X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Cano Fallout - How His Suspension Impacts the Mariners' Lineup

Fantasy fallout from the Robinson Cano suspension. Matt Williams looks at how Cano's suspension will impact the fantasy baseball value of the other hitters in the Seattle Mariners lineup such as Mitch Haniger, Dee Gordon, Ryon Healy, and Kyle Seager.

Seattle Mariners' All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano was suspended for 80 games on Tuesday for violating MLB's drug prevention and treatment program. He was charged with using Furosemide, a diuretic sometimes used as a masking agent for performance enhancing drugs. Cano stated he would accept the suspension, which begins immediately. "Recently I learned that I tested positive for a substance called Furosemide, which is not a performance enhancing substance," Cano said in a statement released by the MLB Players Association.

Under MLB's drug policy, a player is not automatically suspended for use of a diuretic unless there is proof the player intended to use it as a masking agent. Needless to say, MLB found their proof and Cano will be out almost $12 million dollars and be unable to play until August.

In fantasy baseball this will not only impact Robinson Cano's value, but could also benefit or hurt others in the Seattle lineup.

Featured Promo: Get any DFS Premium Bundle for for 30% off using code NEW! Win more with expert advice from proven winners and exclusive DFS tools. Get instant access to RotoBaller's Lineup Optimizers, Research Stations, daily picks and VIP chat rooms across 10 sports! Go Premium, Win More!

 

No Cano: The Trickle-Down Effect

Some owners of Robinson Cano are fairly safe dropping the second baseman in shallow leagues. However, MLB ruled that Cano will begin serving the suspension immediately while he is on the disabled list for a broken hand. This is interesting news for fantasy owners. Instead of wasting a roster spot for 80 games, owners can place Cano on the DL for nearly 60 days of the suspension. If your league format allows for the Mariners second-baseman to remain on the disabled list for that long, it may be worth it to stash him if you can spare the roster space.

The Mariners' immediately came out and stated that they would not consider moving their center fielder Dee Gordon back to second base to replace Cano. They instead said that they planned to use recently recalled Gordon Beckham in the vacant position. This would have been a sad and underwhelming fill-in for both Mariners fans and fantasy owners. Luckily, manager Scott Servais has already back tracked from the teams position to move Dee Gordon and the speedster has already began taking grounders at second to prepare for the move. Good news all around. The move will not change Gordon's fantasy value one way or the other considering he was already eligible at second base in fantasy leagues. The move will allow him to retain the eligibility for next season though, while also opening up an opportunity in the lineup elsewhere.

Removing Cano from the lineup leaves a giant hole in the Seattle lineup that will not be easily filled. Almost every player will be a little less effective due with Cano being removed from the lineup. Every hitter will have a little less protection and opposing pitchers will be more stingy with their offerings with one less power threat to deal with. The Mariners' still have plenty of talented hitters to move around but without the threat of the all-star second baseman in the middle of the lineup, the other Seattle hitters will need to shoulder a larger load while missing some serious lineup protection. Of course, the Mariners could always to decided to spend the close to $12 million dollars they saved by not paying Robinson Cano and reinvest it into their offense via trade. Either way, for immediate fantasy purposes we will go on the assumption that the Seattle lineup will stay as currently constructed.

Breakout outfielder Mitch Haniger was moved to the three-hole in Cano's absence. In general, this situation should actually help Haniger's value due to the RBI and runs scored opportunities that come with batting in that position in the batting order. He should should still see plenty of protection from Nelson Cruz, who should bat cleanup behind him, while having Dee Gordon and Jean Segura setting the table in front of him. Haniger is batting .295/.383./.577 with .401 wOBA and fairly sustainable metrics to back it up. I would buy Haniger from anyone who assumes the Cano suspension somehow hurts his fantasy value.

First baseman Ryon Healy and catcher Mike Zunino should see a slight bump in fantasy value as well, each moving up a position in the Mariners' lineup. Healy is off to a fast start after returning from an ankle injury. The Seattle first-baseman has hit eight home runs with a .392 wOBA and .319 ISO through 99-at bats this season. The Mariners acquired Healy from the Oakland Athletics due to the impressive power he exhibited. If he can continue to hit the ball the way he has so far, he could be in for a solid season batting fifth in Seattle. Fantasy owners are going to want to make an investment in Healy in 12-team mixed leagues or deeper, while keeping him on the radar in 10-team formats.

Outfielder Guillermo Heredia will see the most sizable increase in fantasy value, seeing how he will certainly be an everyday player in the Seattle outfield once Gordon makes the inevitable move back to second base. In 50 at-bats, Heredia is batting .260/.397/.817 with two home runs and a stolen base. He has shown solid plate discipline with a 6.7% swinging strike rate, 15.5% O-swing, and 15.4% walk rate so far this season and is generally a solid contact hitter, but given that he offers only modest power at best, his fantasy upside is somewhat limited. Everyday at-bats could make Heredia an immediate pick up in AL-only leagues and a man to keep in eye on in deep mixed formats. Honestly, the decision to move Gordon to second will have a larger fantasy impact on Zunino and Heredia than anything else due to the fact that they will not have to bat in front of Gordon Beckham. That would have been a major setback.

