FAAB Factor-AL: Trade Deadline Fallout

Starting Pitchers:

Derek Holland, Rangers - In his first rehab outing at Double-A Frisco, Holland (knee) threw two scoreless innings, while striking out four batters. He was only allowed to throw 33 pitches, something that should increase in his next outing at Triple-A Round Rock. Hopefully he can make a return to the Rangers rotation late this month to help owners who have stashed him. Last season he had a 3.42 ERA (3.44 FIP) with 189 strikeouts and 64 walks over 213 IP. Mixed: $3; AL: $9.

Joe Kelly, Red Sox - Traded to the Red Sox as part of the Allen Craig and John Lackey deal, Kelly will make the conversion from the NL Central to the AL East. He leaves behind a 4.37 ERA (4.00 FIP) with 25 strikeouts and 10 walks over 35 IP this season in St. Louis. He dealt with a hamstring injury that took away most of his playing time in the first half of the season. Over his last four starts he has been pretty bad with a 7.32 ERA over 16.2 IP. The hope is that with the change of scenery and coaching, he will get back to being the pitcher we saw the last two seasons, who had a 2.69 ERA (4.16 FIP) in 2013 and a 3.53 ERA (4.11 FIP) in 2012. For now, owners should take a wait and see approach with him. Ironically enough, his first start with his new club will come against the Cardinals this coming week. Mixed: No; AL: $8.
 
Alex Meyer, Twins - Meyer allowed one earned run on two hits and five walks at Triple-A Rochester this week to lower his ERA there to 3.05 (3.76 FIP). The walks are an issue, but they're masked by the fact that he has 120 strikeouts over 106.1 IP at Triple-A. At this point there isn't much left for him to work on in the minors, as the adjustments that he needs to make to his command likely need to come at the major league level, as he's just overpowering hitters right now in the minors with few consequences. It might make more sense for the team to wait till September, before bringing him up, since he's not on the 40-man roster. For now he makes for a great keeper league stash. Mixed: $1; AL: $4.

Brett Oberholtzer, Astros - In between injuries to various Astros starting pitchers, Oberholtzer has started to become a permanent fixture in the team's rotation and for good reason, as he has a 3.40 ERA over his last six starts. For his career he now has a 3.37 ERA (3.53 FIP) with 99 strikeouts and 34 walks over 155 IP as a starter between last season and this one. Those are pretty great numbers for a guy that really hasn't ever been in the Astros plans as a member of their everyday rotation. He needs to be owned in all AL only and more mixed leagues. This week he gets the injury riddled Rangers at home. Mixed: $3; AL: $12.

James Paxton, Mariners - Paxton (back) made his return to the majors on Saturday night, as he pitched 4.1 innings and gave up two earned runs with five strikeouts and three walks to the Orioles on the road. Considering the opponent and park, this was a fairly successful outing for Paxton. Obviously the team would've liked it if he had pitched deeper into the game, but he limited the damage to a potent offense. This upcoming week he gets the White Sox at home, in what should be a favorable matchup. For his career, Paxton has now made seven starts in the majors with a 2.01 ERA (3.66 FIP), 39 strikeouts, and 12 walks over 40.1 IP. He should hold great value down the stretch, so long as the club doesn't limit his innings. Mixed: $5; AL: $20.

Allen Webster, Red Sox - Through two starts with Red Sox Webster has been destroyed to the tune of six earned runs allowed over eight innings with five strikeouts and 11 walks. The command is most alarming here and not anything like what he showed at Triple-A Pawtucke this season when he had 3.10 ERA (3.72 FIP) with 100 strikeouts and 44 walks over 122 IP. It would not at all be surprising to see the team send him back to the minors, though one could argue he has nothing left to prove there. Still, he at minimum needs to go deeper into games so the bullpen isn't overly taxed. For now, stay away from him, unless you're in a keeper league looking for cheap talent with an eye toward next season, as the Red Sox are. Mixed: No; AL: $3.

Brandon Workman, Red Sox - With Jon Lester now in Oakland, Workman has taken his spot in the rotation. In his start against the Blue Jays this week, he gave up five runs (two earned) with two strikeouts and four walks over five innings. On the season, he's been fair with a 4.08 ERA (4.54 FIP), 43 strikeouts, and 23 walks over 57.1 IP. These are actually better numbers than what he posted at Triple-A Pawtucket, though he showed better command at that level. This coming week he should get a matchup in St. Louis that he might be able to take advantage of, as that offense is not nearly as potent as many of the ones he's seen in the AL. Mixed: $2; AL: $8.

