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Is it possible that the Oakland Athletics and Detroit Tigers both outmaneuvered themselves at the trade deadline? For a team that has the league’s best run differential at +153, right now the A's look like the most unassuming and least intimidating of all the playoff teams.
Snagging Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel from the Cubs was a good start to the trade deadline moves, and it seemed like Jon Lester was the coup de grace in Billy Beane’s seemingly amazing mid-season. It was apparent in July that Beane was all-in on a title. But the A’s offense has sputtered without Yoenis Cespedes, and there’s really no right-handed bat to complement a struggling Josh Donaldson against left-handed pitching. With Captain Hindsight at my side, is it too early to question that aggressiveness for starting pitching?
We could also pose that last question to Detroit GM Dave Dombrowski. Certainly, grabbing David Price seemed like the prudent move at the time, but the Tigers now seem to be a team that has a couple of real big stars and a lot of no-names. It’s looking more and more every day that the ALCS will feature a team from California and a team from Maryland.
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Below are some of my Week 24 picks for starting pitchers to consider streaming off the waiver wire. Some of these pitchers may be two-start pitchers, and all of these SP options can be considered sleepers for your team depending on the league format and depth including NL-Only, AL-Only and head-to-head formats. As always, I categorize each of the streaming options as either Desperate, Risky, Solid or Must-Stream.
Monday SP Streamers
Marcus Stroman (TOR vs. CHC)
Ownership: 36% Yahoo!, 14% Fleaflicker
Stroman is a stud at home. The Cubs struggle against righties on the road. This one has all the makings of a double-digit strikeout dominating performance from the young Blue Jay. I’m going to project Stroman goes 7 innings with 1 ER and 12 K. Book it.
MATCHUP RATING: Must Stream
Miguel Gonzalez (BAL at BOS)
Ownership: 21% Yahoo!, 12% Fleaflicker
In nine starts since the calendar page turned to July, Gonzalez has given up 4 ER only once. He was solid in July, better in August, and nearly unhittable in his only start in September. If Gonzalez keeps up his pace, he could be a legit Game One starter for the O’s in their first playoff series.
MATCHUP RATING: Solid Stream
Tuesday SP Streamers
Jason Vargas (KC at DET)
Ownership: 37% Yahoo!, 28% Fleaflicker
It’s been a while since Vargas has been on this list, as it seems his owners are beginning to lose faith in him. His strikeout numbers have steadily declined over the last few months, but he’s maintained his control.
The Royals will square off against Max Scherzer, which may seem like a bad omen for Vargas owners, but Scherzer is 0-1 with a 7.50 ERA against KC this season. Considering the recent Royal success against Scherzer, Vargas could get the run support he needs to get the W.
MATCHUP RATING: Risky Stream
Yusmeiro Petit (SFG vs. ARI)
Ownership: 14% Yahoo!, 5% Fleaflicker
Without a doubt the hardest pitcher to peg on this list is Petit. He’s more than capable of lasting only four innings like his last start against Colorado, but he’s also proficient enough to dominate as he did against an MLB-best 46 consecutive batters earlier this year. Judging by Petit’s demeanor on the mound, he’s also probably quite capable of living in the wilderness amongst wolves in the offseason.
MATCHUP RATING: Solid Stream
Wednesday SP Streamers
Wei-Yin Chen (BAL at BOS)
Ownership: 38% Yahoo!, 25% Fleaflicker
![By Keith Allison on Flickr (Originally posted to Flickr as "Wei-Yin Chen") [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.rotoballer.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Wei-Yin-Chen-Baltimore-Orioles-150x150.jpg)
It’s the Oriole offense that has carried the team for most of the season, but the AL better watch out for Baltimore’s starting rotation in the postseason. Chen figures to play a prominent role in the rotation, and although he probably won’t be the Game One or Game Two starter, he’s consistent enough to keep left-handed batters at bay.
As for Wednesday’s game against Boston, Chen has been touched up by the Sox quite a bit over the last few seasons, and there isn't necessarily a reason to think they won’t do it again. Look for Chen to go 5 or 6 innings.
MATCHUP RATING: Desperate Stream
Jarred Cosart (MIA at MIL)
Ownership: 21% Yahoo!, 12% Fleaflicker
It obviously won’t make much of a difference this season, but the Jarred Cosart deal will pay dividends for the Marlins in 2015. As a Marlin (since August 1st), Cosart is 4-1, allowing 32 H, 8 BB and 9 ER while striking out 23 batters in 40.2 IP. If Cosart’s numbers can stay around these 2014 Miami numbers next season, the Marlins starting five for 2015 looks to be sensational.
I expect Cosart to finish his 2014 campaign strong, especially against a Milwaukee team that has opted to forego their entry into the playoffs in exchange for a hurt Carlos Gomez. I’m not really sure what baseball god the Brewers pissed off (cough cough Ryan Braun PEDs cough cough), but karma is not with Milwaukee as the season unwinds.
MATCHUP RATING: Risky Stream
