Author Archive

The Sleeper and the Bust Episode: 1527 – Trade Deadline Aftermath

8/3/26

The latest episode of “The Sleeper and the Bust” is live!

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YOUTUBE

TEAM-BY-TEAM TRADE DEADLINE AFTERMATH

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Starting Pitcher Chart – August 4th, 2026

Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Welcome to the Daily SP Chart, click here if you’re new to get an idea of what I’m doing with these rankings.

I’m wiped after a pair of Trade Deadline shows (with Nick Pollack here and then a Sleeper & The Best ep. that should be up by the morning for audio and can be watched here) so I’ll drop some comments in the morning!

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Starting Pitcher Chart – August 3rd, 2026

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Welcome to the Daily SP Chart, click here if you’re new to get an idea of what I’m doing with these rankings.

  • I willing to take a shot on Javier after the excellent 5 IP relief appearance thanks to the good TOR matchup. He’s an even easier start for me in weekly leagues with a trip to SDP on the weekend.
  • Pfaadt is surging since his return w/a 1.85 ERA/1.06 WHIP in six starts, running up a beautiful 5-0 record in the process. The cold water comes when we see just a 10% K-BB during this run. I’m still running him today because of the matchup but I don’t think he’s fully emerged from his previous troubles with this run. He’s still toting a 200-pt OPS platoon split as lefties remain a major hurdle. Until we see significant improvement there, it’s hard to see any run as a real breakout.
  • Boyd is rolling so I’m sticking w/him even v. LAD!
  • Taking anyone into Coors is always fraught and Seymour is hardly an ace, but I’m OK taking the shot here.
  • None of the 3 1-x’ers are close to a must start. In fact, they’re all probably “half” x’s for me as I can see taking a chance on talented-but-inconsistent pitchers. Be very careful with them!

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The Sleeper and the Bust Episode: 1526 – 2-Start Pitchers for Week 20

7/31/26

The latest episode of “The Sleeper and the Bust” is live!

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YOUTUBE

2-START PITCHERS FOR WK20 (July 31st)

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Starting Pitcher Chart – July 31st, 2026

Welcome to the Daily SP Chart, click here if you’re new to get an idea of what I’m doing with these rankings.

  • Imanaga is rolling to the point where I’d probably start him against a fully powered Yankees team, but it’s super easy to feel confident in him against the hobbled version of NYY.
  • Could this be Greene’s final start as a Red? They’re getting a lot of heat on him and it wouldn’t be crazy to trade him now that Burns has emerged as the heir apparent ace.
  • Suarez was limited to just 64 pitches off the IL, but dropped 4 scoreless with 6 Ks, 0 BB; should be able to get through 5 if he’s pitching well v. LAD.
  • Leahy has been electric lately so maybe I should’ve given him a 3-x today: 1.70 ERA/0.92 WHIP/19% K-BB over his L7.
  • Young has allowed more than 3 ER just 2x this year and both times it was just 4. The skills don’t scream low-3.00s ERA with just an 11% K-BB and a 1.29 WHIP.
  • I’m fine if you don’t even want to start Peralta in 15s. He’s just been so bad.
  • Peralta/Mize scratched due to trade interest; Yamamoto moved to tomorrow

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Starting Pitcher Chart – July 30th, 2026

Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome to the Daily SP Chart, click here if you’re new to get an idea of what I’m doing with these rankings. (Yellow text added in AM)

  • Pérez not only keeps dropping gems, but super gems! He has 4 straight QS, going 7 IP in two of ’em and allowing a total of 5 ER across 26 IP. He has come out of the other end of that injury looking as good as ever.
  • I gave Hancock the full reco at LAD so I’m definitely doing the same for Miller, who has been even better. Hancock was just OK at 5 IP/3 ER/5 Ks with 9 base runners. Miller has been hit in 2 of 3, both of the road, underscoring his gaudy venue-based ERA split: 0.95 at home | 4.02 on the road. He still has a healthy 18% K-BB and 1.14 WHIP on the road so even if we get a baseline QS (6 IP/3 ER), we’d be happy.
  • Burke has had a wonderful season that has hit another level in the summer with an electric K% surge over his L11: 2.49 ERA/1.04 WHIP/24% K-BB, powered by a 33% K rate.
  • I don’t think I’m sitting Gray at ATH as he’s just been so good this year. I’m trying not to let Sandoval’s gem influence me (5 IP/2 ER/7 Ks) and instead leaning on Gray for his merit.
  • Ray is running super hot right now, posting a 1.04 ERA in his L7 despite his WHIP being even higher at 1.18 and a truly poor K-BB of just 9%. That said, SDP doesn’t seem like the team to issue him some regression on those paltry skills so he remains firmly entrenched in the rotation.
  • Sasaki and Weathers seem to be Gem or Dud every time with no rhyme or reason to which is coming when. 
  • Woo in for Miller and his home/road splits are enough to pull outta this entirely for me. 
  • Eovaldi out with Cole Winn opening & Marco Gonzales (yes, that one!) following! 