Relief Pitchers:

Mike Foltynewicz, Astros - Folty was brought up from Triple-A Oklahoma City this week to give the Astros some depth in their bullpen. He had been a starter in the minors, but will be used in relief for now, since that's where his electric fastball, which can reach 100 mph, can be best used. At Oklahoma City he had a 5.08 ERA (4.75 FIP) with 102 strikeouts and 52 walks over 102.2 IP. He isn't likely to usurp Chad Qualls as the closer any time soon, but he could be the team's closer next season, so keep an eye on him, especially in keeper leagues, as right now he's easily the most talented reliever in the Astros bullpen. Mixed: No; AL: $3.

Catchers:

Caleb Joseph, Orioles - After hitting .165 from May through June, Joseph has turned things around to hit .278 since the start of July. That might not sound like much, but considering how poorly some other catchers are at giving help in the batting average category, it's something to consider. For the season he's hit four home runs over 159 PA, which could be better. In mixed leagues that use two catchers, give him a look. Mixed: $2; AL: Owned.

Erik Kratz, Royals - Traded from the Blue Jays to the Royals this week, Kratz is expected to back up starter Salvador Perez. Kratz has hit .200/.227/.341 with three home runs over 88 PA this season. He has actually shown more power than this is in the past, but we're unlikely to see it with him serving as a backup. If your AL only format uses two catchers and you're desperate to give someone else a chance, Kratz is an option. Mixed: No; AL: $1.

Geovany Soto, Rangers - Currently on a rehab assignment, as he works his way back from a groin injury, Soto should come off the DL this coming week. This is his second stint on the DL, though his first cost him nearly the entire first half of the season. Last season with the club, he hit .245/.328/.466 with nine home runs over 184 PA. He shouldn't have much trouble finding at-bats amongst Robinson Chirinos and Chris Gimenez, upon his return. Mixed: $1; AL: $4.

Corner Infielders:

J.P. Arencibia, Rangers - Arencibia went 4-for-5 in a game this week with two home runs, as his recent power surge as continued. Over the last two weeks he's hit .240 with two doubles and four home runs. Of course there has been a price to pay for this power, as he has struck out 18 times over this span with only three walks. Still, if you need the power and can stomach the poor batting average, he's worth a look. Mixed: $3; AL: $8.

Kelly Johnson, Red Sox - Traded in exchange for Stephen Drew, in a rare Yankees/Red Sox deal, Johnson is currently on the DL with a groin injury, but could be activated this coming week. With the Yankees this season, he hit .219/.304/.373 with six home runs and two stolen bases over 227 PA. He can play at bit of everywhere defensively, which should help him out with earning playing time. Offensively though, it's tough to see how he helps anyone other than desperate AL only owners. Mixed: No; AL: $3.

Joe Mauer, Twins - Mauer is set to being a rehab assignment this coming week at Low-A Cedar Rapids, as he looks to overcome an oblique injury. It's unclear how long he'll need before the team feels he's ready to rejoin the major league club, but it shouldn't be too long. Before the injury, he hit .271/.342/.353 with two home runs over 339 PA. The batting average should pick up, though the power may not. Now is a great time to see if he's on your waiver wire by chance (he hasn't played in a game in over a month) or there's an owner who has soured on him enough to trade him away. Mixed: $15; AL: Owned.

Will Middlebrooks, Red Sox - Middlebrooks was activated off the DL this Friday, after dealing with a finger injury. In his first game back he hit a double and struck out twice, which is typical Middlebrooks, as he has power and strikes out too much. For his career, he's a .289/.341/.493 hitter against LHP with 11 home runs over 246 PA. With the Red Sox raising the white flag on their 2014 season, it makes sense for the team to let him hit against RHPs too, to see if he can show some signs of improvement against them. For now though, expect him to be used in a platoon role. Mixed: $2; AL: $9.

Martin Prado, Yankees - Traded from the Diamondbacks to the Yankees this week, Prado is expected to be used all over defensively with his new club. Offensively, we're most likely to see him in some sort of a platoon role, as he's hit LHP to the tune of .342/.384/.500 this season over 86 PA. For his career he's and even .290 against both LHP and RHP, so perhaps the platoon will only be put into effect to sit other players and it's Prado that will start most days, which would seem to make more sense. Either way, Prado's power is down this season with only five home runs over 442 PA. If he can start to show a little more of that, he should be a productive player for all AL only owners. Mixed: Owned; AL: $16.