Kyle Seager is an interesting case. He is batting just .241/.303/.444 on the year, but does have seven home run with a .204 ISO. Everything about Seager , including his .321 wOBA and 103 wRC+, scream league-average player. The Mariners will certainly need him to be more than that if they hope to contend, but fantasy owners will need him to step up as well. His success or failure will impact the other Seattle hitters in a big way. If Seager is not seen as a threat, pitchers will not be forced to challenge Nelson Cruz in front of him. If Cruz struggles, that will impact Haniger. On the flip side, a struggling Kyle Seager will be a rally killer that will smother the fantasy value of hitters like Healy and Zunino trailing him in the batting order. The former All-Star is a solid everyday player, but will need to improve upon his career low 6.2% walk rate and career high 18% strikeout rate if he hopes to return to his 2013-2016 peak. If there was a player that will serve as the make or break catalyst for both the Seattle Mariners' and their fantasy owners in Robinson Cano's absence, it's Kyle Seager.

 

More 2018 MLB Advice and Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

NFL9 mins ago

Detroit Makes Kerby Joseph Highest-Paid Safety In League History
Davion Mitchell10 mins ago

Moves Into Starting Lineup Wednesday
Seiya Suzuki40 mins ago

Scratched On Wednesday With Wrist Soreness
Brandin Podziemski48 mins ago

Picks Up Questionable Tag
Al Horford54 mins ago

Starts Game 2
Michael Porter Jr.1 hour ago

Practices On Wednesday
Jayson Tatum1 hour ago

Out On Wednesday
Isaiah Stewart1 hour ago

May Miss Another Game Thursday
NYI2 hours ago

Cal Clutterbuck Announces Retirement
Pavel Zacha2 hours ago

Recovering From Small Procedure
Will Smith2 hours ago

Out With Sore Wrist On Wednesday
Connor Wong2 hours ago

Likely To Go On Rehab Assignment This Weekend
Nikolaj Ehlers2 hours ago

To Miss At Least Two More Games
Lucas Giolito2 hours ago

Could Make Season Debut Next Thursday
Miro Heiskanen2 hours ago

Still Out On Wednesday
Blake Snell2 hours ago

To Be Shut Down From Throwing, Might Go For More Imaging
John Klingberg2 hours ago

Enters Oilers Lineup For Game 2
Grayson Rodriguez2 hours ago

Has Mild Lat Strain, To Resume Throwing In A Couple Weeks
Evander Kane2 hours ago

To Make Season Debut Wednesday Night
Edwin Díaz2 hours ago

Edwin Diaz Leaves With Left-Hip Cramping On Wednesday
Gabriel Landeskog2 hours ago

Likely To Play In Game 3
Cam Smith2 hours ago

Absent From Astros Lineup
Will Smith3 hours ago

Resting At Wrigley
Denver Broncos4 hours ago

Broncos Not Expected To Trade Up In Round 1
Nicky Lopez4 hours ago

Cubs Re-Signing Nicky Lopez
Houston Texans4 hours ago

Texans Trying To Move Up In Round 1 Of NFL Draft
Atlanta Falcons4 hours ago

James Pearce Jr., Mike Green Potential Top Targets For Falcons
Royce Lewis4 hours ago

Expected To Start Rehab Assignment This Week
Pablo López4 hours ago

Pablo Lopez Likely To Rejoin The Rotation This Weekend
Dallas Cowboys4 hours ago

Cowboys Could Add Wide Receiver Help With No. 12 Pick
Justin Martinez4 hours ago

Dealing With Shoulder Fatigue
New Orleans Saints4 hours ago

Saints Likely To Address Defense With No. 9 Pick?
Kristian Campbell4 hours ago

Sitting Against Mariners
4 hours ago

Rams Eyeing Trade Up For Tyler Warren, Colston Loveland?
Kyle Freeland4 hours ago

Next Outing To Be Determined
Ezequiel Tovar4 hours ago

Could Be Battling Hip Injury All Year
Patrick Mahomes4 hours ago

Itching To Get Explosive Passing Game Back
Kris Bryant4 hours ago

Not Ready To Return
Jacob Stallings5 hours ago

Kyle Farmer Sitting On Wednesday
Willi Castro5 hours ago

Not Playing On Wednesday
Zac Veen5 hours ago

Optioned to Triple-A
Brenton Doyle5 hours ago

Activated From Bereavement List
Chris Olave6 hours ago

Saints Picking Up Chris Olave's Fifth-Year Option
Derek Carr6 hours ago

Saints Hope To Have Clarity On Derek Carr Soon
6 hours ago

Chiefs Talk With TreVeyon Henderson
Los Angeles Rams6 hours ago

Rams Not Ruling Out Acquiring Jalen Ramsey
Dallas Cowboys6 hours ago

Micah Parsons Taking Part In Offseason Program
Anthony Richardson6 hours ago

Working On His Footwork
Kayshon Boutte6 hours ago

A Trade Candidate?
Kirk Cousins6 hours ago

Browns, Steelers, Vikings Could Target A Trade For Kirk Cousins
Jaren Jackson Jr.10 hours ago

