The trade deadline in baseball has passed. Quite a few players, some with the biggest names in the game, moved on to new teams. If not already done, read the analysis of many of those players here Of course, that means that just as many players were left behind to try and replace them. Most, if not all, will get increased opportunities for success as the season begins the stretch run. That increased success will also transfer to the fantasy realm. Best of all, these players are almost all universally available on the waiver wire. That is, of course, until they are identified here. There are quite a few teams out there fighting to make the playoffs with open slots on the roster due to injuries and other issues. This fantasy baseball trade leftovers edition is presented in helping fantasy managers fill those holes. Other than pointing out that the percentages presented here are taken from ESPN, let’s dive right in!

Yadiel Hernandez, OF/DH, Washington Nationals, 4.3% Owned

Obviously, the big trade made last week was Washington sending Juan Soto and Josh Bell to San Diego. The player stepping up into Soto’s shadow will be Yadiel Hernández. A lot of fantasy managers probably aren’t familiar with Hernandez. That needs to change as he will get significant at bats the remainder of the season. Hernandez appears to be up to the task. Before an 0-4 Friday, Hernandez had a hit in ten straight games. Included in that stretch was three two-hit games, two homers, five RBIs and four runs scored. For the season, Hernandez is hitting .271-8-38.

In about 30 less games than at the same point last year, Hernandez already has more hits, more doubles, more total bases and more RBIs. His hardH% is up and his GB% is down. That is a recipe for fantasy success. Without question, the Nationals lineup will intimidate not one, but any player that is hitting in the number four hole deserves attention in fantasy. That is especially true when that player is less than five percent owned and should be widely available in all fantasy formats. If the outfield is a fantasy need, Hernandez can help solve the problem.

Alek Thomas, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks, 7.9% Owned

Upon doing research, it was obvious that one of the more interesting and exciting players left behind by the trade deadline is Alek Thomas. No one is going to mistake David Peralta for one of the bigger names traded, but he was still a quality major leaguer. Like Hernandez, Thomas is hitting at the top of Arizona’s lineup. Also, like Hernandez, the results have been positive. After enduring an 0-14 stretch coming into the week, Thomas is riding a five-game hitting streak entering Sunday’s play. In that time, Thomas had two games with at least two hits. In addition, he had a homer, two doubles, four RBIs and three runs scored. Over the past week, Thomas has a .368/.455/.632 stat line.

For the season, the rookie is hitting .258-8-29 with 34 runs scored. A .297 BAbip indicates a slump is not in the offing and his stats could get a boost with a little more luck. Best of all, with Arizona now short an outfielder, Thomas will be a mainstay in the lineup as the calendar turns into the end of September. Just like the others on this fantasy baseball trade leftovers edition, Thomas is universally available in fantasy at less than ten percent owned. Even in the largest of leagues, managers can target Thomas will help round out a solid fantasy team. Sounds like a win-win.

Rowan Wick, RP, Chicago Cubs, 4% Owned

One of the teams supposedly looking to sell off talent was the Chicago Cubs. Ultimately, to the surprise of many, the Cubs did not move a lot of players. However, one that did wind up out of Wrigley was reliever David Robertson, as he took his 14 saves to Philadelphia. Picking up the bullpen pieces that Robertson left behind is Rowan Wick. Please, don’t pay much attention to his current 4.23 ERA. After getting tagged for four runs by the Dodgers on July 9th, Wick has not allowed an earned run in his last eight appearances. During that span, Wick pitched nine innings, striking out nine and walking just two. In fact, those runs scored by the Dodgers are the only ones that Wick has allowed in his last 12 games.

In 44 innings on the season, Wick has 44 strikeouts. Without question, managers looking for relief pitching will desire those strikeouts, especially in points leagues. It would help, of course, that the Cubs were a better team, but where else does one turn if a closer is needed? Unlike the top ace relievers, a manager won’t have to resort to a trade to add Wick to the roster. Certainly, picking him up from the wire is a low risk move. If it doesn’t work, simply move on. If it does work, though, Wick will wind up as one of the best additions to a team coming down the stretch.

