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The Year of the Catcher continues! With the trade deadline looming, we've been hoping the Braves would look to move Sean Murphy to clear up one of the most frustrating playing time gluts at the position, but they came up with a different solution to that problem: Why not play both? 

With DH stalwart Marcell Ozuna looking no closer to breaking out of his multi-month slump, the Braves started both Murphy and Drake Baldwin in two of the final three games of the first half and then did the same thing to open the second half, with Ozuna only starting Sunday's series finale against the Yankees. That's not quite everyday playing time for both Baldwin and Murphy if it sticks, but it's more than enough to make both viable starting Fantasy options in basically all formats. When they were mostly just splitting starts behind the plate, neither quite looked like a one-catcher league starter, but now they might both be. And they both deserve it.

Murphy, the veteran, is hitting .239/.325/.517 with 16 homers in just 62 games, while Baldwin brings a bit less pop to the plate (11 homers in 67 games) but has been a better source of batting average, sporting a .283/.355/.480 line for the season. That's an easy 20-plus homer pace for both of them, with Murphy enjoying a bounceback season that has him on pace for 30-plus if he got enough opportunities.

And I'm thinking both should get enough opportunities moving forward. Whether that comes from a trade of Murphy – which is still possible, per reports – or because the Braves find a taker for Ozuna, an impending free agent,, or just stick with Ozuna being a part-time player, I think we're going to see both Baldwin and Murphy get enough playing time to be in that one-catcher-league mix. So, if you're looking for an upgrade, go check and see if Baldwin (43% rostered in CBS Fantasy leagues) or Murphy (41% rostered) are available. 

Here's who else we're looking to add ahead of Week 18 of the Fantasy Baseball season. 

Week 16 Waiver Targets

First Base

Jac Caglianone, Royals (72%) – This remains a bet on a supremely talented player who has shown flashes turning those flashes into production at some point. He didn't exactly tear it up coming out of the break, with two hits in two games, but Caglianone still hits the ball hard and doesn't strike out as much as you might think (19% in July), so I'm still going to believe in him figuring it out at some point soon. 

Deep-league target: Andrew Vaughn, Brewers (18%) – I don't know how much of this is because of what he's done since joining the Brewers, but I'm kind of shocked at how decent Vaughn's underlying data looks right now. He's striking out around an average clip and has a .267 expected batting average and .477 expected slugging percentage on the season, with above-average quality of contact metrics pretty much across the board. He's been a disappointment for so long that it's fair to be skeptical, but it's also possible a change of scenery is just what the former top prospect needed.

Second base

Otto Lopez, Marlins (68%) – Lopez has slowed down in July, but it still kind of speaks to how productive he's become that "slowing down" still means three homers, a steal and 12 RBI in 15 games. He makes a lot of contact which helps lead to a .293 expected batting average, and there's been a lot more pop than expected here, with a .495 expected slugging percentage. Lopez probably deserves to be more widely rostered than this. 

Deep-league target: Luke Keaschall, Twins (30%) – Keaschall began his rehab assignment Friday after recovering from a fractured forearm, which means he's probably going to be back in the Twins lineup in the next week or so, and that's very exciting. The 22-year-old only played in 23 games between Triple-A and the Majors before his injury, but he showed a knack for getting on base and wreaking havoc when he gets there, stealing nine bases in those 23 games, including five in seven in the majors. That kind of pace is unsustainable, but the green light here could make Keaschall a big-time contributor in steals, and his .881 career minor-league OPS suggests he won't just be a speed specialist, either.

Third base

Noelvi Marte, Reds (72%) – Marte has hit .231 since coming back from the IL, but he's done just about everything else right. In 12 games since his return from injury, Marte has three homers and a steal, and while the batting average is poor, it comes with just an 18% strikeout rate, which suggests better days should be ahead. Marte has been making solid amounts of contact all season without sacrificing power, and is looking like the top prospect we were all so excited about a few years back. At this point, the biggest obstacle seems to be just staying on the field, but he's healthy right now. 

