It’s never too early to start acquiring players with the hopes of turning your season around or solidifying yourself as a top contender. Here are six names to consider buying low and selling high this week.
- Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Advice
- Fantasy Baseball Trade Advice
- Fantasy Baseball Start/Sit Lineup Advice
- MLB Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
Fantasy Baseball Trade Advice (Week 4)
Buy Low
A .348 batting average and a .470 slugging percentage aren’t bad for the 21st-ranked shortstop off preseason draft boards. Jeremy Pena just wasn’t a popular pick this year. We all felt let down after his promising 2022 season where he hit 22 home runs was followed up by hitting only 10. He did, however, raise his walk rate by 3% and lowered his strikeout percentage by four points. Pena is a good hitter; sure, he might struggle to hit 20 home runs, but would we be surprised if he did? Do you need a shortstop? Look no further as there is a good chance he is on another owner’s bench. His average roster ownership is about 60%. You can probably obtain him now at a discounted price, if the need is there.
Xander Bogaerts has been a reliable shortstop in past seasons. He was considered a safe and possible steal in preseason fantasy draft rankings. Even with the Padres losing Juan Soto this offseason, this lineup is still good. Bogaerts is batting at the top of the lineup and has Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado hitting behind him. The bad right now is he is only hitting .213 with one home run. His slugging and on-base percentage are below .300. Bogaerts hasn’t hit his stride yet, but at just 31, I don’t believe the door is shut yet. Owners might be looking for a change and because of his current numbers, they shouldn’t be asking for much.
Yes, Max Meyer was just sent down to the minors. He will also be on an innings limit this year since he was sidelined all last season because of Tommy John surgery. Meyer is a former top prospect and started this season well. He’s 2-0 in three games with a 2.12 ERA. It’s early, of course, and he’s still a season away from being completely recovered.
We’re not sure when Meyer will return to the majors or for how long. Acquiring him now should be considered for dynasty or deeper keeper leagues. It’s early in the year but his owners might not like their bench spot being taken by a part-time major leaguer. If you can absorb the extra bench spot and/or you are in a rebuilding year, he’s worth a look. With his good start this season, Meyer at least is showing that the former top prospect still has the pedigree.
Sell High
Hanging onto Paul Blackburn makes sense. He didn’t cost you anything. Even if you drafted him, it was late. Consider this, though, there are most likely some owners in your league that need pitching. Blackburn has one win in three games. In just over 19 innings he has 11 Ks and three walks. His ERA currently sits at 0.47. The strikeouts won’t blow you away and pitching for Oakland doesn’t add to the appeal. Blackburn is a fine pitcher to hang onto to see if he might have season-long fantasy relevance. He is also a bad start or two from being a possible weekly streamer. You won’t get much for him, but he didn’t cost you anything, so you won’t lose anything.
Jose Berrios is 3-0 with a 1.05 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 25.2 innings. Can we trust him to continue this early success? He has pitched against the Rays, Astros, Mariners and Rockies. The Astros were perhaps the toughest lineup, but they haven’t looked great this season, especially in the early weeks. His next two projected starts come against the Padres and Royals. Again, these matchups don’t seem to be overwhelming for Berrios.
Unlike, Paul Blackburn, you could probably get a good return for Berrios. Unfortunately, like Blackburn, if Berrios strings together a few bad starts he will lose value fast. Perhaps I’m still stuck on Berrios’ horrendous 2022, but he pitches in a tough American League East division and better lineups will come. I would entertain some offers.
Ryan McMahon plays 81 games in Coors Field, so he will always have value. He’s currently hitting .349 with two home runs and 11 RBIs. His strikeout rate is not bad at 23%. McMahon’s career average is in the high 20s, so I would expect more strikeouts in the future. I also would remind you that McMahon has better numbers in the first half. He hit .260 last year in the first half but finished the second half at .211. Perhaps you have some owners in your league that could use a third baseman. He’s hitting the ball well and has only played six home games. Trading him with a couple of home series games coming up could help add some value.
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