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Due to publishing delays on the last buy/sell column (brought to you by Comcast's incompetence), we're going to skip the usual review of the previous week's entry and get right to the task at hand. Like Mark McGwire, we're not here to talk about the past.
For more recommendations on players to improve your teams, be sure to check out our famous waiver wire pickups list which is a running list that is updated daily.
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Starting Pitchers to Buy
Mike Fiers, Houston Astros
While Fiers was hammered in his Astros debut against the Rangers, moving from Milwaukee to Houston should provide a fairly substantial boost to his rest of season value. The Brewers’ defense is among the worst in the league, while the ‘Stros are one of the best fielding teams according to DRS. All caveats about the usefulness of home and road splits aside, Fiers also allowed 12 of his 15 homers this season at Miller Park. And, of course, Houston actually wins more games than they lose. Fiers’s strikeouts gave him value as a streamer even in shallow leagues – now, he’s worth rostering in most leagues.
Matt Shoemaker, Los Angeles Angels
Shoemaker was listed as a buy seven weeks ago. Since that column was published, he’s pitched to a 1.69 ERA. The big problem for him was home runs – he allowed 13 bombs in his first seven starts, but has given up just three in his last 11 turns. He’s also posted double-digit strikeouts in two of his last three outings. With the gopheritis seemingly a thing of the past, The Cobbler is a solid play in most formats. He can be added free of charge in just under half of Yahoo leagues.
Hisashi Iwakuma, Seattle Mariners
Another pitcher who’s struggled with keeping the ball in the yard, Iwakuma has nonetheless pitched well in his return from a lat injury. He’s posted a 40:6 K/BB ratio, a 3.64 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 47 innings. Strip out his first start back from the DL and those marks drop to 3.00 and 0.93, respectively. While it's difficult to imagine Iwakuma clearing waivers, there are rumblings that he could be traded this month. His value would likely see a moderate bump from being traded to a contender.
Starting Pitchers to Sell
Mike Leake, San Francisco Giants
Leake has been dominant over the past month – by Yahoo rankings, only Clayton Kershaw has been better in that span. He was also just traded from the middling Reds to a contender in San Fran. These are the points to emphasize as you shop him. His placement on the disabled list on Friday will make that task a bit tougher, sure, but it’s by all accounts a minor hamstring issue that should only keep him out the minimum 15 days (it’s retroactive to August 3, so he’ll really only miss two starts).
Taylor Jungmann, Milwaukee Brewers
While Jungmann does have pedigree – he was the 12th overall pick in the 2011 draft after a sterling college career in Texas – his minor league numbers leave plenty to be desired. It’s entirely possible that the Brewers have fixed his mechanics, but even so, he seems more like a mid-to-back rotation piece than the ace he’s resembled to this point. Not buying the walk rate and the HR/FB% is bound for an upward correction, if only a modest one. He’s already almost 26 years old, so I’m skeptical of his ultimate upside. There’s also the fact that he plays for the worst team in baseball this side of Philadelphia.
Shelby Miller, Atlanta Braves
Miller’s no stranger to being featured in this section – I’ve been Chicken Littling him since May. While his overall numbers still look great, they’ve been trending in the wrong direction for a while now. Walks in particular have been an issue, which is concerning given his struggles in that area last season. He hasn’t earned a win in almost three months. That’s in part due to a lack of run support, but with Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson shipped out of town, Cameron Maybin battling a hand injury, and Freddie Freeman back on the shelf, we can’t expect that to change much.
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