Roto Riteup: April 8, 2022

What a great start to the season!

BEER! #walkoff pic.twitter.com/aD4tEfjOex

— MLB (@MLB) April 8, 2022

 

On the Agenda: 

1. Trades!
2. Closer Chaos
3. Quick Hits
4. Various News and Notes
5. Streaming Pitchers

 

Trades!

The Padres traded Chris Paddack and Emilio Pagan to the Twins for Brent Rooker and Taylor Rogers. This trade came together pretty quickly and Padres manager Bob Melvin stated that Rogers is the closer moving forward in San Diego. It will be interesting to see who becomes the closer in Minnesota, with Pagan, Tyler Duffey and Jorge Alcala being the in play, but it could become a committee, at least initially. Rooker was optioned to AAA after the trade. 

Bradley Zimmer was traded to the Blue Jays for Anthony Castro. With Steven Kwan debuting and performing well, Zimmer became expendable. He becomes a reserve outfielder that will need an injury to become relevant again. 

Closer Chaos

According to manager Alex Cora, the Red Sox don’t have a set closer as of now. This is somewhat surprising news, but also not considering how bad Matt Barnes has looked in spring. This will be a committee for now, but someone could emerge, like Barnes, Garrett Whitlock or Hansel Robles. 

David Robertson threw a scoreless ninth inning to log his first save of the season in the Cubs win over the Brewers. Robertson looked like a vintage version of himself in this one and Rowan Wick struggled in the eighth to the point where the Cubs brought in Mychal Givens in to clean up the mess. Robertson seems to be the guy, but hopefully we get more information before FAAB runs again. 

Scott Barlow threw two scoreless innings versus the Guardians to log the win on Thursday. Barlow entered the eighth of a tied game and was able to get through the inning so quickly that he was able to come back in the ninth to finish it off. However, he struggled before closing it out and with Josh Staumont and Jake Brentz having already pitched, if they needed to bring someone else in, it likely would have been Dylan Coleman. This seems like a fluid situation and Coleman may be a sneaky pick up for deeper leagues.  

Tony Santillian recorded a perfect inning versus the Braves to record the saves for the Reds. Well, this is not what many expected. Santillian was competing for a rotation spot, but he ended up getting the first save for the Reds. This has the feeling of a committee, but we need more information before we know what is going on. 

 

Quick Hits

Taylor Ward was placed on the IL with a groin strain. There is no timetable for his return at this time. However, manager Joe Maddon stated on  Thursday that once he comes back, he expects Ward to be a full time player. This is interesting news because it means that either Jo Adell or Brandon Marsh (or both) are not full time players if Ward is. 

​Ke’Bryan Hayes left Thursday’s game with a thumb injury after this play.

Ke'Bryan Hayes injured his wrist on this play and had to exit the game a few batters later

He just signed the largest contract in Pirates history today pic.twitter.com/SKQc7ipDHf

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 7, 2022

Hayes stated after the game that it was just a cramp and he hopes to resume playing this weekend. Consider him day-to-day for now. Diego Castillo is likely to play if Hayes misses time.

Yoan Moncada was placed on the Il with an oblique strain. This came out of nowhere which is frustrating. He is expected to miss three weeks, but typically this type of injury takes 4-6 weeks to recover from.

Mickey Moniak was placed on the IL with a wrist fracture. This is disappointing as Moniak had a great spring and might have been in line for a full time role in Philly. Matt Vierling is expected to be the starter in center field.

Patrick Sandoval will not start today and has switched spots in the rotation with Reid Detmers. Sandoval had some soreness after his most recent spring start so the Angels want to give him more time, but they insist he’s fine. Definitely something to monitor.

Pete Alonso left Thursday’s game after being hit with a pitch in the head. Consider him day-to-day for now.

 

Various News and Notes
C.J. Abrams officially made the San Diego Padres roster on Thursday. However, he did not play in Thursday’s game versus the Diamondbacks. Abrams is one of the top prospects in baseball hitting .296/.363/.420 with two home runs and 13 stolen bases in 2021. He is very young, but there is a ton of talent in the bat and even if he struggles, he should run a fair amount. He is a must pick up in all leagues.

Tylor Megill threw five scoreless innings, allowing three hits and no walks while striking out six in the victory over the Nationals.

Tylor Megill, 98mph ⛽️ pic.twitter.com/6Xq39RjNQK

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 8, 2022

Megill was electric, especially with his changeup and slider while pumping 96 with the fastball. Megill was able to stay composed and dial it up and back when needed. He is a must pick up if available in your league.

 

Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% in CBS)

Pitcher for Today: Merrill Kelly 켈리 vs SD

Kelly looked good to close out spring and I don’t fear San Diego as much without Tatis. 

High Risk Options: Reid Detmers vs HOU

 

Pitcher for Tomorrow: Miles Mikolas vs PIT.

I will stream against Pittsburgh a lot this season, especially while O’Neill Cruz is still in the minor and Hayes is hurt. 

High Risk Options: Mitch Keller at STL.

 

For those of you that would like to see how these picks play out, I have a doc I put together to track the stats from the recommended pitchers. It does not include the “High Risk Options.”