RADIO
Two out of three on both the buy and sell sides last week. Michael Pineda was dominant in defeat, going the distance against the Astros while striking out seven and walking none. Danny Salazar stifled the Rays, though he uncharacteristically only notched two whiffs.
Sonny Gray's two-start week became a zero-start week after he contracted salmonella, and Miguel Gonzalez was shelled by the Rangers. Sadly, Jeff Samardzija was mediocre against Detroit and Hector Santiago kept his voodoo workin' versus the hapless Mariners.
Editor’s Note: to read about waiver wire options for starting pitchers, be sure to check out our famous waiver wire pickups list which is a running list that is updated daily.
Starting Pitcher Buys
Erasmo Ramirez, Tampa Rays
Strip out his double disasters to start the year and Ramirez is rocking a 2.18 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, and 3.25 K/BB. That's basically Sonny Gray's output. Difference is, Gray's universally owned and his price in a trade is probably at its peak. Meanwhile, Ramirez is available in a whopping 85 percent of Yahoo leagues. He's still only 25, and we're not far removed from him generating some sleeper buzz in fantasy circles. I took over a last-place team in lead MLB editor Brad Johnson's home league a few days ago, and the first thing I did was grab Ramirez off the waiver wire. Nothing fluky in his profile, favorable home park and defense behind him. Make the move.
Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals
Few players have inspired as much handwringing from fantasy owners this year as Strasburg. Since returning from the DL, he's looked like his usual dominant self: 12 innings, 15 strikeouts, two walks, two runs allowed. Of course, the skeptic might point out that these starts came against the woeful Phillies and Braves. Turn this to your advantage in trade negotiations and squeeze through the rapidly closing buy-low window.
Latos seemed like a prime bust candidate heading into the year. All his peripherals were trending the wrong way and his velocity was down considerably. On Opening Day, Latos couldn't make it out of the first inning, allowing seven runs and retiring only two batters. When he hit the disabled list in late May, his ERA sat at a hideous 6.12. In four starts since that DL stint, he's got a 24/6 K/BB ratio in 25.2 innings. More importantly, Latos has regained some of his lost velocity. And while batters have been murdering his breaking stuff, he's developed a new offering that Marlins bullpen coach Reid Cornelius calls "the Critter". It appears to have become his preferred putaway pitch, and so far it's working. The overall numbers are still ugly, and Latos is languishing on the wire in the majority of Yahoo leagues. 27 year olds with his track record aren't usually available for nothing.
Starting Pitcher Sells
Mike Montgomery, Seattle Mariners
The former elite prospect has thrown two consecutive shutouts, striking out 17 and allowing only 10 baserunners in those games. Over his six starts, he's compiled a sparkling 1.62 ERA. We all know that's not going to last, but how far will it regress? "Pretty far" seems like a good bet. Even after piling up the whiffs during his current shutout streak, Montgomery's K rate still sits below six per nine. His .213 BABIP, 83.7 strand rate and 2.3 HR/FB% are all screaming for a harsh correction. Montgomery was actually traded for Ramirez earlier this season in a challenge trade that has worked out beautifully for both teams. That seems unlikely to continue much longer.
Kyle Gibson, Minnesota Twins
Bucking a leaguewide trend, the Twins actively encourage pitchers in the system to pitch to contact. Gibson has exemplified that approach since breaking into the majors two seasons ago, relying on groundballs and solid control to retire hitters. Going solely off his surface stats, it appears to be working for him. His ERA and WHIP have improved every season and currently sit at 3.04 and 1.24, respectively. He's also enjoyed a modest but steady uptick in K%. Thing is, he's also benefiting from a career high strand rate and career low BABIP despite no significant changes to his profile or approach. You can succeed the way Gibson has, but the margin for error is a lot smaller. Even in deep leagues, you might best be served trying to flip him to another team.
Marco Estrada, Toronto Jays
Estrada's solid strikeout and walk rates have made him a useful streamer and deep league asset over the last few seasons. What keeps him from becoming anything more is his vulnerability to the long ball. No starting pitcher has allowed a higher HR/9 since the start of the 2013 season than Estrada's 1.47 mark (minimum 375 innings). If he ever signs with a team that plays in a pitcher's park, he might just graduate to relevance in shallower formats. Unfortunately, right now he's stuck pitching half his games at the Rogers Centre. Estrada came tantalizingly close to a perfect game against the Rays last Friday. Even though he followed that up with a clunker, that recent dominance and his palatable overall numbers might make him attractive to rival owners.
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