August 30, 2016

Jorge looks at a few fantasy baseball busts and overrated MLB players to consider cutting from your teams for Week 22 of the 2016 fantasy baseball season.

What's up RotoBallers. There are only six weeks left in the regular season, meaning the playoffs are either starting or only a couple of weeks away. Needless to say, it's no time to hold onto guys out of sentimental value.

And with that, if you have someone who is really becoming a waste of roster space, it's time to get rid of him. The longer you hang on, the lower your chances are of making the playoffs and winning your leagues. In that spirit, I'm doing away with the Reverse Jinx section just to stress the urgency of playoff time. Let's take a look at who can be cut.

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Week 22 Players to Consider Cutting

1) Yangervis Solarte (SD, 1B/2B/3B)

Droppable in All Redraft Leagues

Solarte has lost his mojo after a a nice stretch there. He has two hits in his last 27 AB and the only counting stat he has during that span is one lonely RBI. It's not like the Padres' lineup is going to provide him with a lot of chances anyway. As much as I like his versatility, there are likely better options out there.

2) Eduardo Nunez (SF, 3B/SS)

Droppable in 12 Team Leagues

Nunez really misses Minnesota right about now. After being acquired by the Twins, you'd think he'd be itching to play well for a contender. Unfortunately for him though, the Giants have had a miserable second half and the poor play looks to be contagious. Nunez has still contributed occasionally on the basepaths, which gives him some value. However, his bat has cooled considerably. He went deep on Sunday, which could mean he's snapping out of it, but he'd gone four for 27 before that. You could probably use Nunez's spot for a hot waiver wire pickup unless you are completely desperate for steals.

3) Gerrit Cole (PIT, SP)

Droppable in Shallow Redraft Leagues

Hear me out. The strikeouts are down. The last four starts have been horrible. Heck, there might even be an elbow issue now. The MRI showed no ligament damage, but it's possible that Cole has a bone spur which has been affecting his performance. At this point, you can't be dealing with such a big question mark. If you need a stat that pushes my point over the top, look no further than his 4.17 SIERA, and his 3.94 xFIP. Neither of those numbers scream "staff ace." Factor in the injury and his recent performance and the looming playoffs, and you can probably drop him to stream if need be.

More Options (Redraft Leagues): Joc Pederson, Rajai Davis, Max Kepler, Reynaldo Lopez, Homer Bailey, Anibal Sanchez, Michael Pineda, Brett Gardner, Arodys Vizcaino

Hot Seat - Sending Warning Signals?

So these are some guys you shouldn't cut just yet, but who may be sending out warning signals (either obvious slumps, or more under-the-radar concerns):

1) Carlos Beltran (TEX, OF)

An old face in a new place, but the results haven't been great. The veteran right fielder has not been what the Rangers had hoped for so far. He's two for his last 36 and has been a shell of what he was earlier in the season with the Bombers. We saw what he's capable of when he gets hot, but honestly the trigger fingers of fantasy owners have to be pretty itchy right now. Beltran should be next on a lot of chopping blocks.

2) Keon Broxton (MIL, OF)

Broxton was a godsend for people who needed steals in bunches. The Brew Crew has been uber-aggressive on the basepaths and that was music to many owners' ears. He's not far removed from a two-homer game, so he has some leash. However, the slightly inconsistent playing time and the low average will be a problem for some. If you need speed, he's worth keeping. Those who need more production in other counting stats should probably plan an exit strategy though.

Graveyard - Previously Disposed Of

Jeff Samardzija, James Shields, Francisco Liriano, Lucas Duda, Joe Panik, Trevor Rosenthal, Travis Shaw, Jhonny Peralta, Steven Moya, Tyler Glasnow, Danny Espinosa, Will Harris, Brad Ziegler, Huston Street, Steve Cishek, Jonathan Papelbon, Hector Rondon, Jeremy Jeffress, Taijuan Walker, Sonny Gray, Jason Heyward, Trevor Story, Michael Saunders, Nick Castellanos, Jurickson Profar, Aaron Nola, Jimmy Nelson, Danny Valencia, Giancarlo Stanton, Luis Severino, Aaron Judge

Zombies - Resurrected and Living Well

Starlin Castro (NYY, 2B/SS)

I'd dropped Castro in both my leagues at one point because he was just not producing. Lately though, he's been on fire. Since August 17th, he's hitting .348 with four HR and nine runs scored. He now has a career high in homers with 18, and can hopefully finish the season strong.

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