With the trade deadline approaching, Rotoworld’s latest Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire column looks at three talented talents poised to make an impact for fantasy managers in the final two months of the regular season.
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David Festa, SP, twins
Available on 98% of Yahoo! leagues
Festa turned in his strongest performance in the majors last Wednesday in a relief game against the Phillies, recording seven strikeouts and allowing just one run in 4 1/3 impressive innings, and is scheduled to take the ball Tuesday night- fair against the Mets on a roadside incline at Citi Field. The 24-year-old top pitcher was battered, surrendering 12 runs in 10 innings in two starts earlier this month, following a promotion from Triple-A St. Paul, which made last week’s stellar performance all the more notable as it showed he is able to adjust and improve at the highest level. He’s had problems with lefties in the big leagues so far and that problem probably won’t go away. However, he has displayed stellar control thus far in the majors with a 15/3 K/BB ratio in 14 1/3 innings of work, and will give up enough hits to make an impact with fantasy managers. The biggest question is whether there’s enough room for him in Minnesota’s starting rotation mix, especially if they decide to add at Tuesday’s trade deadline. With Chris Paddack on the shelf with a forearm strain, Festa seems likely to have an extended runway in the coming weeks, and is at least worthy of a speculative spot in all fantasy formats until further notice, given his potential pedigree and more recent. .
Jasson Domínguez, OF, Yankees
Available on 73% of Yahoo! leagues
We’re not sure how New York’s outfield rotation will change in the coming weeks with newly acquired electrifying talent Jazz Chisholm Jr. temporarily stationed at the hot corner with Giancarlo Stanton back from the injured list as the designated hitter. Here’s what we can definitively say: Domínguez is capable of helping the Yankees at the highest level right now. The 21-year-old top prospect is finally healthy, returning to games this past weekend at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after a lengthy absence due to an oblique injury. He had no problems in the minors this season in his return from Tommy John surgery last year, batting .344 (33-for-96) with six home runs and three steals in 25 contests across three levels in the Yankees’ system. It’s nearly impossible to predict how New York will fit his bat into its crowded lineup in the coming weeks, but it’s not like Stanton has been the model of durability throughout his career. If they want to make a deep run in the postseason, he’ll likely be part of the outer core at some point, and he’s talented enough to make an impact on fantasy managers, which he showed last year by holding on to their first I like the big leagues. This is a purely speculative bet on raw talent finding a way to make an impact at the highest level, but considering how widely available Domínguez is right now in fantasy leagues, he’s at least worthy of a roster spot in more mixed leagues. deep.
Ben Joyce, RP, Angels
Available on 89 percent of Yahoo! leagues
The expectation in the last few weeks leading up to the negotiation deadline, according to reporting by Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register, was that the Angels were grooming Joyce for a closer role in the likelihood of stopper Carlos Estévez being sent to a contender. With Estévez ruled out to the Phillies last weekend in exchange for a pair of intriguing pitchers, Halos manager Ron Washington turned to veteran Luis García in a save situation Sunday against the Athletics after Joyce struck out three batters in a pair of scoreless frames. There’s a possibility that García ends up staying beyond Tuesday’s trade deadline, but the non-contending Angels should strongly consider finding out if they have an elite potential closer in Joyce, which would exponentially increase his long-term trade value. The 23-year-old strong right-hander has struck out just 21 percent of the batters he’s faced this season, which isn’t a ton considering his immense raw material and triple-digit fastball velocity. However, he boasts a brilliant 2.11 ERA ratio, 1.17 WHIP, and 19/10 K/BB in 21 1/3 innings (18 appearances). He has made 15 consecutive goalless appearances since June 11. He’s at least worthy of a speculative roster spot in deeper mixed leagues, on the off chance Washington finally decides to throw him the metaphorical ninth-inning car keys.
