MLB FAAB Factor: Deadline Fallout Edition

This FAAB article is in addition to the AL and NL FAAB articles that run Sunday. Bids are based on a $100 FAAB budget. Throughout the season, this column will have two goals:

1. Identify FAAB targets for fantasy managers in leagues with Thursday FAAB.

2. Offer a preview of FAAB targets ahead of Sunday's columns.

The trade deadline shook up rosters throughout the league, with just shy of 60 trades being made on the deadline or in the week leading up to it. If your fantasy roster needs a shake-up, you're in luck, as plenty of previously fringy players have just been traded to more fantasy-friendly situations, while several other players look set to step into starting roles after their teammates were traded away.

I'll get to the usual list of names in a minute, featuring the best pickups who are available in at least half of Yahoo leagues, but first, a look at the players who moved from the American League to the National League or vice versa for those playing in AL-only or NL-only formats.

Dropping the Hammer

A common strategy in AL-only or NL-only leagues is to try to have the largest pool of remaining FAAB dollars at the trade deadline. That allows you to make an uncontested claim on the best player who moved from one league to the other at the deadline. What follows is my preference list for who I would spend the "hammer" on in each league, though of course we're late enough in the season that you should be considering specific category needs and not sticking religiously to a list like this one.

AL-Only

1. Jazz Chisholm, 3B/OF, Yankees: Tons of potential and has already hit the ground running, so maybe getting out of Miami and joining a contender is what he needed to put it all together.
2. Lane Thomas, OF, Guardians: Tied for third in the league with 28 steals and does enough of everything else, but note that few teams run anywhere near as often as the Nationals, his former team.
3. Christopher Morel, 3B/OF, Rays: Due for a big boost from luck alone (his .200 average trails his .243 xBA by a wide amount), and it would hardly surprise if the Rays unlocked another level for this Statcast darling.
4. Alex Cobb, SP, Guardians: Solid mid-rotation starter who's about to return from hip and shoulder injuries which have kept him out all year.
5. Miguel Vargas, 2B/OF, White Sox: Still not clear how good he is, but "good enough to start for the White Sox but not the Dodgers" is a good guess. Should get a ton of playing time down the stretch, but what will he do with it?
6. Trevor Rogers, SP, Orioles: Cost a surprising amount for a lefty whose numbers over the last three years (4.92 ERA, 1.49 WHIP) have been worse than Cole Irvin's (4.31 ERA, 1.25 WHIP), but he'll get to enjoy a great pitchers' park and a big boost to his win chances.
7. James Paxton, SP, Red Sox: Was designated for assignment before being dealt by the Dodgers and has a 5.39 SIERA to go with his 4.52 ERA.
8. Ryan Yarbrough, SP, Blue Jays: Should get chance to start in Toronto and had a 3.74 ERA with the Dodgers, but also had a 4.99 SIERA and a 13.9 percent strikeout rate.
9. Dylan Carlson, OF, Rays: Wouldn't be a shock if he was the next Cardinals outfielder to come good after leaving St. Louis, but he's hitting .194 with zero homers and zero steals in 60 games this season and has a long way to go.
10. Mark Leiter Jr., RP, Yankees: Setup man for now but could be in the mix for saves if Clay Holmes gets hurt or continues to struggle.

