So we're into Week 3 of the fantasy baseball season. You're starting to get an idea of what your rosters' strengths and weaknesses are, and what the guys on your team are capable of.
What comes with that is seeing that some guys may not be in for a good 2016, or that you might have some decent, yet unexciting options. I'm going to name some of those guys and if you have them, it might be time to send them packing.
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Week 3 Players to Consider Cutting
1) Mallex Smith (OF, ATL)
Smith was a trendy pickup after Inciarte got hurt. He has a world of speed and had many people chomping at the bit to get him. However, he has disappointed so far. The strikeouts were a bit of an issue in the minors, but Smith has been whiffing even worse in the majors. You can't steal first, and if he can't get on base he can't use his speed. He looks lost at the plate and should probably spend some more time in the minors. He can be safely cut in redraft leagues.
2) Rich Hill (SP, OAK)
I really wanted to believe that Hill could be the guy who looked so good down the stretch in 2015. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be. Yes, Hill had a 10 K game this season where it looked like he could rekindle that magic. However, that was sandwiched between two very mediocre outings. There may be occasional flashes, and Hill could be worth streaming, but do not hesitate to cut him for a trendy waiver pickup. He's extremely replaceable.
3) Danny Valencia (OF, OAK)
Valencia was one of my sleepers coming into the season, but so far he hasn't shown much promise. It appears as though the spike in his home run numbers last year were indeed fluky. He has been making decent contact, but his home park is not conducive to hitting homers. Not only that, but also the lineup around him is, frankly, terrible. You likely won't miss him if you drop him.
4) Cory Spangenberg (2B/3B, SD)
Spangenberg started the season hot, but has cooled off significantly. At second base, many owners probably hung onto him in the hopes he could keep producing. Unfortunately, he has not had an RBI or a steal in over a week. After driving in eight runs in the first week of the season, that's a major drop. He does have speed, but he isn't getting on enough to use it. Let's not even mention that the San Diego Padres aren't sending Murderers Row out there every night. Back to the waiver wire with Spangenberg.
Hot Seat
So these are some guys you shouldn't cut just yet, but who would be the first to go on most rosters if you need to add someone else.
1) J.T. Realmuto (C, MIA)
I was very high on Realmuto coming into the season because of his ability to steal bases. However, Realmuto is struggling at the dish and has not done much of anything lately, let alone steal. He is not a drop yet because catcher is super thin. He needs to pick it up soon though.
2) Javier Baez (2B/3B/SS, CHC)
So I just wrote something advocating for him to be a waiver pickup. Despite that, he is on thin ice. His platoon status is "well annoying" as Ali G would say. He has all the upside in the world, which makes him worth taking a wait and see approach. However, in redrafts his leash should be very short. All the upside in the world doesn't mean jack if he is not getting at-bats.
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