Danny Valencia, Blue Jays - Traded from the Royals to the Blue Jays this week, Valencia has seen playing time at first and third base since his move. This current arrangement doesn't figure to last too long, once many of the injured Blue Jays corner infielders (Adam Lind, Edwin Encarnacion, Brett Lawrie) start to return to health and their starting roles. For now though, he's a decent stopgap with his new team. This year against LHP, he has hit .343/.373/.471 with two home runs over 75 PA. Expect to see him in the lineup most nights when a LHP is on the hill. Mixed: No; AL: $3.

Kennys Vargas, Twins - Called up from Double-A New Britain this week, Vargas is expected to see playing time at first base, at least until Joe Mauer (oblique) is ready to rejoin the team. At New Britain he hit .271/.360/.472 with 17 home runs over 405 PA. 23-years old, Vargas was named to the Futures Game roster this season, as a prospect that scouts have had their eye on lately. So far he's started two games and gone 3-for-9 with a double. Chris Colabello has hit .103 over the last two weeks, so don't expect him to stand in the way of Vargas getting at-bats. He's worth a look even in deep mixed leagues as long as he continues to get playing time. Mixed: $2; AL: $8.

Zach Walters, Indians - Walters was traded this week from the Nationals to the Indians, as part of the Asdrubal Cabrera deal. A utility infielder, he was optioned to the minors on Thursday following the switch of teams. Mike Aviles and Jose Ramirez are expected to hold down the fort at shortstop for now, but Walters could be up soon. With the Nationals he hit .205/.279/.462 with three home runs over 43 PA. At Triple-A between the Nationals and Indians organizations, he's hit .305/.361/.606 with 15 home runs over 270 PA. Keep an eye on him in deeper AL only formats, if you can stash players. Mixed: No; AL: $2.

Middle Infielders:

Christian Colon, Royals - Colon was recalled from Triple-A Omaha this week to take the roster spot of Danny Valencia, who was traded to the Blue Jays. He's expected to play third base against LHP for now, as Mike Moustakas has hit just .128 against them this season, while Colon as a RHB should fair much better against them. A former first round pick, Colon has seen his prospect star fade to the point where he's not much of a factor outside of AL only formats. At Omaha he hit .307/.361/.430 with eight home runs and 15 stolen bases over 385 PA this season. Mixed: No; AL: $2.

Nick Franklin, Rays - Traded from the Mariners to the Rays as part of the David Price deal, Franklin was sent to Triple-A Durham following the switch. Still, owners in AL only formats need to keep an eye on him, as it might not be long before we see him back up in the majors if the Rays slow down and fall out of the Wild Card race. At Triple-A Tacoma earlier this season, he hit .294/.392/.455 with nine home runs and nine stolen bases over 333 PA. There have been talks that the Rays view him as a utility player defensively, akin to how Ben Zobrist was used, so there might be some value to where owners can play him once he comes up. For now stash him if you can, as we should see him sooner rather than later. Mixed: No; AL: $3.

Ryan Goins, Blue Jays - Goins went 4-for-5 in a game this week with a double and four RBI. Likely the best game of his short career, Goins has hit .273 over the last two weeks, as he helps to fill the gap left by the injured Brett Lawrie at second base. Earlier this season at Triple-A Buffalo, he hit .285/.331/.344 with three stolen bases over 330 PA. He needs to be owned in most AL only formats right now, as he's getting most of the playing time against RHP at second base. Mixed: $1; AL: $5.

Micah Johnson, White Sox - Johnson continues to stay hot down in the minors, as he's hit .307/.368/.421 with five home runs and 20 stolen bases over 427 PA this season between Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte. He finished the month of July with a .347 batting average at Charlotte, this while Gordon Beckham continues to struggle at the major league level. On the season Beckham has hit .225/.268/.357 with seven home runs and three stolen bases over 371 PA. Over the last two months of the season the White Sox should at some point give Johnson a look, as he presents more future upside than does Beckham. Stash Johnson away if you can, particularly in a keeper league. Mixed: No; AL: $3.

Gregorio Petit, Asros - With Marwin Gonzalez dealing with a hamstring injury that has kept him out of the lineup for a chunk of this week, the team decided to bring up Petit from Triple-A Oklahoma City to help tide them over. So far, so good as he's gone 5-for-17 with a hit in each of his last four games, one of which was a home run. At Oklahoma City this season he hit .297/.340/.457 with 10 home runs over 347 PA. Gonzalez is back in the lineup Sunday, so Petit's time in the majors may be short lived. For now though, he's an option to those looking for middle infield help in AL only formats. Mixed: No; AL: $4.

