This week’s Waiver Advice column is going to be shorter than most. These are mostly just recommendations before the All-Star Break to finish your week off strong or to get a jump on players coming out of the Break. Next Wednesday’s article will return with a full breakdown of 12-15 players to target coming out of the break!
Don’t forget to check out this past Wedneday’s Waiver Advice column for extra names to look at on your waivers!
Nathan Eovaldi SP/RP BOS; FAAB Bid: 15% - I mentioned Eovaldi within the last week, but he’s worth mentioning because he’s throwing a bullpen session on Saturday and he is the likely closer for the Red Sox once he comes off the Injured List after the break. The irony of this move simply lies in the fact that Dave Dombrowski didn’t want to pay money for a closer, yet they gave Eovaldi a contract for four years and $68 million in the offseason. So in a bizarre series of events, Dombrowski ended up paying his closer!
A.J. Pollock OF LAD; FAAB Bid: 5% - Pollock didn’t get off to a great start in April before landing on the 60-day Injured List. His best days are clearly behind him, but he’s set to come off the IL after the All-Star Break like Eovaldi. If he looks better than his production in April, then great he’s got some value. At the very worst he should be an okay source for steals if he can find his way on base.
Danny Jansen C TOR; FAAB Bid: 8% - Here is the hot stick to target before the break! Jansen has been ridiculously hot since last Wednesday. He has six home runs, a triple, and a double in that span with ten RBI and eight runs scored in that span. He hasn’t struck out in that span either so the plate discipline is another bonus for points leagues. He likely doesn’t sustain this, but he needs to be owned in more than 40% of leagues.
Christian Walker 1B ARI; FAAB BID: 5-6% - Walker was a popular waiver acquisition earlier this year, but cooled off quickly. However, he’s heating back up with three home runs in his last two games. He now has 17 home runs with 45 runs scored and 43 RBI. For whatever reason he’s available in over 75% of leagues on Yahoo and that number should drop once people folks become aware of his power surge.
Dinelson Lamet SP SD; FAAB Bid: 2% - Lamet took the loss following his return from Tommy John surgery. The return was nearly two years in the making, but all things considered, Lamet looked decent in his return. He took the loss against the Dodgers, but he struck out seven hitters in five innings of work. He only utilized his fastball and slider, but the former sat right around 95mph. He’ll need more than two pitches to be successful at the MLB level, but in his first start in almost two years, it would just good to see that he looked okay.