Welcome back to the Fantasy Baseball Weekly Mailbag! The mailbag is an opportunity to ask a FantasyPros analyst anything about the ongoing season to make the best and most informed decisions possible. Questions from fantasy baseball managers this week can be seen below.

If you are interested in asking about your fantasy baseball team, feel free to join the FantasyPros Discord.

• Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Advice
• Fantasy Baseball Trade Advice
• Fantasy Baseball Start/Sit Lineup Advice
• MLB Prop Bet Cheat Sheet

Fantasy Baseball Mailbag

Is it time to drop Evan Carter?

Yes. At least in shallower leagues.

Evan Carter slashed .306/.413/.645 in 2023, staggering numbers for a 20-year-old. He carried on this performance as he helped the Rangers win a World Series. This jaw-dropping late-season breakout caused Carter to be an early draft pick this year, often going in the top 100.

However, Carter’s performance was based on just 23 regular season games last year. His 2024 slash line looks much worse: .188/.272/.361 in 45 games. In addition, the youngster has been hurt and just went back to the injured list (IL) on May 28.

I believe Carter will be a good major leaguer, but he will struggle to live up to his 2023 numbers — especially this year. Hold Carter in dynasty formats and very deep leagues, but it may be time to give up on him in shallow to medium-sized season-long leagues.

Trade away Gunnar Henderson for Julio Rodriguez in a dynasty league?

That is not an easy decision in dynasty.

Gunnar Henderson is an MVP candidate this year and was one last season. Julio Rodriguez has been one in 2022 and 2023.

Rodriguez is struggling heavily this year, but I am confident he will heat up. Even though he should get better, he has been disappointing a third of the way through the season.

Henderson and Rodriguez both met or exceeded expectations in 2023. Henderson slashed .255/.325/.489 while Rodriguez slashed .275/.333/.485. Rodriguez went yard four more times than Henderson and stole 27 more bases. The Mariners superstar was better than Henderson in most ways.

Even so, Henderson has taken another step forward this year. His secondary breakout is caused primarily by improved hitting against lefties, a previous weak spot. In redraft, there is no question I would not trade Henderson for Rodriguez, but this league being a dynasty adds some layers.

Henderson, who turns 23 in June, is about to become the same age as Rodriguez. Unless anything goes wrong, both players should be fantasy-relevant for a decade. Consequently, if you make the wrong decision in this trade, you may regret it for a decade. Henderson’s rapid improvement compared to Rodriguez’s decline leads me to think you should not make the trade.

This advice disregards any positional needs, though. If you need to improve your outfield and are good at shortstop, maybe that context would change my answer.

Trade away Jose Ramirez and Jared Jones for Josh Naylor, Michael Harris, and Luis Robert? I just lost Ronald Acuna.

I’m sorry you lost Ronald Acuna. He’s very hard to replace, but trading for Michael Harris and Luis Robert (who should return soon) can regain some of Acuna’s production in the outfield.

Although that trade isn’t a bad offer, I wouldn’t do it. Jose Ramirez is the best player here and remarkably consistent. I dislike the idea of losing Ramirez.

Jared Jones has been elite. Plus, he pitched 122.2 innings in 2022 and 126.1 in 2023. Barring any injuries, the low pitch count the Pirates hold Jones to could allow him to be good for your team in the playoffs. You never know with a flamethrower like him, but I prefer his odds of pitching later in the year to other rookies.

Naylor is a severely underrated player but a clear downgrade from Ramirez.

Harris, in my opinion, is rated higher than he should be by experts. He is a good, well-rounded player, and an asset to any team, but I don’t think he is anything groundbreaking.

Robert has the highest potential from the offer’s side, but that is all it is — potential. Robert’s 2023 was his only year in four seasons (COVID-19 season included, not his fault there) playing over 100 games. He can’t stay healthy. Robert’s injury risk makes him a nice buy-low candidate, but not a centerpiece to a trade giving away the best 3B in baseball and a frontrunner for Rookie of the Year.

I’d hold off from that deal.

Is Oneil Cruz a good buy-low target? Or is this as good as he will ever be?

Managers can view Oneil Cruz as a buy-low target, but they should keep this in mind: Cruz is having a season more or less on par with his short career. He continues to be a source of low contact and good power.

Looking at his career numbers, Cruz was a little overhyped going into the season. His current 35.1% strikeout rate flattens his potential in some formats and reveals a clear skill set for him to improve. If Cruz stays healthy, he can step up his game by lowering his strikeouts.

Although the 6-foot-7 shortstop is a nice value target, managers must stay grounded and realize he has yet to finish a healthy season and strikes out at an extremely high rate. Do not give up top value for Cruz.

Subscribe: YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeart | Castbox | Amazon Music | Podcast Addict | SoundCloud | TuneIn