As is always the case, fantasy owners are in a panic about their high draft pick who isn’t performing up to expectations. More often than not, these exact managers are the ones willing to pay for your apparent breakout asset who is likely to take a sudden downfall in value before long. You should be looking to maximize those opportunities and turn over every rock in pursuit for those types of trades that could give you the boost you need to win your league. Today, we have invited a handful of featured experts to tell you which players they recommend buying low and selling high in trade negotiations.

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1. What one player are you trying to buy low and what type of player would you give up to get him?

Yonder Alonso (1B – CLE)
“Alonso stands out as the play who I’m most interested in buying low. He currently checks in 18th at first base, but I view him as a top-10 first baseman the rest of season. He’s hitting just .240/.312/.444 with 11 homers, a 9.2% BB%, and 22.0% K%, but the Statcast data indicates he should be posting better numbers. Out of 223 players who have a minimum of 100 batted ball events this year, Alonso ranks tied for 17th in Barrels/Plate Appearance, per Baseball Savant. According to their Expected Stats Leaderboard, Alonso should be hitting .271/.343/.532. I’d be willing to treat him as a top-10 first baseman and deal a starter up the middle, or a top-35 OF or SP for him, depending on team need. However, he can probably be had cheaper than that.”
– Josh Shepardson (FantasyPros)

Trea Turner (SS – WAS)
“I’d be pleased to add Turner to my rosters and expect to be able to get him for much cheaper than he is actually worth. Over the past month, Turner is killing his fantasy owner with a .226 average and just 5 steals. You can expect both of those numbers to soar, as he is a near lock for 50 steals, making him still a top 20 fantasy value. I’d imagine you could swing Christian Yelich or James Paxton for him straight up. I’d do either without hesitation.”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)

Paul Goldschmidt (1B – ARI)
“I am absolutely trying to buy low on Goldschmidt. Many owners of him are frustrated overall with the consensus first rounder. He just recently got his batting average over .200 on the season and still has less than 10 home runs. The window might be closing soon as he has been heating up, so move quickly. ”
– Joe Bond (Fantasy Six Pack)

Chris Devenski (RP – HOU)
I’m not sure Devenski is as much of a buy low as a buy cheap. He’s crushing the qualitatives as usual and has 30 k’s in 23.3 IP to go with 2 wins and 2 saves. So he’s good to own anyway but if Ken Giles continues to implode Devenski could get the closer gig which would make him a buy low for real.
– Dave McKay (The Fantasy Sports Brain)

2. What one player are you trying to sell high right now and who would you want in return?

Michael Wacha (SP – STL)
“Every time I’m looking to sell high, I start with starting pitchers. Not only is the next Ross Stripling or Nick Pivetta much easier to find on the waiver wire than a similar hitter, but even aces end up hurt far too often. I’ll gladly dump Wacha on some sucker while Wacha is still pitching well (1.35 ERA over his last 5 starts) and while his shoulder is still intact. You never want to bet on an injury, but there is no denying that Wacha’s arm has proved more prone to DL stints than most other pitchers.”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)

Trevor Bauer (SP – CLE)
In 144 career games, Bauer has 4.21 ERA and 1.34 WHIP. In 12 games this year he’s put up a 2.77 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. Even if you tried to say that he’s finally arrived it would be a stretch because he has a very steady track record of mediocrity. Sell high.
– Dave McKay (The Fantasy Sports Brain)

Matt Kemp (OF – LAD)
“Kemp is who I’m selling high on the most. He is having a fantastic season so far, but let’s not forget just last year he had 10 home runs while hitting .345 through May. The rest of the season he hit nine home runs with a .232 average. I’m afraid we will see much of the same as we get deeper into the season. ”
– Joe Bond (Fantasy Six Pack)

Scooter Gennett (2B – CIN)
“The days of dealing the BABIP-lucky hitter for a massive haul are over, so it’s all about finding slight edges where they’re available. With that in mind, I’d look to sell some future uncertainty and move Scooter. He’s not only validating last year’s breakout with the Red Legs, he’s building on it. Having said that, the Reds are in a full-fledged rebuild, and Gennett is one of their better trade chips. Since last year, Gennett has played extremely well on the road with a .310/.353/.509 slash and 17 homers in 399 plate appearances. However, he’s hit for more power in his homer-friendly home park with a .312/.355/.584 slash and 22 homers in 343 plate appearances. He’s slugged five more homers in 56 fewer plate appearances at home, and there’s the rub. There aren’t many ballparks as homer-friendly as Great American Ball Park (sixth in park factor for homers), so it’s likely any team he’s dealt to will play their home games in a park where it’s harder to reach the seats. Gennett currently ranks second at the keystone position and 14th overall among hitters. After his strong showing last year, he shouldn’t be a tough sell. I’d treat him as a top-5 second baseman and expect a return commensurate with such a lofty ranking. The beauty of trying to “sell high” on a player like Gennett is that you’re not selling high based on him being a ticking time bomb who’s going to turn into a pumpkin, so you can hold if the market undervalues him.”
– Josh Shepardson (FantasyPros)

Thank you to the experts for naming their trade candidates. Be sure to give them a follow on Twitter and subscribe to our podcast below for all the latest discussions this season.

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