It's done and dusted for the wheelers and dealers. Both the MLB trade deadline and the month of July are over. August begins Friday with 11 games on the DFS docket. First pitch is at 7:07 p.m. ET. Here are my post-deadline DFS recommendations.
Pitching
Kevin Gausman, TOR vs. KAN ($8,500): Since a woeful outing against the old-look Diamondbacks, Gausman has an 1.96 ERA over his last six starts. I imagine he will remain in that form against the Royals. Kansas City is one of the three teams in MLB yet to hit 400 runs scored, a truly-woeful selection of offenses.
David Peterson, NYM vs. SFG ($8,300): Well, the bullpen for the Mets is set up now to help keep leads the starters build. Starters like Peterson, who has been excellent. In each of his last four starts he's gone at least six innings and allowed no more than a single earned run. One of those starts was against these same Giants, who are 24th in runs scored.
Gavin Williams, CLE vs. MIN ($7,800): Both of these teams are in the bottom 10 in runs scored, but the Twins fell just short of fire sale at the deadline. Williams has a 3.05 ERA at home this year, and he's pitched well as of late. Over his last four starts he's posted a 2.25 ERA.
Top Targets
Though his power has dipped a bit, Freddie Freeman ($4,500) has hit .297 and tallied 27 doubles in 96 games. Plus, he's still slugged .498 against righties on the year. The righty Shane Baz has really loathed Tampa's temporary ballpark. He has a 6.33 ERA at home in 2025.
Aside from an utter lack of walks, Addison Barger ($4,500) has broken through to deliver for the Blue Jays. He's hit .264, but he's also slugged .505 and hit 15 home runs in 86 games. On top of that, he has an .869 OPS versus righties and an .887 OPS at home. Michael Wacha, a righty, doesn't allow many home runs, but he still has a 4.53 ERA on the road.
Bargain Bats
In the month of July, Tommy Pham ($4,100) had an 1.043 OPS. This year he's slugged .400 against his fellow righties, but also slugged .400 on the road. This is not merely a road game, but a trip to Coors Field. There, Pham will see Antonio Senzatela, who has a 6.79 ERA at home over the last three seasons.
Owing to injuries, it's been something of a lost season for Ezequiel Tovar ($3,900). However, he's healthy again, and he has an 1.072 OPS at home. It's on the road where Tovar has been disastrous in 2025. Fortunately for the shortstop, this game is a home affair. Andrew Heaney has a 6.45 ERA on the road, and he's allowed 2.3 homers per nine innings on the road as well.
Stacks to Consider
Padres vs. Cardinals (Matthew Liberatore): Fernando Tatis ($5,400), Manny Machado ($5,100), Xander Bogaerts ($4,100)
Liberatore started the season well, but over his last nine starts he has a 5.76 ERA. Now he has to face the revamped Padres, though I recommended three guys who have been with the team for a bit. Who is to say which of the new faces actually play Friday? These three are all right-handed as well, because since 2023 Liberatore has allowed righties to hit .278 against him.
Tatis has shown less power but more patience, and also more speed. He has a .369 OBP and his 17 homers are paired with 22 stolen bases in 102 games. Tatis also has a .919 OPS at home, even hitting more home runs there than on the road. Machado had an excellent July, posting an 1.004 OPS in 25 games. Now he's up to a .302 batting average with 20 home runs and 10 stolen bases. Bogaerts is not as much of a power guy, but he's a shortstop so that's okay. He's hit .267 with 24 doubles and 16 swiped bags. Bogaerts has also slugged .413 against lefties, which isn't great, but is solid enough with all his other skills.
Angels vs. White Sox (Shane Smith): Zach Neto ($4,900), Mike Trout ($4,700), Nolan Schanuel ($3,700)
The expectation is that Smith will be returning from injury to start Friday. Chicago needs somebody to step in, owing to injuries and trades. Of course, the rookie might not be much more than a live arm on the mound. Prior to getting hurt, Smith had an 11.29 ERA over his last five starts. Lefties have hit for more power against him, but righties have hit for a higher average, so I don't mind having two righties in this stack. That's kind of hard to avoid with the Angels.
Neto's 15 home runs and 21 stolen bases would be impressive enough as is for a shortstop, but don't forget that due to injury he's only played in 90 games. In addition to his .829 OPS at home, Neto has an .824 OPS against his fellow righties as well. Trout's 83 games are his second most since 2019. Man, we really missed out on some great years. He's hit 19 homers this season, and he's like Neto-Plus in this scenario. He has an .853 OPS at home and an .859 OPS against righties. Schanuel is the lefty of record for the Angels. He's not a power hitter, especially for a first baseman, but he has a .365 OBP with nine homers and 20 doubles. In terms of power, though, over the last three weeks he's slugged .450.
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