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Fantasy Baseball: The Righties – Targeted Streaming for a Championship Run

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Hello, friends.

With the trade deadline behind us and rosters mostly settled, it's time to take one final crack at identifying the teams you should be going out of your way to stream against, and who should be avoided whenever possible.

With waiver-wires long since picked clean, finding valuable streamers is your quickest way to big changes in your standings as we enter the championship run. But as the white-haired lothario, Kenny Rogers, once opined, it's also about knowing when to fold 'em. As the season dwindles, so too must your spectrum of usable starters, at least compared to what it was early in the season, given how much more information you're working with. Obviously, that starts with knowing much more about team offenses now than we did in May, but just as big of a decision driver should be your own individual league circumstances.

We're no longer in the willy-nilly times of spring and early summer; if you're hunting for a championship in the middle of August, you can't just throw out every reasonable start you have available. The closer we get to the end, the more particular you might need to be, honing in on the categories you need to push, or possibly sacrificing any you can afford to. That might mean opening up your spectrum of usability for a team that's sneakily been in the dumps against a certain hand (like the Dodgers vs LHPs), or tightening it almost all the way up to avoid a power-surger (Toronto vs RHPs).

We'll tackle what to do with right-handers first, starting by splitting the season into two (unavoidably) arbitrary samples, using April through June, and post-July as our borders. We'll also use runs scored as a jumping off point, but let's first acknowledge the limitations of using team runs scored versus a particular hand.  IE. It's not as black and white as the numbers suggest, given inherited runners, pitcher switches, etc.

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Giants Select Drew Gilbert, Designate Daniel Johnson For Assignment

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The Giants announced that outfielder Jerar Encarnación has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to August 7th, with a right hamstring strain. To fill his spot on the active roster, they have selected outfielder Drew Gilbert. To open a 40-man spot for Gilbert, outfielder Daniel Johnson has been designated for assignment.

Gilbert, 24, has been in the system less than two weeks. He was one of three players the Giants acquired when trading Tyler Rogers to the Mets ahead of the deadline. That was actually the second trade of Gilbert’s career. Originally drafted by the Astros, he was sent to the Mets in the 2023 deadline deal which sent Justin Verlander back to Houston.

Though he was once seen as a top 100 prospect, his stock isn’t quite that high anymore. Baseball America ranked him as the #77 prospect in all of baseball ahead of the 2023 season. Gilbert had just been drafted 28th overall in the summer of 2022. He then made his professional debut by playing ten games in the lower levels of Houston’s system, slashing .313/.405/.531 in a tiny sample of 39 plate appearances.

As he has climbed the minor league ladder, he has continued to perform, though it’s possible he may be a decent all-around player without a standout tool. This year, he has 408 minor league plate appearances. His 12.3% walk rate and 16.2% strikeout rate are both better than average. He has hit 14 home runs and stolen six bases. His combined .262/.369/.466 batting line leads to a 119 wRC+. He has played all three outfield positions.

BA listed him as the #14 prospect in the Mets’ system prior to last month’s trade. They note that he is basically decent at everything. He makes contact and hits a few home runs. He’s an above-average runner. While he can hold his own in center, he might be destined for right field.

For the Giants, he’s a sensible flier to take. Rogers is 34 years old and was about to hit free agency. Once the club slid in the standings, they made it their priority to focus on the future. They also traded Mike Yastrzemski, opening some outfield playing time. Encarnación’s injury opens up some more, at least for the short term.

Going into next year, the Giants have two outfield spots spoken for by Jung Hoo Lee and Heliot Ramos. They can use the remainder of their season to get a look at Gilbert and see if he can earn a spot. Guys like Grant McCray, Luis Matos, Marco Luciano and Wade Meckler could also be in the mix, though the latter three are all on pace to be out of options next year. That could make it harder for them to hold a 40-man spot through the winter.

Johnson, 30, signed a minor league deal with the Giants in May. He was selected to the 40-man roster in June. He has since slashed .172/.226/.345 in 31 plate appearances. That gives him a career .193/.238/.336 line in 126 trips to the plate, dating back to his 2020 debut.

Now that he’s been bumped into DFA limbo and the trade deadline has passed, he’ll have to be placed on waivers. He has generally hit well in the minors. Dating back to the start of 2023, he has a combined .267/.333/.469 line and 107 wRC+ on the farm. He is still optionable for the rest of this season but will be out of options next year.

Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images

2025-26 MLB Free Agent Power Rankings: Nos. 11-15

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The latest edition of MLBTR's 2025-26 Free Agent Power Rankings are out. You can check our top 10 with a full breakdown of our reasoning for free, as always. This time around, we're tacking on write-ups of the next five names and a peek ahead to their offseason market and contract expectations for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers.

As always, it bears emphasizing that our rankings are based on how we perceive these free agents' earning power -- not necessarily a ranking of the "best" or most impactful free agents on the market. For instance, Merrill Kelly and Aroldis Chapman are both having terrific seasons ... in their age-36 and age-37 campaigns, respectively. If they posted these same numbers at age 30, they'd be locks for the top 10. As it stands, age will inherently place a cap on the length of contracts they can secure. A younger pitcher having a lesser season can still out-earn both, simply because deals of four, five and six years are available for 30-year-olds in a way they aren't for free agents in their late 30s.

Next up on our rankings are a trio of arms and two bats -- one of whom could be testing international free agency for the first time.

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Twins’ Ryan Jeffers Also Drew Interest At Trade Deadline

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The Twins shipped out nearly 40% of their roster but could’ve been even more active. Minnesota also received interest in catcher Ryan Jeffers from multiple teams, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post, though obviously nothing came together.

Whether it was a case of the Twins not receiving a satisfactory offer or simply not having time to hammer out yet another swap involving a player controlled beyond the current season, Jeffers is still the Twins’ starting catcher — at least for now. He’s controllable only through the 2026 season, so it stands to reason that he could again be a trade candidate this winter. Perhaps if the Pohlad family can complete a sale of the team in the near future, new ownership will be more intent on keeping a competitive roster together for next season. However, as things currently stand, Jeffers seems likely to be available again in a few months’ time, given the sheer magnitude of Minnesota’s still-surprising deadline teardown.

The 28-year-old Jeffers (29 next June) is enjoying a third straight productive year at the plate, hitting .260/.345/.409 with eight homers, 22 doubles, a 9.8% walk rate and a career-low 19.3% strikeout rate. Dating back to the 2023 season, he’s a .250/.333/.441 hitter — good for a 117 wRC+ that ranks fifth among all qualified big league catchers in that time. His glovework isn’t as well regarded, but Jeffers isn’t a liability from a defensive standpoint by any means. He’s earning $4.55MM this year and will likely clear $7MM next season in his final year of club control.

It’ll be a thin market for teams seeking help behind the plate this winter, so Jeffers should hold plenty of appeal if the Twins do dangle him. The top options on the free agent market will be J.T. Realmuto, ahead of his age-35 season, and Victor Caratini, who’s never really handled a starter’s workload behind the dish. (Even this year, as Caratini is on track for a new career-high in plate appearances, he’s spent 24 games at DH and 11 at first base in addition to his 39 games behind the plate.)

There will be a few other options to consider, but this offseason’s catcher class is composed primarily of mid-30s backups and younger starters who are struggling through down years. Danny Jansen is having a sub-par year for a second straight season. Gary Sanchez will end up missing roughly one-third of the year with the PCL sprain that’s currently sidelining him. Salvador Perez can technically become a free agent, but the Royals will presumably pick up his $13.5MM club option (a net $11.5MM decision when considering the option’s $2MM buyout).

As explored at greater length by MLBTR’s Anthony Franco yesterday, Jeffers and top starter Joe Ryan headline a group of several logical offseason trade candidates who remain on the Twins’ roster after that deadline purge.

Rockies Select Kyle Karros, Aaron Schunk

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The Rockies announced that they have selected the contract of infielders Kyle Karros and Aaron Schunk. Thomas Harding of MLB.com reported on those promotions prior to the official announcement. In corresponding moves, they have placed infielder Orlando Arcia on the 10-day injured list due to right elbow inflammation, transferred infielder Thairo Estrada to the 60-day IL and placed right-hander Angel Chivilli on the restricted list. It’s unclear why Chivilli has been placed on the restricted list.

Karros, 23, is the son of Eric Karros. The younger Karros was Colorado’s fifth-round draft pick in 2023. Since then, he has been climbing the minor league ladder, generally putting up good numbers. He has taken 1,010 minor league plate appearances across multiple levels with an 11.5% walk rate, 20.4% strikeout rate, .304/.393/.459 batting line and 135 wRC+. That includes a .301/.398/.476 line this year, mostly at Double-A but also with a few games at the Complex League and at Triple-A.

Baseball America currently lists him as the #14 prospect in the Rockies’ system. Their report notes that he is a strong defender at third base with a good arm. His offensive profile is highlighted by his contact ability, which matches with his numbers. His strikeout and walk numbers are good but he doesn’t appear to have a ton of power. He hit 15 home runs in High-A last year but has just six so far in 2025.

