Roto Riteup: July 31, 2012

Today is trade deadline day, so what better way to prepare than a new episode of the Roto Riteup? Let’s spend today going over some of the players that could be moved today. (If one of them gets traded during the night, blame yourselves, not me). Use the information to help inform any of your trade talks, especially when a player may be switching leagues.

• Odds that Ryan Dempster will make his scheduled start tonight? I say 5%. If you have someone to replace him in your lineup today, slide him in. He’ll be a Dodger by the end of the day.

• Shane Victorino is a strong candidate to be dealt, and it looks like the Reds have placed him on the top of their list. Unfortunately, Victorino won’t get the boost that most hitters do when they move to Cincy.

• Brandon League will most certainly be traded by today’s deadline, and chances are he’ll be going to the NL West. The Giants and Dodgers are both said to be hot on the trail.

• Speaking of the Giants, they’ll be looking to acquire a late-inning reliever, whether it be League or somebody else. Santiago Casilla could lose out on saves should Brian Sabean pull the trigger.

• Expect Jonathan Broxton to be traded by the end of the day. The Royals swooped him up with a nice one-year deal, so they’ll be wanting to flip him for some minor leaguers and allow the youngsters to nail down the ninth inning.

• On the other side of the coin, guys like Josh Johnson and Chase Headley will likely be staying put for now. That’s probably good for JJ owners, but it’s certainly not good for owners of Headley.

• Hunter Pence is on the block, but his status is completely up in the air. Don’t be surprised if he winds up somewhere like Pittsburgh, as the Pirates are looking to improve their offense in both the short and long term.

For those of you who play daily fantasy games like FanGraphs: The Game, or just like to stream players, here are a couple matchups you may be able to exploit.

A Pitcher for Today: Aaron Laffey at SEA
Laffey is returning to Seattle, where right-handers will have a hard time taking advantage of mistakes.

A Pitcher for Tomorrow: Josh Collmenter at LAD
Collmenter has been pretty solid in his recent starts — just ignore the last one — and getting him away from the home is a treat.

A Hitter for Today: Todd Frazier vs SD (Jason Marquis)
Really, any Reds’ hitter is a good option for today against Marquis.