Dynasty or keeper-based leagues are my favorite types of leagues to play in. Typically, they feature a group of managers who are fully invested in the league, as you’re playing not only to win this year but setting yourself up to win in future years, too.

But we aren’t stupid. We know that football is king, and when football is going on, many fantasy baseball managers tune out.

Now that we are two weeks from the Super Bowl, it’s the time that people start shifting back into fantasy baseball, and it’s never too late for some off-season dynasty advice.

One of the hallmarks of a dynasty manager is recognizing the time to acquire players in your league. It can separate you from the pack, and it doesn’t just have to be done in one way.

Below, I’ll go through the different tiers of acquiring players in dynasty leagues, as well as the players who fit the model in each.

MLB Dynasty Trade Advice: Players to Target

Post-Hype Player

A post-hype player is, well, someone who entered the league or entered the conversation for fantasy and who had a lot of hype and expectations around them. But for whatever reason, they didn’t deliver right away.

We’ve gotten so accustomed to players like Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., or Ronald Acuna taking off as soon as they debut that we often forget that baseball is really, really hard.

Here are some post-hype players I’m targeting in my dynasty leagues.

• Riley Greene (OF – DET) – A foot injury delayed his season last year, and when he did debut, it was underwhelming. Is he a better real-life prospect than an actual one? Yeah, I think so, but there’s still enough there for him to be a top-40 outfielder.
• Matthew Liberatore (SP – STL) – I think that Liberatore can be a decent starter, but we must see something from him this year. I was more down on him than most were when he was dealt from Tampa Bay to St. Louis, but the cost to acquire him is bottom-of-the-barrel right now.
• C.J. Abrams (SS – WAS) – Abrams was the headliner in the Soto deal for the Nationals, but he probably was advanced a little too quickly by San Diego. He struggled with the bat but made some corrections after the trade. He gives elite-level speed at a suppressed value.

Buying High

Buying high is exactly what it sounds like – you’re acquiring a player at their peak. Is it wise? Not always, no, because fantasy is all about ROI in every aspect. But sometimes, if you believe in a player, you have to go get them because their price may only go up even more if they repeat their success.

Here are some players I’d buy high on.

• Adley Rutschman (C – BAL) – A catcher, really? Yeah, I’m surprised myself, but Rutschman is going to be the top catcher in fantasy for the next decade, and it won’t really be close. What’s more, I expect him to play more than the typical backstop, making him well worth the price tag he’ll have in your league.
• Elly De La Cruz (SS – CIN) – De La Cruz is a prospect, but there’s a chance (slim) that he won’t be all year. His tools are super loud and will be maximized in Cincinnati. He grades out with 70 speed and 70 raw power for a 60 FV.
• Jazz Chisholm Jr. (2B – MIA) – Chisholm is about to move to the outfield, which raises his value even more. His per-162 stats are that of the elite-level players in fantasy, and I think he’s a unanimous first-rounder come next year.

Prospects

Prospects can range, as it can be a post-hype prospect or someone who has had the luster wear off a ton.

Here are the prospect-eligible players I’m targeting in dynasty leagues.

• Josh Jung (3B – TEX) – Yeah, Jung debuted last year, but it was an injury-riddled season that stunted his production. Finally healthy and starting for a good Texas team, Jung can give you 20 home runs and 115 RBIs+ runs this year.
• Jasson Dominguez (OF – NYY) – There seems to be some fatigue with Dominguez despite his solid showing at High-A last year. The power is still developing, and he may not be the second-coming like many predicted, but he is still someone who can be a top-20 outfielder.
• Kevin Alcantara (OF – CHC) – My bold prediction is that Alcantara will be a top 10 prospect by the end of the season, making him someone to try to trade for before it’s too late. He backed up his impressive 2021 season with another strong performance, this time a Single-A.

Bounce-back Player

If a player burnt you last year, it’s easy to write them off as being finished. But it’s easy to overlook your own bias (OK, maybe not easy, but it transitioned well) and see it as an opportunity to improve your team.

Here are a few bounce-back players I like in dynasty:

• Jesse Winker (OF – MIL) – This is more for OBP leagues than average leagues, but there may not be a player I’m more in on this year than Winker. He had an impressive 15.4 BB% last year still, and the move to Milwaukee should help his counting numbers.
• Austin Meadows (OF – DET) – It was just a down year for Meadows last year in many ways, as he was dealing with a number of injuries that kept him off the field.
• Jose Berrios (SP – TOR) – I had to have a Blue Jay on here, didn’t I? Well, why not Berrios? Listen, he’s been one of the more overrated players for fantasy throughout his career, as inconsistency has always been his biggest consistency. But last year took that to another level, making him a forgotten player in fantasy circles. I’ll take the shot on him to give me SP3 production.

Why Not?

These are players who can be acquired for so little that you have to say, “Why not do it?”

Here are a few players that I’d trade for at a suppressed cost.

• Jarred Kelenic (OF – SEA) – I have Kelenic in a few leagues, and let me tell you – the offers I have for him are penny stock offers. This is his last chance to prove he can be an average MLB player.
• Mike Soroka (SP – ATL) – I just feel so bad for Soroka whose career has been derailed by leg injuries. He’s competing with Ian Anderson for the fifth spot in the Atlanta rotation, but he’s a much better pitcher than Anderson is. I’d look to take a flier.
• Luke Voit (1B – FA) – While it’s scary to trade for a player who doesn’t have a team, it could also be the lowest price point that you’ll have to pay to get him. I can’t see Voit going unsigned when the season starts, and even if he’s a part-time platoon guy, he can still give you cheap power.

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Michael Waterloo is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Michael, check out his archive and follow him @MichaelWaterloo.