We all know the old adage that “It ain’t over till the fat lady sings.” I had a friend who plays in a dynasty league tell me that he felt his league was wrapped up for this 1 owner. He proceeded to tell me how this man had Shane McClanahan, Shohei Ohtani and Ronald Acuna going so well for him in 2023. And then the baseball gods must have heard the boast. Because in a second McClanahan 's immediate future was looking in doubt. The dreaded Tommy John surgery was being whispered as McClanahan left his start against the Yankees with forearm stiffness. Now every single time that a starting pitcher experiences forearm stiffness it does not automatically lead to a Tommy John surgery prognosis. But it has happened enough times to cause concern. And let me be very clear, a team can still withstand such a devastating injury and hold on to win their league title.
The first thing an owner has to do is remain clear, calm and composed. Many leagues have not put through their trade deadlines yet and time remains to make a move to obtain replacements. If you play in a league with an IL slot you can place an injured pitcher on that slot and make do with any number of replacements. Tanner Bibbee looks very good to me right now with seven shutout innings on six hits allowed, zero walks and six strikeouts the other night. This guy certainly isn't pitching like a rookie. But not all rookies are positioned for greatness in their rookie season. Take a look at what the Dodgers are doing with Emmett Sheehan. They have a crowded rotation with Clayton Kershaw set to return any week now. They also have seen a number of earlier hurt pitchers returned to health. Sheehan fell victim to a numbers game and was recently demoted to the minor leagues. He is a pitcher with a very bright future but it became a problem when he couldn't get into the 6th inning in any of his seven most recent starts. That was not the case the other night for Bibee who was masterful in a 1-0 shutout of the Toronto Blue Jays by his Cleveland Guardians.
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It also remains very interesting to watch the New York Yankees sit out the trade deadline, heavily rumored to be turning to their minor league system with outfielders such as Everson Pereira and Jasson Dominguez. They are expected to earn promotions to the major league team prior to September 1st. The Seattle trade of Paul Sewald to the Arizona Diamondbacks leaves young pitcher Andres Munoz as the designated closer. The theme is constant amongst many teams turning to their young players to fill vacancies and gaps. The Milwaukee Brewers turned to rookie Sal Frelick to give their offense a much needed shot in the arm. And while Frelick is described as having elite bat to ball ability, his power wasn't expected to exceed 10 to 15 home runs annually. However, he has gone deep three times already in just under 50 at bats. Keep an eye on him.
If you are throwing in the towel on competing in 2023 and you are in a dynasty league, give some thought to San Diego Padres catcher Ethan Salas. Baseball America just moved him up to the number six prospect overall in the game. At the precocious age of 16, Salas began the season playing in a low A league, but is currently batting .292 in a high Class A league with a .532 slugging percentage. This is elite for a 17-year-old player.