July 26, 2017

Nick Mariano's starting pitcher (SP) fantasy baseball waiver wire adds. Pickups and starting pitcher sleepers for Week 17 of the 2017 MLB season.

Trade Deadline madness is in full swing and the next time we speak, all of the shaking and moving will have taken place. It's not the worst idea to jump ahead of the curve and make a short-term stash of key prospects and free-agents-to-be who could find themselves in more favorable conditions shortly. I try not to repeat names for too many weeks in a row, but please pick up Patrick Corbin (34% owned) if he's available, because all he's done is continue to be amazing.

For our purposes, we’re going to use Yahoo ownership levels and try to cut things off around 35%.

Here are my starting pitcher waiver wire targets for Week 17.

Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Targets

Trevor Cahill - (KC, SP/RP): 30% owned

I realize that Cahill was blown up in his last start on July 21 (3 2/3 innings, five earned runs) and now has a 3.69 ERA and 1.34 WHIP on the season before a trade to the Royals shipped him out of the pitcher-friendly National League. Of course, the Royals defense and run support should still be greater than San Diego’s, so it’s not a huge loss here. With a 3.39 FIP, 3.34 xFIP and 3.61 SIERA being supported by a 10.62 K/9, he’s still worth owning in all 12-team formats even if he isn’t some matchup-proof arm. They can't all be heroes.

Brent Suter - (MIL, SP/RP): 22% owned

After stumbling in an abbreviated 4 2/3-inning start on July 17 against the Pirates, Suter rebounded with a solid showing against the Phillies (I know). He walked none and allowed five hits over six innings, with the only damage coming on a solo homer. The lefty owns a 1.96 ERA and a 20-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio over his four July starts (23 IP), with a stable 2.49 FIP underneath the hood. He draws the defending champions in a home start on July 28 next.

German Marquez - (COL, SP): 18% owned

Marquez has struck out nine in back-to-back starts to give him 72 K’s in 74 IP and has also tossed three quality starts in a row with only four combined walks over his last 20 2/3 IP. The Rockies have enjoyed plenty of help from their young arms this season, but it’s usually come with lots of roller-coaster action along the way. Marquez is now 8-2 with a 3.53 ERA over his last 13 starts now and as I’ve laid out, has only gotten better as the season has progressed. He’ll be tested against a tough Nationals lineup on the road in his next start on July 28.

Hyun-Jin Ryu - (LAD, SP): 13% owned

Making his first start in nearly a month on July 24, Ryu gave up two runs over five innings against the Twins as he shook off the DL rust. The southpaw has struck out nearly a batter per inning (8.58 K/9), but his 1.74 HR/9 and .321 BABIP have made life difficult when batters do manage to square up the ball. For what it’s worth, his last two months of play have seen him post an improved 3.67 ERA that certainly plays up just fine considering he has the Dodgers’ run support in his sails for his next start on July 30 against the Giants.

Parker Bridwell - (LAA, SP/RP): 9% owned

Bridwell’s last 30 days have seen him collect three wins with a 3.09 ERA and 1.22 WHIP over 32 solid frames, and while his 22 K’s in that timeframe isn't winning any championships on its own, the overall upward trend is enticing. His 4.86 FIP and 4.60 xFIP over that span (rightfully) dislike that 91.8 percent strand rate, but his 1.69 BB/9 over the last month should buoy his value even if he posts a 3.75 ERA the rest of the way. He’ll take on the Blue Jays in Toronto next on July 29.

Brent Honeywell - (TB, SP): 9% owned

While Honeywell’s overall 4.23 ERA/1.39 WHIP combo through 89 1/3 innings at Triple-A isn’t all that enticing, his 11.59 K/9 is electric and he’s allowed only two runs over his last three starts. His most recent turn saw him strike out 11 batters in just five innings of work. With Tampa Bay creeping toward playoff contention, there’s little reason for them to keep Mr. Brent in the Minors.

Luke Weaver - (STL, SP): 6% owned

According to the Cardinals’ broadcasters, Weaver will be called up for one turn in the big-league rotation with Adam Wainwright on the disabled list. The prospect was scratched from his start on Tuesday night and carries a 9-1 record alongside a 1.91 ERA and 0.94 WHIP through 13 Triple-A starts (66 innings). The juice is worth the squeeze.

Rafael Montero - (NYM, SP/RP): 2% owned

While Montero misses a nice four-game series against the Padres, he’s posted two quality starts in a row and now possesses a 3.34 ERA (3.30 FIP) since rejoining the team on June 15. While three of his seven appearances have come out of the bullpen, he’s shown some additional bite on his pitches and has also walked only nine in that 32 1/3-inning window (2.51 BB/9). He’ll kick of the Mets’ series against the Mariners in Seattle on July 28 and look to deliver another QS for those in deep formats.

Lucas Sims - (ATL, SP): 1% owned

Sims’ name has been floated around as a strong possibility to take the vacated spot in Atlanta’s rotation now that Jaime Garcia has been traded. Aaron Blair will get the first turn, but that guy posted a 7.59 ERA in the Majors last season and holds an uninspiring 4.86 ERA and 1.48 WHIP with a 7.03 K/9 at Triple-A so far in ’17. Meanwhile, Sims seems to have finally conquered his control demons with a respectable 2.69 BB/9 thus far in 110 1/3 IP (6.66 BB/9 in ’16 through 50 IP at Triple-A) without giving away any of his precious whiffs (10.11 K/9). Fantasy owners should be excited to see Sims get a real crack at it. He threw 141 innings last season, so he should have plenty of fuel left in the tank here.

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