This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
A robust 28-team, 14-game slate awaits Tuesday evening, with only the Minnesota-Cleveland doubleheader being omitted from the pool. As such, we're offered five arms with five-digit salaries and an additional seven at $9,000 or more. That's nearly half of the slate's arms, so we're likely looking at paying up on the bump as we construct lineups.
Pitching
Carlos Rodon ($10,600) headlines and surely will be popular, as he's coming off three straight 50-plus FDP games and gets the light-hitting Tigers on Tuesday. Robbie Ray ($10,200) profiles similarly, getting a weak Baltimore offense while averaging 44 FDP across his last three. The only thing I don't like about them is their popularity. For similar cost, similar potential and lower usage, I prefer Zack Wheeler ($10,400) as my pay-up option. The Georgia native is in decent enough form, but the appeal is his sustained dominance against Atlanta. In his last six starts against the Phillies' NL East rivals, Wheeler has 51 strikeouts in 40.1 innings, allowing 31 hits and eight runs.
The $9k tier is eerily similar. Lefties Tarik Skubal ($9,000) and Sean Manaea ($9,800) figure to be popular. Skubal gets a Giants' lineup loaded with left-handed bats that strike out 23.4 percent of the time, but he's been hit hard lately, allowing 15 runs across his last13.2 innings. Manaea faces a Diamondbacks side that fans 23.5 percent of the time while carrying only an 85 wRC+ against lefties. He's fanned 13 Arizona batters in 13.0 innings, allowing just four hits and two runs. For differentiation though, sign me up for a surging Charlie Morton ($9,500) against the Bryce Harper-less Phillies. He's struck out 40 in his last four starts, averaging 44.8 FDP, and he struck out 31 Phillies in 24.2 innings last season.
I'd expect Jose Quintana ($7,700) to draw eyes as a popular pay-down option. Washington is always targetable, but they don't strike out enough to suggest a 4x value upside. Pair that with Quintana averaging only 17.6 FDP across six starts prior to his last outing, and I am staying away. There's far more upside in Keegan Thompson ($6,400), who has 16 Ks across his last 12.0 innings and faces the always targetable Reds. JP Sears ($6,000) also likely lines up for a win and potentially 30 FDP if he can last just five innings against Oakland.
Top Targets
Dodger bats, in Coors Field, against a lefty? That screams all aboard, and FanDuel has priced the options accordingly. Trea Turner has terrific career splits against southpaws, but it's Freddie Freeman ($4,500) and Will Smith ($3,900) that have better 2022 numbers. Smith in particular looks like a bit of a bargain, boasting a .408 wOBA and .260 ISO in this spot.
With a top arm on the mound in Frankie Montas, perhaps we see lower usage rates on Yankee bats than usual, which would make Aaron Judge ($4,100) more appealing. Otherwise, this slate doesn't have a plethora of top names that jump out as must-use options. Balance appears to be the key to Tuesday's builds.
Bargain Bats
I wouldn't ignore the Rockies side of Coors Field just because Clayton Kershaw is on the mound, as he allowed five runs and 10 hits in 5.2 innings there last season. Charlie Blackmon ($3,400) is in nice form and has had some career success against Kershaw, while Brendan Rodgers ($3,000) and Connor Joe ($3,200) offer the positive RvL splits.
Adolis Garcia is quietly one of the hottest hitters going right now, but Kansas City starter Jonathan Heasley is allowing a .413 wOBA and .974 OPS to lefties. As such, Tuesday may be a spot to chase a homer from Corey Seager ($3,400) or Nathaniel Lowe ($2,900).
Patrick Corbin is allowing a .455 wOBA to same-handed hitters, and a .373 wOBA to righties. That brings all things Pittsburgh into play to balance your budget, as none of their hitters are priced north of $3,100. Ke'Bryan Hayes ($3,000) offers no power, but his .384 wOBA against lefties leads Pirate regulars, followed closely by Michael Chavis ($2,500) at .373.
Stacks to Consider
Cardinals vs. Marlins (Braxton Garrett): Paul Goldschmidt ($4,300), Nolan Arenado ($3,700), Dylan Carlson ($2,600)
The splits here are almost too obvious, and it has me worried we're due a let-down. On one side, Garrett is allowing a .393 wOBA and .900 OPS to righties against a .338/.778 to lefties. On the other, these three Cardinals crush lefties. Goldschmidt sits with a .572 wOBA, 278 wRC+ and .393 ISO, while Arenado at .402/164/.370 while striking out only 7.5 percent of the time. Carlson helps conserve cap space for the bigger names, carrying a .409 wOBA, 168 wRC+ and .238 ISO into Tuesday, having also doubled in three straight and homered in two of three.
Blue Jays vs. Red Sox (Michael Wacha): Vladimir Guerrero ($4,100), George Springer ($3,500), Alejandro Kirk ($3,500)
I wavered back and forth on which side of this game to highlight. It comes with an over/under of 9.5 runs, the slate's second highest, despite some seemingly decent arms on the mound. Neither of them have splits we can confidently target, however, and both teams offer big-name core options at reduced prices, so don't hesitate to sprinkle in some shares of J.D. Martinez ($3,500) and/or Xander Bogaerts ($3,400) against Ross Stripling. Guerrero has hit safely in six straight and seven of eight. Kirk brings a .414 wOBA 172 wRC+ and .205 ISO to the table, while Springer brings further power potential, having homered in two of his last five.
