The Daily Grind: Trade Foibles, May, Nicolino, Rosario

Agenda

1. A Trade Story
2. Daily DFS – Simon
3. Tomorrow’s Targets – May, Nicolino, Rosario, Rajai
4. Factor Grid

1. A Trade Story

I’ve not had much luck with trades this year. The best one I pulled off – a$43-to-keep Jose Bautista for $8-to-keep Jorge Soler – has gone sideways. I might rather keep Bautista at this point, and I’d certainly welcome his production. However, yesterday marked a new low in rejected trades.

I offered to trade Carlos Martinez for Cameron Maybin in one league. Martinez is pitching well, but it’s a redraft league and I have more than enough pitching. I need stolen bases. In a separate redraft league, I offered Maybin for Martinez. In that league, I have Maybin sharing time with Christian Yelich and Gregory Polanco. I’m also 30 innings below pace.

Given that I offered both sides of the same trade, you would think that at least one of them would be accepted. Probably exactly one of them. Alas, not only were the trades immediately rejected (with stunning rapidity), they were both accompanied with the always lovely “are you kidding?” line. I’ve been hearing that a lot lately.

Both owners did have reason to reject the trades – they weren’t perfectly crafted offers for either of them. The players involved are also subject to wildly varying expectations – especially Maybin.

2. Daily DFS – Simon

Yesterday’s Grind

Early: Eight games are early. The contest includes Jacob deGrom versus the hapless Brewers. Really, why would you go elsewhere for pitching (probably because he’s expensive!).

If you’re comfortable fading deGrom, try going with Alfredo Simon against the White Sox. We all expect regression from Simon, but this is still a solid matchup. On his good days, he’ll pitch eight innings while inducing weak ground ball contact. Going cheap should give you a chance to use Paul Goldschmidt at Coors Field.

Late: Only three games are late. It’s an interesting group of pitchers. The best is A.J. Burnett against the Reds at PNC Park. The worst is Adam Warren versus the Astros at Minute Maid Park. There isn’t much separation between your six options. Houston is the best location for power.

Stack Targets: Doug Fister, Matt Wisler, Rubby de la Rosa, Jorge de la Rosa, Carlos Frias, Taylor Jungmann, Colby Lewis

3. Tomorrow’s Targets – May, Nicolino, Rosario, Rajai

Pitchers to Start: Trevor May has magically halved his walk rate this season. The result is a 3.09 FIP and 4.03 ERA. With 7.94 K/9, he’s useful against the right opponent. The Brewers are indeed the right opponent. He should be able to defeat Kyle Lohse.

Also consider: Wei-Yin Chen

Pitchers to Exploit: Justin Nicolino threw seven shutout innings in his debut. He’ll face a Dodgers offense that has underperformed against lefties. Those look like reasons to use Nicolino, but I still count him as an exploit. He’s a contact oriented pitcher. I fully expect the Dodgers to feature above average offense against southpaws going forward. They have too many good platoon bats.

Also consider: Nick Martinez, Rick Porcello, Alex Colome, Lohse, Nate Eovaldi, Robbie Ray

Hitters (power): Today, I’ll spread some general awareness about Eddie Rosario. He’s an aggressive hitter who currently has a grip upon the two-slot in the Twins lineup. He has some power, some speed, and shoddy plate discipline. His second base and outfield eligibility is useful. Overall, he’s a mediocre player in a good role.

Also consider: Brad Miller, Seth Smith, Preston Tucker, Jason Castro, David DeJesus, Justin Turner, Alex Guerrero, Scott Van Slyke, Mike Aviles, Giovanny Urshela

Hitters (speed): It’s a Rajai Davis day against Jose Quintana. It’s a typical super hero story. By day, he’s a weak hitting pinch runner. But when a lefty takes the hill, he turns into Jason Kipnis. Except right-handed. Right-handed Jason Kipnis.

Also consider: Angel Pagan, Brock Holt, Adam Eaton

4. The Factor Grid

The table below indicates which stadiums have the best conditions for hitters today. The color coding is a classic stoplight where green equals go for hitters. The weather conditions are from SI Weather’s home run app. A 10/10 means great atmospheric conditions for home runs. A 1/10 means lousy atmospheric conditions.

Four games come with between a 40 and 60 percent chance for rain. Check a weather site for updates. There are great atmospheric conditions for home runs today.

The Link.

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