Fantasy baseball managers are always looking for an edge in their leagues, and one strategy that can pay off is buying low on struggling players and selling high on those who have exceeded expectations. Below, our featured experts look closely at some players they’re targeting for these trades. They have closely monitored the latest player trends and performance metrics to identify key players you should consider buying low and selling high to maximize your roster’s potential.
By leveraging our exclusive trade analyzer and relying on advanced metrics, comprehensive player rankings, and player projections, our experts have determined which players you should target in trades and which ones you should look to move. So, whether you need a roster shake-up or simply want to capitalize on a player’s hot streak, this article is here to guide you through the process.
Let’s examine these trade recommendations, analyzing the rationale behind each move and providing you with actionable advice to help you dominate your league. Don’t forget to check out our other fantasy baseball resources to help you stay ahead of the competition all season long. Happy trading!
- Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Assistant
- Fantasy Baseball Trade Tools
- Weekly Fantasy Baseball Content
- MLB Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
Fantasy Baseball Players to Buy Low & Sell High
What one MLB player are you trying to buy low and why? Also, who are you willing to give up for him?
Alex Bregman (3B – BOS)
“Alex Bregman has gotten off to a slow start in Boston. Going into April he’s hitting just .221 with no runs and no RBI. The stink of Devers strikeouts is passing over a little to Bregman, which might make him an easier buy. I still believe he is going to rake in Boston with big home run and RBI numbers for the year. Maybe it was also nice to see him tweet his new order of a Torpedo bat as well. I’d be willing to buy between 90% and 95% on the dollar as far as what I would trade. Maybe a very nice Jesus Luzardo start of the season gets someone excited to talk about Bregman. Either way, poke around.”
– Chris Welsh (FantasyPros)
Bailey Ober (SP – MIN)
“Bailey Ober may be the worst first start pitcher in the history of baseball. In his first games of season he has a 12.36 ERA and a 2.14 WHIP for his career. Take out those starts and you get a career 3.42 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP. Simply stunning. Ober made good strides in 2024 and I expect a bounce back. The window will close quickly on him if history teaches us anything. ”
– Joe Pisapia (FantasyPros)
Bowden Francis (SP,RP – TOR)
“Rafael Devers is the easy answer here, but if I know Fantasy owners – and I do – his owners are going to dig in their heels and refuse to dump a sinking ship when it’s taking on THIS much water. So, I’m going with Toronto Blue Jay SP/RP Bowden Francis. He was a tale of two people in 2024. Tale one, early season horror show. Tale two, second half beauty after dumping the beast with a filthy K/9 and ratios and Batting Average Against numbers that over a full season is Cy Young caliber. In the pre-season he ranked #238 on Yahoo, has started his season with four strikeouts, a Quality Start, a W and he qualifies as both a SP and RP. When Francis has six starts, 28 innings pitched and 25 strikeouts in early May with the third best ratios in the AL East his owners are not going to be taking your calls. I’d be happy selling a second-tier closer, a risky but spicy name like Robbie Ray or, if I could get a kicker in a 2 for 2 type swap to close it, a sell-high guy like Zach Eflin.”
– Chris Mitchell (FantasyData)
Matt Olson (1B – ATL)
“Matt Olson is worth buying low if his owner is concerned. Even in a bad year, Olson had 29 HRs, 78/98, and .247. He’s had bad luck so far this season including a .231 BABIP and one HR pulled back in by Tatis. Very limited sample obviously, but he has the best hard hit rate (69.2%), average exit velocity (97.4 mph), and barrel rate (30.8%) of his career. He’s not striking out with his best K rate in 4 years and a 25% walk rate (best of his career). Some guys that I might try and move for him would include Josh Naylor, Seiya Suzuki, Jose Altuve, and Freddie Freeman. ”
– Brandon ‘B_Don’ Myers (Razzball)
William Contreras (C – MIL) & Willson Contreras (C,1B – STL)
“Week 1 is Panic Week for fantasy baseball managers. All of March and April is Panic Month, really. Fantasy managers are getting into early holes in their leagues and worrying about being able to dig their way out. That leads to bad decisions, like dropping players or selling low on players like the Contreras brothers. William Contreras, the consensus C1 or C2 heading into the season, is 2-for-16 (.125 AVG) to start the season. If you sort the FantasyPros MLB stats page by VBR, he’s 297 out of the default Top 300. For Willson Contreras, you have to adjust the filter because he is 394 out of 394 (Rafael Devers is 392 if you need a quick comparison) after going 0-for-19 with 9 Ks. And if someone wants to panic sell or drop either one of them, I’ll gladly buy low. Everyday catchers who put up solid production are not easy to find, and these are two of the best. Let others panic about this position. ”
– Mike Maher (FantasyPros)
What one MLB player are you trying to sell high right now, and why? Also, who would you try to get in return?
