Fantasy Baseball: 3 Hitters you need to trade now
By Bill Pivetz
There are some surprising fantasy baseball performances this season but the odds of them keeping it up are low. You need to trade them away now.
Fantasy baseball, and fantasy sports, in general, is about seizing an opportunity. Whether it’s adding a player a week before he becomes hot or buying low on a struggling star, you need to find an upper hand over your opponents. The other strategy to entertain is trading away an outperforming player.
There is a reason players are drafted where they are. They aren’t a four or five-tool player. They can help in one or stats if you’re lucky. But, if that player is having his breakout season, it’s either the new norm or an outlier. For some, it’s the latter and those are the players you need to exploit for the most value going forward.
There are more than three players that fit this category, but I will mention three hitters that you can and should trade away now to improve your team for a championship run.
Honorable Mention: Scooter Gennett (CIN), Shohei Ohtani (LAA), Tim Anderson (CWS)
Matt Kemp (LAD)
Kemp is having a bounce-back season in Los Angeles. He is hitting .349, something he hasn’t come close to since 2011. He also has 10 home runs and 40 RBIs, second and first among Dodgers hitters.
Kemp has been killing the ball over the last two weeks. He has a .412 average with five homers and 20 RBIs. The Dodgers lineup was struggling in that span, leaving the 35-year-old to carry the offense.
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With Justin Turner possibly going back to the DL and Joc Pederson the only other hitter performing close to Kemp, the numbers are likely to decrease. Kemp will likely come back to Earth than keep up this performance.
Ozzie Albies/Nick Markakis (ATL)
I included both of these players for a reason. I would trade both players away in re-draft leagues. If you own Albies in a keeper or dynasty league, you may be inclined to hold onto him for a while longer.
Markakis has been a bit more consistent this season. Albies has struggled recently. Over his last 28 games, Albies is hitting .233 with four home runs and 11 RBIs. He also had just nine walks and 19 strikeouts. If you play with an owner still buying the prospect hype, and long-term owners should, then you can take advantage of his optimism.
As for Markakis, the 34-year-old is making great contact with the ball. If the season ended today, it would be the first time he finished with an average over .300 since 2008. He is hitting .328 with eight homers and 42 RBIs. Though, he has just one home run over the last month.
If you find an owner who needs help with batting average, point to Markakis as a trade piece. Find an owner’s need to make a win-win trade for both parties involved.
Michael Brantley (CLE)
Technically, this is the fourth player but they’re my rules so he’s included.
Brantley has been the poster boy for injuries over the last couple of seasons. The last time he played in over 140 games was 2014.
Brantley has played in 50 of the possible 60 Indians games. In that span, he’s hitting .325 with 10 home runs and 39 RBIs. Over the last eight games, he has a .276 average with two homers and five RBIs. Brantley is getting consistent playing time and hitting at the top of Cleveland’s lineup.
I believe in the talent but this is a trade option to avoid another injury. It’s unfortunate but that’s the narrative around Brantley’s career as of late. You don’t want to have another injured player on your roster heading into the second half of the season.
Next: Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Adds
It’s notable that I included three outfielders. There are plenty of replacement options on the waiver wire. And the reason you trade these, or any, players is to improve at another position. Don’t trade them just because. If you can get another starting pitcher or solid middle infielder, you won that trade.