I’m not sure about you, but in my leagues, trade season is in full swing. I play in 14 leagues (yes, I have a problem and yes, my children are horribly neglected) and this past week there were 109 trades total. 109!
Like most fantasy owners, I have an instinct about a trade when I see that notification pop up. When Bryce Harper gets traded for Corey Kluber straight up, I think to myself, “That sounds about right.” When Jacob deGrom gets traded for Jose Martinez and a second-tier closer, I think “Sigh, someone fleeced Marty again.”
Thankfully, I can consult our trade chart each week, and don’t need to simply rely on my gut reaction to evaluate a trade. So, if you’re looking to make a deal, or simply want to have the ammo to smack talk your friends and throw shade on their bad trades, make sure to check out our fantasy baseball trade chart for Week 12!
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The Injury Movers
Thankfully, there haven’t been too many significant injuries this week, but there are two pitchers who see their values fall a bit with troubling developments. Carlos Carrasco took a sharp line drive off of his elbow in his last start and although X-rays were negative, the Indians quickly placed him on the disabled list. It’s just a bruise for Carrasco, but the Indians are five games in front of the Tigers and play in perhaps the worst division in baseball. Plus they have plenty of pitchers like Shane Bieber and Adam Plutko who can fill in as necessary. In other words, there’s no reason for the Indians to rush Carrasco back, so there is enough uncertainty to drop his value.
As for Noah Syndergaard, there are actually some positive developments with the strained ligament in his index finger, as he began a throwing program this week. But, I mean, no. Enough with this. Syndergaard’s injury was deemed incredibly minor at first, and he was slated to return after a minimum stay on the disabled list. But he’s now looking at an absence of likely more than a month, which means that “started a throwing program” simply doesn’t mean much. Syndergaard is still plenty valuable and should provide meaningful contributions this year and hopefully sometime soon, but his value continues to slide with the slow recovery.
The Performance Movers
Madison Bumgarner is probably going to be just fine. But he certainly hasn’t looked like his old self in his first three starts, pitching to a 4.67 ERA, a 1.38 WHIP, and a 9:5 K:BB ratio. I’d be more than happy to try to buy low on Bumgarner, assuming that he just needs a little time to round into form. But at this point, you can’t just ignore what he’s done thus far.
Entering Wednesday, Charlie Blackmon was on pace for a .278-120-28-72-9 season. That’s an excellent line for most players, but it’s a pretty decent disappointment for someone drafted where Blackmon was. He’s only hit two home runs all season at home this year, so it’s a fair bet that more power is on its way. But for now, he falls a bit in value.
Other fallers include Anthony Rendon and Joey Gallo. There’s no way you have better options than Rendon at this point, but he’s on pace for 14 home runs, 59 runs scored, and 61 RBI. There really isn’t much to explain Rendon’s issues, and he should fall into more runs scored and RBI simply by virtue of the Nationals’ improving lineup. But he’s quietly been terrible this season. As for Gallo, the 18 home runs are fine, but the .195 batting average obviously is not. Gallo has not only been unable to keep his strikeout rate in “just bad but not awful” territory, but his walk rate has also dropped since last year. There’s more than enough power in the game to pass on Gallo.
But there are some performance risers, too! Trevor Bauer has taken that giant leap that the fantasy community hoped he would and has a legitimate shot at hitting 300 strikeouts if he stays healthy. Juan Soto is a legitimate stud who will obviously stay in the lineup regardless of Adam Eaton’s health. The single-season record for doubles is 67 by Earl Webb in 1931. Eduardo Escobar is on pace for 74.
Finally, three hitters join our trade chart. Ian Desmond was mostly an afterthought in fantasy, but a June that has seen him hit six home runs, score 12 runs, and tally 14 RBI (entering Thursday) vaults him back into relevancy. Brandon Nimmo may strike out too much and he may play on one of the worst offenses in baseball, but he is a legitimate must-own player. He’s shown a surprising amount of power this season given his track record in the minors, but that’s not unusual these days, and his ability to take a walk (.409 OBP) ensures that he should continue to provide counting stats. And Matt Kemp’s season can no longer be ignored. He obviously dedicated himself to getting in shape this offseason, and it’s showing.
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Dan Harris is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Dan, check out his archive or follow him on Twitter at @danharris80.