Bernie on the Scene: Starting Pitcher Trade Targets

This is the last in my series of potential fantasy trades.

This week, I will feature starting pitchers.  Without question, starters are the most unpredictable fantasy players to manage. We have to be aware of injury potential. We have to factor in home park advantages and disadvantages. And in many leagues, we have to know the tendencies of the field mangers. Will he let his pitcher get out of his own jams? Will he let him go five innings to get a win? How about six innings for a quality start?

Managers don't look at pitching the same way we do. They worry about practical matters. We worry about fantasy categories.

The pitchers below could help offer you depth for your roster. None is a likely Cy Young Award candidate, making most of them available for trade. Expect five innings a start, and hope for more.

Dane Dunning, RHP, Rangers
Age: 26
Rotation Slot: 5th 

Dunning was part of the horrible deal the Nationals made when they traded Dunning, Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez to the Chicago White Sox for Adam Eaton. Then the White Sox traded Dunning to the Rangers for veteran Lance Lynn.

While I believe in Lynn, in the long run, Dunning may have been a steal. This guy can pitch.

He was worn out last year with the White Sox. Having just returned from Tommy John surgery, Dunning ran out of gas, but was still used too often down the stretch.

In his current situation, Dunning is being eased in as a five-inning-plus guy. He throws his fastball/slider combination with relative ease. He hits 91 mph on the fastball and getting a good ground ball rate of 55 percent.

I think Dunning will get better and better as the year and his career move along. I would say he could be a nice pitcher to slot as needed, and especially against some weaker teams.

Adbert Alzolay, RHP, Cubs
Age: 26
Rotation Slot: 2nd 

About a week or two ago, one might have been able to pick up Alzolay off waivers. That is not likely the case any longer. He's a solid, dependable starting pitcher.

Averaging five innings a game, Alzolay yields more fly balls than I would like to see. However, he is throwing his fastball at 94-95 mph, and using that pitch half the time. Like Dunning, Alzolay is a fastball/slider pitcher. When he gets the ball up, he gets balls hit in the air.

The Cubs are going to have to fight for every win, and he may not be the guy you need in a league that values wins. But, he's a solid depth starter to have around as a spare part and spot-starter during two-start weeks.

Patrick Corbin, LHP, Nationals
Age: 31
Rotation Slot: On Paternity Leave

Patrick Corbin's value has declined as the Nationals have slid into the dumpster this season. He has been very bad when he has been bad. He's been good when he's been good. If you get the good Corbin, he will pay dividends.

With a depressed value, Corbin might be just the guy you need to bolster a lackluster rotation. Many fantasy owners have decided to trade him, but haven't gotten the offer they like. Make the right offer, and he'll be yours.

Corbin has made seven starts and his ERA is bloated. His last start was much better.

Another fastball/slider pitcher, Corbin throws his fastball 91 mph with and his slider only 80 mph. He should use his changeup more, as it really is a good pitch for him.

I think the Nationals will improve. I think Corbin will improve. You should buy him at the right price and see what he can do for your roster.

Kwang Hyun Kim, LHP, Cardinals
Age: 32
Rotation Slot: 4th 

Kim knows how to pitch. The good thing is that the Cardinals know how to win. That's a really nice combination.

While he doesn't offer strikeouts, he will offer a solid WHIP with low walks and low hit rates. His offense has to score runs for him in the first five innings because he'll likely be gone by the sixth. Why? Kim could falter the third and fourth time through the batting order. He's predictable.

Kim throws his fastball 89 mph and his slider at 83.  Those are the main pitches in his repertoire. However, he does use a curve and a split finger to supplement his basic two pitches. 

Kim shouldn't cost you much in trade. And his reliability may be an asset over a long season.

By the way, I also like No. 5 starter John Gant on that staff as well as the veteran Adam Wainwright.

Logan Webb, LHP, Giants
Age: 24
Rotation Slot: 4th

Logan Webb will drive you crazy. He has driven me crazy already in this short season. He can be unhittable. Fantastic. And then, in nothing flat, he loses his command and can't get anybody out. But I still think there is more good than bad in his future.

The Giants are a huge surprise. It remains to be seen if they can sustain what they have started. I personally doubt it. However, they aren't very deep in pitching, so Webb should be around to take the ball every fifth day. Unless, of course, he blows up in consecutive outings.

Webb is throwing his fastball 50 percent of the time and at 92 mph. He uses a wicked changup he throws at 85 mph, and with the same delivery and arm action. He's tough to hit when the changeup is working. He also has a slider and cutter.