NL-Only

1. Jack Flaherty, SP, Dodgers: The light return raises fears that teams were worried about his durability following a pair of pain-killing injections in his back, but Flaherty is pitching like an ace (2.95 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 32.0 K%, 4.6 BB%) and could decide your league if healthy.
2. Erick Fedde, SP, Cardinals: Fedde went away to the KBO, remade his repertoire and came back a much better pitcher, though his strong ERA (3.11) is paired with some mediocre ERA estimators (3.99 xFIP, 4.06 SIERA).
3. Isaac Paredes, 3B, Cubs: Paredes has become a legitimate power hitter (31 HR last year, 16 this year) despite a fifth-percentile hard-hit rate thanks to his ability to pull flyballs just over the left field wall, but that approach may not work at Wrigley Field as well as it did in Tampa.
4. Austin Hays, OF, Phillies: More of a solid all-rounder than an exciting fantasy option, hitting .261 for his career with an average of 19 homers and five steals per 600 plate appearances, but he'll fill a full-time role in a homer-friendly park in Philadelphia.
5. Paul Blackburn, SP, Mets: Little more than a forgettable back-end starter (4.41 ERA, 4.37 SIERA), but he'll now have a much better chance at wins while still getting to pitch in a great pitchers' park like he did in Oakland.
6. Carlos Estevez, RP, Phillies: Estevez has pitched great this year (2.25 ERA, 0.69 WHIP, 20 saves), but he's joined a team that's shown little interest in having a set closer, so it's hard to project him for much more than a 50 percent save share in a deep bullpen for now.
7. Michael Kopech, RP, Dodgers: Should be much lower on the closer depth chart than he was with the White Sox and has a 4.63 ERA, but would it surprise you if the Dodgers unlocked something here? The ninth inning in flux at the moment, so save chances can't be ruled out.
8. Tommy Pham, OF, Cardinals: Earned a move away from the White Sox with a respectable .266/.330/.380 line (102 wRC+) over the first four months, but it's not clear whether he'll be an everyday player in St. Louis.
9. Amed Rosario, 2B/3B/SS/OF, Dodgers: Opportunities had started to dry up in Tampa but should be a heavily-used utility man in Los Angeles. Hit .307 in 76 games but with modest speed (nine steals) and minimal power (two homers).
10. Mark Canha, 1B/OF, Tigers: In Detroit, Canha was the sort of boring everyday player who helps round out a deep-league roster, but the 35-year-old may not have anything more than a role on the short side of a platoon in San Francisco.

Starting Pitcher

Hayden Birdsong, Giants (28%)

The Giants' decision to move Alex Cobb at the deadline opened up a spot for Birdsong to remain in the rotation the rest of the way, and that appears to be the plan, even if he's currently spending a few days on the Single-A San Jose roster. Birdsong owns an 11.9 percent walk rate through his first six big-league starts, but the rest of his numbers are very encouraging, including his 2.97 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 30.2 percent strikeout rate. Don't expect him to suddenly slash that walk rate, as he walked 10.2 percent of the batters he faced in his minor-league career, but he paired that with a 34.5 percent strikeout rate, so don't expect the whiffs to go anywhere, either. FAAB: $7.

Max Meyer, SP, Marlins (38%)

Injuries led to Meyer making the Marlins' Opening Day rotation, and his 2.12 ERA and 0.82 WHIP through three starts looked more than good enough to keep him there, but he wound up being demoted in mid-April as part of an effort to manage his workload in his first year back from Tommy John surgery. It appeared at multiple points (as the Marlins rotation continued to pick up injuries) that Meyer's return was imminent, but it wound up not coming until after the team had stolen a year of service time. (Perhaps we should have seen that coming.) Meyer did nothing special in his first start back, giving up three runs on four hits in four innings against the Brewers on Saturday while striking out three and walking two, but he was one of the best pitchign prospects in baseball prior to his injury and reportedly won't face any workload restrictions the rest of the way. FAAB: $6.

River Ryan, Dodgers (23%)

Ryan is the latest member of a rotating cast of pitching prospects to get an opportunity at the back end of the Dodgers rotation. Through two starts, he's done well, allowing just one earned run on six hits in 11 innings of work, though his 10:6 K:BB leave something to be desired. In 176.1 career innings in the minors, he owns a 3.22 ERA, with a strong 28.5 percent strikeout rate canceling out an elevated 10.1 percent walk rate. How long he sticks around depends on the health of the Dodgers veterans, most notably Walker Buehler (hip), who didn't look good in his first rehab start. Ryan may only make another start or two, but he could also pitch well enough to remain in the rotation until the end of the year, particularly if the Dodgers go with a six-man group to keep workloads down heading into October. FAAB: $2.