Schunk, 28, was outrighted off the roster in June. He has a dismal .230/.254/.311 line in 127 big league plate appearances. His minor league work has been better but still subpar. From 2023 to the present, he has 1,065 Triple-A plate appearances. His .293/.344/.469 line in that time looks impressive at first glance but actually translates to an 87 wRC+ in the context of the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

The Colorado infield took a few recent hits. Estrada landed on the 10-day IL two days ago due to a right hamstring strain. With today’s transfer to the 60-day IL, his season is done. With Arcia landing on the 10-day IL today, that’s two infield vacancies created this week. The club also lost Ryan Ritter to the IL last month due to a finger laceration.

Those injuries have created openings for Karros and Schunk. The Rockies don’t have a lot to play for this year but have long-term opportunities available. Aside from Ezequiel Tovar at shortstop, there’s not much certainty in the infield for future seasons. Guys like Warming Bernabel and Adael Amador are already getting some big league at-bats and now Karros and Schunk can join them.

Circling back to Estrada, this is the final nail in the coffin for his very challenging season. He had a solid three-year run with the Giants from 2021 to 2023. He slashed .266/.320/.416 for a 105 wRC+ in that time while stealing 45 bases and bouncing around the diamond to all three outfield spots and the three infield positions to the left of first base.

He had a rough campaign last year, however. He went to the IL multiple times due to left wrist sprains and slashed just .217/.247/.343 for a 65 wRC+. The Rockies gave him $4MM for 2025 with the hope of a return to form, a logical bet for a rebuilding club. If Estrada had been able to get back to his previous level of production, he could have been an intriguing midseason trade candidate.

That did not come to pass. He was hit by a pitch in spring training and broke his right wrist. That put him on the IL for the first two months of the season. He also missed time with a sprained left thumb and now this hamstring strain has put him out for the rest of the campaign. Around those injuries, he only got into 39 games and hit .253/.285/.370. He can be retained for 2026 via arbitration but is surely going to be non-tendered. He will return to the open market but his appeal should be light on the heels of these two injury-marred seasons.

Photo courtesy of Allan Henry, Imagn Images

Rays Designate Connor Seabold For Assignment, Select Tristan Peters

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The Rays announced that they have placed outfielder Jonny DeLuca on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to August 7th, with a left hamstring strain. They have selected fellow outfielder Tristan Peters to take his active roster spot. To open a 40-man spot for Peters, right-hander Connor Seabold has been designated for assignment. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported on the moves prior to the official announcement.

Peters, 25, gets called up to the big leagues for the first time. The Brewers selected him in the seventh round of the 2021 draft. He was sent to the Giants in the 2022 trade which sent Trevor Rosenthal to Milwaukee. A few months later, he was flipped to the Rays in the deal which sent Brett Wisely to the Giants.

Since joining the Rays, Peters’ offense has been up and down. Splitting his time between Double-A and Triple-A, he has a combined .264/.358/.425 line since the start of 2023. His 11.8% walk rate and 17.5% strikeout rate are both decent figures. However, he has modest power. His career high for home runs in a season is 12, set last year. He was on pace to get past that, having hit 11 so far in Triple-A this season. His 2025 slash line is .282/.370/.453, good for a 117 wRC+.

He doesn’t show up on lists of the top prospects in the system but he seems to be a solidly well-rounded player. His strikeout and walk rates are better than par. He doesn’t hit a ton of home runs but has notched a few. He generally gets to double digits in terms of stolen bases as well, having swiped 11 bags this year. He has also played all three outfield spots. He’ll jump into the club’s outfield mix, replacing DeLuca. Since this is his first time coming up to the show, he has a full slate of options and can be easily sent back down in the future.

Seabold, 29, signed a minor league deal with the Rays in the offseason. He was selected to the big league roster in May but he has largely been on optional assignment since then. He has only appeared in three games of the Rays, having tossed 6 2/3 innings, allowing one earned run on seven hits and three walks while striking out seven.

His work in the minors hasn’t been strong this year. He has been in a swing role, having made ten starts and six relief appearances. In his 61 innings, he has a 6.49 ERA, 21% strikeout rate and 9.6% walk rate.

Seabold now heads into DFA limbo. Since the trade deadline has passed, he’ll be placed on waivers soon, if he hasn’t already. It’s been a few years since he looked good in affiliated ball but he had a good year in Korea in 2024. He tossed 160 innings for the Samsung Lions with a 3.43 ERA, 23.8% strikeout rate and 6% walk rate.

Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images

Orioles Sign Greg Allen To Major League Deal

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The Orioles announced that they have signed outfielder Greg Allen to a major league deal. A roster spot was vacated earlier when infielder/outfielder Vidal Bruján was claimed off waivers by Atlanta. Allen had been with the Cubs on a minor league deal but was released a few days ago, per his transactions tracker at MLB.com. The O’s also reinstated first baseman Ryan Mountcastle from the 60-day injured list and recalled outfielder Jordyn Adams. Those two will take the spots of outfielders Colton Cowser and Tyler O’Neill. Cowser has been placed on the seven-day concussion IL, retroactive to August 7, and O’Neill on the 10-day IL, retroactive to August 6, due to right wrist inflammation. The O’s had 40-man vacancies for Mountcastle, so no corresponding move was required in that regard.

Allen has been playing fairly well for Triple-A Iowa this year, with a .270/.355/.440 line and 105 wRC+ in 231 plate appearances. He also stole 11 bases while playing all three outfield positions. Given that solid performance, it’s possible he opted out of that pact, rather than simply being released.

Regardless, the result is he gets an opportunity with the O’s. He has had big league chances before but without much success, having slashed .231/.300/.340 in 828 plate appearances from 2017 to 2023. However, he stole 48 bases in that time and got some strong marks for his glovework in the outfield.

The O’s opened up some playing time in their outfield recently. Ahead of the deadline, they traded both Ramón Laureano and Ryan O’Hearn to the Padres, in addition to flipping Cedric Mullins to the Mets. Calling up Heston Kjerstad would have made sense but he’s been shut down due to fatigue, per Danielle Allentuck of the Baltimore Banner.

Lately, Coswer, O’Neill, Jeremiah Jackson and Dylan Carlson have been sharing the outfield time. With Cowser and O’Neill now heading to the IL, Allen and Adams give them some other outfielders who can factor into the mix. Allen is out of options, so if the O’s want to remove him from the active roster at any point, he would need to be removed from the 40-man entirely.

As for Mountcastle, he’s looking to put a nice finish on what has otherwise been an awful year. He hit .246/.280/.348 in 52 games before a hamstring strain sent him to the IL at the end of May. The O’s can retain him for 2026 via arbitration but he likely needs to show them something good down the stretch for that to be a possibility. He is already making $6.787M this year. His results this year will hurt his earning power but he would be due at least a nominal raise.

He came into this year with a career .265/.316/.450 batting line and 111 wRC+. If he can hit like that for a few weeks, perhaps the O’s will bring him back next year. He’s in the designated hitter spot tonight with Coby Mayo playing first base.

Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images

Dodgers Designate Luken Baker For Assignment

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The Dodgers have designated first baseman Luken Baker for assignment, per a team announcement. He’d been claimed off waivers from the Cardinals just this past Monday. Baker’s spot on the 40-man roster will go to outfielder Justin Dean, whose previously reported promotion from Triple-A Oklahoma City is now official. Outfielder Esteury Ruiz was optioned to Triple-A to open an active roster spot for Dean.

Baker, 28, is a 2018 second-rounder who’s posted some big Triple-A numbers at times but has never gotten a real look in the majors. The Cardinals gave him brief auditions each year from 2023-25, but he’s never reached 100 plate appearances in a big league season. He’s totaled 189 trips to the plate and owns a .206/.317/.338 batting line in that time.

Though this year’s minor league production is down — .197/.311/.399 in 270 plate appearances — Baker slugged 32 home runs in 108 Triple-A games in 2024. A year prior, he drilled a whopping 33 home runs in only 84 Triple-A games while batting .334/.439/.720. The Cardinals still never found much of an opportunity for him — not with Paul Goldschmidt entrenched at first base and the combination of Willson Contreras, Alec Burleson and Nolan Gorman all seeing frequent time at designated hitter (in addition to occasional time there from Goldschmidt).

Baker has immense raw power but has typically hit for low averages, even in Triple-A (excluding that Herculean 2023 performance). He’s played in parts of five seasons at the top minor league level and turned in a .249/.334/.507 slash in that time. This is Baker’s final minor league option year, so while he can be shuttled from Triple-A to the majors freely for the remainder of the year, he’d need to stick on a big league roster beginning on Opening Day next year (unless he’s passed through waivers first). The Dodgers will place Baker on waivers within the next five days.