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Paul Sporer’s Baseball Chat – July 29th, 2026

Thanks for coming out!

1:18

Paul Sporer: Pardon my lateness!! I had a commitment that was well-timed to get me home right in time for the chat assuming no delays… big assumption! Anyway, I’m here now and we can push past 2 pm CT to cover.

1:20

JoeG414: Good Afternoon Paul.  12T Roto Yahoo yearly Innings limit. Wesneski on the IL as a stash. If he pitches well today , activate him for next week / drop Baz.. Or is Clay Holmes a better stash. Thanks

1:23

Paul Sporer: I love Wesneski, but I think Holmes is the better stash. Wes has looked great in his rehab and he might be one of those guys gets through the summer right after TJ (as with Bradish last year) without showing the standard inconsistency of TJ returners. I’m skeptical, though, just bc so few TJ returners pull the Bradish run (and his was 6 starts, this is 2+ mos. so it’s not even a great comp anyway as we saw w/time at the outset of this year that Bradish suffered through many standard TJ return issues). Holmes has pitched and pitched well this year and I think he can be even more exciting if he’s traded.

1:23

henrywilson: Hey Paul! As a Tigers fan, do you think Skubal will be shipped out?

Even as a Red Sox fan, I would really love to see the Rays push some chips in and go get him.

1:27

Paul Sporer: If they hold on today and then sweep tomorrow, I really don’t see it as they’d be leapfrogging their nearest competitor and could be 1 gm out depending on how others in front of them do. It is tough not to see them as the best team in the AL cluster. Maybe 2nd to Seattle, who are also underachieving. I know there’s a risk of getting just the comp pick for Skubal but I’m not gonna be mad if they polish off this series (it’s feeling good at 7-0… btw, I originally mixed up the gm count and though yesterday was game 1 of the set — today it he rubber match) and then go out to ATH and take 2 of 3 and keep Skubal for the push.

They didn’t just hit a 2-wk streak, they’ve been one of the best goin since June 1st, that’s almost as much time as they were shitty. And truly, only May was bad (6-22). Anyway, long way to say, keep him!! Barring a meltdown here that leads to like 4-5 straight Ls, ride w/him & add pieces!!

1:27

JoeG414: Follow up.    Wesneski- if pitches well today ) or Baz ?

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Starting Pitcher Chart – July 29th, 2026

Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Welcome to the Daily SP Chart, click here if you’re new to get an idea of what I’m doing with these rankings.

  • Pardon me on a few straight morning posts instead of late night. I hit the movies for first time in quite some time last night so I was home late & crashed. We’ll get back on track w/the posts up at night even if the commentary comes in the morning.

3-x

  • It’s been a rough month for Webb, starting with a Coors Dud followed by one bad inning in each of his L3 despite going at least 6 in all of them. This all comes after a truly brilliant June (.71 ERA) and I’m just not moved to take him out of any lineups, even with a tough matchup against MIL.
  • I definitely didn’t see Hancock becoming an unquestioned must start arm this year and yet, he’s resided there for most of the year. He could soon be traded, but it likely won’t be by today’s game so if this is his last start as a Mariner, hopefully he can go out with a bang!
  • Drohan ate his first Dud of the year, allowing 5 ER to COL at home which is tough, but he’s been found money for fantasy managers so we can afford him a bad one even in a great matchup.
  • Seymour’s ERA (4.64) has kept him from being an unquestioned waiver wire gem. However, since he’s been stretched out into a starter (or full-outing-follower, as he’ll get an Opener again today for the second straight start after four traditional ones), he has 4.27 ERA/1.02 WHIP/24% K-BB. I’ll gladly take an elevated ERA for the elite WHIP and fantastic supporting skills.

