Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Jesús Sánchez, Dennis Santana and Nestor Cortes

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11 hours ago

FANTASY BASEBALL WAIVER WIRE PICKUPS
Jesús Sánchez (OF Astros): Rostered in 6% of Yahoo leagues
Since it's been only four weeks since I last featured Sánchez, I typically wouldn't do it again so soon already. However, with Thursday's trade from Miami to Houston and Sánchez still being only six-percent rostered in Yahoo leagues, I simply couldn't resist. This is an outfielder well worth adding.
Sánchez has already made impressive gains this season, even if it hasn't really showed up in his OPS. His strikeout rate, never before below 26 percent, is sitting at just 21 percent right now, and he hasn't sacrificed any power to get there; his bat speed ranks in the 93rd percentile of major league hitters, while his average exit velocity is in the 87th percentile. In Houston, he'll be in a better home run park for left-handers. Plus, the Astros have a history of getting improved results from new acquisitions (first basemen excepted). It doesn't always work that way, of course, but if they could get Sánchez to hit the ball in the air more often, it could pay big dividends.
The negative with Sánchez is that he's been putrid against left-handers and ought to be platooned at this point. Maybe the Astros will figure out something there, too, but let's not expect miracles. Even while playing only against righties, Sánchez should be solid enough in all five categories to contribute.
Dennis Santana (RP Pirates): Rostered in 32% of Yahoo leagues
It was pretty shocking to see the Pirates fail to cash in on Santana's successful first four months (1.36 ERA, 38/10 K/BB in 46 1/3 IP) at Thursday's deadline, but they stood pat, knowing he'll be plenty affordable in arbitration again next year. As a result, he's No. 2 on my list of relievers to pick up post-deadline.
1. Randy Rodríguez (Giants)2. Santana3. Yennier Cano (Orioles)(gap)4. Cole Sands (Twins)5. Phil Maton (Rangers)6. Kyle Leahy (Cardinals)7. Riley O'Brien (Cardinals)8. Jose A. Ferrer (Nationals)9. Jack Perkins (Athletics)10. JoJo Romero (Cardinals)
Cleveland's Cade Smith, who has stepped in for Emmanuel Clase, would be first on the list, but he should be gone everywhere now. Rodriguez, Santana and Cano, though he isn't a lock in Baltimore, will also be included in Monday's updated top 300. I'm not sure about the rest. Sands hasn't been nearly as impressive this season as he was a year ago, but given that he's essentially the last man standing in Minnesota, he might get squeezed in at the bottom of the list. I could see either Leahy or O'Brien doing a nice job in St. Louis, but it's probably fine to wait and see who gets the first save chance before grabbing either.
Nestor Cortes (SP Padres): Rostered in 14% of Yahoo leagues
Cortes, out since April 6 with a strained flexor tendon, is ready to return, but the Brewers found themselves with no room for him. As a result, he was traded to the Padres for outfielder Brandon Lockridge on Thursday, setting him up to join the San Diego rotation next week..
Cortes had a 3.77 ERA and a 162/39 K/BB in 174 1/3 innings for the Yankees last year before being sent to Milwaukee in the Devin Williams trade. His most recent rehab start saw him strike out nine and allow one earned runs over 5 2/3 innings for the Brewers' Triple-A affiliate. His velocity is down a bit from last year, and he's probably not going to get back to striking out 26-28% of the batters he faces, like he did for the Yankees in 2021 and '22. However, San Diego should be a great environment for him and his flyball tendencies, and with the way the Padres bullpen is stacked now, getting through five with a lead is going to produce a win most of the time.
Waiver Wire Quick Hits
- I thought I was going to feature Carlos Correa (26% rostered) this week following his surprising return to Houston, but when it came down to it, there's just not much basis for the switch helping him. I suspect it might anyway, but it's not like it's a better ballpark for hitters in general or for him personally (he has career OPSs of .833 in Daikin and .830 at Target). It's probably a better offensive team, but still hardly a great one at the moment. Correa has been unlucky this season, according to Statcast, and maybe that will begin to fix itself, but he still seems rather fringy with no standout category and zero steal potential.
- Tyler Locklear should get a chance to be an everyday player for the D-backs after arriving in the Eugenio Suárez trade and is worth considering in deeper leagues. I'm skeptical he'll post a solid enough batting average to be of value in 10- or 12-team leagues, but he should offer decent power numbers.
- After parting with Sánchez, the Marlins are promoting speedy outfielder Jakob Marsee, who already has 47 steals this year after finishing with 51 last season. Unfortunately, he's just a career .239 hitter in the minors, and while his power production has ticked up this year -- he has 14 homers in 429 plate appearances -- his exit velocity numbers are still well below average. He's also probably going to sit against lefties. Those desperate for steals could give him a try, but I expect him to struggle.