As America celebrates its birthday, fantasy managers are getting ready for the second half of the baseball season. This week, Eno and DVR take a closer look at what's behind Paul Skenes' recent struggles, and whether his declining fastball velocity helps explain the dip in results. Then, they size up several players around the league to determine who could be worth targeting in a trade. Plus, they wrap up the show by highlighting the best waiver-wire pickups on both the hitting and pitching sides ahead of the holiday weekend.

Rundown:

2:52 Concerns About Paul Skenes

14:40 Trade Activity Picking Up in Second Half

20:40 Which Lagging Bats Should Be Targets?

24:30 Younger Position Players to Trade For

29:02 First-Rounder Challenge Trade - Gunnar Henderson vs. Paul Skenes?

31:36 Plate Discipline Forward Targets

32:41 Pitchers to Deal For: Leaning on ERA-SIERA?

41:25 Is Drew Rasmussen Underrated in Long-Term Leagues?

43:27 Weekend Waiver Targets: Pitchers of Interest

54:47 Weekend Waiver Targets: Looking for Hitters Back After the Break?

Follow DVR on Bluesky: @DVR.bsky.social

Follow Eno on Bluesky: @enosarris.bsky.social

e-mail: ratesandbarrels@gmail.com

Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe

Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels

Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris

Editor: Jason Potere

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.