Fantasy Baseball Trade Advice: Buy Low & Sell High (Week 9)

For Week 10, I have some sell-high veterans and a couple of real buy-lows. The possible returns for the sell-high candidates probably won’t be too high, but it’s all about balancing out your roster.

Here are the six buy-lows and sell-highs for Week 10 of the fantasy baseball season.

Fantasy Baseball Trade Advice (Week 9)

Buy Low

Alec Burleson (OF – STL)

Alec Burleson has been heating up lately. For the past two weeks, he hit .390 while racking up two HRs, two SBs and 16 hits. His playing time doesn’t seem to be in jeopardy either.

Yes, he has played against right-handed pitchers more often. He has 97 ABs against right-handers compared to just 26 ABs against left-handers. He’s hitting .320 against righties and .231 against lefties.

The Cardinals are playing better, and Burleson is helping them and should be a regular in the lineup now. If you’re in a five-outfielder or a three-outfielder league, he’s worth consideration. You might be able to grab him off waivers since he’s rostered in under 30% of leagues.

Tanner Bibee (SP – CLE)

Perhaps Tanner Bibee is being overlooked in your league. He is just 2-1 in 10 games started. His 3.93 ERA and 1.23 WHIP are leaving some managers underwhelmed. He has also only pitched over six innings just twice this year. Last year, Bibee finished with a 10-4 record and a 2.98 ERA.

Some managers might be expecting better results, and if they haven’t paid attention to Bibee’s last seven starts, where he has posted a 3.23 ERA, you could still get a solid starter at a lower price. Bibee pitches for a good team and his next two starts are against the Angels and Nationals. If he pitches well, then the price for obtaining Bibee will, of course, be higher.

Luis Matos (OF – SF)

Luis Matos is coming off a great week. Since being called up on May 12, he is hitting .324 with two HRs and 17 RBIs in 34 AB. After a disappointing last year, many managers were down on Matos.

Like Burleson, Matos could still be available in your league. I wouldn’t pay a high price for him, but with the Giants losing Jung Hoo Lee for the season, Matos will be given every chance to keep the starting job in centerfield. If you need an extra outfielder, even if it’s just an emergency starter situation, Matos should be considered.

Sell High

Giancarlo Stanton (OF – NYY)

Giancarlo Stanton is hitting .250 with 11 HRs. His strikeout rate is 31.8% this season, which is around his career average. If he can keep this batting average with the power, then he could be worth hanging onto.

Stanton has had injury problems in the past, though, which is one of the reasons why I would look at moving him now. He hasn’t played in 110 games since 2021. He does have about a 5% higher chase rate than he has in the past. This could lead to more strikeouts, which he has been prone to do. Stanton likely didn’t cost you much, and you could move him now to a power-needy team.

J.D. Martinez (OF – NYM)

J.D. Martinez signed with the Mets after the season had already started. It’s a smaller sample size, but in 21 games, Martinez is hitting .315 with two HRs. He hit 33 HRs at a .271 batting average last season with the Dodgers.

He won’t reach those numbers this year, but some managers could be looking at a higher ceiling than they should be for this year. Martinez doesn’t carry the same name value as Stanton does but does have a better injury history. You also probably didn’t pay much for Martinez; in fact, you probably didn’t even draft him. The return for Martinez won’t be high, but you could get some bullpen or bench depth.

James Paxton (SP – LAD)

James Paxton is 5-0 with a 2.84 ERA in eight games this year. He pitches for the Dodgers, which has one of the best lineups in baseball.

The reason why I would look into selling Paxton is that he hasn’t pitched over 100 innings since 2019. Another is that he has the same amount of walks this year as strikeouts. I just don’t know how long he can keep this going. He has pitched at least six innings in his last three starts. So, maybe move him now because I doubt these numbers look like this in the next month or two. Because of the starting pitching landscape, you could get a decent return for Paxton.