The Cut List - Time to Let Go? Who To Consider Dropping for Fantasy Baseball (Week 6)

May 4, 2025

The Cut List for Week 6 of 2025. Jamie analyzes potential fantasy baseball busts, overvalued players, and injured players who you may want to consider dropping.

Welcome back to The Cut List as we head into Week 6 of the 2025 season. For every add, there is usually also a drop. For those unfamiliar, this is our weekly article examining players whom fantasy managers might consider cutting from their teams and struggling players who warrant a closer look.

We'll examine players who are worthy of a drop, those worth monitoring for potential replacements, and individuals on the hot seat who are worth holding onto... for now. Those of you experienced Cut List readers will know I'm a strong advocate for not making knee-jerk reactions. A bad week or two shouldn't be a reason to push the panic button and dump someone.

As the season rolls on, there will be stronger cases to drop underperforming players. If there's ever someone you want me to take a look at, drop their name on Reddit, the RotoBaller Discord chat rooms, or reach out to me on X (@Baseball_Jimbo). Maybe you'll see them included next week. All stats and rostered rates (taken from Yahoo!) reflect when this piece was written.

Worth Dropping and Replacing?

Yainer Diaz - C/1B, Houston Astros - 77% rostered

Diaz currently ranks 22nd among catchers in standard 5x5 roto leagues. Whilst there aren't 21 catchers I'd rather roster over Diaz, there are enough to make me fine with replacing him in most leagues. After 27 games, Diaz has three home runs, 14 RBI, 11 runs, and no stolen bases. He's hitting .218/.240/.366.

I can point to Diaz's .250 BABIP and just declare him a little unfortunate. That wouldn't be telling the full story. Most of his underlying numbers are middling at best. Some others are just bad. Diaz's .310 xwOBA is in the 34th percentile and his 34.7% HardHit% is in the 22nd percentile.

Diaz's 43.7% Chase% is in the first percentile. That shouldn't come as much of a surprise, given he had a 42.6% Chase% last year. With a career 3.5% BB%, he's never been someone who walks. But Diaz's 21.2% K% is up from last year (17.3% K%). There's little to suggest a big turnaround is imminent.

There may be a bigger problem ahead. Diaz has also been one of the worst defensive catchers. Teams will put up with bad defense if a player is hitting. Likewise, they'd tolerate a mediocre bat if their defense is good. In Diaz's case, both facets of his game are lacking. That could lead to less playing time.

Verdict: In one catcher leagues, I have no problem streaming the position. There aren't many catchers I would be willing to hold after such a slow start. Diaz isn't one of them. While I do believe his numbers will improve, I'm only holding Diaz in deeper leagues or those starting two catchers. 

Sandy Alcantara - SP, Miami Marlins - 76% rostered

This one feels weird. Regular readers will know I lean on the more patient side of things. Especially when it comes to established stars. Even more so when looking at elite starting pitchers. The problem with Alcantara is that he's no longer elite. And he's no longer worth rostering in most leagues.

Tuesday's shellacking, in which Alcantara gave up seven runs on seven hits and five walks (2.2 IP), was the final straw for many fantasy managers. It left Alcantara with a 2-3 W-L record, 8.31 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, and 19 Ks (26.0 IP).

After missing the 2024 season following Tommy John Surgery (TJS), a slow start to 2025 shouldn't be surprising. The nature of it will be somewhat shocking. And while Alcantara's 4.71 xFIP and 5.19 SIERA suggest he's been unlucky, they still don't offer up much hope of a complete return to form.

If we look at the four main scoring categories for starting pitchers, Alcantara is unlikely to help in any of them. He's never been a high-strikeout rate pitcher, as evidenced by his career 21.3% K%. His volume made him a good source of strikeouts, but that volume will be lacking this year.

Whether or not the Marlins trade him sooner or later, Alcantara isn't going to reach 180 innings in 2025. As long as he's pitching for the Marlins, he's not going to rack up many wins. Factor in that control generally takes time to return following TJS, and we won't see any help in our ratios from Alcantara either.

Verdict: No pitcher threw more innings than Alcantara between 2021-2023 (619.0 IP). Between that heavy workload and the TJS 18 months ago, it's fair to question if Alcantara can ever get back to near his best. Maybe he can. A new team might be able to help. But for fantasy purposes, you can move on.

Hold For Now

Zac Gallen - SP, Arizona Diamondbacks - 93% rostered

While I'm willing to move on from Alcantara, the same cannot be said for Gallen. After seven starts, Gallen has a 2-4 W-L record, 4.93 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and 43 Ks (38.0 IP). Fantasy managers would have expected more from their SP3. But their patience should pay off.

