FABL Roster Moves, July

We’re still a couple days before the start of July, but I decided to get a head start on adding new players to the Fantasy Astrology teams this month. This way, teams can have access to reinforcements for this week’s matchup. With playoff odds becoming more and more solidified (at least according to the ESPN fantasy client that I use), this exercise will become less and less important for the bottom-dwelling teams, so I’ll go in order of the divisions that have things all but sewn up, starting with batters, and then moving to pitchers.

With Pisces’s decisive victory over Cancer in last week’s intra-Water-Division matchup, the Fish are now all but guaranteed a spot in the 2021 postseason – a 99% chance, according to my league’s Standings page. And it only gets better, since they get to add the top prospect in all of baseball, Wander Franco (born 3/1/2001), who just recently made his MLB debut with the Rays. I don’t exactly know how the ESPN fantasy website arranges the available players on the waiver wire, but the top options for the other Water Division teams are outfield prospect Jarred Kelenic (even though he hasn’t played in the big leagues since June 6) and veteran infielder Josh Harrison for Cancer, while Scorpio has a pair of Bay Area batters: A’s utility player Tony Kemp and Giants outfielder Steven Duggar.

I actually had inspiring Tigers Rule 5 pick Akil Baddoo on the Leo roster to start the season, but I ended up dropping him in favor of middle infield depth when the Lions’ top two shortstop options went down with injuries. Speaking of infield depth, Rays corner infielder Yandy Diaz is also available. With Leo enjoying a 97% playoff percentage, it shouldn’t matter much who I add to the rosters of Sagittarius or Aries, but in the interest of completionism, the former could add infield prospect Jonathan India, while the latter’s top free agent option is first baseman Christian Walker.

Gemini’s stranglehold on the top of the division has waned a bit, with their playoff chances dropping to just 58% in recent weeks. Perhaps they could widen the gap with new offensive reinforcements such as Cleveland first baseman Bobby Bradley or Seattle outfielder Jake Fraley. Libra’s recent surge puts them at a 36% chance, although their top available (non-injured) batters are the light-hitting Myles Straw and the unproven Jesus Sanchez. As usual, it doesn’t look like Aquarius has much hope, but they could add Braves fill-in outfielder Guillermo Heredia to the mix.

The Earth Division is the only one where all three teams have at least a double digit-percent chance to make the postseason. Second place Virgo has the top playoff odds with 55%, and they have access to breakout Cubs third baseman Patrick Wisdom, and outfielders Billy McKinney and Harold Ramirez. Taurus (currently in first place, but with 28% playoff odds) can add Dodgers utility player Zach McKinstry and hot-hitting Mariners catcher Luis Torrens. Capricorn (17% to make the playoffs) has some options on the free agent market, including outfielders Odubel Herrera, LaMonte Wade Jr., and Daz Cameron, catcher Tucker Barnhart, and the indomitable Albert Pujols.

I’ve decided to lump all the pitching additions here at the end, maybe because all the recent focus on All-Star voting (where fans don’t have a say in which pitchers make the team) has put me in a particularly offensive mindset. Sagittarius has access to the top-listed available pitcher on the ESPN site: Ross Stripling. Taurus can add Mariners prospect Logan Gilbert to the rotation. Aquarius gets Cole Irvin, who has been surprisingly successful for the A’s this season. Libra could pick up Angels starter Patrick Sandoval. And Cancer could grab some much-needed pitching reinforcements in the form of Sammy Long, a Giants non-roster invitee who shares my birthday (albeit almost ten years after I was born).

Next time, we enter the final third of the All-2000’s rosters with the most enigmatic of the Fire Signs: Sagittarius.