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The All-Star break is the best time for fantasy baseball managers to evaluate their team. Whether your team is at the top of the standings or fighting for one of the final playoff spots, now is the perfect time to upgrade your roster to position yourself better in August/September.
This brief time off due to the All-Star break is also a great way for certain players to reset and finish the year strong. Oftentimes, we see plenty of hitters pick things up in the second half. Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez has been famous for doing that over the past two years.
So, heading into the All-Star break, here are four players fantasy managers should be buying low or selling high in fantasy. All stats in this article are through Wednesday's games.
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Undervalued Fantasy Baseball Players to Trade For
1B Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves
It hasn't been the best season for Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson. Through 91 games this year, Olson is hitting a mere .237 with 13 home runs, 21 doubles, and 43 RBI. That puts the 30-year-old on pace for just 23 HRs and 77 RBI, which would be his worst power numbers in a full season since 2017 with the Oakland A's (24 HRs and 45 RBI).
On top of his poor hitting numbers, Olson is in a major slump at the plate. He is batting just .161 (13-for-81) with two HRs, two doubles, and five RBI over his last 22 games. However, fantasy managers should be looking to buy low on the slugging first baseman before the All-Star break.
54 homers in 54 seconds for the 2023 home run king, Matt Olson. 💪 pic.twitter.com/glmOLrM5wU
— MLB (@MLB) October 2, 2023
As bad as Olson has looked at the plate this season, better days should be ahead for the veteran. For starters, his average exit velocity (91.8 mph), barrel rate (10.1%), and hard-hit rate (46.4%) all rank in the top half of the league. The 30-year-old also really started to heat up after the All-Star break last year. In 2023, he hit .321 with 25 HRs, 10 doubles, and 67 RBI over the final 73 games. So, expect the Braves first baseman to heat up at the end of July and into August.
SP Max Scherzer, Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers pitcher Max Scherzer started the year on the injured list after undergoing back surgery in the offseason. As a result, it's going to take Scherzer some time to get in a groove on the mound. While he has pitched solid in his first four starts, the veteran should only post better numbers as the season goes on.
Scherzer is off to a nice start this year with a 3.09 ERA, but there is room for him to be better. In his last outing against the Los Angeles Angels on July 9, the right-hander struggled a bit by giving up four runs (three earned runs) on eight hits with six strikeouts across 6 2/3 innings. He has also only struck out 17 batters (6.6 strikeouts per nine innings) in his four starts in 2024. That recent outing and his low strikeout numbers so far make him a potential buy-low option heading into the All-Star break.
Max Scherzer struck out the side on a clock violation and was annoyed about it 😂 pic.twitter.com/bjtsmlUXRC
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) August 15, 2023
At 39 years old, there were question marks about when age would eventually catch up to the veteran pitcher. Nonetheless, that doesn't appear to be in 2024. Scherzer has finished with under a 3.80 ERA in 12 straight seasons, and with the way he has looked so far this year, he should continue that streak. Now might be the only time to buy low on the veteran pitcher in fantasy, so trade for him before he gets into a groove on the mound.
Overvalued Fantasy Baseball Players to Trade Away
OF George Springer, Toronto Blue Jays
Things have certainly turned around lately for Toronto Blue Jays outfielder George Springer. Entering June 25, Springer was batting just .189 with five HRs, nine doubles, and 15 RBI through 71 games. But since then, the veteran is hitting .396 (19-for-48) with five HRs, five doubles, and 19 RBI over the past 14 contests.
It is finally nice to see Springer pick things up at the plate after a brutal start to the year. However, fantasy managers should be trading him away amid this hot streak. He is not hitting the ball hard this season, as his average exit velocity (87.4 mph) and hard-hit rate (37.4%) rank in the bottom half of the league. The 34-year-old is also coming off a campaign in 2023 where he finished with a .327 on-base percentage, .405 slugging percentage, and .732 OPS.
Those numbers are all better than what Springer has in 2024. His .309 OBP, .364 SLG, and .672 OPS puts him on pace for a career-worst season. He is also hitting just .221 on the year. That makes now the perfect time to trade him away in fantasy because he has some value heading into the All-Star break.
OF Ian Happ, Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs outfielder Ian Happ is another player fantasy managers should be looking to trade away heading into the All-Star break. Happ has been red-hot at the plate over the past couple of weeks and has scored the 15th-most fantasy points in Yahoo! leagues over the past 30 days. That stretch has turned him into a must-start option in fantasy.
Since May 26, Happ is hitting .272 (37-for-136) with 12 HRs, 10 doubles, and 41 RBI over the past 40 games. During that span, only Aaron Judge has more RBI (44) than the Cubs outfielder. So, things are certainly trending up for the 29-year-old after a rough start to the year. He now owns a .241 batting average on the year while leading the Cubs in RBI (55), doubles (20), runs scored (49), and walks (49).
Ian Happ's last 10 games 🥵🔥
.387 BA
4 HR
13 RBI
1.384 OPS pic.twitter.com/tl1Kd8hnRr— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) July 10, 2024
But selling him in fantasy right now might make the most sense. He has looked great at the plate over the past month, but his expected batting average (.238), strikeout rate (26.5%), and whiff rate (28%) all rank extremely poor. As a result, a cold stretch -- like we saw earlier in the year -- could be coming shortly. That's why fantasy managers should try to sell him high before that happens.
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