Gallen's inconsistency from one start to the next has been frustrating. His 13-strikeout performance against the Yankees was sandwiched between two starts in which Gallen failed to get through five innings. He allowed nine earned runs in those two outings.

Since then, Gallen has had two quality starts, including Thursday's one-run outing against the Mets. He's certainly performed well in New York so far this year.

Zac Gallen in New York this season:
12.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 21 K

Zac Gallen in his 5 other starts:
25.2 IP, 27 H, 20 ER, 15 BB, 22 K pic.twitter.com/4h6reqr3WJ

— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) May 1, 2025

Gallen also got tagged for six runs in six innings in between his two quality starts. That was against the Cubs and their league-leading offense. Which brings me to where I am with Gallen right now. He's not matchup proof, but is still certainly worth holding onto.

We can expect Gallen's ERA to come down. His 4.08 xFIP and 3.92 SIERA point towards that. It wouldn't be a surprise if he ended May with a sub-4.00 ERA. Still not quite what you wanted when drafting Gallen, but there's more to him than the ERA.

There are 19 pitchers with more strikeouts than Gallen, with only three of them doing so in fewer innings. His 25.9% K% ranks in the 72nd percentile and is up from his 25.1% K% last year. The only concern I have with Gallen is the walks. His 10.8% BB% is in the 31st percentile.

After a 5.6% BB% in 2023, hopes were that Gallen would minimize the free passes after last year's 8.7% BB%. It's going the other way. That's not enough to justify dropping Gallen. Providing he can get the walks in check, Gallen can still provide SP3 value.

Matt McLain - 2B/SS, Cincinnati Reds - 91% rostered

After missing the 2024 season with a shoulder injury, it is understandable that McLain would get off to a slow start this year. Unfortunately, he's been stuck in neutral so far. A hamstring injury sent McLain to the IL in early April, but he only missed the minimum 10 days.

McLain has failed to get things going since returning from the hamstring issue. In 25 games, he's tallied four homers, 12 RBI, 16 runs, and five steals while hitting .160/.275/.298. What's most noticeable is the batting average. But with a .189 BABIP, we can expect that to rise.

That shouldn't take away from his counting stats. While not eye-popping, McLain is on a 162-game pace of 26 homers, 78 RBI, 104 runs, and 32 steals. Those numbers would make McLain one of the top middle infielders in fantasy. Obviously, having missed time, he's unlikely to reach those numbers.

However, if his batting average does start to climb as expected, there's no reason McLain can't still have a big season. If we compare his Statcast Profile this year to 2023, when he hit .290/.357/.507 with 16 homers, 50 RBI, 65 runs, and 14 steals in 89 games, they're not too dissimilar.

We've seen McLain have success with these sorts of metrics. He's still been able to tally plenty of stats when he's played and only needs a ~.240 batting average to provide good value on his ADP. As long as McLain can stay on the field, which isn't a given, he's someone I'm holding onto.

On the Hot Seat

Devin Williams - RP, New York Yankees - 86% rostered

It's very rare for me to suggest a closer is worth holding onto after losing their role. Especially when someone as capable as Luke Weaver takes over closer duties. Yet, that's exactly what I'm doing with Williams. I'd be looking to keep him on your roster for a few different reasons.

The main reason for holding on to Williams is that the Yankees want him to be their closer. The fact that they traded for him even after Weaver showed how good he can be in the role tells us how much they value Williams. And Aaron Boone publicly stated they want him to be their closer.

Aaron Boone says Devin Williams has been removed from the closer role, per @JackCurryYES

Boone says Luke Weaver will get “a lot” of the save opportunities. Boone told Williams they want him to gain some momentum before hopefully returning to being the closer pic.twitter.com/rzaKGbCucd

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) April 27, 2025

It feels like it doesn't matter how good Weaver is in the ninth inning, Williams will get the job back if he can improve his performance on the mound.  Early-season struggles haven't been an exclusive thing for the Yankees' offseason recruit. April was not a good month for those who drafted a closer early.

Six of the first 10 closers taken (based on ADP) have an ERA of 4.00 or higher. Whilst Williams is the only high-profile reliever to have been removed from closing games, it's been a struggle for many. Another reason why I'm more willing to hang on to Williams.

On the plus side, Williams has put together three straight solid outings since his removal from the closer role. Three good performances are only baby steps, but it was encouraging that he was trusted with the eighth inning on Friday with the Yankees leading 3-0.

Williams retired all three batters he faced on eight pitches to secure his first hold of the season. It's not unreasonable to think another few similar outings will restore Williams as the closer. Of course, he needs to be the closer the Yankees thought they were getting if he is to hold onto the role.

