RADIO
BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 10+ teams
ROSTERED IN: 50% of leagues
ANALYSIS: It's taken several stints in the majors since 2018, but Cortes seems to have figured things out on the mound this season. Over 79 2/3 innings of work this year, Cortes has gone 2-2 with a 2.60 ERA, 1.054 WHIP and 27.3 percent strikeout rate. He's looked good over his last three starts with a 2.00 ERA, 0.944 WHIP and 23 strikeouts over 18 innings — including an 11-strikeout performance his last time out against the Orioles.
He'll open up the week at home, which will be a boost to his value as he's pitched far better in New York this year (1.93 ERA, 0.938 WHIP) than on the road (3.19 ERA, 1.157 WHIP). He'll be facing off against the Rangers, who are averaging 5.0 runs per game and slashing .253/.304/.394 over their last 10 games. While that could make it somewhat of a challenging start for Cortes, he'll be aided by the fact that not only are the Rangers hitting worse against left-handed pitchers this year (.232/.288/.363), they are also hitting worse on the road (.226/.286/.363) than at home (.236/.300/.393).
Afterwards he'll head out on the road to Boston, where he'll face the red-hot Red Sox who are slashing .267/.335/.463 and averaging 5.8 runs per game over their last 10 games. Cortes will not benefit from any home-road splits, because along with pitching worse on the road, the Red Sox are hitting much better at home (.278/.348/.477) than on the road (.242/.305/.417). He'll have a slight benefit though as a left-hander, as Boston is hitting slightly worse against southpaws (.261/.328/.426) than against right-handers (.259/.326/.457).
The outing against Texas should be a solid one for Cortes — especially coming off his stellar performance against the Orioles. The Red Sox matchup will be a tougher one, but Cortes could still provide decent value there. Cortes is likely the top two-start streaming option managers can find this week, and he should be targeted in all formats.
More Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups
Corbin Carroll: Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 20
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 13% of leagues ANALYSIS: Corbin Carroll was a first-round pick for the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2019 MLB Draft, a consensus top-50 prospect, and was rostered to the 2022 NL Futures Game team. The D-Backs outfield may be stocked with formidable talent, but Carroll is ambitiously […]
JP Sears: Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 20
BALLER MOVE: Add in 15+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 9% of leagues ANALYSIS: 26-year-old Oakland A's starting pitcher JP Sears has been absolute money, essentially from his sophomore season at the Citadel and on. After going in the eleventh round of the 2017 MLB Draft, Sears moved through the minor leagues at a solid pace […]
Brian Serven: Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 19
BALLER MOVE: Add in 15+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 0% of leagues ANALYSIS: After going in the fifth round of the 2016 MLB Draft, it took several years of up and down play in the minors for catcher Brian Serven to make his way up to the Colorado Rockies. Now that the 27-year-old former ASU […]
Kyle Isbel: Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 19
BALLER MOVE: Add in 15+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 1% of leagues ANALYSIS: 25-year-old Kyle Isbel got a little bit of burn last season with the Kansas City Royals to the tune of solid results, and while things have started a bit slower for the former third-round pick from UNLV in 2022, his power/speed skillset […]
Ryan Pepiot: Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 19
BALLER MOVE: Add in 15+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 9% of leagues ANALYSIS: While the Dodgers may not need a ton of help this season, Ryan Pepiot has been a welcome recent addition to the LA rotation. A third-round draft pick in 2019, Pepiot earned his way into the top-100 prospect conversation before the start […]
Download Our Free Waiver Wire App
Like what you see? You can download our free fantasy baseball mobile app for iPhone and Android which includes more waiver wire recommendations at every position, 24x7 player news, notifications, injury alerts & daily articles.
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!
Check out RotoBaller's entire fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups and sleepers list, updated daily!
