Kim has been rock solid for the better part of the 2021 season, but has been particularly impressive over the past month, winning all of his decisions to the tune of a 5–0 record with a stellar 1.83 ERA in 34.1 innings pitched. Four of those five starts went for quality starts, and two of those starts were impeccable once against the first place San Francisco Giants who also own the best record in baseball. He also had a 24 scoreless inning stretch during that span. For the season, he sports a shiny 2.88 ERA, a 67/28 K/BB ratio and a 1.17 WHIP, though is only 6–5 (1–5 before this stretch) and doesn’t miss many bats (67 in 84.1 innings) or pitch that deep into ball games, going deeper than six innings only one time all season. Evidently, he’s got his downfalls, which makes it easier to part ways with him despite the recent success. His value is at an all time high, so there’s no better time to exchange him for a quality addition to your team while you set your sights on the postseason.
Despite being one of the best pitchers in all of baseball last season and placing himself squarely in the running for a CY Young award, Maeda has followed that up with a terrible 2021 campaign. For reference, he was nearly unhittable last season, boasting a .168 BAA (batting average against), where this season, his BAA is nearly .100 points higher at .263, far and away the worst mark of his six year career. His season’s ERA still sits ballooned at 4.63 despite a recent string of success in the month of July that saw him post a 2.35 ERA for the month in 23 innings pitched. His K/BB ratio this month is a stellar 31/4, which almost doesn’t make sense considering how bad he’s been for the majority of the season. Perhaps Maeda is rounding into form, but he’s been more awful than good this season to definitively say he’s “back”. His trade value is at its peak being that he’s a big “name” and he’s starting to have the production to boot. He might be able to fetch you some good production in return. Don’t hesitate to sell high on Maeda.
Another Minnesota Twin shows up on this list in the form of their middle infielder Jorge Polanco. Polanco has long been a relatively average producer at the dish for the majority of his career, but a recent surge at the plate has him humming a different tune as of late, as he’s been one of the hottest hitters in the game. In his last seven games he leads all major league hitters in RBI with 13, and has three homers and three stolen bases to go along with those aforementioned 13 runs batted in. He’s also batting .387 in that span, raising his season average to a respectable .260 in the process. The reeling Twins sit 15 games below .500 and with the trade deadline looming, players like Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco could be on the move. That may be a problem as if traded to a contender, he could transition into more of a platoon player than an everyday player. Polanco’s value is at its highest in Minnesota, and even more so right now while he’s this hot with the stick. There’s no better time to sell high, so act quickly before it’s too late.
Owned in just 6% of Yahoo leagues, the 6”0 245-pound first baseman aka “the big Nogowski” has been on a tear with the bat over his last nine games, hitting safely in seven of those nine including five multi-hit efforts. During that span he’s batting a crisp .359 with 14 hits, a homer, and ten runs batted in. The playoff dream is just about dead in the water for Pittsburgh, so big Nogowski is going to be getting plenty of action over the latter part of the season as they try to evaluate what they have in house heading into the offseason. Add if you need a cheap source of production in hits, avg, and RBI.
Another player owned in just 6% of Yahoo leagues that has been sneaky productive comes in the form of former third rounder out of Florida Harrison Bader. Bader has long had an intriguing blend of power and speed, cranking out two separate near 15/15 campaigns despite being a platoon player for most of his young career. This season, he’s on track for yet another with six round trippers and five stolen bases in only 131 at bats. Over the past two weeks he’s been on a tear, hitting a robust .433. As long as he continues to get everyday at bats, there’s production to be had here. Don’t hesitate to add him for a struggling player at the end of your bench.
Perhaps one of the more disappointing players in all of baseball is starting to snap out of a season-long funk. Kansas City’s Hunter Dozier, a player who was drafted in the majority of fantasy leagues this season, found himself on the vast majority of waiver wires after a despicable first three months of the season where he was hitting way under the Mendoza line. The former first round pick has slowly but surely hit his way back to relevancy recently, raising his batting average from a putrid .172 to .196 since July 9th. During that span, he’s hit safely 12 times in 28 at bats, including a perfect four-for-four game. The big infielder is finally showing some much needed signs of life, and shades of his all-star self just two short years ago. It also helps that he has 1B, 3B, CI, OF, and UTIL eligibility, so you can plug him in almost anywhere. Don’t hesitate to add him where necessary.