2-x

  • 3 interesting lefties populating the 2-x tier today, all of whom could drop 7 scoreless or be out in the 3rd inning with 5-6 runs on their ledger. Sure, that probably describes most pitchers on a given day, but these three have been particularly volatile which keeps them from being rotation locks.

1-x

  • Martin still has strong season long numbers, powered by an MLB-best 0.5 HR9, but two mega Duds in June (6 ER at MIN, 9 at NYY) have dimmed confidence in him. He has a less awful 4.02 ERA in his L6 since that June Swoon, but paired with a 1.51 WHIP and meager 3% K-BB, we have to be a lot more selective about his starts. I’m not fully out on a start v. the hobbled Yankees, he just far from the set-it-and-forget guy he had become for a time.
  • Yesavage simply hasn’t broken out as many thought he could this year and I have no problem skipping starts v. WAS with just about any non-ace so I’m fine skipping him here.
  • AJSS and Wesneski are both debuting off major injuries so while I really like both long-term, my expectations for today and even the remainder of this season are tempered. We’ve seen guys pop off upon return showing few ill effects from their injuries (remember Kyle Bradish last year?) so I’m not ignoring them on the FA landscape, just being very realistic about the extremely wide range of potential outcomes for guys like this.
  • A rare Rockies reco as Hughes catches the putrid SDP lineup on the road. He’s been solid in four starts, three in Coors, so I’m happy to take some road shots and might even consider a Coors start in right matchup.

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Starting Pitcher Chart – July 28th, 2026

William Liang-Imagn Images

Welcome to the Daily SP Chart, click here if you’re new to get an idea of what I’m doing with these rankings.

 

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Starting Pitcher Chart – July 27th, 2026

Welcome to the Daily SP Chart, click here if you’re new to get an idea of what I’m doing with these rankings.

  • I just rebuilt the board since Cole was switched out for Fried in addition to the Chandler/Keller switch.
  • Thornton has been strong in 4 starts with at least 6 IP in the last 3. The Mets stink hasn’t infected him yet.
  • It’s been a rollercoaster, but if you just held your way through Bradish’s ups and downs, you’ve gotten 20 starts of 3.49 ERA/1.32 WHIP with 110 Ks and 7 Ws. I won’t pretend that WHIP isn’t painful and he’s still not paying off the Top 25 SP price tag he had at the draft table but he’s certainly not sinking your season.
  • Montero returned to the rotation with a gem in Wrigley (5.3 IP/1 ER/8 Ks!) and his .229 BABIP seemingly has some regression coming, but we’ve been saying that all year and he just keeps plugging along. His weekend trip to ATH could be a major regression start so let’s be careful with that one.
  • Ureña, like Montero, is running super hot with skills that don’t really support his tiny ERA (10% K-BB, 2.78 ERA) but we have seen more consistent bat-missing lately with 42 Ks in his last 43 IP. Similar to Montero, he also has a tougher matchup on the weekend (v. MIL) that make the weekly play a bit of a tougher choice.
  • Chandler’s lack of control makes him risky regardless of matchup, but I do like that he’s facing an ARI team that has struggled vR all year. It’s Keller, not Chandler… and I’m probably a bit less interested in Keller, but I can still see against this ARI offense. Y’all know I’m not the biggest Keller fan, though.
  • Rocker and Sproat have been maddeningly inconsistent and likely will remain so this year. Rocker has weirdly been better on the road despite TEX being a great spot to pitch. Sproat, meanwhile, gets a trip to SFG which is always a nice spot but he brings a measure of risk every time out.
  • Peterson & Perez are mostly full week plays for me as I’d take on their 2-steps in medium or deeper leagues. Neither inspire a ton of confidence, especially for a one-off start, but getting the pair in a weekly setup increases my interest in them.
  • Schultz gets an NYY team that is 30th vL in the last month, so don’t let that Judge-infused full season 9th ranking mislead you here. They can still clip a guy even without Judge, but this is exactly the kind of spot where you can stream a Schultz type.
  • Imai’s Duds have consistently erased his good starts every time he strings a couple together. I still think we run him in a decent number of spots against this LAA offense, but we’ve seen clearly this year that matchup doesn’t matter for him. When he’s on, he can get anyone and when he’s off, he’s susceptible against any team.
  • Scherzer and Kelly head on the road for remarkably difficult matchups while Perkins is just unusable in his home park (7.41 ERA/1.56 WHIP). I can’t find spots for any of ’em.

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