Price: $11,400
There's almost a $2,000 gap between Gerrit Cole and the next-most expensive pitcher on the slate, and Cole is well worth paying all the way up for.
It's not news that Cole is having an outstanding 2018 season. His 2.88 skill-interactive ERA (SIERA) ranks fourth among qualifying pitchers, while his 35.1% strikeout rate is good for tops in the Majors. If we just look at the context of today's slate, he looks even better.
The next-best SIERA for a starter today sits all the way down at 3.83, while the next-best strikeout rate is only 27.7%. Nobody comes remotely close to Cole's numbers today.
His matchup tonight is also a great one, taking on the Baltimore Orioles. If we just look at teams' active rosters, the O's rank only 26th in wRC+ against right-handed pitching (86), while their 24.6% strikeout rate is the 3rd-highest in the Majors.