Jackson Holliday (2B – BAL)
“Jackson Holliday is walking into April hitting over .300. While there is a slight increase in his barrel percentage, he’s got an xBA under .200, a lower hard hit rate than last year, and most worrisome is a high K% sitting at 40%. One interesting thing early on as well, is he has lost a MPH on his bat speed, while also making it shorter. You see players get a longer swing that is paired with a slower one, those two together aren’t the best recipe. It’s all too early, but if someone has a “Oh man it’s happening” approach, I’d be willing to get off of Holliday. If I could get a struggling Jeremy Pena or Xavier Edwards, I would make that move.”
– Chris Welsh (FantasyPros)
Matt McLain (2B,SS – CIN)
“There’s an art to “selling high.” You can’t go running to every owner with an active email account the moment a AAA guy pops up with a two-homer game. You need to be selling a player that the masses were already expecting great things from so that his overly-frothy start confirms what they already thought they knew was going to happen. That guy in 2025 is Cincy Red 2B/SS Matt McLain. In Pre-Season he was over-ranked at #80 on Yahoo, ahead of established players like Jake Burger, Christian Walker, Willy Adames and Mark Vientos. Now, McLain ranks 11th with three homers, seven RBI’s, five runs scored and a .313 batting average. He didn’t play in 2024 and while he flashed potential in 2023, I’m fairly certain McLain isn’t going to mash 40-50 homers like his early-season slugfest suggests he could. If a believer who missed him on draft night comes calling to make up for his “error,” pounce. I’d much prefer any of the reliable names I mentioned above or other young candidates like Xavier Edwards or Brice Turang, who lack big-time pop but run like rabbits with a smatter of power sprinkled in and they aren’t the talk of the Fantasy bloggisphere. ”
– Chris Mitchell (FantasyData)
Bo Bichette (SS – TOR)
“So, you drafted Bo Bichette. It’s okay, we all make mistakes and you basically drafted Luis Arraez 70 picks early. It’s not too late to make up for it though and trade him while he’s healthy and hitting for average. Yes, Bo can put the bat on the ball. Unfortunately, it goes straight into the ground as his launch angle (4.7) is lower than a Min Woo Lee stinger. It’s hard to hit homeruns without getting the ball in the air and tough to steal bases when you’re slow. If you could package him for my boy Matt McLain, that’d be amazing. I’d swap him for a lot of players, but maybe you could target Riley Greene, Lawrence Butler, Jasson Dominguez, Bryan Reynolds, Andres Gimenez, Anthony Santander. ”
– Brandon ‘B_Don’ Myers (Razzball)
Eugenio Suarez (3B – ARI)
“Eugenio Suarez is a good player, but he isn’t THIS good. Five HRs and 11 RBI are great selling points through the first week. Third base is a thin position, and Suarez DID his 30 HR to go with a .256 batting average last year, so it might sting to give him up this early. But his value will never be higher than it is right now, and his floor is lower than most if he gets cold. ”
– Mike Maher (FantasyPros)
The Rafael Devers Dilemma
“It may sound weird to “sell high” on a guy 0-100 with a million strikeouts, but I have real concerns about Rafael Devers. He’s out of shape and his swing speed is down 3 mph which tells me his shoulder is a problem. He’s also clearly not happy about the move to DH and is pouting a bit about it. Devers has enough cache’ and name brand appeal to sell him as a “buy low” at a solid cost to someone in your league. The longer you wait, the returns could diminish further and then you’ll be in an untenable of having a high end cost player, not performing and with no trade value. ”
– Joe Pisapia (FantasyPros)
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