Roto Riteup: July 31, 2016

The Mariners play on Sunday Night Baseball today for the first time in over a decade, and King Felix takes the hill on the big stage. That is newsworthy, so we’re reporting it here on the Roto Riteup.

On the agenda:
1. Mark Melancon to the Nats
2. Matt Kemp to the Braves
3. Streaming Pitcher Options

Mark Melancon to the Nats
The Nationals have been looking for a bullpen upgrade, and the Pirates have obliged them, sending their closer to Washington in exchange for lefty reliever Felipe Rivero and southpaw starter Taylor Hearn. Melancon’s peripherals have certainly showed the signs for aging, but his resulting numbers have not. Melancon will be a free agent after the year, and watching to see who will overpay will be the best of times.

Rivero is a flamethrowing reliever who worked his way to a sub-3.00 ERA and a pair of saves last year, but the BABIP gods haven’t been so kind in 2016, and his ERA now sits above 4.50. The Pirates have success with developing left-handed relievers, and Rivero could be the next to dominate. Hearn is a large man, standing 6-feet-5-inches tall, and you can’t teach that. He was moderately successful in short-season A-ball last year after being drafted, and he’s struck out almost a third of the batters he’s faced this year. While he doesn’t have a changeup to go with his big fastball and good slider, he could still make the rotation sometime in 2018 if all goes well. If not, he’ll be another fireballing reliever to add to the back of the bullpen.

Matt Kemp to the Braves
Kemp will not get a chance to finish out his second season in San Diego, as he’s been dealt to Atlanta in exchange for Hector Olivera. In his year-and-a-half in San Diego, Kemp was able to be an above-average hitter, and a solid fantasy asset. This year, he’s already matched his power output from 2015, though he has yet to even attempt to steal a base. Atlanta’s not any friendlier for right-handed homers, the lineup around him isn’t significantly better or worse, and he stays in the same league; all-in-all, there’s not much to report around Kemp moving this year.

Olivera signed a $62+ million dollar contract with the Dodgers last year, and he was moved to the Dodgers in the Alex Wood trade. Olivera hasn’t played much this year due to his domestic violence suspension, and the Padres have indicated their intention to DFA the left fielder upon arrival. Olivera may catch on somewhere on a minor league deal, but don’t expect him to see the field again this season.

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Streaming Pitcher Options
If you enjoy streaming pitchers or play DFS, tune into the Roto Riteup for recommendations each and every day.

A pitcher for today: Jerad Eickhoff at ATL (TBD)
If my boy Eickhoff is available or won’t come cheap, Jarred Cosart’s first start in San Diego could be interesting.

A pitcher for tomorrow: Logan Verrett vs NYY (CC Sabathia)
Verrett hasn’t been great recently, but he’s been good enough to handle a Yankees squad away from their unconstitutional bandbox.