Brewers, Julian Merryweather Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Brewers and right-handed reliever Julian Merryweather are in agreement on a minor league deal, reports Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Merryweather had been with the Mets but opted out of his minor league deal earlier in the week. The Warner Sports Management client will report to Triple-A Nashville for the time being.

Merryweather, 33, was a key piece of the division-rival Cubs’ bullpen back in 2023, when he posted career-bests in terms of innings pitched (72), ERA (3.38), strikeout rate (32.3%) and holds (17). He’s pitched just 33 2/3 big league frames since, due in large part to health troubles. Shoulder and knee injuries limited Merryweather to 15 MLB innings and just 6 2/3 innings of rehab work in 2024. He pitched 18 2/3 innings with the Cubs this year but turned in career-worst strikeout and walk rates while working with a fastball that was down more than two miles per hour from 2023.

The Cubs designated Merryweather for assignment and released him in May. He signed with the Mets a bit more than a week later and has since pitched 12 Triple-A innings with a 4.50 ERA, a strong 28.8% strikeout rate and an alarming 17.3% walk rate.

A former fifth-round pick by Cleveland, Merryweather stands 6’4″ and is listed at 215 pounds. He’s long possessed plus velocity and bat-missing abilities, but command and especially durability have frequently worked against him. He crossed five years of MLB service while in DFA limbo earlier this year despite having logged only 158 1/3 innings in the majors — a testament to how much time he’s spent on the injured list due to a host of ailments (including knee, shoulder, elbow, oblique, abdominal injuries). He’s still sitting 96 mph on his four-seamer this year, but that’s down considerably from 2023’s average of 98.1 mph.

Milwaukee has a track record of rehabbing relievers or even coaxing new levels of performance from previously nondescript bullpen arms. If they can get Merryweather back on track, the Brewers could control him via arbitration into next season, but for now he’ll simply be a depth option for a bullpen that sits 12th in the majors with a 3.65 ERA over the past month (and 16th overall in 2025, with a 3.97 mark).

Braves Claim Vidal Bruján

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The Braves have claimed infielder Vidal Bruján off waivers from the Orioles, according to announcements from both clubs. Bruján had not been designated for assignment by the Orioles but it appears they tried to quietly sneak him through waivers. Atlanta had an open 40-man spot and used it to scoop him up. He is out of options, so they will need to make a corresponding active roster move once he reports to the team. Baltimore’s 40-man count drops to 37.

Bruján, 27, has changed jerseys a number of times in the past few years. He was traded from the Rays to the Marlins ahead of the 2024 season, then to the Cubs ahead of 2025. This month, he’s gone to Baltimore and now Atlanta via waiver claims.

The moves are a reflection of the fact that he was once a notable prospect who hasn’t yet delivered on his potential. He exhausted his final option year in 2023, which pushed him into fringe roster territory. He has only hit .193/.260/.273 in 598 big league plate appearances across five separate seasons. However, teams keep grabbing him, each hoping to be the one to benefit from a breakout.

Before exhausting his options, he always hit in the minors. From 2021 to 2023, he slashed .273/.357/.450 for a 110 wRC+ at the Triple-A level with a 10.6% walk rate and 16.4% strikeout rate. But since he’s been out of options, he’s been stuck in part-time bench roles. He only got 278 plate appearances with the Marlins last year. The Cubs only sent him to the plate 47 times in over three months on the roster. The O’s seemingly only claimed him to try to pass him through waivers later, as they put him back on the wire a few days after claiming him, despite already having open roster spots.

Perhaps Atlanta will also try to pass him through waivers but they could also give him a few weeks of regular playing time to see if it helps him get in a groove. They are playing out the string on a lost season, currently 14.5 games back of a playoff spot.

Bruján has primarily played the middle infield spots but also the infield corners and in the outfield. Third baseman Austin Riley is currently on the injured list with an abdominal strain. Right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. has been shelved by a calf strain. Nacho Alvarez Jr. has been getting some playing time at third lately to cover for Riley but Alvarez is now hurt as well, dealing with some side soreness.

The club has also gotten very little from the middle infield this year. Shortstop Nick Allen is a great defender but he has a career .214/.267/.275 batting line. Second baseman Ozzie Albies has great career numbers but a dismal .225/.304/.325 line this year.

Atlanta can perhaps find some playing time for Bruján in there as the season is winding down. Bruján is slated to cross three years of service time by the end of the campaign, meaning he would qualify for arbitration. He looks like a non-tender candidate right now but could perhaps convince the club to keep him around if he shows signs of life in the coming weeks.

Photo courtesy of Gregory Fisher, Imagn Images

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