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Welcome back to the Cut List. Each weekend from now until the end of the season, I’ll be offering my thoughts on players who don’t deserve to keep drawing a nonexistent salary on your fake baseball teams.
As we go deeper into the season, expect this list to become more ruthless, but also note the widening of scope to include players who may still have trade value in leagues whose deadlines haven’t yet passed.
In addition to the players on the Cut List, we'll also spotlight a player on the Hot Seat: Someone whose situation is worth monitoring, even if it’s not time to hit the ejector seat just yet. Without further ado, here are your Week 21 cut or trade candidates.
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The Cut List: Week 21
Jedd Gyorko, 1B/2B/3B/SS, St. Louis Cardinals
At the end of June, Gyorko was hitting .302/.367/.524 – great production from anyone, let alone a guy with his positional flexibility. Unfortunately, since then the wheels have fallen off. Another 0-for on Saturday night left Gyorko under the Mendoza line since the calendar flipped to June; he’s come in at a paltry .196/.274/.315 with just four home runs during that span. Nobody should have figured on a guy who’s never finished a season hitting above .249 to keep posting an elite batting average, but the power drying up has been an unpleasant surprise.
Corey Dickerson, OF, Tampa Bay Rays
Dickerson’s OPS by month:
| April | 1.015 |
| May | .975 |
| June | .827 |
| July | .701 |
| August | .440 |
Yikes. Dickerson’s hot start has kept his overall numbers looking good, but he’s given you a whole lot of nothing over the last seven weeks: .200/.246/.344, with 13 extra-base hits and a 29.8% strikeout rate. The Rays’ tenuous playoff chances can’t really afford continued scuffling from their primary DH. Neither can your fantasy team.
Jason Vargas, SP, Kansas City Royals
Through his first 16 starts, Vargas boasted sparkling ratios (2.22 ERA, 1.12 WHIP). He had given up just eight homers, produced 12 quality starts, and allowed more than three runs only once. In his last eight turns, Vargas’s ratios are horrendous (7.15/1.77). He’s given up 10 homers, logged only two quality starts, and has allowed fewer than three runs just twice. Vargas coming back to earth was inevitable, especially since he had thrown just 55 innings across the 2015 and 2016 seasons. Whether it’s regression, fatigue, or both, he’s outlived his usefulness to your championship pursuit.
The Hot Seat: Week 21
Xander Bogaerts, SS, Boston Red Sox
Bogaerts has had a weird season. He hit well over .300 in each of the first two months, but had just two homers to his name before doubling that total in one night on June 18. After that game, his season line stood at .318/.370/.465. Along with those four homers, he had eight steals and 73 R+RBI. Since then, he’s been awful. After going 0-for-4 on Saturday, Bogaerts is now hitting just .216/.281/.307 in the last two months. He’s still not contributing a ton in terms of homers or steals, and now his run production has cratered.
Last Week
Jason Kipnis, as usual, has made me look silly thanks to a three-homer week. Of course, he’s still hitting just .228/.287/.413 on the year.
Nomar Mazara has hit safely in every game since his appearance in this space, with multiple hits in three of seven contests and two home runs.
Sean Manaea was serviceable in a tough matchup, holding the Astros to three runs in six innings. He allowed two homers and struck out just two, however.
Miguel Cabrera continues to underwhelm. He hasn’t put one in the seats since July 28, and has just three bombs since the end of June.
More Week 21 Lineup Prep
