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8 Players to Trade Now (Fantasy Baseball)

8 Players to Trade Now (Fantasy Baseball)

Wheeling and dealing is not always easy. Often, we hear of players who are undervalued that are bound to bounce back or guys who just scream negative regression. The question is, what are these players actually worth right now? Naturally, depending on the owner, that answer could vary. The fact remains, though, that buying low and selling high is possible. Sometimes you just need to put out a few feelers.

The thing to keep in mind is that you still need to be reasonable. Nobody is buying Aaron Judge and giving up a healthy Mike Trout in return. So what’s reasonable? We asked our featured experts below which players they’d like to buy low or sell high and what they hope to get in return.

Trade Value Chart: See if any deal you’re considering is fair or not partner-arrow

Q1. Which player is your favorite buy-low candidate and what kind of player are you willing to give up to get him?

Matt Carpenter (1B/2B/3B – STL)
“I’ve been trying to acquire Matt Carpenter in all of my leagues as he is still ranked 40 spots lower based on his performance this season than we anticipated. That won’t last long, however, as he has been starting to catch fire thanks to a near 50% hard-hit rate over the past 40 games. Statcast shows that his .415 xwOBA is a full 38 points above his actual wOBA which screams positive regression. I’m offering up James Paxton or Matt Kemp to acquire him.”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)

Jeff Samardzija (SP – SF)

“Samardzija’s peripheral stats suggest that his 4.74 ERA is due to plummet, and his pitcher-friendly home park will help that regression. Could I get him for a fast-starting fluke like Travis Shaw or Tim Beckham? Let’s find out.”
– John Halpin (Fox Sports)

Jonathan Lucroy (C/1B/DH – TEX)
“Lucroy is a player I’m buying low. His BABIP is currently 30 points lower than his career average and 50 points lower than last year. The strikeout rate is much lower too so he is still seeing the ball well. He has been hitting better lately too, so there are signs that things are improving. The fact is he is just too good to be this bad all season. I’d be willing to give up any of my catchers unless I have Posey, Realmuto or Sanchez to get Lucroy right now.”
– Joe Bond (Fantasy Six Pack)

Kevin Pillar (OF – TOR) 
“Pillar is hitting .190 this month and the early luster seems to have dimmed. However, he hit seven homers with eight steals in the first two months, and he is just going through a cold spell now that you need to take advantage of. It might not take much more than a Whit Merrifield or Jose Quintana to secure his all-around services. ”
– Scott Engel (RotoExperts)

Q2. Which player is your favorite sell-high candidate and who would you be trying to get in return?

Brett Gardner (LF – NYY)
“I’d like to deal Gardner, who looks mighty attractive with 13 homers and eight stolen bases. Even with an improved hard contact rate and Yankee Stadium’s short porch, Gardner won’t keep up this kind of pace. Maybe I could swipe a strong starter like Lance McCullers from an owner worried about his recent injury.”
– John Halpin (Fox Sports)

Charlie Blackmon (CF – COL)
“Blackmon has been playing out of his mind with a .327 BA and 178 total bases, which leads the league. While Blackmon is, in fact, quite the ballplayer, he is nowhere near as good as his stats indicate. In fact, Statcast shows his wOBA as being a whopping 78 points higher than it should be based on batted ball rates. I’m willing to sell him for a package of Dee Gordon and Adrian Beltre, or straight up for Manny Machado or Mookie Betts.”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)

Cody Bellinger (1B/LF – LAD)
“Bellinger is a sell-high candidate for me. For some reason, Bellinger’s amazing first half reminds me a lot of another Dodger rookie just a few years ago, Joc Pederson. If you recall, Pederson’s second half was not so bright. I’m not sure I see a collapse quite that great for Bellinger, but there is likely a big one coming. See if you can try and snag a second-tier starting pitcher, perhaps a Lester or Kuechel if you aren’t worried about the neck injury.”
– Joe Bond (Fantasy Six Pack)

Chris Owings (2B/SS/OF – ARI) 
“I would sell on Owings and the overall numbers. On the surface, he is hitting .291 with nine steals, but he does not have a stolen base this month and he’s swiped only two bags since May. He has hit .213 in June. I was just able to unload him for Ian Kinsler, and even received Dan Straily in addition. You can get a solid return for a guy who started hot and may not be quite as good the rest of the way. ”
– Scott Engel (RotoExperts)

We’d like to thank the experts for naming their buy-low/sell-high candidates. Be sure to give them a follow on Twitter and check out our latest podcast below.

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