Deep-league target: Brady House, Nationals (29%) – House didn't come to the majors with a ton of hype, but he's starting to show that he belongs. After striking out 25% of the time in June, he's cut that down to 18.4% in July, while hitting .292/.306/.458. You'd like to see more patience and/or power from him, but House is holding his own as a 22-year-old in the majors, and his .330 xwOBA for the season suggests he's probably had a fair bit of bad luck come his way so far. He could be a viable corner infielder if his .305 xBA is at all for real.

Shortstop

Ezequiel Tovar, Rockies (49%) – It was frustrating to see the Rockies give Tovar the day off Sunday after he had what looks like a coming out game Saturday with three hits and a homer, but I suppose it's good to see them being proactive with Tovar's health after such a long layoff due to an oblique injury. It's also good to see a big game from him in just his second game back from an injury that has a tendency to linger even when guys get fully healthy. Tovar was universally rostered coming into the season and was coming off a .333/.379/.574 line in May before the injury, so I think at least in categories leagues he needs to be rostered. 

Deep-league target: Ha-seong Kim, Rays (25%) – I'm genuinely surprised at how slowly Kim's roster rate is climbing. I've found him to be pretty overrated for Fantasy over the years, to be fair, but he's also been viewed as a must-roster option in the past. He hasn't been great to open the season, but with three steals in nine games, he's doing what we've always valued him for – and on an aggressive Rays team, I do expect him to be a very healthy source of steals. He played all three games this weekend coming out of the break and should be an everyday player moving forward – and he appeared in his second game at second base Sunday, which would only help his Fantasy outlook if he can get three more appearances there quickly. At least in categories leagues, Kim feels like he needs to be more widely rostered than this.

Outfield

Chandler Simpson, Rays (60%) – Since his return from Triple-A, Simpson is the No. 25 outfielder in Roto leagues, just behind Julio Rodriguez and Pete Crow-Armstrong. Okay, but that's his best format, and points leagues are probably the majority of the leagues where he isn't rostered, right? Well, he's the No. 30 outfielder in points leagues since his promotion, and he has started 20 of 22 games in that span – including as a leadoff hitter in four straight. He might just be worth rostering in all formats. 

Austin Hays, Reds (55%) – I mean … he's hitting .389/.337/.540. He's on a 30-plus homer pace. He's averaging 3.4 Fantasy points per game, a mark only 11 outfielders are doing better than. He's ahead of, among others, Cody Bellinger, Jackson Chourio, Brent Rooker, George Springer, Riley Green, Christian Yelich, and … well, almost everyone else. I'm saying all this to say I think the burden of proof is on all of you to tell me why Hays shouldn't be universally rostered. Or just add him. 

Tyler Freeman, Rockies (42%) – There's very little power here, and Freeman isn't going to drive in many runs as a result. But he does enough else well that I still think he's way under-rostered right now. In Roto leagues, the appeal is obvious – he's hitting .324 with 12 steals in 56 games, and neither part of that looks like a fluke. But even in points leagues, I think he's underrated, thanks to his exceptional plate discipline (more walks than strikeouts on the season) and eligibility at both outfield and second base. 

Evan Carter, Rangers (58%) – Carter has slowed down since June, when he hit .333/.421/.530. He hasn't it a homer since June 12 and has just four in 44 games, with the kind of poor quality of contact metrics that make me think maybe he'll never be an impact power hitter – though his career-high 111.1 mph average exit velocity this season is at least one reason for optimism. But he has managed to get on base at a solid clip and has been aggressive when he gets on, stealing 12 bases, including four already in July. He's not the superstar we once hoped he would be, but Carter looks like a solid No. 4 or 5 outfielder in categories leagues. 