The Yankees want the closer who put up a 1.89 ERA over the previous four seasons (195.0 IP). That track record is further reason why Williams is worth holding onto. He wouldn't be the first player to struggle after arriving in The Bronx.

We've heard from other players on how heavy the pinstripes can weigh, especially if they got off to a slow start in New York. After influencing the Yankees' decision to remove their "no beard policy", Williams could do with impacting things on the mound.

He's been one of the best relievers in baseball since 2021. If Williams can get back to that level, he can still be one of the best fantasy relievers this year. In another two or three weeks we see Williams still struggling, then I'd be actively looking to replace him.

In leagues counting holds, Williams is still worth rostering. The fact that he acted as the setup man on Friday suggests Williams is at least in line to tally some holds as he works his way back into form.

Reader Requests

As in previous years, we're keen to hear who you want us to analyze. If there is anyone you want to include here on next week's Cut List, drop their names on the Reddit thread or over on the RotoBaller Discord chat rooms. Alternatively, you can reach out to me on X and we'll endeavor to cover some requests each week.

Riley Greene - OF, Detroit Tigers - 90% rostered

I'm not condoning holding onto Greene just because of Friday's performance. Although that was a reminder of his capabilities. You shouldn't hold on to a player due to one game, let alone one inning. And given his numbers this time last week, I can understand some concern.

TWO HOME RUNS THIS INNING.

RILEY GREENE IS HIM. pic.twitter.com/QOJ2IJBf3F

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) May 3, 2025

Greene was hitting .233/.282/.398 this time last week. He had just hit his fourth home run of the season. This week, Greene should have cast off any doubt fantasy managers would have had about rostering him. Greene has gone 12-for-25 this week, with four homers, eight RBI, seven runs, and no steals.

His season slash line is now .275/.321/.496, and Greene has a 162-game pace of 39 homers, 103 RBI, 93 runs, and no steals. If he comes close to those numbers, Greene's fantasy managers will be lauding him as the best value pick in their draft.

While I don't believe Greene reaches ~40 home runs, it's certainly looking likely that he'll set career highs in homers, RBI, and runs. You can't ask for more than that. Providing Greene can stay healthy, there's no reason to consider dropping him.

Brandon Nimmo - OF, New York Mets - 76% rostered

Like Greene, Nimmo has been on a tear this week. Maybe the threat of fantasy managers dropping him lit a fire in his belly. In truth, Nimmo has just had two big performances this week. He should act as a reminder that it is still early enough in the season to turn your season numbers around quickly.

Brandon Nimmo had himself a DAY, racking up 9 RBI in the @Mets blowout victory.@markdero7 and @AlexAvilaMLB break down his outburst and what makes him such a tough out on #MLBCentral. pic.twitter.com/wYhYTuShVP

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) April 29, 2025

Entering last Sunday, Nimmo was hitting .200/.250/.350 with four homers, 11 RBI, nine runs, and no steals. Entering this Sunday, he's hitting .229/.279/.441 with seven homers, 22 RBI, 16 runs, and no steals. Almost half of his counting stats have come in five games this week.

Unlike Greene, concerns about Nimmo go back to last season. He hit just .190/.277/.319 in the second half of the 2024 season. Despite that, Nimmo fell just one home run shy of matching his career high (24), which he set in 2023.

Last year's 15 stolen bases appear to be an anomaly, which won't be repeated. And Nimmo's .224 batting average in 2024 seems more likely to be repeated this year than his .274 batting average in the two prior seasons. But he's hitting cleanup for a potent offense, and the counting stats will keep coming.

Nimmo has also been one of the most reliable hitters in recent seasons. He's reached 151 games in each of the last three years and is the kind of 'set and forget' outfielder you can put in your lineup and know he'll provide solid numbers by the end of the season.

Cam Smith - 3B/OF, Houston Astros - 19% rostered

Someone being rostered in less than 20% of leagues wouldn't normally show up in The Cut List. I'm making an exception for Smith, given he's been frequently asked about every week of the season so far. My thought process with Smith hasn't changed since the first week of the season.

You drafted Smith for the upside. He came into the season with just 32 Minor League games to his name, having been drafted last year. He impressed in those 32 games, hitting .313/.396/.609. That's not nearly enough to base a judgment on as to why you'd draft him this year.

Taking Smith in your draft was done so with hope in mind rather than expectation. Given you'd only have had to use a late-round pick, it wasn't a bad idea. Swinging for the fences in the last few rounds makes total sense. But we also need to acknowledge when it doesn't work and move on.

There's no way anyone should drop him in dynasty leagues. I'm sure Smith will go on and have a very good career. He may even stay in the Majors all year and have a decent 2025. But even with a dearth of decent options at third base, Smith isn't someone I'd continue to roster in redraft leagues.

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