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Dan Stephens looks at big fantasy baseball stories from Week 18 of the 2024 MLB season. What made the MLB headlines last week and what can you expect going forward?
Hello again, RotoBallers! Another Monday is upon us and that means it’s time for another look back at what made the news last week. This particular Monday happens to be the eve of Major League Baseball’s trade deadline. As such, the majority of last week’s headlines were related to the flurry of moves that have already transpired. Before the trades started flowing, it was a group of starting pitchers who were among the biggest newsmakers.
Chief among those pitchers was Dylan Cease. On Thursday, July 25, he threw the second no-hitter in Padres history in a 3-0 victory over the Washington Nationals. Throughout the week, we saw the long-awaited returns of Robbie Ray, Clayton Kershaw, and Kodai Senga. All three performed as well as could have been expected, but Senga, unfortunately, suffered a new injury and faces another lengthy absence. By the weekend, the busy trade market took over the baseball news cycle, seeing 16 deals made over the last four days.
Fantasy baseball revolves around an expansive league with a six-month-long season. News can easily go overlooked, especially if it doesn’t directly relate to players we roster or actively follow. In the hours leading up to the MLB trade deadline on July 30, there will be a lot more action to follow as more players are dealt. To stay on top of it all, bookmark our fantasy baseball news feed, download our mobile app, and check back next Monday for the next installment of this column.
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Dylan Ceases Nats’ Bats
Dylan Cease’s no-hitter on Thursday almost didn’t happen. Before the game at Nationals Park started, a rain storm caused a 76-minute delay. The hiccup in the schedule didn’t faze Cease, who struck out nine and walked three while throwing a career-high 114 pitches. The 28-year-old righty went to his slider 60 times, inducing 11 whiffs, and mixed in a fastball that maxed out at 100.2 mph and was reaching the high 90s in the final innings.
HISTORY!
The final out from Dylan Cease’s no-hitter. pic.twitter.com/FwZsNoTS6S
— MLB (@MLB) July 25, 2024
Fantasy impact: Cease’s no-no was a nice treat for owners. There are no bonus points for the feat but it will do wonders for the ratio categories. Cease now has not allowed a hit in his last 13 innings pitched. Over his last three starts, he has given up only two hits in 24 innings. He currently sports a career-high 32.5% K% and his 168 strikeouts lead the majors. Expected stats indicate the 3.50 ERA will continue its downward trend. Fantasy managers gearing up for a pennant run may want to add Cease to their arsenal but must be prepared to pay up to get him.
Welcome Back, Kershaw
It was a big week for the IL-stashing crowd. Robbie Ray, Clayton Kershaw, and Kodai Senga all returned from the injured list last week and made their 2024 season debuts. Ray was the first off the shelf, picking up the start against the Dodgers on Wednesday. He loaded the bases in the first inning and walked in a run but managed to get through to the sixth inning before allowing a hit. Ray got 22 swinging strikes on 86 pitches and recorded eight strikeouts and the win.
Kershaw took the hill on Thursday against the Giants to close out their series. The veteran lefty needed 72 pitches to get through four innings of work, allowing eight baserunners but limiting the damage on the scoreboard to two runs. Senga’s first start of the season finally came on Friday, though it already looks like it may be his last. In the sixth inning, he strained his calf while jogging off the mound out of the way of teammates making a play on a pop-up. Up to that point, Senga was holding his own, allowing three baserunners and racking up nine strikeouts through 5 ⅓ innings pitched.
Kodai Senga walked off the field under his own power after what appeared to be a calf injury. pic.twitter.com/bimsVYE3wP
— SNY (@SNYtv) July 27, 2024
Fantasy impact: Senga is out as quickly as he came back. The 31-year-old is on the 60-day IL and won’t be eligible to return until late September, effectively ending his season. He should be dropped in redraft leagues. The starts by Ray and Kershaw were encouraging and showed potential for teams needing strikeouts down the stretch.
Let’s Make A Deal
With the MLB trade deadline set for Tuesday, July 30 (6:00 p.m. EDT), it is no surprise that teams would start making some moves rather than wait until the final hours. What came as a shock was the volume of deals done over the past weekend. Sixteen trades were announced between Thursday and Sunday, involving a total of 50 players (and one more to be named later).
The Diamondbacks got things rolling with the curious move of sending away one of their top prospects, Deyvison De Los Santos, to the Marlins for A.J. Puk. The Mariners made the next move, getting Randy Arozarena from the Rays and then going on to acquire Yimi Garcia from the Blue Jays. The Yankees made the biggest splash of the weekend in acquiring Jazz Chisholm Jr. for a package of prospects. Other buyers included the Phillies (Carlos Estevez), Orioles (Zach Eflin), and Cubs (Isaac Paredes).
Randy Arozarena watched a few innings of the Rays game from the stands and said goodbye to fans 🥹 pic.twitter.com/PGgVUGYbHS
— MLB (@MLB) July 27, 2024
The Marlins being in sell mode was no surprise. Toronto’s disappointing season put it in the position to do the same. In addition to dealing Garcia to Seattle, the Jays also traded away Nate Pearson (to the Cubs) and Danny Jansen (to the Red Sox), perhaps signs of a greater sell-off to come.
Fantasy impact: The Angels dealing Estevez to the Phillies strikes me as having the biggest impact. While the Angels have limped to a 46-60 record so far, Estevez has earned 20 saves as the team’s sole closer. Now a member of the Phillies bullpen, it is unclear how Estevez will be used, especially given the team’s penchant for employing a closer-by-committee. Just like that, fantasy managers might be without that production heading into August and September.
It was always easy to get excited about what Chisholm can do but it is even more so now that he is in a lineup with Juan Soto and Aaron Judge. Likewise, Isaac Paredes should fare better with an improved lineup around him and a more favorable park for hitters. Conversely, Christopher Morel’s viability is in question. Already saddled with a .199 batting average, Morel now joins the platoon-happy Rays and may not enjoy everyday at-bats anymore, further suppressing his value.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. gets his first hit as a Yankee 👏 pic.twitter.com/xz04oZbGHC
— ESPN (@espn) July 29, 2024
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