This article is part of our Draftster MLB series.
Trade fever has swept baseball of late, as teams attempt to acquire what they consider to be high-upside pieces in order to plug some holes for the upcoming push to the postseason. The most recent player to be involved in a deal of this sort was Jake Peavy, who was acquired by the Giants from the Red Sox on Saturday. It seems likely that a bigger home ballpark could help turn Peavy's subpar season around (1-9, 4.72 ERA), but it's also worth noting that his home run troubles this year have come against lefties while in a park (Fenway) that neutralizes left-handed power. Keep this in mind when he makes his debut against the Dodgers on Sunday. Los Angeles doesn't showcase many southpaw sluggers, but Adrian Gonzalez could be worthy of some consideration if you are looking for a play at first base.
Others to Consider on Sunday…
Pitcher:Hyun-Jin Ryu ($8,400)
A shortened schedule leaves us low on quality starters Sunday. Though I don't think the matchup is ideal, I am going with Ryu against the Giants, because he is pitching in AT&T Park and has performed well against both sides of the platoon this season.
Offense:
Miguel Gonzalez has an xFIP of 5.04 against lefties in 2014. He faces the Mariners on Sunday, who have quite a few left-handed bats for us to choose from.
Kyle Seager (3B) ($6,000)
Robinson Cano (2B) ($3,600)
Eric Stults is a homer-prone left-handed pitcher who will try to negotiate his way through a Braves offense that is among the best in the league against southpaws this season. I don't like his chances. Strikeouts can be a concern with a few names in this group, but I simply can't pass on the power upside.
Justin Upton (OF) ($8,900)
Evan Gattis (C) ($3,000)
Andrelton Simmons (SS) ($3,200)
Franklin Morales owns a .400 wOBA against right-handed hitters this season. He should be considered a favorable target when he takes on the Pirates at home.
Andrew McCutchen (OF) ($3,800)
Miles Mikolas likely isn't as bad as his 7.48 ERA suggests, but he has proven vulnerable to the long ball in his short stint in the majors this season. He will have his work cut out for him against a tough A's lineup.
Brandon Moss (1B) ($6,600)
Coco Crisp (OF) ($3,000)
The Week at a Glance
Homer Bailey has struggled against lefties this season but owns a 2.85 xFIP against right-handed hitters. The Diamondbacks are light on quality southpaws, which should translate to a nice matchup for Bailey on Monday.
Nick Martinez would almost certainly not be a member of a major league rotation if the Rangers were healthy this season. His startling 6.35 xFIP against lefties makes him a nice target for his outing against the Yankees at home on Tuesday, despite the fact that he actually threw the ball well against the Bombers in his last start.
Charlie Morton is sporting a career-high strikeout rate in 2014 (7.21/9). While he's still not likely to strike out 200 hitters in a season anytime soon, the uptick, combined with his impressive groundball rate, has turned him into an intriguing DFS option. He'll take on the Giants on Wednesday, who are close to a league-average offense against right-handed pitching.
Cliff Lee hasn't looked like himself of late, having allowed nine runs in his first 10.2 innings since his return from the disabled list. Lee's rocky reintroduction to the major leagues comes on the heels of the 35-year-old giving up eight runs (three earned) in 4.2 innings during his final tune up start at High-A Clearwater. In terms of stacking options, I wouldn't look to go crazy here, but Jayson Werth and Ian Desmond may prove useful Thursday if Lee is still in recovery mode.
You can also try Andrew McCutchen against Josh Collmenter at Chase Field on Thursday. Collmenter has tallied a 4.68 xFIP in 60.1 innings against righties this season, while McCutchen has abused his right-handed brethren to the tune of a .977 OPS.
After a rough start to 2014, Danny Salazar was recalled to face the Twins on July 22 and put together a representative outing, allowing one run through five innings while striking out six. I expect his success to continue for at least one more start when he faces the Rangers at home on Friday, as they own just an 82 wRC+ against right-handed pitching this season.
Yohan Flande will not have to pitch in Coors Field on Saturday, but his .906 OPS against righties this season will nonetheless make it difficult to navigate around Miguel Cabrera and company.
