Jr. currently lead the National League in RBIs and home runs, so it will be interesting to see the friendly competition throughout the next month. Either player could find himself winning National League MVP.
2. Cincinnati Reds Outfielder Jesse Winker — The outfielder was spotlighted early in the season as a waiver-wire target and hasn’t disappointed those who acquired him. Winker hit four more home runs this week with seven RBIs. For the season, Winker is batting .320 with 10 home runs and 17 RBIs and is giving fantasy owners who needed offensive help a nice boost.
3. Chicago White Sox Starting Pitcher Lucas Giolito — When you pitch a no-hitter, you need to be mentioned. That’s exactly what happened Aug. 25, as the right-hander didn’t allow a hit against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Giolito also struck out an eye-popping 13 hitters. That is back-to-back starts with 13 strikeouts for Giolito. The 26-year-old is finally maturing into the pitcher many envisioned when he was coming up through the minor-league ranks.
Three Down:
1. Philadelphia Phillies Starting Pitcher Jake Arrieta — The 34-year-old couldn’t escape the second inning against the Atlanta Braves Aug. 30, as he allowed seven earned runs. This is now the third start in the last four that the former Cy Young Award winner didn’t complete five innings and allowed at least four earned runs. For the season, the righty has a 6.49 ERA and is extremely hard to trust in any fantasy format.
2. Milwaukee Brewers Second Baseman Keston Hiura — The Brewers have been one of the more disappointing teams this season, as there are many players letting down fantasy owners. Hiura was expected to take the next step and be an impact fantasy player, as he was drafted as the sixth second baseman in the preseason. However, it’s been a struggle this year. Hiura is batting just .227 and this past week only collected four hits while striking out nine times. Hiura needs to snap out of this funk quickly, as he’s running out of time to prove his draft-day stock was worth it.
3. San Francisco Giants Outfielder Mike Yastrzemski — The outfielder has been a pleasant surprise throughout the last couple of seasons as a late bloomer who finally received an opportunity in his late 20s. The 30-year-old was off to a blazing start, as he was batting .320 on Aug. 21. However, since then, it’s been a struggle. Yastrzemski’s batting average is now down to .280. This past week, the outfielder collected only three hits and hasn’t hit a home run since Aug. 23. We’ll see if this is a one-week dip, but fantasy owners need to be watching closely.
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