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Welcome, RotoBallers, to another edition of fantasy baseball trade targets. Every week, we look at the biggest buy-low and sell-high candidates.
As we look ahead to Week 15 (July 1 to July 7), there are a handful of players fantasy managers should be looking to buy low on and sell high. The buy-low candidates on this list have been struggling big-time at the plate, while the sell-high candidates are exceeding expectations currently.
So, without further ado, here are four players to buy low or sell high heading into Week 15 of the fantasy baseball season.
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Undervalued Fantasy Baseball Players to Trade For
3B Maikel Garcia, Kansas City Royals
After a strong start to the season, Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia has cooled off significantly at the plate. Through May 31, Garcia had a .268 average with five home runs, 12 doubles, three triples, and 35 RBI. Those were pretty solid numbers for a player in the midst of a breakout campaign.
However, the 24-year-old has struggled in the month of June. He is batting just .135 (12-for-89) with four RBI, two doubles, and six stolen bases over the past 23 games. Garcia has also gone hitless in nine of the past 11 contests atop Kansas City's lineup. So, things are certainly trending in the wrong direction for the young third baseman.
Maikel Garcia rallies the @Royals for the #walkoff win! pic.twitter.com/TogNPhs0Yn
— MLB (@MLB) June 13, 2024
Garcia, though, is someone fantasy managers should be looking to acquire for cheap in all formats. He has looked great at the plate for most of the year, and with any young player, there are going to be some ups and downs throughout the season. June has been a rough stretch for the 24-year-old, but expect things to get better in the coming weeks. His average exit velocity (90.9 mph), hard-hit rate (44.1%), chase rate (22.5%), and strikeout rate (16.8%) all rank pretty well. So, buy him now while his numbers are down.
OF Alex Verdugo, New York Yankees
New York Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo is another player in a big slump at the plate. His numbers through June 2 were solid, as he owned a .261 average, eight HRs, 12 doubles, one triple, and 33 RBI. But since then, Verdugo hasn't been a consistent fantasy option.
The 28-year-old is batting just .213 with one home run, three doubles, and eight RBI over the past 20 games. To make matters even worse, Verdugo is also in a 4-for-35 (.114 average) stretch at the plate with zero extra-base hits since June 15. As a result, he has been hard to trust in fantasy as of late.
Since the Alex Verdugo homer game at Fenway, the Red Sox have the best record in baseball and the Yankees have the worst record in baseball. Verdugo also ranks 175th out of 182 qualified hitters in batting (.114) since that game.
— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) June 27, 2024
However, managers should be trying to buy low on Verdugo in fantasy. Overall, he has had a strong year at the plate and should finish with career highs in both HRs and RBI. The outfielder is on pace to finish with 18 HRs and 83 RBI in 2024. Those two numbers surely seem attainable for him this season -- considering he gets to hit behind both Aaron Judge and Juan Soto in the lineup and plays at one of the most hitter-friendly ballparks in Yankee Stadium. Look to see what it would take to acquire the 28-year-old in fantasy.
Overvalued Fantasy Baseball Players to Trade Away
SP Gavin Stone, Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers starter Gavin Stone has been one of the most surprising pitchers this season. After beating out Michael Grove for the team's fifth rotation spot in spring training, Stone has been one of the most consistent fantasy pitchers in 2024. He currently owns a 2.73 ERA with 70 strikeouts across 15 starts.
There aren't many negative things to say about the 25-year-old pitcher. He just threw a nine-inning shutout with seven strikeouts against the Chicago White Sox in his last start, and the right-hander has allowed two runs or less in five of his past six outings. He has also scored the second-most fantasy points in Yahoo! leagues amongst all pitchers over the past 30 days, only behind Houston Astros starter Hunter Brown.
Gavin Stone is the first @Dodgers rookie to toss a shutout since 2013 💪 pic.twitter.com/A0PEunCMnL
— MLB (@MLB) June 27, 2024
As great as Stone has been on the mound in 2024, fantasy managers should test the trade market, especially after his shutout on Wednesday. There's no doubt that the right-hander has been a consistent fantasy option through the first three months of the season. But, at some point, we could see him hit a rookie wall. His expected batting average against (.252), strikeout rate (19.5%), and whiff rate (24.9%) all rank in the bottom half of the league. While his value is this high, see what you can get for him in trades.
1B/OF Alec Burleson, St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals first baseman/outfielder Alec Burleson is enjoying a breakout campaign in his third major league season. Burleson is currently hitting .289 with 12 HRs, 11 doubles, and 36 RBI through the first 72 games of the year. He has also already surpassed his previous career high of eight HRs, and he needs just one more RBI to pass his career high of 36 RBI.
The 25-year-old might also currently be the hottest player in baseball. Burleson is hitting .524 (11-for-21) with two HRs, three doubles, and 11 RBI over the past week. He has five multi-hit games during that span, and this recent hot stretch at the plate has lifted his batting average 21 points from .268 to .289.
There's a lot going right for Burleson this year, and he is finally showing his potential in the majors. His expected batting average (.291), expected slugging (.474), and strikeout rate (14%) all rank in the top half of the league. However, there are a lot of unknowns with him. He struggled his first two years in the league with a .237 average, so can he keep this up the entire season?
Chances are he will be somewhat of a consistent fantasy option the rest of the season, but expect some struggles along the way. That's why now might be the best time to trade him away. He is in the midst of a hot streak at the plate, so his value will never be higher. See if you can trade Burleson for one of the buy-low candidates on this list.
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