Tyler Phillips, Phillies (41%)

Phillips initially seemed like little more than a good story, with the lifelong Phillies fan getting to make his major-league debut for his hometown team as a 26-year-old rookie who'd been toiling away in the minors since 2015. What once seemed like just a spot start for a player who owned a 4.89 ERA in 15 starts at the Triple-A level has become much more, as Phillips followed his six shutout innings against the Pirates on July 21 with a nine-inning shutout against the Guardians on July 27. He's seemingly earned several more starts, especially with Ranger Suarez (back) recently joining Taijuan Walker (finger) and Spencer Turnbull (lat) on the injured list. We shouldn't get too excited given his long track record of mediocrity in the minors, but a 19:2 K:BB in 25 MLB innings is an encouraging start, and the Phillies have been an organization that's been able to improve pitchers by considerable amounts in recent years. FAAB: $2.

Frankie Montas, Brewers (14%)

Shoulder issues limited Montas to a single relief appearance in 2023, and his numbers through 19 starts in 2024 haven't been good. He owns a 5.01 ERA and 1.44 WHIP, with his 4.76 SIERA suggesting that those numbers are largely deserved. He earns a mention here for two reasons. First, changing organizations makes practically any pitcher worth consideration, as the opportunity to work with a new coaching staff with a new set of ideas could lead to an uptick in performance if they manage to make any tweaks. More importantly, though, getting away from Great American Ballpark is a big boost to his projected ratios. FAAB: $1.

Relief Pitcher

Ben Joyce, Angels (30%)
Hunter Strickland, Angels (4%)

I mentioned Joyce last week as the top closer to speculate on, with the Angels unlikely to trade him but quite likely to trade the veterans ahead of him. The situation played out as expected, with Carlos Estevez sent to Philadelphia and Luis Garcia sent to Boston, leaving Joyce as the clear favorite to close over the final two months. Manager Ron Washington said as much prior to the deadline, but then he went to Strickland for the save on Tuesday. Joyce faced the middle third of the order in the eighth inning, so perhaps we're looking at a situation where Joyce is used in the highest-leverage spots while Strickland cleans up the ninth inning in games where Joyce has already pitched. I still have Joyce, with his triple-digit heat and 16-appearance scoreless streak, as the more interesting add, but Strickland is worth a look as well. FAAB: Joyce $5, Strickland $3.

A.J. Puk, Diamondbacks (23%)
Kevin Ginkel, Diamondbacks (21%)
Ryan Thompson, Diamondbacks (7%)

Puk's best shot to close this season appeared to be by staying with the Marlins, as he would have been the likely favorite for the ninth inning following the departure of Tanner Scott. Puk was dealt to Arizona last Thursday and appeared to be set for a setup role, but the door hasn't completely shut on his closing chances. Paul Sewald has allowed runs in three of his last four appearances and has giving up 12 runs in 10 innings dating back to the start of July, and manager Torey Lovullo has said that something is wrong with his delivery. A change, at least a temporary one, appears to be on the cards. The new closer could be the newly-acquired Puk, but it could also be one of his new teammates. Thompson finished the save after Sewald got into a jam on Wednesday and has a 1.81 ERA on the year, while Ginkel recorded five saves while Sewald was hurt earlier in the year and owns a 2.68 ERA. FAAB: $2 for all three.