Jose Ramirez, Indians - Asdrubal Cabrera's trade to the Nationals means that Ramirez is likely to see an uptick in playing time. He needs to impress fairly soon, as the team has uber prospect Francisco Lindor and newly acquired Zack Walters waiting in the minors to get their shot at playing everyday. Earlier this season at Triple-A Columbus, Ramirez hit .302/.360/.441 with five home runs and 19 stolen bases over 277 PA. He's only hit .176 in the majors so far over 56 PA, so he's certainly got some work to do. For now, he needs to be owned in all AL only formats. Mixed: $2; AL: $8.

Outfielders:

Mookie Betts, Red Sox - Betts is back, now that the Red Sox has officially signaled that they have turned their attention towards contending for 2015. So far he's gone 1-for-3 in his lone game since coming back up. He should start most days in the outfield, as his defense has improved some, since he converted to the position from second base, where he was to start the season in the minors. Between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Pawtucket this season, he hit .342/.429/.530 with 11 home runs and 30 stolen bases over 410 PA. He needs to be owned in all AL only and deep mixed league formats. Mixed: $2; AL: $9.

Ezequiel Carrera, Tigers - With Austin Jackson now on the Mariners after the David Price trade, Carrera was brought up from Triple-A Toledo to take Jackson's roster spot. So far he has yet to appear in a game, but that should change soon, as he will likely start to see playing time against RHP. It would make more sense to let Rajai Davis go back to playing full-time than to platoon him with Carrera, but we'll see how the Tigers play it. At Toledo Carrera hit .307/.387/.422 with six home runs and 43 stolen bases over 434 PA. He has played previously in the majors with the Indians and Phillies, where he built up a .251 batting average, two home runs, and 16 stolen bases over 405 PA. Mixed: $1; AL: $5.

Allen Craig, Red Sox - Traded as part of the John Lackey deal to the Cardinals, Craig is going to start most days for the Red Sox in the outfield. With the Cardinals, he hit .237/.291/.346 with seven home runs and one stolen base over 398 PA. Those numbers as a whole are very disappointing in comparison to his 2013 campaign that saw him hit .315/.373/.457 with 13 home runs and two stolen bases over 563 PA. He has battled injuries the last couple of seasons and perhaps his ankle has affected his play more this season than he has let on, but clearly he has not been the same batter we saw the last two seasons. The change of scenery should help him, but he's going to need to make some changes in his approach as well. Mixed: Owned; AL: $18.

Chris Denorfia, Mariners - Traded from the Padres to the Mariners this week, Denorfia is expected to see the bulk of his playing time come against LHP, of whom he owns a career .299/.365/.440 batting line against. There's been some talk that he'll be in there to face RHP too, but that makes less sense when Endy Chavez is around to platoon with him and has been decent against RHPs this season. On the season, Denorfia has hit .238/.289/.313 with one home run and eight stolen bases over 272 PA. He isn't likely to carry much value in even AL only formats. Mixed: No; AL: $3.

Jake Marisnick, Astros - Traded to the Astros, as part of the Jarred Cosart deal with the Marlins, Marisnick is now back in the majors and starting in center field with his new club. That might not last for long as George Springer and Dexter Fowler should be back off the DL soon. At Triple-A New Orleans with the Marlins, he hit .277/.326/.434 with 10 home runs and 24 stolen bases over 377 PA this season. He had gotten off to slow start with the Marlins in the majors over 14 games this season and was in the minors at the time of the trade. Look for him to be forced into a more reserve role or go back the minors, once Fowler and Springer are back in the next week or so. Mixed: No; AL: $3.

Wil Myers, Rays - Still not ready for a rehab assignment, Myers (wrist) has been doing strength and conditioning drills lately. He should be ready for a rehab assignment in the next week, which puts his timetable for a return to the majors at some point late this month. Before the injury he hit a disappointing .227/.313/.354 with five home runs and three stolen bases over 224 PA. Stash him in AL only formats if he's available. Mixed: $3; AL: $10.

Domingo Santana, Astros - Santana was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday to help the Astros outfield woes, specifically their unproductive left field. At Oklahoma City he hit .292/.375/.469 with 14 home runs and six stolen bases over 443 PA. He has power, but he also swings and misses too often, which likely to be magnified at the major league level. Earlier this season he had a brief four game stretch, where he went hitless with the Astros, but again it was just four games. This time around he may stick a little longer, as to this point Astros left fielders have hit a MLB low .218 this season. He also has Jake Marisnick to contend with for playing time and Dexter Fowler and George Springer will be back from the DL soon, so he might be going back to the minors soon, though cutting L.J. Hoes or Jesus Guzman makes much more sense. Mixed: $1; AL: $5.

Note: If you have anyone else you'd like me to discuss, just drop a line in the comments section.