Fantasy Baseball Trade Advice: Buy Low & Sell High (Week 19)

The MLB trade deadline has passed, and your league trade deadline is likely here as well or approaching soon.

Players that were dealt in the last few weeks could have you looking for changes on your roster. There will be some decisions to be made, along with examining current and future stats. No matter where you are in the standings, it’s important to be active and have a strategy in place.

Looking into next year in a dynasty league? Take a gamble on some star injured players that are projected back in 2025. On the verge to win the league championship this season? Take a swing and build a super team for this year.

Whatever your current situation is, there are ways to make yourself better for this year and/or the future. Here are this week’s buy low and sell high candidates.

Fantasy Baseball Trade Advice (Week 19)

Buy Low

Hayden Birdsong (SP – SF)

Adding Birdsong now would be more for dynasty leagues, but the Giants did trade Alex Cobb and that will perhaps open a rotation spot for Birdsong. I’m sure the Giants will limit his innings down the stretch, but if they deploy a six-man rotation, that could keep him starting for the rest of season.

In six starts, Birdsong is 3-0 with a 2.97 ERA. The WHIP is a little high at 1.22 and he has always walked a few batters in the minors. It is my hope that the Giants pitching staff can work their mojo like they have in the past and help lower Birdsong’s walks.

Birdsong has a 11.27 K/9 and teams are hitting just .204 against him. He is currently listed in the minors but is expected to join the MLB team in the coming days. As I mentioned before, the Cobb trade possibly opens a permanent spot for him. Birdsong’s fantasy managers might view him as an up-and-down minor league spot starter and be willing to give up. I would try and grab him now because I see good amount of starts ahead of him for this season and his value will likely increase heading into the 2025 season.

C.J. Abrams (SS – WSH)

Abrams is hitting .258 on the year and has 15 home runs with 20 SB. He probably won’t match his 47 SB from last year, but he is capable of getting multiple stolen bases per game. Additionally, it does appear that he will surpass his 18 home runs from last season. I’m hoping for low 20s in home runs and mid 30s in stolen bases, with a mid .260s batting average. Those are not bad numbers, especially for a player that is still just 23 years old.

I have Abrams listed here because in the past month, he is only hitting .177 with 2 HRs and 7 SBs. Perhaps owners are panicking and looking for help before the league playoffs start. I would gamble that Abrams, who bats leadoff for the Nationals, will rebound in the next two months and most likely be a top shortstop off draft boards next season. I would take a look at Abrams in both redraft and dynasty leagues.

Isaac Paredes (3B – CHC)

Like Abrams, Paredes has struggled in the last month. He is hitting .156 with four home runs. For the season, Paredes is hitting .243 with 16 home runs. This puts him in line for his stats last season, when he hit .250 with 31 HRs.

Some fantasy owners might be disenchanted with Paredes’ performance this season and be looking for a change. He was recently traded from the Rays to the Cubs, and I believe that a change of scenery will do Paredes good. Not to mention, a better hitting ballpark to call home will help. I could see him doubling his home run total for the rest of the season. He will also benefit hitting against a weaker division.

I wouldn’t break the bank to acquire him, but his current slump should help lower the cost.

Sell High

Jazz Chisholm Jr. (OF – NYY)

I have Chisholm listed here mainly for the hype that surrounds him. Everyone is excited about the Yankees new star and so far, he is putting on a show. He has four home runs in just three games with the Yankees. The sky is the limit!

I do believe that the Yankees lineup is a much better home than the Marlins. I am also not suggesting that Chisholm will be a dud for the rest of the season. He has a ton of excitement surrounding him, and because of that and his early success with the Yankees, I would listen to offers. Chisholm has played in 104 games this year, a feat that he has done only once in his career and that was in 2021. He will definitely try his hardest to fit in with the Yankees and the fans, and he has even played third base for them. This is exciting, but also concerns me that he could overextend himself and cause an injury, something that has been concerning for some fantasy managers in the past years.

I hope it works out and we are finally graced with a full healthy season from Chisholm. Just in case though, I would see what kind of offers you can get.

Matt Waldron (SP – SD)

Waldron had an ERA under 4.00 for July, but in the last 30 days, he has a ERA of 4.30, is 1-3 during that span, and even his WHIP went up to 1.12.

There are always teams in your league that need pitching and the last days of Waldron being a decent streamer could be approaching. In May and June, he was an exciting knuckleballer that was the talk of the town, but that has worn off. In his last 10 starts, he has managed to go six innings or more in eight of them. He has allowed 3 ER or more in half of those starts and his strikeouts are not substantial either. Waldron did manage 8 strikeouts in one of his last 10 starts, but he currently has just a 21% strikeout rate.

Waldron is still giving good innings, and I believe a good return is still possible. I just don’t see him as a league winner and unless you’re the team with pitching needs, I would throw around some offers.

Jeff McNeil (2B – NYM)

McNeil is hitting .278 with 5 home runs and 17 RBIs in the month of July. For the year, McNeil is hitting .231 with 9 home runs total. That’s down from his .270 average of last year and a world away from his 2022 season where he hit .326.

Moving McNeil won’t get you a great return, but maybe you can flip him for a bullpen arm this season or for an injured player in dynasty leagues. Fantasy managers could be looking for help at 2B and a hot-hitting McNeil might bring back the memories of his .300 hitting days. Let some other owners see what McNeil can do for them for the rest of the season. I wouldn’t wait too long though because once he cools off, he will have no value.