Calvin Faucher, Marlins (4%)
Andrew Nardi, Marlins (7%)
Anthony Bender, Marlins (1%)

The Marlins cleaned house at the deadline, particularly in the bullpen, moving Tanner Scott, A.J. Puk, Bryan Hoeing, Huascar Brazoban and JT Chargois. Three candidates appear to be the favorites for the closer job down the stretch, though it's likely to be one of the least appealing closer jobs in the league, with the Marlins sitting at 40-68. The usage pattern in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Rays suggests Faucher will get the first shot. Nardi faced a lefty-heavy pocket of the lineup in the sixth inning with a two-run lead, while Bender pitched the eighth with a four-run lead and Faucher got the ninth. Faucher has the best ERA of the trio (2.95) but the worst SIERA (3.78), with Nardi (2.77) and Bender (3.17) well ahead of him in that area. Nardi is the only one with a closer-like strikeout rate (31.8 percent), with Faucher (25.0 percent) and Bender (24.9 percent) merely above-average in that category. FAAB: $2 for Faucher and Nardi, $1 for Bender.

Catcher

Alejandro Kirk, Blue Jays (4%)

The catcher market doesn't always get shaken up as much as other positions at the deadline, with teams hesitant to make their pitching staff adjust to a new battery mate midseason. Danny Jansen's move to Boston was a rare exception, and it should benefit Kirk's fantasy value down the stretch. When both players were at their best, there was room for both of them to be fantasy-viable catchers, with Kirk hitting well enough to earn 49 starts at designated hitter in 2022. This year, he's made zero starts at DH, and with a .239/.305/.321 line and two homers in 213 trips to the plate, he certainly didn't deserve any. He's picked things up recently, though, hitting .372 with just an 8.0 percent strikeout rate over his last 12 games, and with more regular playing time as a true primary catcher down the stretch, he should at least help out your batting average. FAAB: $1.

First Base

Nolan Schanuel, Angels (18%)

Through June 24, Schanuel had accomplished very little at the plate, slashing .220/.300/.34. Since that point, however, he looks like a different hitter, posting a .333/.445/.476 slash line. He's shown excellent plate discipline throughout that stretch, with a 14.8 percent walk rate and 15.6 percent strikeout rate, and he's needed to. His 31.4 percent hard-hit rate over that stretch is quite poor, even if it beat the 25.4 percent hard-hit rate he managed prior to that point. It's an odd profile for a first-baseman, but Schanuel's extreme contact-over-power approach makes him a good fit for teams trailing in batting average but strong in homers to this point. Considering that he's still just 22 years old and played a grand total of 22 minor-league games before making his big-league debut last year, there's reason to believe he has plenty of improvement ahead of him. FAAB: $2.

Ty France, Reds (5%)

France recently experienced one of the best possible trades in terms of park-factor changes, leaving a pitchers' paradise in Seattle for one of the most hitter-friendly parks in the league in Cincinnati. He's also found himself on a team that will be without primary first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand for the rest of the year. In theory, the stars have all aligned for France to get back to being the player who produced a 128 wRC+ from 2020 to 2022. His wRC+ slipped to 104 last year and 95 this season before he was designated for assignment and traded, however, and the Reds didn't start him in either of their first two games since his arrival, so it's possible his impact the rest of the way is minimal. FAAB: $1.

Second Base

Jackson Holliday, Orioles (66%)

He quickly shot past the 50-percent threshold after being recalled Wednesday, but Holliday deserves a write-up here and should be instantly added anywhere he's still available. The fresh-faced infielder is one of the best prospects in baseball, but he's also only 20 years old, so it shouldn't have been too big of a surprise when he struck out in half of his plate appearances in a 10-game cup of coffee back in April and was promptly sent back down. He proceeded to hit .259/.421/.455 for Triple-A Norfolk over the next three months and earned a return to the majors following Jorge Mateo's elbow injury. In his first game back, he hit a grand slam. Holliday's minor-league numbers suggest we shouldn't expect big power just yet, and his eight steals in 73 Triple-A games don't hint at blazing speed either, but he's a well-rounded player with huge potential who should play everyday as part of a great lineup down the stretch. FAAB $8.