Webb will give you heartburn. But he may be worth starting as opposed to some other pitchers on teams that aren't winning. It will be a tough call as to when to trust him, but if he's on your roster, you'll figure him out accordingly.

Brady Singer, RHP, Royals
Age: 24
Rotation Slot: 5th

We haven't seen the best of Brady Singer. He's very relaxed on the mound and once he gets into rhythm, he's tough to hit.

I think Singer is the best of their rotation. While that may not be saying much, Danny Duffy and Mike Minor can be pretty solid upon occasion as well. But I'll take Singer.

He's in a slot that has the least amount of pressure, but he'll also get fewer starts unless the rotation is shuffled at some point.

Singer throws fastballs on 60 percent of his pitches. He mixes in a very solid slider and very occasionally, a changeup. But he is a fastball/slider guy, and hitters know that. They can virtually sit on the fastball, which is an issue for me. That could change with maturity.

The Royals started hot but have come down to earth, which is where we all thought they would be. I'd look for more quality starts from Singer than wins.

Freddy Peralta, RHP, Brewers
Age: 24
Rotation Slot: 5th 

Still young and still learning his craft, Peralta still has some growing pains. He's pretty solid, but there are times he gets out of sync on the mound, rushes his delivery and loses his rhythm.

Peralta is a 72 percent fastball pitcher. I have clocked him at 95 mph, but he pitches more in the 92-93 range. What's interesting is that he mixes in a slider, a changeup and a curve. The curve is the most used secondary pitch, but only at 16 percent.

Peralta might be available to you in trade, as I doubt he's on your waiver wire.

He's a solid pitcher with more upside than many, many pitchers you have on your roster. But beware the streakiness and the tendencies to overthrow and/or do too much. Know him for what he is — a solid final pitcher on your roster in any given week. He may really surprise.

Sandy Alcantara, RHP, Marlins
Age: 25
Rotation Slot: 1st 

Sandy Alcantara is not having the type of season most analysts, including this one, had projected. He is a much better pitcher than he has shown. I also think he will get it going and rebound as the season progresses.

Because he has been inconsistent, I believe there are fantasy managers willing to cut him or trade him for whatever they can get. You should explore that landscape and swoop in.

Alcantara is going a bit more than five innings a start, but he isn't going as deeply in games as I think he may in the future.

He is hitting 96 and 97 with his fastball, which he throws almost 57 percent of the time. He then relies on a slider and curve to set up a wicked changeup. His repertoire is not the problem. He's a quality starter who may be available.

Luis Severino, RHP, Yankees
Age: 27
Rotation Slot: On Injured List

Severino had Tommy John surgery in February 2020. If all goes well, he will return to the Yankees rotation in mid-summer. That still gives you three to four months of his services.

He may take a start or two to unwind, but Severino is the real deal. At least he was before surgery. We have no idea what's in the tank when he returns. But he's well worth a roster spot and free agency dollars you may have to pay. Or, perhaps you can get him from an impatient manager who thinks he isn't worth the wait.

When healthy before his surgery, Severino threw his fastball at 97 and his slider at 84. Those were his primary pitches, and all he really needed. But he has a very good changeup that I think he'll be using much more when he returns.

The Yankees need Severino to be Severino and eat some innings. They are hoping their pitching holds, but that might clearly be wishful thinking.

I recommend trying to get Severino on your roster and then hoping for the best.

HEADING HOME

Cubs players Javier Baez, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo are playing on the last year of their contracts. If you were the Cubs, would you sign any of them? Money aside, would you commit multiple years to any of the three? I'm just wondering.

• I don't write about the Mariners often, but Jarred Kelenic, Kyle Lewis and ultimately Julio Rodriguez could become one of the absolute best outfields in the game. We could see that come to fruition by mid-2022.

• Did the Tigers learn anything about how to handle Miguel Cabrera from the Albert Pujols designation for assignment? I would hope Miggy announces his retirement and takes a thank you tour around the league.

• Bobby Dalbec is showing a pulse. It may be weak, but he's showing signs of life at the plate. He and Kenta Maeda are clearly my biggest fantasy disappointments this year. I have them both everywhere.

• The Diamondbacks Tim Locastro is wicked fast.

• Nick Ahmed is a great, great defensive shortstop.  

• In case you missed it, the Players Association has filed a grievance against Major League Baseball for not negotiating in good faith to play as many games as possible in the 2020 season. They are seeking as much as $500M. That should go over really well in a the last year of the Basic Agreement.

• Follow me on Twitter @BerniePleskoff and read my work at Forbes.com.