A look at the MLB standings as of Friday showed a total of 14 teams all within five games of a playoff spot, and two more within seven. That means there will be a lot more buyers on the trade market than ever before.
The Angels threw their hats into the ring by refusing to trade Shohei Ohtani and adding pitching help, and we expect a lot more to do the same.
How does that help in your quest to win a fantasy baseball championship? Knowing that a team is “going for it” this year means they are looking to upgrade their roster, which means some of your fantasy players could be on their way out.
We all know the Dodgers are looking to make a big splash at the deadline, and rumor has Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado is in their sights.
Should the Dodgers acquire him, they would move Max Muncy to second base and put Mookie Betts back into center field. When that happens, role players fantasy managers have been using — such as James Outman, Chris Taylor or David Peralta — will be rendered useless.
The Orioles are unlikely to go into a playoff run with their current infield intact.
White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson is on the market, which could mean Baltimore’s Adam Frazier or Ramon Urias may be in danger of losing at-bats, since rookie Gunnar Henderson would be moved back to third base with the potential acquisition.
Frazier and Urias have been fairly strong supporting cast members on a number of fantasy teams throughout the first half of the season.
The Diamondbacks and Brewers could upgrade their infields, the Yankees and Astros need to upgrade their outfields and a variety of teams —the Reds, Guardians and Rangers — want to upgrade their starting pitching.
What you need to do as a fantasy manager is figure out which players on your team are most vulnerable to losing at-bats or starts when their MLB teams trade for upgrades. Your role players are extremely important down the stretch, so filling holes on your starting roster and rebuilding your bench right now is vital to your success.
The trade deadline is Tuesday, which means your next set of waiver claims will be made before all the last-minute deals happen.
Stay on top of all the latest rumors, assess which of your players could be either on the move or primed to be replaced and formulate your waiver game plan for the next two weeks accordingly.
Proactive fantasy managers always come out ahead of reactive ones.
Howard Bender is the head of content at FantasyAlarm.com Follow him on Twitter @rotobuzzguy and catch him on the award-winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel weekdays from 6-8 p.m. Go to Fantasy-Alarm.com for all your fantasy baseball advice.
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