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The MLB trade deadline is now in the rearview mirror. Now we get to experience that same level of fun with our own wheeling and dealing.
In ESPN leagues, the fantasy baseball trade deadline arrives on Friday, Aug. 14, at noon ET, giving us nine days with which to fine-tune our rosters. What are you planning to do to get your team in gear for the stretch run? Are you more like the Los Angeles Dodgers, who landed the league’s top pitching prize, or the Arizona Diamondbacks, who made only a mid-level move while their competitors were the movers and shakers?
Editor’s Picks
Here’s the stark reality: MLB crossed the 70% threshold of games played on Tuesday night. It’s getting serious for anyone trailing in the fantasy standings.
Big swings must therefore be taken, in order to more swiftly make up any ground already lost. My A-number-one piece of advice to teams in this position? Aim high. Get that big name, but make sure it’s the right fit for your roster.
For this week, let’s examine six historically strong finishers you should prioritize in your trade offers. Next week, I’ll offer my favorite “hunch” stretch-run trade targets.
Julio Rodriguez, OF, Seattle MarinersGet “J-Rod” once August begins. Lather, rinse, repeat. Stephen Brashear-Imagn ImagesHe’s a name you know, but through five MLB seasons he has yet to earn “tippity-top, gets first-place MVP votes” regard. He’s also batting just .241 with four home runs in 42 games since the beginning of June — and he missed 10 games in early July due to a concussion. Rodriguez is an outstanding ballplayer, but he’s not untouchable yet. There’s a realistic chance his fantasy manager would consider trading him.Now, here’s the statistically absurd truth about Rodriguez. He has averaged at least one full fantasy point per game more from Aug. 1 forward than before it in each of the last three seasons. And, in 2022, he had a 1.202 September OPS.To have that kind of stretch-run dominance is absolutely unheard of. Rodriguez has played a massive part in propelling his Mariners into the playoffs in two of the last four seasons, not to mention getting them to within one game of qualifying in the other two. With his team again hovering near the cutoff, he seems likely to once more demonstrate his leadership ability. Michael Harris II, OF, Atlanta Braves
If it’s not Rodriguez, Harris is the poster boy for late-season surges. Harris’ profile is lower, though. To this point in his career, he has never hit more than 20 home runs, stolen more than 20 bases, or posted a .900 OPS in a single season. He’s in the midst of a breakthrough year with 20 homers exactly and the 14th-most fantasy points among outfielders. Still, even with that elevating the trade ask, he’s worth every penny.
Consider that Harris has had an 80-point fantasy month five times in his career. Four of them have come in August or September. And, as you’ll learn in a moment, he plays for one of the most historically well-built stretch run teams. Having emerged as a top-four member of the Braves lineup, Harris is well aligned for a big finish.
Raisel Iglesias, RP, BravesClosers don’t often grace lists of statistically strong finishers, in large part because their innings pitched sample sizes aren’t large enough. Iglesias, however, is the rare exception, as a pitcher with a 2.29 career ERA over the regular season’s final two months, nearly a full run beneath his mark in the season’s first four (3.22). Narrow that to merely the last five seasons, and his August-forward ERA is a sterling 1.15.
Iglesias’ Braves might have a 7.5-game pad in the division race, but they’re still suspect enough in their rotation that he’ll probably be called upon more often than not to close games. He’s a reasonably priced closer to go get.
Jackson Merrill, OF, San Diego PadresTrading for Jackson Merrill might be one of the best ways to get your fantasy team pointed in the right direction. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn ImagesI’d ask if you remember “Merrill Magic” from his 2024 rookie campaign, but considering his overall returns in the two seasons since, I’d understand if you didn’t. His 50-plus-point OPS drops relative to the year before since then might be disconcerting, buuuuut …… Merrill’s hitting rates this year are almost spot-on to where they were at this time last year and (just as in 2024) he then turned on the jets once he returned from an ankle sprain, scoring 69 fantasy points over his final 23 games (a solid 3.00 per game). Combine those two seasons and he averaged more than two full fantasy points more from Aug. 1 forward then he did in the four months that preceded them.This pick might seem the biggest stretch on the list, but Merrill already seems to be picking up the pace this year, batting .333/.348/.652 with six home runs in his 17 games since the All-Star break. Matt Olson, 1B, Braves
Hey, whaddya know? It’s another Brave! You might think that a player like Olson, who hasn’t seen a lineup card that didn’t include his name since Sept. 24, 2022, might be a poor bet for stretch-run games, perhaps exhausted by the grind of the 162-game schedule.
You’d have thought wrong.
Olson always seems to save his best for the stretch run, particularly the final month. Among active players, only Giancarlo Stanton (79) and Aaron Judge (71) have hit more home runs than Olson in September, and Olson’s .919 OPS in the month is seventh among active players with at least 500 plate appearances. Coupling Olson’s history with that of Harris — not to mention that fellow Braves Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley and Mike Yastrzemski also have histories of strong finishes — there’s a lot to like about a slugger who bats third in this particular lineup.
Blake Snell, SP, DodgersYour League, Your Rules
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What?! An injured player, not to mention one of the most injury-prone pitchers in baseball? Believe it, as Snell’s return to action is nearly here, and reports during his minor league rehab stint have been mostly positive.
However, it’s Snell’s history of late-season dominance that makes him such an attractive trade target, especially since his missed time increases the chances that his managers aren’t attached to him. The left-hander hasn’t had an ERA higher than three in either August or September of any of the last five seasons.
Plus, to get ahead of the “injury-prone” retort, he made at least four starts in every one of those months except September 2021 (2). His August-forward ERA since (and including) his first Cy Young Award campaign of 2018 is 2.01 (compared to 3.74 in the other months).
Look, this is as risk/reward a move as they come. Yet, as I mentioned at the top, risks often need to be made at this critical stage of season. Now is the time!
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