This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Tuesday is the MLB trade deadline. Sunday is a day to go for the DFS gusto with 10 games and the first pitch at 1:35 p.m. EDT. Let's check out my DFS recommendations. Good luck!
Pitching
Garrett Crochet, CWS vs. SEA ($10,100): This could be Crochet's last start with the White Sox as he's considered the best starter theoretically available in a trade. In his first season starting, the lefty with the killer fastball has posted a 2.29 ERA and 12.69 K/9 rate. The Mariners provide Crochet a great opportunity to boost his trade stock as they rank 28th in runs scored and last in strikeouts.
Jon Gray, TEX at TOR ($7,800): Gray arguably just produced his best start of the season by only allowing four baserunners and one run over 7.2 innings. Granted, it was against the White Sox, but the Blue Jays aren't much better as they're avoid finishing in the bottom-five in offense with a .686 OPS.
Tobias Myers, MIL vs. MIA ($7,700): If the White Sox didn't exist, we'd talk more about how poor the Marlins are offensively, and now they don't have newly-minted Yankee Jazz Chisholm. Miami is 29th in runs scored and team OPS, and pretty far behind 28th on both fronts. That's good for the rookie Myers, who comes in with a 1.95 ERA across his last eight starts.
Top Targets
Bryce Harper ($4,400) has made less contact of late, though he's torn the cover off the ball having slugged .500 the last two weeks even hitting below the Mendoza Line. I'm not worried given his .288 on the season and a career .281 mark. And the MVP-winning slugger carries an OPS over 1.000 at home the last two seasons. Meanwhile, Xzavion Curry has struggled to a career 5.53 road ERA where he's given up 1.8 homers per nine innings.
With all the injuries on the Dodgers, Jason Heyward ($2,800) is going to be in the lineup every time a righty is on the mound. He's registered a .793 road OPS, making him a viable DFS option whenever facing a right-hander away from Dodger Stadium. Spencer Arrighetti enters with a 5.65 ERA while lefties have batted .286 against.
Bargain Bats
Let's get retro! Nolan Arenado ($2,700) has an .823 OPS the last three weeks with four homers during that stretch. While he's not the slugger he once was, he's recorded a .798 home OPS. What Arenado also faces is a favorable matchup. The lefty DJ Herz is at the beginning of his career and isn't ready just yet with a 4.95 ERA through five starts and has conceded 1.98 homers per nine innings.
There's one thing keeping Adam Duvall ($2,700) in MLB, and it's his ability to smash southpaw pitchers as he's slugged .522 against them since 2022 with a .534 this season. David Peterson is a lefty, so I could just end it there. However, his 3.14 ERA is paired with a 4.78 FIP and he's lost the ability to fan opponents as his K/9 rate has dropped to 6.66 with righties also going .263 against.
Stacks to Consider
Orioles vs. Padres (Randy Vasquez): Gunnar Henderson ($4,200), Colton Cowser ($3,000), Heston Kjerstad ($2,600)
In his first season as a full-time starter, Vasquez has notched a 5.74 K/9 rate and 1.43 HR/9 rate alongside a 5.01 road ERA. This stack came into focus based on lefties batting .390 against, which is why I've selected three of them here.
Henderson can basically hit anybody and seems primed for over 100 runs scored, 30 doubles, and 30 homers with an OBP somewhere over .350. While he's an MVP candidate mostly because he learned to handle lefty pitchers, he's also improved upon already-impressive numbers against righties with a .970 OPS this year. After looking overwhelmed in limited big-league action last season, Cowser is currently holding an .804 OPS versus righties. He's also figuring out MLB pitchers more and more with a .922 the last three weeks. Kjerstad isn't playing every day, though he's a strong choice at DH for the Orioles when a righty is on the mound. He's also slashed .281/.395/.453 with an 1.034 home OPS during his career.
Nationals at Cardinals (Miles Mikolas): Juan Yepez ($3,300), CJ Abrams ($3,200), Luis Garcia ($2,900)
Since returning from Asia in 2018 to join the Cardinals, Mikolas has limited walks while also struggling to notch strikeouts. His K/9 rate is down to 6.08, but his HR/9 rate has increased to 1.37. The righty has posted a 5.02 ERA and a 6.61 at home. And Mikolas is quite hittable with both lefties and righties going .274 against.
Yepez is a former Cardinal who never found a role there, and it was only recently where he claimed first base for the Nationals. He's slashed .377/.429/.609 in a slim sample size this year with a career .788 OPS against his fellow righties. Abrams is running a bit less while also being less careful with 19 stolen bases while been caugh while registering an .888 road OPS. Garcia offers skill with the bat, even if he has zero patience at the plate. Over the last three seasons, he's hit .272 with a .303 OBP. Garcia's currently at .280 while producing 11 homers and 15 steals.