Miguel Vargas, White Sox (2%)

Vargas is a bat-first prospect who's hit just .196/.289/.356 through his first 131 MLB games. That's the sort of player who often winds up earning the Quad-A label. Then again, Vargas is still just 24 years old, and there are elements of his game that are entirely adequate already. Both his 10.9 percent career walk rate and 21.0 percent career strikeout rate are better than average, for example. If he can get his 6.1 percent barrel rate up to league average (7.9 percent), he'll be a solidly above-average hitter. That's the upside here, and the fact that he's now competing for playing time with Nick Senzel and Gavin Sheets instead of Freddie Freeman and Shohei Ohtani should give him a much better shot of reaching that upside. FAAB: $6 

Third Base

 Whit Merrifield, Braves (7%)

Merrifield elected to sign as a bench player on a contender in Philadelphia this past winter rather than trying to get a starting job for a lesser team. A reserve role didn't seem to suit him, as he was cut loose in mid-July after hitting .199/.277/.295 in 53 games. He's since landed with another contender in Atlanta, but he'll have a temporary starting role this time around with Ozzie Albies out with a fractured wrist. (Rookie Nacho Alvarez got a brief chance to replace Albies but struggled and was sent back to the minors.) Merrifield doesn't have much left in his bat at this point, as he last posted a wRC+ above 93 back in 2020, but he can still run, swiping two bags and getting caught once already in just two games for Atlanta. As long as he hits enough to keep playing, he'll run enough to help fantasy teams. FAAB: $3.

Shortstop

Tommy Edman, Dodgers (28%)

Edman remains on the injured list as he works his way back from wrist surgery, a procedure he underwent back in October and one which wasn't originally expected to keep him out nearly this long. He's eight games into a rehab assignment, however, and his inclusion in the three-team Dodgers/Cardinals/White Sox deal indicates that at least one organization has confidence in his health going forward. Edman likely still needs another week or two to recover, which could make him a poor fit for teams in need of immediate help, but he's a very capable all-around player whose best fantasy asset (speed) shouldn't be affected by a wrist issue. He may not be a true everyday player in Los Angeles, but a heavily-used utility role à la peak Chris Taylor could be in the cards. FAAB: $8.

Outfield

Austin Hays, Phillies (7%)

Hays has been a solid starting outfielder for several years, posting a wRC+ between 102 and 112 for four straight years with the Orioles while playing good defense. That was worth as much as 2.5 fWAR as recently as last season, but he slipped into the short-side of a platoon this year even while continuing to perform at a similar level, passed over by a group of talented young players in Baltimore. He couldn't have asked for a much better outcome at the deadline, as he's found himself with another World Series contender, this time one which had a clear need in the outfield. The plan appears to be for Hays to play everyday in left, pushing Brandon Marsh into a platoon with Johan Rojas in center. FAAB: $5.

Kyle Stowers, Marlins (1%)

Stowers and Connor Norby were dealt from Baltimore to Miami in a surprisingly strong return for Trevor Rogers. Stowers once had a reasonable amount of prospect pedigree, but he'd been blocked in a crowded Orioles outfield and spent the bulk of this season at Triple-A Norfolk, where he hit .240/.322/.555 with 18 homers in 58 games. He should spend the rest of the year in the majors following the move and should at least fill the large side of a platoon in right field. Stowers may be a 26-year-old with a .224/.267/.360 career slash line in 68 MLB games, but he has the potential to be more than that if he can finally settle into a regular role. FAAB: $3. 

Dylan Carlson, Rays (0%)

Do you like narratives? Carlson is on the right side of a couple of powerful ones at the moment, as he gets the mythical ex-Cardinals outfielder boost that catapulted the likes of Randy Arozarena, Adolis Garcia and Marcell Ozuna to stardom and also finds himself with the Rays, an organization famous for its ability to get the most out of its players. Put a player who was formerly one of the top prospects in baseball and who's still just 25 years old in that situation, and the temptation to dream becomes quite strong. But we're also talking about a player who's hit .194/.270/.234 with zero homers and zero steals in 60 games this season and who may not have more than a short-side platoon role with his new team, so he's best viewed as little more than a lottery ticket. FAAB $1.