Roto Riteup: August 1, 2023

Sliding into August like:

"It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Austin Hays!" pic.twitter.com/oiGNu8ZOf5

— MLB (@MLB) August 1, 2023

On the Agenda: 

1. Sleeper and the Bust DK Contest
2. Closer Chaos
3. Trades and Rumors!
4. Quick Hits
5. Various News and Notes
6. Streaming Pitchers

 

Sleeper and the Bust DK Contest

On most Tuesday’s and Friday’s and some other days, Paul Sporer and I will be doing a $5 draftkings game for anyone that is interested. 

 

Closer Chaos

The Diamondbacks traded Josh Rojas, Ryan Bliss and Dominic Canzone to the Mariners for Paul Sewald. The Diamondbacks were looking to add to their bullpen and they found their man. It is likely Sewald takes over the closer role moving forward. Both Canzone and Rojas are likely headed to AAA for now. 

Trades!

The Diamondbacks also added Jace Peterson from the A’s on Monday. He likely serves as a utility player for Arizona. 

The Reds acquired Sam Moll from the A’s on Monday. He likely does not have much fantasy value moving forward. 

The Cubs acquired Jeimer Candelario from the Nationals on Monday. Candelario was widely speculated as a trade candidate and he returns to the Cubs to man third base there. This will likely push Patrick Wisdom to the bench.

The Brewers acquired Mark Canha from the Mets in exchange for Justin Jarvis. This is a great landing spot for Canha as he moves from Citi Field which was 19th in home run factors to American Family Field which was 11th. He should play regularly as the DH and in the outfield. 

The Giants acquired AJ Pollock and Mark Mathias from the Mariners for a player to be named later. This is an underwhelming move for the Giants, but just adds depth as they recently lost Mike Yaztremski to the IL. Pollock who has been on the IL is expected to be activated on Tuesday. 

The Rays acquired Aaron Civale from the Guardians for Kyle Manzardo on Monday. This was the shocker deal of the day as not many people expected Manzardo to be on the block. This is a great move for both as Tampa is a great place to pitch and the Rays have been great at maximizing their pitchers and Manzardo goes from being blocked in Tampa to having a clear path to playing time next year for the Guardians. 

Quick Hits
Bo Bichette left Monday’s game with a knee injury.

Bo Bichette has left the game with an apparent leg injury after rounding first base. pic.twitter.com/rFsZWMxvZ3

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) August 1, 2023

He is expected to undergo further testing on Tuesday. Consider him day-to-day for now.

Justin Turner left Monday’s game with a heel issue. Consider him day-to-day at this time.

 

Various News and Notes
Cal Raleigh went 2-for-4 with two home runs in the victory over the Red Sox on Monday.

Cal Raleigh's second homer of the night puts the @Mariners ahead. pic.twitter.com/SNnAZYVXGk

— MLB (@MLB) August 1, 2023

Raleigh has been pretty putrid this year, but he is hitting .282 with five home runs in 47 at bats since the break. He is on a heater and while the batting average will be up and down, there is a ton of power in the bat.
Noah Syndergaard threw 5.1 innings on Monday versus the Astros, allowing just one run on two hits and two walks in the no-decision. He had zero strikeouts in the outing and left the game after being hit with a comebacker. While the line was good overall, he was unimpressive, getting just two swinging strikes in the entire outing. If anyone thinks this is a sign of a turnaround, they are mistaken.

Randal Grichuk went 1-for-4 with a home run in the victory over the Braves on Monday.

Randall Grichuk if you are going to wear that 15 you better be a STUD. 😤💪🏼Angels debut 14 years in the making and he hits a homer. Ain’t life crazy? #GoHalos pic.twitter.com/PBMgSLSSpC

— Jay the One & Only (@Js4424) August 1, 2023

Grichuk had a nice debut for the Halos, but he also struck out three times. He is likely to play regularly and if he hits, then he could keep that playing once Mike Trout returns from the IL. The Angels have been very active at the trade deadline and it has worked well thus far.

 

Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% in CBS)

Pitcher for Today: Jose Quintana at KC

Quintana has pitched well in his return and now gets a really great start to a two start week. 

High Risk Options: Johan Oviedo vs DET, Ben Lively at CHC, Matt Manning at PIT, Hyun-Jin Ryu vs BAL. 

Pitcher for Tomorrow:  Kutter Crawford at SEA

Crawford has pitched very well in his last few starts and now gets a Mariners team that looks like sellers. 

High Risk Options: Wade Miley at WAS, Brandon Williamson at CHC. 

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 my recommended pitchers. It does not include the “High Risk Options.”