The trade deadline is looming, not only in MLB but in your fantasy baseball league, as well. Being the first to make a move can be the difference between making or missing the playoffs.
Here are six players to consider trading for or away in your league in this week’s buy-low & sell-high targets.
- 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 13)
Buy Low
Andrew Vaughn struggled for the first two months of the season but has found another gear for the month of June. His combined average for April and May was .198. So far this month, he is hitting .364.
It seems we have been waiting for a few years for Vaughn to break out and be at least a solid fantasy option. Perhaps this season will finally be it. Chicago has no good reason not to play Vaughn, so you shouldn’t be worried about playing time. The White Sox also seem to trust Vaughn by batting him higher in the lineup. He has been hitting second in the lineup the majority of the time, and five of his nine home runs have come from that spot. If you need corner infield help at a low price, Vaughn could be a nice add.
Andy Pages had a great start to his Major League career. In April, he hit .300, but in May, he nearly doubled his ABs, and his average dropped to .214. Maybe pitchers figured him out, and he will just have to go through a season of adjustments. If we look at this month, then the adjustments might have been made. For June, Pages is hitting .314.
On the season, The 23-year-old is hitting .262 with eight HRs. His K% could use some work; It currently sits at 27%. However, he has improved on his BB%. After getting no free passes in April, he has shown more patience and has walked seven times. If he improved in that area, perhaps his K% can also improve.
Pages’s fantasy managers might be experiencing prospect fatigue and consider moving him. He’s a promising young hitter in a good lineup. I would take a chance on him.
A .201 hitter with a 35% strikeout rate doesn’t sound that appealing. However, if you need power, Nolan Gorman could be a nice addition for the position he plays. Gorman currently has 15 HRs on the season, so he is on pace to at least match his 27 HRs from last year. In his last 40 ABs, he has just two hits, but one of them was still a home run.
His strikeouts and hitting against lefties (hitting .186 on the season) are problematic. Gorman was a top prospect not long ago and he does have power. I wouldn’t break the bank to acquire him, and you shouldn’t have to. The Cardinals’ lineup is starting to hit better, so maybe Gorman just needs to catch up. Over the last two and a half seasons, he tends to have a bad month and then a better month. It’s a bit of a roller coaster, but July could be better.
Sell High
Anthony Santander is hitting .231 on the year with 18 HRs, half of which have come this month in June. He plays in a good lineup, and playing time isn’t a problem. Baltimore does have a ton of promising prospects, though, and any struggles that Santander goes through could lead to the possibility of less playing time.
The 29-year-old was also rumored to be a possible trade candidate for Baltimore. If that did happen, I would be concerned about where he was going and the possibility of him losing the middle-of-the-lineup spot that he currently has with Baltimore. Take away the possible trade, and Santander just feels like a filler for a future player. He is currently on a tear, and you could flip him now for another position you need.
Paul DeJong has been a popular add for the past few weeks. For the month of June, he is hitting .246 with six HRs. He was a nice addition off the waiver wire for some unexpected power. I just don’t believe there is something more to this. You could be finding yourself dropping DeJong this time next week. I would jump at any opportunity to move him now.
This would probably be in a deeper league, and you would be lucky to acquire a bullpen arm or perhaps an IL player. There is nothing to see here but a flash in the pan for the month of June. DeJong has over a 30% strikeout rate this year and a walk rate of just 3.7%. Don’t overthink this, though; move DeJong now.
Hunter Brown has definitely rebounded from his early-season struggles. His last five outings have been quality starts, and he is 2-0 for the month of June. This is much better than the month of April, where he went 0-4 with an 11.84 ERA and a 2.37 WHIP.
With Brown, you can go in two directions. You’ve held onto him this long, and you’re being rewarded, or he has become a possible trade candidate for your team.
Brown doesn’t have two full MLB seasons under his belt yet, but he had a 5.09 ERA with a 1.36 WHIP in his rookie year last season. He currently sits at a 5.00 ERA with a 1.43 WHIP this year. Brown has six pitches, and he relied heavily on his fastball earlier this season. He has switched more to his off-speed pitches lately, which seems to have led to his current success. Perhaps this will continue for Brown, or hitters will adjust to his new mix.
If you have Brown and are in a position to move a pitcher, you could get a good return for him. Just remember, he is one bad start away from fantasy managers forgetting about his past five starts.
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