This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
The trade deadline has come and gone, although rosters will still be somewhat in flux Wednesday as players join their new teams. Eight games will make up the main evening slate on Yahoo, so let's get to the task at hand and highlight some pitchers and hitters to consider.
Pitchers
Gerrit Cole ($52) has been one of the few bright spots for the Yankees this season. Although his strikeout rate is down a bit, it's still very good at 27.3 percent. His WHIP is excellent at 1.05, and it has propelled him to a 2.64 ERA that is backed by a 3.25 FIP. One of his biggest areas of improvement has come in keeping hitters inside the ballpark, allowing only 0.9 HR/9. Despite his matchup against the Rays, Cole is still one of the top pitching options.
Kodai Senga ($48) is coming off an excellent outing against the Nationals in which he gave up one run and recorded five strikeouts over six innings. He has given up two or fewer earned runs in each of his last six starts, which included tough matchups against the Diamondbacks and Dodgers. The same can't be said for the Royals, who he will face off with in Kansas City. Their lineup is among the worst in baseball, leaving them to score the second-fewest runs.
Tony Gonsolin ($35) has not pitched well lately. He has given up at least four runs in six of his last seven starts, issuing 15 walks over 36 innings during that span. While he might not seem like an appealing option based on that rough stretch, a matchup against the Athletics makes him someone to at least consider in tournament play. They have the fewest hits and have scored the fewest runs in baseball.
Top Targets
After sitting out Sunday with a sore ankle, Mookie Betts ($27) returned in style Tuesday by going 2-for-5 with a home run and a double. A favorable matchup awaits him against lefty Hogan Harris ($25), who will take the mound for the rebuilding Athletics. Betts has a 180 wRC+ versus left-handed pitchers this season and Harris has an underwhelming 4.53 FIP.
Ryan Mountcastle ($16) is having a great series against the Blue Jays, going 5-for-7 with four doubles over the first two games. He is having another productive season in the power department, posting a .210 ISO. Combine that with his .433 wOBA versus left-handed pitchers and he stands out for a matchup against Yusei Kikuchi ($36).
Bargain Bats
The Diamondbacks made some moves at the deadline, but they did not reinforce their starting rotation. That will force them to turn to Slade Cecconi ($28), who will be making his debut in the majors. This year marked his first stint at Triple-A, and he responded with a 6.38 ERA and a 5.94 FIP. The left-handed hitting duo of Joc Pederson ($13) and Michael Conforto ($10) have cheap salaries and could exploit this matchup.
Stacks to Consider
Reds vs. Drew Smyly ($30), Cubs: Matt McLain ($21), Spencer Steer ($13), Christian Encarnacion-Strand ($10)
Smyly is scheduled to start this game after following an opener his last two outings. It didn't do much to change his fortunes, with him allowing six runs (five earned) over eight combined innings. After a strong start to the season, he now has a 6.94 ERA and a 1.73 WHIP over his last eight innings. Over 36.1 innings during that span, he gave up 10 home runs. Someone who strand out for a Reds stack is Steer, who has a .412 wOBA against left-handed pitchers this season.
Cubs vs. Brandon Williamson ($33), Reds: Dansby Swanson ($18), Christopher Morel ($17), Nico Hoerner ($15)
Given that he allowed eight hits and issued four walks, Williamson was lucky to escape his last outing against the Dodgers having allowed only two runs over 5.2 innings. While he has a 1.19 WHIP at home, that numbers balloons to 1.56 on the road. The last time he faced the Cubs in Chicago, he was touched up for four runs over 4.1 innings. A top option to consider for any Cubs stack is Swanson, who has a .357 wOBA against left-handed pitchers.
Mets vs. Cole Ragans, Royals: Francisco Lindor ($24), Francisco Alvarez ($19), Pete Alonso ($21)
Alec Marsh was originally scheduled to start this game, but he was used in relief Tuesday. The Royals will instead turn to Ragans, who has a 4.83 FIP and a 1.43 WHIP over 69.1 career innings. The Mets were sellers at the deadline, but this trio remains and could take advantage of this matchup. Lindor has been particularly productive of late, hitting 12-for-34 (.353) with two home runs and two doubles over his last nine games.
