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.
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Fantasy Baseball Mailbag
Drop Christopher Morel for Heliot Ramos?
Christopher Morel is known for his impressive hot streaks. Batting just .157 in the last month, Morel is not in his groove.
I see no issue in dropping Morel for Heliot Ramos. Ramos is slashing an utterly ridiculous .328/.404/.577 in 36 games this year. Ramos has almost done as much as Morel in half as many games.
Ramos will undoubtedly cool down sometime, perhaps even soon. Regardless, he is a lot more fun to own than Morel.
Only one of these players is hitting above the Mendoza line. I’d pick the one who is.
Thoughts on the possibility of Garrett Crochet being traded?
It’s certainly possible.
The White Sox seem to be difficult trade partners after the Dylan Cease offseason debacle. I don’t think a Garrett Crochet trade would happen until closer to the July 30 trade deadline.
Crochet on a contender would boost his value in leagues that count wins. A better defense behind him wouldn’t hurt, either.
One aspect fantasy managers may neglect is that Crochet on a contender could hurt his value if his new team wants to lower his usage for the playoffs.
The White Sox will not be making the playoffs. They’re showing off Crochet, already 28.1 innings above his career high, to increase his value. A contender would not have those incentives and would most likely prefer to preserve Crochet’s arm, slightly reducing his fantasy value.
I want a closer to boost saves and strikeouts. I have James McArthur, but he’s falling apart. Do I keep him and hope he pushes through or drop him for someone available?
James McArthur gets saves. He doesn’t get many strikeouts, especially for a closer, with an 8.2 K/9 rate. You should feel free to drop him.
Hunter Harvey may be available and is a better strikeout option. Jason Adam is in a down year for strikeouts but should rebound closer to his career 10.6 K/9 rate. Harvey and Adam are better options for solely strikeouts.
If you want strikeouts and saves, which you probably do, Trevor Megill is a great option. I dropped McArthur for Megill in my league. The Brewers reliever will be the closer until Devin Williams returns later in the summer. Megill’s 2.14 ERA and 11.1 K/9 have led him to 13 saves.
Tanner Scott and Jose Alvarado are other possibilities if Megill is not available.
Is Kyle Bradish worth holding?
The Kyle Bradish news is unfortunate, to say the least.
Let’s face it — things look bleak. Bradish had a delayed start to the season due to elbow issues. Guess what he just went on the injured list (IL) for? Elbow issues.
The Cy Young candidate is worth holding until more news arises if fantasy managers have the space on their team.
Until the Orioles front office says otherwise, Bradish may return this season. But who’s to say he will play at all, let alone at his usual level?
I would hold Bradish for now in deeper leagues and dynasties. At least wait until more news comes out.
Do I trade away Bo Bichette for Ezequiel Tovar in my eight-man league?
Ezequiel Tovar is having a much better season than Bo Bichette. Plus, Bichette went to the IL with a right calf train.
We are about halfway through the fantasy baseball regular season. Bichette is slashing .237/.286/.342. Bichette’s power is far below his usual marks. Tovar, on the other hand, is in the midst of his best season yet and currently has an OPS+ of 116.
Bichette has brandname value. His years of success point towards a bounce back. I am not sure I would make the trade in deeper leagues, but I don’t blame you if you want to make it in shallower leagues. Eight-team leagues provide more room for error in case Bichette does turn it around.
Would you trade Spencer Steer and Jose Altuve for Steven Kwan and Alex Bregman? The league categories are AVG, OBP, total bases, RBI, batter strikeouts and stolen bases.
I would do it. That trade is pretty balanced.
Steven Kwan is wonderful in this format. He has a .294 career batting average and .366 on-base percentage (OBP). He is one of the only batters who walks as much as he strikes out. Kwan is an invaluable centerpiece of the trade.
Alex Bregman is another player who historically has walked as much as he strikes out, but not this year. Bregman’s walk rate and overall production are down this year. Luckily, his overall stats show he is heating up and should have a much more productive rest of the season. Bregman is batting .259 in his last 30 days with five homers and 14 RBI.
Meanwhile, Spencer Steer is having a similar year to Bregman, slashing .240/.333/.406.
Despite the similarities, Bregman’s recent hot streak and track record make me like him more than Steer going forward, especially considering those categories.
Jose Altuve is the most valuable player you are giving away. It hurts to get rid of him, but I would do it to get Kwan. Kwan has been one of the most underrated players in these formats. He is finally getting recognition.
This trade is great as long as you have a good enough second baseman to replace Altuve.
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