Owen Caissie, Cubs (14%) – Caissie has been around long enough that there is probably some prospect fatigue going on around him – he's been one of the top outfield prospects in baseball since he reached Double-A back in 2023. He has now played 202 games at Triple-A and is more than ready for the bigs, with 38 homers and an .875 OPS to his name. The Cubs don't have anywhere to play him right now, but Caissie feels like one of the more obvious names to be traded at the upcoming deadline, and I suspect whichever team does acquire him will slot him right into their MLB outfield, so we should be mere weeks from Caissie's debut. 

Starting pitcher

Zebby Matthews, Twins (45%) – You know what: I don't care that Matthews gave up five runs in his first start back from the IL. I don't. I almost always treat the first start back from a month-plus long absence as a mulligan, and this one was at Coors Field, which makes it even tougher to judge. And, despite the poor showing, Matthews still did a lot worth getting excited about, including inducing 17 whiffs on his 77 pitches. His velocity was fine coming off a shoulder injury, so I think we'll see a lot more good than bad from Matthews moving forward. My optimism remains undimmed. 

Quinn Priester, Brewers (74%) – 10 strikeouts? Against the Dodgers? Okay, the Dodgers lineup has been kind of mediocre for a while now with both Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts stuck in some of the longest and deepest slumps of their Hall of Fame careers. Still, 10 strikeouts against the Dodgers! Priester has a 2.45 ERA in eight appearances (six starts) since June 1, with 48 strikeouts to just nine walks in 44 innings of work, so this isn't just a one-start, flash-in-the-pan kind of thing. 

Eric Lauer, Blue Jays (40%) – I don't quite understand how Lauer is getting away with this, but that's now three straight starts with at least six strikeouts and no more than two runs allowed. His season ERA is down to 2.80, he has more than a strikeout per innings, and his 3.06 xERA suggests it isn't a fluke. I have my doubts that it'll last, and his next matchup against the Tigers has me pretty wary. But he'll be in line for a two-start week against the Orioles and Royals the following week, and that should be pretty useful for Fantasy. 

Dean Kremer, Orioles (55%) – It's pretty wild how well Kremer is pitching right now. He started turning things around in May, but then gave up nine runs across consecutive starts to open June and I figured he was back to being a non-entity for Fantasy. But in six starts since he has a 2.00 ERA with 33 strikeouts in 36 innings of work. This turnaround has coincided with Kremer throwing his cutter less and his splitter more, and that's probably not a bad decision given the significantly better results with both swings and misses and quality of contact allowed on the splitter. Maybe he can keep it up. 

Nestor Cortes, Brewers (45%) – There are a lot of pitchers on the IL worth stashing, and I'd probably prioritize Shane Bieber, Shane McClanahan, and Kyle Bradish ahead of Cortes if I'm looking for more long-term upside. But Cortes is working his way back from an elbow injury and looks like he's a bit closer than the rest of those guys from returning, having thrown 5.1 innings in his most recent rehab start Friday in Triple-A. He's probably going to make one more start before returning, and if we write off his early-season struggles as being a result of the injury, there's still a path for him to be pretty useful for Fantasy – he had a 3.77 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 174.1 innings last season. 

Relief pitcher

Brandon Walter, Astros (34%) – Walter just continues to shine. He tossed his second quality start in a row Friday against the Mariners and has now thrown five in eight tries since joining the rotation in late May. He has a really strong 25% strikeout rate and pairs it with elite control (1.6% walk rate) and good results on balls in play (.359 xwOBA on contact), which helps explain the strong 2.95 xERA he carries. I think this probably isn't sustainable, but Walter is pitching at a very high level right now and it's worth riding the hot hand. 

Kevin Ginkel, Diamondbacks (17%) – The Diamondbacks haven't had a lot of save opportunities since Shelby Miller went on the IL, with Anthony DeSclafani's three-inning save Sunday just the team's second in the month of July. That makes it hard to say that Ginkel is definitely the team's closer, but I'm pretty sure that's how it's going to end up in the long run. He has finished the game out in three of his last five appearances, with his two others coming in the eighth and ninth inning. If you're looking for saves in Arizona, I think this is where you'll find them.