Winning the trade market is at least as important as nailing the draft. The waiver wire holds significant value throughout the season’s first week or two. But after that, trading is by far the best way to significantly improve your team in an instant. A good buy-low deal will have you reaping the rewards come playoff time. On the flipside, a strong sell-high deal will allow you to capitalize on a player’s peak value before his performance eventually comes back down to earth. Our featured analysts are back to share their top undervalued and overvalued trade candidates at this point in the season.
Q1. Which one MLB player are you trying to buy low and why? Also, who are you willing to give up for him?
Christopher Morel (2B/3B/OF – CHC)
“Christopher Morel is a player gamers should go out of their way to get on their roster. The rookie has a power/speed combo that gamers usually salivate over, slugging nine homers with eight stolen bases in 241 plate appearances. In addition, his .266 batting average has largely been legitimate, evidenced by his .264 xBA, per Baseball Savant. Morel’s stolen bases don’t appear to be a fluke, either. He’s tied for 34th in Statcast’s Sprint Speed. Morel is available in more than 30% of Yahoo! leagues and over 70% of ESPN leagues, and I prefer him for the rest of the year to players such as Jake Cronenworth, DJ LeMahieu, Gleyber Torres and Amed Rosario.”
– Josh Shepardson (FantasyPros)
Marcell Ozuna (DH/OF – ATL)
“Marcell Ozuna has been several shades of awful this year. Through 370 plate appearances, he is slashing .221/.278/.407, which is well below any other time in his career when he played an entire season. The positive regression should come quickly, and having another piece of the Braves’ pie is a good thing for the fifth-best offense in baseball. His current BABIP of .239 is well below his career average, and his xwOBA is 69 points higher than his production so far. I’d be willing to trade a pitcher like Miles Mikolas or a hitter like Ketel Marte to obtain Ozuna’s services for the rest of the season.”
– Kelly Kirby (FantasyPros)
Justin Turner (3B/DH – LAD)
“Over Justin Turner’s last 83 at bats, he’s hitting .374 with a 1.016 OPS. On the season, however, he’s hitting just .253 with a .723 OPS. That line was really dragged down by a wretched start, but Turner is a professional hitter and clearly has found his stroke once again. You may be able to buy based off the season slash. Perhaps selling high on Brandon Drury for the proven vet Turner would be a wise swap to consider.”
– Joe Pisapia (FantasyPros)
Tarik Skubal (SP – DET)
“Tarik Skubal has been highlighted plenty of times in my Statcast articles, as his numbers appear to be in a constant state of fluctuation. We are starting to see a better trend forming lately where his overall statistics aren’t necessarily shining, but his underlying metrics continue to improve with each start. Skubal has a potential breakout looming, with only a possible innings cap as a concern. The good news is that he is still available in some leagues, and it shouldn’t require much more than a mid-level hitter or speculative closer to land the left-handed pitcher in a trade.”
– Mario Mergola (Sporfolio)
Check out our trade values for all players in our weekly Fantasy Baseball Trade Value Chart 
Q2. Which one MLB player are you trying to sell high right now and why? Also, who would you try to get in return?
C.J. Cron (1B/DH – COL)
“It’s selling time for C.J. Cron. The Rockies have only 30 home games and 39 road games remaining. In addition, their last nine games are road contests in San Francisco and Los Angeles, a recipe for disaster in head-to-head league playoffs. Cron has hit .229/.296/.399 with five homers in 169 plate appearances on the road. Fortunately, according to FantasyPros’ VBR, Cron is a top-20 hitter. So, gamers shouldn’t have an issue trading him. Matt Olson is an excellent one-for-one target, or gamers can try and put together a two-for-two swap with Rhys Hoskins as the primary target and an upgrade for the secondary pieces changing places.”
– Josh Shepardson (FantasyPros)
Xander Bogaerts (SS – BOS)
“What a long, strange trip Xander Bogaerts’ first half has been. His counting stats have been underwhelming, tallying only seven home runs and 37 RBI through 375 plate appearances. He is walking less and striking out more, yet he is helping fantasy slash lines with his .316/.389/.453. The problem is he is in line for a significant decline, led by his unsustainable .383 BABIP. If he stays on his current trajectory, we’re talking about a 15 HR, 75 RBI effort while losing 30 points off his AVG and OBP. I’m looking to sell before the second half starts and would be stoked to nab someone like Brandon Woodruff or George Springer in return.”
– Kelly Kirby (FantasyPros)
Oneil Cruz (SS – PIT)
“Oneil Cruz in redraft I would look to move. He has flashed power and speed, which is valuable in roto, but the .204 BA and lack of consistent contact is worrisome. I believe there was a reason the Pirates held him down at AAA to start the year, and that he’s really not ready to take on quality MLB pitching. I would package Cruz and a piece for Jorge Polanco ROS in a second.”
– Joe Pisapia (FantasyPros)
Paul Goldschmidt (1B/DH – STL)
“By most accounts, Paul Goldschmidt entered the All-Star Break as the second-most valuable fantasy baseball hitter behind only Aaron Judge. There’s no denying how impressive Goldschmidt’s numbers are, but the obvious question to ask is, “Can he sustain this incredible pace?” He is putting up career highs in batting average, slugging percentage and OPS+, but his expected wOBA is significantly lower than his current output. We are already seeing signs of a regression in his last 50 plate appearances, and it might be time to try to flip the first baseman for a solid starting pitcher.”
– Mario Mergola (Sporfolio)
Thank you to the experts for naming their trade candidates. Make sure to give them a follow on Twitter for more great advice all season and check out our Leading Off Podcast every single day for quick-hitting takeaways and advice.
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