Fantasy baseball enthusiasts are always looking for an edge in their leagues, and one strategy that can pay off is buying low on struggling players and selling high on those who have exceeded expectations. Below, our featured experts take a closer look at some players that they’re targeting for these types of trades. Our experts have been closely monitoring the latest player trends and performance metrics to identify key players you should consider buying low and selling high in order to maximize your roster’s potential.
By leveraging our exclusive trade analyzer and relying on advanced metrics and our comprehensive player rankings and player projections, our experts have determined which players you should be targeting in trades, and which ones you should be looking to move. So, whether you’re in need of a roster shake-up or simply looking to capitalize on a player’s hot streak, this article is here to guide you through the process.
Let’s dive into these trade recommendations, analyzing the rationale behind each move and providing you with actionable advice to help you dominate your league. And don’t forget to check out our other fantasy baseball resources to help you stay ahead of the competition all season long. Happy trading!
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Players to Buy Low and Sell High
Which one MLB player are you trying to buy low and why? Also, who are you willing to give up for him?
Bobby Witt Jr. (3B,SS – KC)
“Bobby Witt Jr. has frankly been a disappointment to this point. He’s hitting .164 over the last two weeks and just .222 on the year with a .659 OPS. However, he still has 4 HR and 7 SB, so the counting stats are there. It’s worth noting Witt was slow out of the gate in ’22 as well (0 HR, .216 BA, .558 OPS last April). As fun as Jorge Mateo has been, I’d gladly take Witt ROS over him in a deal.”
– Joe Pisapia (FantasyPros)
Josh Naylor (1B,OF – CLE)
“This might be the last opportunity to get Josh Naylor for very little. His Statcast page is filled with red, and he is in the top 25th percentile in Max EV, HardHit%, xSLG, xBA, and K%. Right now, his .222 BABIP is doing him no favors whatsoever, but this should regress to be closer to his career norm of .276. I am primarily interested in the fact that his xSLG is 150 points higher than his current; those hits should start leaving the yard in short order. I’d be willing to trade Rowdy Tellez for him, given that the Brewers 1B is on the opposite end of the spectrum in xSLG and will never hit for average.”
– Kelly Kirby (FantasyPros)
Joe Musgrove (SP – SD)
“The 30-year-old veteran started the season late after fracturing his toe in a fluky weight-lifting accident in Spring Training and then more recently was the latest victim of the extreme altitude in Mexico City over the weekend (7 ER) which bloated his ERA to 10.80 for the season. The right-hander pitches in a favorable ballpark for an excellent team that should win a lot of games this summer. Musgrove logged a 3.18 ERA in 181.1 IP in 2022 and a 2.93 ERA in 181 IP last season. More than anything, I like Musgrove as a buy-low because he’s kind of boring. He’s older, his stats look bad, and he was fairly mediocre early in his career in Pittsburgh. I say all of that to say that his trade value might be quite affordable, which makes him an excellent buy-low candidate. I wouldn’t think twice about trading away Marcus Stroman, Drew Smyly, Graham Ashcraft, Lucas Giolito, or Domingo German in a deal for Musgrove if you can.”
– Lucas Spence (Pitcher List)
Francisco Lindor (SS – NYM)
“I would buy low on Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor. He is off to a slow start this season, slashing .215/.325/.430 with four home runs, 22 RBI, 20 runs, and four stolen bases over 126 plate appearances. The 29-year-old posted a 127 wRC+ and drove in over 100 runs for the first time in his career in 2022. Lindor is always good at hitting 20-plus homers and stealing 10-plus bags and is one of the most consistent shortstops in the game. Fantasy managers might be frustrated with his slow start and look to move on from him. Lindor is 34th overall in the latest FantasyPros expert consensus rankings. I would trade Xander Bogaerts, Nico Hoerner, and Dansby Swanson to acquire Lindor-all shortstops ranked lower but have outperformed him this season.”
– Brad Camara (RotoBaller)
Teoscar Hernandez (OF – SEA)
“Teoscar Hernandez has been relatively frustrating for managers outside of a handful of home runs thus far thanks to a .200 average. Hernandez is hitting in the heart of a solid Mariners’ lineup that has not done much due to a quiet start from Julio Rodriguez. However, better days lie ahead. Hernandez is underperforming his expected average and slugging by significant margins. Even if Rodriguez continues to tread water, Hernandez’s hits will come in due time as his contact is loud, and he can steal a few bags here and there when on base. Sell a Luis Arraez type who only offers batting average and some counting stats for Teoscar.”
– Kev Mahserejian (RotoBaller)
Alex Bregman (3B – HOU)
“Alex Bregman is a bat that I would be looking to buy extremely low in most formats. The 29-year-old has scuffled at the plate to begin the season, posting a career-low .211 batting average through the first 30 games. The third baseman walks plenty while also keeping his strikeout numbers low, carrying an 11.8% strikeout rate to go along with a walk rate of 15.4% and continues to make solid contact at the plate as evidenced by a 37.3% hard hit rate. I would be confident in dealing away an overvalued lineup option such as Bryson Stott to try and get a deal done, as Bregman will assuredly turn his rough start to the season around for fantasy managers.”
– Chris Schommer (FantasyPros)
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Which one MLB player are you trying to sell high right now and why? Also, who would you try to get in return?
Brent Rooker (OF – OAK)
“Brent Rooker has been a fun story, and we all know the A’s haven’t brought much joy to baseball in 2023. Rooker has a 1.245 OPS and a .779 SLG%. He’s also 29 years old, and that would qualify him as a VERY late bloomer. He’s on his fourth organization, which means that four organizations either whiffed completely on evaluating Rooker, or he’s having an incredible month and playing way above his head. I’ll put my money on the latter. Using him as part of a “buy low” package for Eloy Jimenez or Luis Robert would be wise.”
– Joe Pisapia (FantasyPros)
Patrick Wisdom (1B,3B,OF – CHC)
“I can think of several obvious choices here. Brent Rooker is a glaring sell-high because I don’t want any Athletics on my teams generally. And I don’t think I’m buying what Cody Bellinger is selling so far this season. And Sonny Gray seems destined to crash back to Earth or get injured. But for me, it’s Bellinger’s teammate Patrick Wisdom, who literally just hit another homer (#11) in the time in which I opened up this tab to right this blurb on Tuesday night. If you are in a deeper league and snagged Wisdom as a cheap source of power, then, by all means, hold him. But we’ve been down this road before with Wisdom. He’s a really streaky hitter (and a career .222 hitter). He’s currently ranked in the Top 50 in Yahoo! despite a .245 batting average. He’s made a lot of hard contact and very well could make me look foolish, but the strikeout rate (34%) is still a glaring concern. Not to mention that the Cubs think so highly of him that he continues to hit in the bottom third of the order (he hit eighth on Tuesday night, behind Edwin Rios and Eric Hosmer). Yes, THAT Eric Hosmer. So if that’s what the Cubs think of him, who am I to argue, right? If you can package him in a deal or find a sell high for Wisdom, I would pull the trigger. I would gladly trade him as part of a deal for Ryan Mountcastle, Ty France, Nathaniel Lowe, or Vinny Pasquantino if possible.”
– Lucas Spence (Pitcher List)
Cody Bellinger (OF – CHC)
“Look, as a Cubs fan, I want to believe we have the Renaissance Man version of Cody Bellinger, and he will continue to party like it’s 2019. But his .295 average is an illusion, and I’m not sure we can count on his 16.4 K% to hang around for very long since it is 11 points lower than the last two years. His expected stats are still good but not “MVP conversation” good, which means that if you want to get peak value for him, now is the time. With (healthy & good) pitching being absurdly difficult to find nowadays, I’d float Bellinger out there for someone like Freddy Peralta or even Joe Ryan, depending on the needs of your league mates who roster them.”
– Kelly Kirby (FantasyPros)
Jack Suwinski (OF – PIT)
“Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Jack Suwinski is off to a blazing start in 2023, slashing .279/.393/.618 with six home runs, 18 RBI, 10 runs, and five stolen bases over 84 plate appearances. His 51.1% hard-hit percentage is in the 90th percentile, while his .634 xSLG is in the 98th percentile. The 24-year-old has legit power but strikes out a ton, evidenced by his 29.8K% and a 30.2 percent strikeout rate in 2022. Suwinski is one of the hottest free-agent pickups, but fantasy managers can’t expect Suwinski to keep up this type of production. Andrew Vaughn, Riley Greene, Lars Nootbaar, Tyler O’Neill, and Eloy Jimenez are some buy-low outfielders to target that should bounce back after a slow start. I would move Suwinski for any of those outfielders, and he’s someone you can get a decent haul for in return.”
– Brad Camara (RotoBaller)
Brandon Marsh (OF – PHI)
“Brandon Marsh is a massive sell-high. He is one of StatCast’s biggest over-performers in 2023, but we don’t need many metrics behind his surface stats to show it. Marsh is posting a .326 AVG and .620 SLG to start this season despite a 28.4% strikeout rate. His BABIP luck is through the roof at .464 and will drop in due time. Try to trade Marsh for a recently quiet Luis Robert if possible.”
– Kev Mahserejian (RotoBaller)
Matt Chapman (3B – TOR)
“I am looking to deal away Matt Chapman to those mesmerized by his hot start at the plate while dealing with an underperforming fantasy lineup. The third baseman has been helped by a .473 BABIP so far this season, but the regression has already begun with his batting average dropping from .460 to .374 over the last 17 games. In return, I would hope to either grab a slumping option such as Juan Soto from fantasy managers frustrated by another slow start to the season.”
– Chris Schommer (FantasyPros)
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