James Kaprielian, SP, Oakland A’s, 4.6% Owned

When looking at the Oakland roster, it only seems like there aren’t any major leaguers left on it. That is an easy conclusion to come to after the A’s shipped out just about every player that anyone ever heard of out of the Bay Area. However, there is still at least one player with value in town. His name is James Kaprielian. With Frankie Montas the last starter of note traded to the Yankees, Kaprielian moves near the top of the Oakland rotation. After winning his last two starts, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Kaprielian was at the very top of the A’s mountain.

In fact, since the start of July, he has pitched like an ace, posting a 1.89 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP. In four of six starts during the month, Kaprielian pitched at least sixth innings. Going back even further, he has pitched six innings or more in seven of last 11 appearances. His hardH% and FB% are at the best levels of his career. At the very least, in the short term, Kaprielian is a most pickup going into the week, as his next start is Tuesday against the Angels. Everything has fallen apart for L.A. the past few months, including their last matchup with Kaprielian.

In that game, he pitched 5.1 innings, allowing just a single run on six hits, with four strikeouts and one walk. If nothing else, streaming him for that Tuesday start makes sense on this fantasy baseball trade leftovers edition. However, keeping him on the roster after that game makes even more sense.

Mitch Keller, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates, 7.2% Owned

Another pitcher that merits a pickup this week and beyond is Mitch Keller. Even before the trade of Jose Quintana to St. Louis, Keller was climbing to the top of the Pirates’ rotation. Now that Quintana is gone, the only thing that can prevent Keller’s rise to the very top is JT Brubaker. However, Brubaker was tagged for seven earned in his last start against Philadelphia and is behind Keller at the moment. Many will be scared off by his eight loses or his 4.21 ERA. Don’t let that owner be you, however. Keller has lost just three games since May 13th. Even more impressive is the fact that Keller has pitched at least six innings in his last six starts.

For certain, there are a lot of star pitchers in the game that can’t make a claim like that. As a veteran starter, fantasy managers won’t have to worry about innings management in late August and September. Keller is putting up the lowest hardH% and highest BB% he has had in the last two seasons. Even better, Keller hasn’t allowed more than one earned run in four of his last five starts. With his next assignment coming up Wednesday against the Diamondbacks, Keller enters must stream territory. Arizona ranks just 28th in batting average against right handers, 26th in OBP and 22nd in OPS.

Looking beyond that start, though, Keller clearly deserves to be part of a fantasy roster to the end of the season. Adding him from the wire definitely is a prudent move, especially in larger leagues, on this fantasy baseball trade leftovers edition.

Graham Ashcraft, SP, Cincinatti Reds, 5.8% Owned

Unbelievably enough, there were teams out there that wanted Cincinatti pitchers, despite how terrible a season they are having. Of course, Luis Castillo is a top starter and was traded to Seattle. However, Tyler Mahle was also deemed worthy and was shipped to Minnesota. Where does that leave the Reds? In pretty decent shape, actually. This is where Graham Ashcraft comes into the picture. For a rookie, Ashcraft has shown he can go deep in games, as he has pitched at least six innings six times, including four in which he has lasted into the seventh. He is coming off one of his best starts of the year, pitching 6.2 innings against Miami, allowing three earned runs while striking out six and walking two. That performance resulted in a fabulous total of 24 fantasy points.

For the season, Ashcraft is 5-2 with a 4.12 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. His ERA is good by today’s standards. He’s not much of a strikeout pitcher, but doesn’t walk many, either. He has a BAbip of .304, which indicates with a few bounces that had gone his way, he would have even better results. Best of all, though, is the fact that Ashcraft delivers positive fantasy results almost every time out. He does have a tough assignment his next time out, Sunday against Corbin Burnes and the Milwaukee Brewers.

Waiting to see how he performs in that game is probably a prudent move. If Ashcraft delivers an excellent result, proceed directly to the waiver wire and pick him up. Cincinatti may well limit his innings in September. However, that is a problem that will keep for now. Strengthening a playoff team is the goal, and Ashcraft is clearly up to the task.

The Last Word

Thank you for joining me for this fantasy baseball trade leftovers edition! As always, I welcome any and all suggestions, comments and input from my readers. Have players to add to the list? Let’s discuss! Follow me on twitter @kevin62wilsea. Please feel free to share this article. Check out the latest Belly Up Fantasy Live Baseball Show available here. Tune in for the show every Sunday night at 8 PM EST. Be sure to turn to Belly Up Sports and Belly Up Fantasy Sports & Picks for the MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL happenings and all the latest sports news!