Posts Team-High 26 Points In Tuesday's Loss
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander10 hours ago

Notches 27 Points Despite Poor Shooting
Max Greyserman10 hours ago

Aiming For Similar Success At TPC Louisiana
Pascal Siakam10 hours ago

Scores Team-High 24 Points In Game 2 Win
Giannis Antetokounmpo10 hours ago

Posts Big Double-Double In Game 2 Loss
Lee Hodges10 hours ago

A High-Upside Player In New Orleans
PGA10 hours ago

Nico Echavarria Looks To Ride Off Of Elite Putting In New Orleans
Julius Randle10 hours ago

Leads Timberwolves In Scoring In Game 2
Gary Woodland10 hours ago

A Player Worth Watching In New Orleans
Luka Dončić10 hours ago

Luka Doncic Nets 31 Points In Lakers Win
Max McGreevy10 hours ago

Returns To The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Rasmus Hojgaard10 hours ago

In Search Of Consistency Ahead Of Zurich Classic
Jock Landale10 hours ago

Unavailable For Game 2
Sam Stevens10 hours ago

A Boom-Or-Bust Candidate In New Orleans
Jae'Sean Tate11 hours ago

Remains Out Wednesday
Nicolai Hojgaard11 hours ago

Looking To Turn Season Around At Zurich Classic
John Tavares11 hours ago

Collects Two Points In Overtime Win
Christiaan Bezuidenhout11 hours ago

Looks To Sway A Hot Putter In Teams Favor At Zurich Classic
Frederik Andersen11 hours ago

Posts 40th Postseason Win
Akshay Bhatia11 hours ago

Looking To Bounce Back At TPC Louisiana
Carson Young11 hours ago

Looks To Turn Things Around At TPC Louisiana
Kirill Kaprizov11 hours ago

Leads Wild To Valuable Road Win
Matthew Tkachuk11 hours ago

Returns With Three-Point Performance
Erik Van Rooyen11 hours ago

Looking For Momentum In Louisiana
Anthony Cirelli11 hours ago

Suffers Undisclosed Injury Tuesday
Gabriel Vilardi11 hours ago

May Return To Jets Lineup Thursday
John Klingberg11 hours ago

Ready To Return To Action
Evander Kane12 hours ago

Could Be An Option For Game 2
Michael Pittman Jr.19 hours ago

Back Injury Is In The Past
George Pickens20 hours ago

Steelers Appear Unlikely To Trade George Pickens
Jaylen Warren20 hours ago

Steelers Believe Jaylen Warren Can Be Their RB1
Andrew Novak21 hours ago

Making Start At TPC Louisiana After Near Miss At Harbour Town
Ben Griffin21 hours ago

Making Third Career Start At Zurich Classic
Taylor Moore22 hours ago

Competing With A New Teammate In New Orleans
Wyndham Clark22 hours ago

Making Return To New Orleans
Kurt Kitayama23 hours ago

Teeing It Up Again In New Orleans
Collin Morikawa23 hours ago

Back At Zurich Classic For Fifth Time
Jaylen Warren23 hours ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Steelers
Will Levis1 day ago

Unlikely To Be Traded
Thomas Detry1 day ago

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
Terry Rozier1 day ago

Ruled Out For Wednesday
Damian Lillard1 day ago

Will Have His Minutes Monitored Tuesday
Jayson Tatum1 day ago

Listed As Doubtful For Game 2
Robert MacIntyre1 day ago

Returns To Zurich Classic With High Hopes
Derek Forbort1 day ago

Recovering From Surgery
Martin Fehérváry1 day ago

Martin Fehervary To Miss Postseason Following Knee Surgery
Shane Lowry1 day ago

Returning To Zurich Classic With Red-Hot Teammate
Luke Glendening1 day ago

Available For Start Of Playoffs
Mitchell Chaffee1 day ago

Available Tuesday
Cody Glass1 day ago

Good To Go Tuesday
Brenden Dillon1 day ago

Won't Play In Game 2
Damian Lillard1 day ago

Cleared To Play Tuesday
Nikola Jokić1 day ago

Nikola Jokic Posts 19th Postseason Triple-Double
Kawhi Leonard1 day ago

Leads Clippers To Game 2 Victory
Jalen Brunson1 day ago

Leads All Scorers With 37 Points In Monday's Loss
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF