July 29 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Streamers: Alec Marsh, Jameson Taillon, Jordan Montgomery and Jake Bloss

The lead up to the trade deadline keeps offering moves made by contenders; San Diego traded a former first-round pick for a relief pitcher, just as an example. This might mean that deadline day will be quieter because most moves have already been made, but it also might portend a flurry of moves as teams are trying to keep up with each other inside of their division and league.

Let’s run through Monday’s probable starters (according to MLB.com) who are widely available in fantasy leagues and have good matchups, creating streaming value. Most stats and rankings are from MLB. The full streamer rankings are listed at the bottom.

Jake Bloss, Houston Astros vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

Bloss has made just three career starts, none of which went longer than four innings. He has allowed nine runs in 11.2 innings, doing well limiting walks while striking out guys a little worse than league average. Bloss had a short run in the minors, meaning we have less than 100 innings of professional information on him.

The matchup with Pittsburgh is a chance for the young pitcher to turn things more positively, as the Pirates are a bottom 10 offensive team across essentially every box stat. One negative that Bloss has no control over: Paul Skenes is starting opposite Bloss, meaning it will be harder for the Houston starter to pick up a win.

Bloss is a low-level streamer. He hasn’t had much major league success, and it’s hard to expect too much until we see more, even against a weak opponent.

Alec Marsh, Kansas City Royals @ Chicago White Sox

While teams have started selling off veterans, the White Sox have held onto their guys so far, waiting for the biggest returns they can get for Garrett Crochet, Luis Robert Jr., et al. Crochet even made his start on Sunday when trade targets are often held out to avoid injury at the end of July. The next few days may define the future of this franchise.

Marsh is another young pitcher, owning less than 200 big league innings. He has had some success, most notably striking out batters out at a rate better than league average. After walking nearly 11.5% of the hitters he faced last year, he has lowered thata rate nearly four percentage points to a number a hair better than league average. Marsh has been hit a little hard, owning a career ERA over 5.00, but he is doing better this year than he did in 2023.

Marsh is a mid-level streamer with upside. The matchup couldn’t be much better, and his strikeout work gives him the chance at a big outing on any given day.

Jordan Montgomery, Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Washington Nationals

Montgomery pitched his best at the biggest times last season, helping push the Rangers to the World Series title after joining the team in a mid-season trade from St. Louis. Injuries and ineffectiveness have combined to sink his 2024, resulting in his worst performance since the COVID season of 2020. After continually sporting an above-average strikeout rate throughout his career, Montgomery is well below average this season.

Washington is more of a middling matchup than truly bad. They rank between 15th and 20th in runs scored, hits, batting average and on-base percentage. Where the Nats fall short, though, is hitting for power, as they rank last in home runs and in the bottom five in slugging percentage and OPS.

Montgomery is a low-level streamer. His previous work as an ace gives hope that he will bounce back, but this season has been a big disappointment, and the middling matchup limits his ceiling.

Jameson Taillon, Chicago Cubs @ Cincinnati Reds

Cincinnati is like Washington in that they are closer to the middle of the league than the basement. They do strike out a lot (sixth most), but the Reds aren’t inept on offense like the White Sox, for example. They are more reliant on power, ranking near the middle of the league in home runs and slugging but in the bottom five in hits and batting average.

Taillon is close to his career numbers this season, sporting a very good walk rate and a strikeout rate near average, though he’s a little below that number this year. Taillon has been in trade rumors because of his effectiveness and Chicago’s focus on the future as much as 2024.

Taillon is a mid-level streamer. He’s pitched well, but the matchup is just OK, so there’s a better chance of a middling outing.

Monday Streamer Rankings

1. Alec Marsh, KC
2. Jameson Taillon, CHC
3. Jordan Montgomery, ARI
4. Jake Bloss, HOU