NL FAAB Factor: Early June Update

Normally, this would be my weekly look at National League free agents. But as we all know, we are still not in normal times. First and foremost, I hope you and all of your loved ones are safe and well and remain that way.

In order to provide you some fresh reading material during this mandated hiatus from action, this article looks at some potentially interesting NL players to draft and/or add off waivers. The LABR and Tout Wars NL-only leagues are our starting point for the column. Players drafted late or reserve picks are the main focus, though I will touch on others that I think whose value will exceed their cost, as I have this week. My plan is to cover a handful of names each week, hopefully saving several over for the following column, allowing a new population of players to be covered weekly.

To make this somewhat interactive, as always, if there is a player that was not discussed in the article that you would like to know about, feel free to ask about the player in the comments and I will touch on those the following week. We will see how many weeks this lasts, and hopefully by the time we exhaust all the names we want to cover, we will have baseball or an idea when games will resume, enabling a resumption of the normal column.

Major league baseball proposed the use of a Universal DH nearly a month ago in their submission to the Players Association. All signs point to the ratification of this change – presuming we actually have baseball, which right now, isn't looking that likely – meaning that National League games will mirror those of the Junior Circuit. This week's column includes a handful more hitters who figure to benefit from the addition of another position player in the batting order.

STARTING PITCHER 

Kwang-Hyun Kim, Cardinals: Kim, after 12 years in South Korea, signed a two-year, $8 million deal with the Cardinals this past offseason. He went 17-6 with a 2.51 ERA and 8.5 K/9 last season (6th among starters), using a low-to-mid 90s fastball and excellent slider to retire hitters. Kim's lack of fastball velocity could hurt him in the majors, but he should benefit from his funky delivery and ability to throw strikes. In addition, the lack of a "book" on him and shortened season should aid his chances of earning and keeping the fifth starter spot for St. Louis. LABR: $3; Tout Wars: $7

Chad Kuhl, Pirates: Kuhl, recovering from September 2018 Tommy John surgery, missed all of 2019, He pitched this spring and looked ready to break camp with the Pirates. The extra time off due to the pandemic should only help Kuhl hit the ground running when/if action resumes. Chris Archer's surgery leaves a hole in the Pittsburgh rotation, solidifying Kuhl's spot, but unless he is able to better use his 2018 spike in fastball velocity, moderate your expectations. Benefitting for Archer's absence should also be Derek Holland and Steven Brault. LABR: $0; Tout Wars: Not owned

RELIEF PITCHER

Yimi Garcia, Marlins – Garcia rebounded from an injury-recovery shortened and poor 2018 to post solid numbers across the board, including ranking among the elite in hard-hit rate allowed, xBA and xwOBA, as we highlighted in our preseason outlook. Miami signed Garcia to a one-year, $1.1 million contract last December to help lengthen and strengthen their bullpen. Garcia, along with Ryne Stanek and Drew Steckenrider should set up presumed closer Brandon Kintzler, which might allow Garcia to exceed his former career-high in holds of 11 set in 2015 despite the condensed schedule. Not owned; Wick - LABR: Not owned; Tout Wars: Reserve pick 

CATCHER

Tony Wolters, Rockies: One of the main challenges in single leagues is obtaining enough at bats to generate counting stats, which is why almost any starter has value. This is especially true behind the plate, where a catcher who provides a decent enough batting average and even mild counting stats has value. Wolters is such a player. He won't hit for much – or any – power, especially if half his games are not in Colorado. But if he can hit .260, as he did last year, and starts more than half the games, he fills a roster need satisfactorily in NL-only formats. LABR: $2; Tout Wars: Not owned

FIRST BASE 

Matt Beaty, Dodgers: Expanded rosters could allow Beaty and Edwin Rios to break camp with the Dodgers, if we actually have a season. Beaty took advantage of several injuries to appear in 99 games for LA last season. As we noted in our preseason outlook, Beat displayed strong bat-to-ball skills in the minors with K-rates in the low-teens, and that skill carried over to the highest level. That skill should enable Beaty to see spot- and pinch-hit duty for the parent club in 2020, as he can play first, third and both corner outfield spots.  LABR: $0; Tout Wars: Reserve

SECOND BASE

Adeiny Hechavarria, Braves: Hechavarria had a very productive 24-game stint with the Braves, who he signed with following his release by the Mets. He parlayed that run into a one-year, $1.1 million deal with Atlanta. Hechavarria should see time at second, third and shortstop for the Braves, though expecting anywhere close to the slash line he posted with the Braves would be pure folly. But he makes a decent bench option in single leagues.  LABR: Not owned; Tout Wars: Not owned

THIRD BASE

Eugenio Suarez, Reds: Suarez in a column about players whose value may be better than expected, are you daft? Before you throw me off the cliff, hear me out. When most drafts occurred before the pandemic hit, Suarez had had resumed swinging without issue following his Jan. 28 shoulder surgery and was scheduled to serve as a designated hitter in a March 13 game that was later canceled. It's possible that the bids for Suarez were partially haircut, but if the season does resume, he most certainly should be 100 percent healthy and provide full value.  LABR: $24, Tout Wars: $27

SHORTSTOP 

Jean Segura, Phillies: Segura, despite moving from a pitcher's park in Seattle to a hitter's park in Philly, saw his slash numbers drop significantly. More important, as we noted in our pre-season outlook, his steals dropped from 20 to 10, while his stolen-base attempts dropped even more dramatically from 31 to 12. If those numbers rise, then Segura's value takes a major leap forward. The signing of Didi Gregorius, who should be 100% healthy following the additional time off, manes that Segura will see time at second, third and shortstop, depending on where Scott Kingery is deployed and if Alec Bohm joins the team. Keep all these in mind when evaluating Segura. LABR: $20; Tout Wars: $19

OUTFIELD

Steven Souza, Cubs: Chicago has several options at designated hitter, the most likely of which is to shift Kyle Schwarber from left field, opening up playing time in the outfield for Souza Jr., Albert Almora Jr., Ian Happ and whoever doesn't win the second base job between Jason Kipnis and Nico Hoerner, as I have highlighted in previous columns. Souza hit 30 home runs with 78 RBI and had a .351 on-base percentage with Tampa Bay in 2017 before he signed a big money contract with Arizona. Since then, as we noted in our pre-season outlook, Souza has played in just 72 games as he has missed time with the following injuries: sprained pectoral muscle, shoulder injury, back spasms, and most recently, his knee blowing up in the penultimate spring training game leading to him missing the entire 2019 season. Signed to a one-year, $1 million contract by the Cubs in January, Souza won't have a full campaign to try and rebuild his value, but could see enough playing time to maybe earn another contract. LABR: $2; Tout Wars: $1 

Yasmany Tomas, Diamondbacks: Tomas, signed for six years and $68 million out of Cubs prior to the 2015 season, blasted 31 home runs while driving in 83 runs in 2016. Injuries limited Tomas, dubbed "El Tanque" (Spanish for "The Tank"), to just 47 games in 2017 and he was outrighted off the 40-man roster in 2018. Tomas' struggles with plate discipline have mainly relegated him to the minors the past two seasons, but he could see playing time at DH due to his power potential. However, even there, Tomas may have an uphill climb with Jake Lamb and Kevin Cron poised to also see DH at bats. LABR: Not owned; Tout Wars: Not owned