Fantasy Baseball Cut List: Top 6 Star Drops to Make for Week 25
Nobody wants to dump a big-name fantasy baseball star. Along with owners fearing the move coming back to haunt them, the decision is an admission to making a mistake months ago.
Not all of these players have hurt drafters all year. A few have actually provided a positive return on investment, but a recent slump and/or injury deflated their worth entering the season's final week.
As for the others, it's past time to part ways. These underwhelming players haven't performed all year, and their owners now have reasonable excuses to waive them. From health concerns to unrelenting slumps, none are in position to sway a championship matchup—at least not for the better.
It may hurt to cut the cord on a high draftee, but redraft gamers need to think exclusively in terms of the lone remaining week. These six players are expendable in standard mixed leagues.
6. Jhonny Peralta, SS, St. Louis Cardinals
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After again falling in most drafts, Jhonny Peralta stormed to the All-Star break with 13 home runs and a 126 weighted runs created plus (wRC+), both best among all shortstops. Yet somewhere along the way, the veteran collapsed.
The stud has disintegrated into a scrub, batting .211/.260/.268 with three extra-base hits in September. One of the position's top sluggers went deep for the first time since Aug. 1 on Thursday night.
Could he simply not sustain his early power, or did the 33-year-old age horribly overnight? It's tough to say, but he's now a .271/.330/.412 hitter with missing pop and no speed. His St. Louis Cardinals have also clinched a playoff spot, so don't be surprised if he receives an extra day or two of rest.
Peralta has slid from a top-10 option to deeper middle-infield option next year. Don't feel required to stay by his side during an ugly rough patch.
Add: Jedd Gyorko, San Diego Padres; Didi Gregorius, New York Yankees; Ketel Marte, Seattle Mariners
5. Jason Hammel, SP, Chicago Cubs
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A top free-agent pickup this season, Jason Hammel sports an exceptional 9.19 strikeouts and 2.23 walks per nine innings. Through most of 2015, he trumped Jon Lester as the Chicago Cubs' better offseason add.
The 33-year-old starting pitcher, however, has waned down the stretch. Over his past seven starts, the righty has relinquished 24 runs through 34 innings. While the strikeouts have remained intact, he has also issued 13 free passes on top of the 40 hits allowed.
Since the All-Star break, the veteran has allowed 11 homers, matching the amount surrendered over a larger first-half sample size. Over that same period, his hard-hit rate has skyrocketed from 28.3 to 39.6.
Hammel had his fun during an exceptional start, but his ERA has ballooned to 3.79. After facing the Pittsburgh Pirates this weekend, he's scheduled to pitch at the Great American Ballpark, an unenviable task despite the Cincinnati Reds' down year.
Due to his lengthy swoon, gamers should put Hammel back where they found him in April.
Add: Marcus Stroman, Toronto Blue Jays; Jake Peavy, San Francisco Giants; Cody Anderson, Cleveland Indians
4. Brandon Belt, 1B/OF, San Francisco Giants
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Brandon Belt doesn't grab everyone's attention, but he yet again delivered under the radar, hitting .280/.356/.478 with 18 home runs and nine stolen bases. Even if he never completes the leap to stardom, the San Francisco Giants first baseman carved out his spot as a solid fantasy contributor.
Unfortunately, he has missed San Francisco's last four games with concussion-like symptoms. Having past issues with concussions, the Giants must exude caution with the 27-year-old. Manager Bruce Bochy echoed those sentiments to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle, saying he "would be shocked" if Belt plays again this season.
Trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers by seven games with 11 remaining, it'd take a miracle for the injury-ravaged Giants to defend their championship in October. That makes the decision even easier to shut down Belt for the season.
There's no official word yet, but don't bank on Belt playing again this year.
Add: Greg Bird, New York Yankees; Steve Pearce, Baltimore Orioles; Travis Shaw, Boston Red Sox
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3. Carlos Gomez, OF, Houston Astros
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Dropping Carlos Gomez would look insane to any time-travelers jumping ahead from March to get a competitive edge on draft day. (They should probably use time travel for more important things, but imaginary people in hypothetical scenarios aren't always the smartest folks.) The rotisserie first-round pick has fallen flat on his face, and he's running out of time to redeem himself.
