RADIO
Welcome to Week 18 of the Cut List. I'm your guest host this time around, filling in for usual steward Conor McElheney. Longtime RotoBallers may recall that I covered this beat last season. Hopefully your remembrances aren't rooted in anger after I gave you bad advice!
The format this year is a bit different, but the general idea is the same. These four players are guys you should consider replacing if they currently occupy a spot on your roster.
Want some waiver wire advice to make up for those necessary cuts? Make sure you check out our waiver wire blog for the best pickup consultation around.
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Time to Move On
Jose Martinez (OF, STL) - .261 BA, 2 R, 1 HR, 8 RBI in last 30 days
Cut in 10-team leagues
Why you should cut him: After the Cardinals fired Mike Matheny, new manager Mike Shildt left Martinez out of the starting lineup for the first five games of his tenure. While Martinez has been penciled in as a starter in each of the seven games since, he hasn't hit much, which is a continuation of his sleepy performance in July. That one homer in the last 30 days came on June 30, making this current drought the third time he's gone at least 16 games without a bomb this season.
Other 1B options: Greg Bird, Eric Thames, Yonder Alonso
Paul DeJong (2B/SS, STL) - .261 BA, 15 R, 1 HR, 7 RBI in last 30 days
Cut in 12-team leagues
Why you should cut him: I'm obviously just here to drag Cardinals hitters. But seriously folks, DeJong simply hasn't looked all that great since returning from the disabled list earlier this month. Rust is one plausible explanation, but it's also reasonable to believe that the wrist fracture DeJong sustained could be sapping his power. He's improved his plate approach since last season, but with a middling average and no speed to speak of, a punchless DeJong doesn't offer a ton of fantasy value.
Other 2B options: Rougned Odor, Ian Happ
Other SS options: Lourdes Gurriel, Ketel Marte
Ryan Braun (1B/OF, MIL) - .170 BA, 5 R, 1 HR, 5 RBI in last 30 days
Cut in 12-team leagues
Why you should cut him: It's safe to say the 1B/OF crunch in Milwaukee hasn't resolved itself the way anyone expected. Jesus Aguilar might be a star and Eric Thames has mashed when healthy; meanwhile, Domingo Santana is at Triple-A. One thing that's happened that doesn't come as a surprise? Braun's been on and off the disabled list all season. In prior years, at least, his production was good enough to justify rostering him despite his frequent health issues. Not this time. Braun entered the season with a career batting average above .300, but he's hitting just .234 in 2018. He also has just 27 homers since the start of last season, after averaging 31 in the nine seasons where he amassed at least 550 plate appearances.
Other OF options: Avisail Garcia, Eric Thames, Stephen Piscotty
Cole Hamels (SP, CHC) - 1-3, 11.12 ERA, 1.94 WHIP in last 30 days
Cut in 12-team leagues
Why you should cut him: Listen, as a Phillies fan, I'll always have a special place in my heart for Hamels. In fact, part of me was a little sad that the Cubs traded for him last week, as the narrative of him coming back to Philly to help the playoff push 10 years after winning World Series MVP honors would have been cool. But the truth is that Hollywood just isn't the same pitcher he was then, or even three years ago when he left the City of Brotherly Love. As the numbers above demonstrate, he's been quite awful lately, but the home run has been an issue all year long. Hamels has allowed 23, more than any qualified starter besides Jakob Junis. Since the beginning of last season, his 4.43 ERA ranks 52nd of 66 starters (min. 250 IP), and his 1.28 WHIP is 33rd.
Other SP options: Andrew Heaney, Chase Anderson, Tyler Anderson, Jon Gray
Update on Last Week’s Cuts
Ender Inciarte (OF, ATL)
- 8-for-23, 2 R, 0 HR, 3 RBI since July 22
Jake Lamb (3B, ARI)
- 1-for-11, 12 R, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 1 placement on the DL since July 22
Carlos Santana (1B/OF, PHI)
- 7-for-30, 4 R, 1 HR, 6 RBI since July 22
Jurickson Profar (2B/3B/SS/OF, TEX)
- 5-for-19, 2R, 1 HR, 4 RBI since July 22