The outfielder hasn't played since Sept. 12 due to back issues, and his return isn't imminent. According to Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle, Houston Astros manager A.J. Hinch is "getting a little concerned about Gomez because it's getting close to the weekend and he hasn't swung with much effort."
Since arriving in Houston, Gomez is hitting .234/.282/.379 with four homers and seven steals in 38 games. After three years of elite power and speed production, he's sitting on a pedestrian 12 homers and 14 steals, which is nice from a Gerardo Parra waiver add but bad from an offensive cornerstone.
The free-falling Astros suddenly trail the Texas Rangers by 3.5 games in the American League West while maintaining a 1.5-game wild-card lead over the Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Angels. They'll certainly want their midseason acquisition back as soon as possible, but there's no guarantee he's ready to suit up.
If he is, this version isn't much better than typical waiver-wire fodder floating around standard mixed leagues. Admit defeat on a failed investment and replace Gomez with a healthy alternative.
Add: Tommy Pham, St. Louis Cardinals; Ender Inciarte, Arizona Diamondbacks; Jake Marisnick, Houston Astros
2. Yadier Molina, C, St. Louis Cardinals
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Why is Yadier Molina still owned in 74 percent of Yahoo Sports leagues? Managing pitching staffs and pitches framed for called strikes aren't categories in fantasy formats. An indispensable member of the St. Louis Cardinals turns into a replaceable fantasy catcher, and that's when he's healthy.
According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, Molina will miss at least 10 days with a slightly torn left thumb ligament. That report was published on Sept. 21, meaning he'd optimistically return for the team's final three-game series against the Atlanta Braves.
The Cardinals have already clinched a playoff spot. Depending on how their series with the Pittsburgh Pirates turns out, they could soon clinch the National League Central, rendering the veteran's presence unnecessary in meaningless regular-season October baseball.
Even if he came back Saturday, he's a .270 hitter with four homers and three stolen bases. Barring an unlikely three-homer barrage next weekend, this will mark the third straight year of depreciated dingers since 2012's 22-homer outlier.
There's no reason anyone in standard mixed leagues with one starting catcher should have drafted Molina, yet alone still own him.
Add: J.T. Realmuto, Miami Marlins; John Jaso, Tampa Bay Rays; Tom Murphy, Colorado Rockies
1. Greg Holland, RP, Kansas City Royals
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Anyone enduring Greg Holland's struggles due to the promise of strikeouts and saves received an out when Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost removed Holland from his closing duties in favor of dominant setup man Wade Davis.
“I’m pretty much going to go with Wade,” Yost said earlier this week, per the Kansas City Star's Sam Mellinger. “You know what you’ve got with Wade. With Holly, you just don’t know one day to the next how his elbow’s going to react. Is it going to be tight? Is it going to be sore? Is it going to be stiff?”
Swapping places with Davis would have proved enough to drop Holland, but the team cemented the decision by shutting Holland down for the season, as announced by the team on Thursday. Fantasy owners now have an excuse to cut ties with a big name who torpedoed their ERA and WHIP.
Dealing with elbow issues throughout the year, Holland posted a 3.83 ERA and 1.46 WHIP. Since the All-Star break, opponents are hitting .324/.417/.458 against him, scoring 12 runs (11 earned) through 18 innings.
While the 29-year-old maintained a strong 9.87 strikeouts per nine innings, it's still a major letdown from his career 12.11 K/9. He issued 26 walks through 44.2 frames and lost over two miles per hour on his average fastball velocity. There's no longer any reason to feel guilt about dumping a star racking up saves through his troubles.
Add: Darren O'Day, Baltimore Orioles; Robbie Ross Jr., Boston Red Sox; Neftali Feliz, Detroit Tigers
Note: All advanced statistics are courtesy of FanGraphs.
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