Fantasy Baseball Trade Market: Son of a Pitch (Buy/Sell)
Fantasy Baseball Trade Market: Son of a Pitch (Buy/Sell)
By Muntradamus
BEAST DOME NATION.
In fantasy baseball the way to win your championship is to upgrade your pitching staff with 2-for-1 trades if you can easily replace talent offensively on the waiver wire, or visa versa. If a player such as Carl Crawford is on your waiver wire, and you have a starting pitcher such as Homer Bailey in your rotation. But your last OF spot is currently being used by Torii Hunter, then you need to pull off a trade to upgrade. This article will give you insight on what players I would cut bait on to sell high. It will also look at the pitchers who you could get at a great value. Any trade questions, feel free to post below.
*DAILY PITCHER RANKINGS WILL BE OUT AT 1:00PM Pacific.
You can check my previous Trade Market articles by clicking on this link.
SELL HIGH:
R.A. DICKEY – SP- NYM
Stats as of 7/23: 2.84 ERA. (13-2). 1.01 WHIP. 132 K in 133.1 INN.
Dickey was the best pitcher in fantasy baseball by far in June throwing back-to-back 1 hitters and shutout’s galore. That amazing run has all come to an end as his last 6 appearances have resulted in an ERA of 5.27. It would be nice if we could stay positive about the knuckle ball pitcher who was unhittable, but as the weather gets warmer the balls fly out faster. August is a warm month coming up, and those hanging knuckle balls will result in some terrible games. Go ahead and sell now as you can get nearly any player you want. Try Curtis Granderson with a weak OF option and you have a chance.
RYAN DEMPSTER – SP – CHC
Stats as of 7/23: 2.11 ERA. (5-4). 1.05 WHIP. 77 K in 98 INN.
Dempster is maybe the best pitcher in baseball right now with a K rate that is far less than 1 per INN. As much of a joke as that sounds, he has only allowed 4 ER in his last 6 starts to give himself a 0.92 ERA over that span. All 4 of those ER’s came in his last appearance which is giving us a sign that he could go back to reality very quickly. I would look to move him when I can get a star bat like Allen Craig, or possibly upgrade my pitching staff and get Cliff Lee or Roy Halladay. Either way, now is the time to move him.
MARK BUEHRLE – SP – MIA
Stats as of 7/23: 3.29 ERA (9-9). 1.14 WHIP. 74 K in 125.2 INN.
Mark is pitching at a very nice level this season, which is not a surprise since pitchers that go from the AL to NL usually do better. Case and point A.J. Burnett. The Marlins could continue to Mark the run support he needs to get 15 Wins this season, but besides the low ERA and WHIP, he really does not do much at all. If those numbers go up, Buehrle is just as good as a waiver wire stream pick on most starts, and now is the time to explore the value and get a great quality hitter such as Shane Victorino or maybe try to get Matt Moore if you can.
JAMES MCDONALD – SP – PIT
Stats as of 7/23: 2.93 ERA. (10-3). 1.11 WHIP. 104 K in 119.2 INN.
McDonald has allowed 10 ER in 9.2 INN since the All-Star break. There are always pitchers that pitch out of this world in the 1st half, only to slow down completely in the second half. McDonald is one of those candidates, and you can upgrade him for a proven star pitcher such as Halladay or Lee. Make the trade to get the star, instead of someone who looks like he could turn into a BUST for the 2nd half.
JOSH JOHNSON – SP – MIA
Stats as of 7/23: 4.35 ERA. (5-7). 1.40 WHIP. 96 K in 113.2 INN.
This is a simple analysis. Josh Johnson was ELITE in June with a 1.87 ERA. July has been a completely different story as his ERA is 7.56. Now you could make the case his arm is starting to slow down after the Tommy John Surgery in the off-season, and to me that is worrisome enough when you could get a star pitcher off your waiver wire. There is a good chance Jeff Karstens puts up better numbers the rest of the season. You can easily get a nice quality bat as low as Jason Heyward.
JOHAN SANTANA – SP – NYM
Stats as of 7/23: 3.98 ERA. (6-7). 1.27 WHIP. 105 K in 110.2 INN.
Yes I know Santana just hit the DL with a foot injury. But we are seeing a classic example of Tommy John Surgery slowing down a pitcher in the 2nd half of the season. His value may be low now, but you can still get a good quality hitter. There are going to be better waiver wire options that can help your team in the pitching department. ERA in June, 2.77. ERA in July, 13.50. Enough said.
BUY LOW:
TOMMY HANSON – SP – ATL
Stats as of 7/23: 4.50 ERA. (10-5). 1.41 WHIP. 103 K in 116 INN.
The Braves are always going to be a team that can compete in any game. Hanson is a pitcher that can always compete with a teams ace. Lately he has struggled as his last QS came June 15th against the Orioles..a team he will never face again. But that still makes him an attractive buy-low candidate with his ERA at 6.96 in his last 6 six starts. His asking price has dropped to Shane Victorino or Michael Morse along with another starter.
JAMES SHIELDS – SP – TB
Stats as of 7/23: 4.39 ERA. (8-6). 1.44 WHIP. 124 K in 131.1 INN.
If Shields gets traded to a contender, he quickly becomes a top 25 SP again. His ERA is a little high for our liking, but his K potential and ELITE start probability is too high to ignore. Give up a quality player such as Shane Victorino or Michael Morse to get your hands on James if you can.
IAN KENNEDY – SP – ARI
Stats as of 7/23: 4.33 ERA (7-8) 1.33 WHIP. 106 K in 120.2 INN.
In his last 10 starts, Kennedy has only thrown back-to-back QS’s twice. His consistency is at an all-time low as he can shut down the Reds in Cincy, but give up 10 ER in 12 INN to the Cubs and Padres. Still you have to do what it takes to acquire a big name like Kennedy down the season stretch. The Diamondbacks are going to make a play for the NL West, and Kennedy will have a lot to do with it. Give up a quality OF option such as Shane Victorino to acquire Kennedy.
CLIFF LEE – SP – PHI
Stats as of 7/23: 3.72 ERA. (1-6). 1.14 WHIP. 106 K in 111 INN.
If you can somehow get the owner to over look the fact that Lee has a 2.04 ERA in his last three starts. Now is a good time to know you can get an ACE, at not ACE value. You will probably have to give up a pitcher like Lance Lynn to get Lee, but now the Phillies are ready to roll and when Cliff is on, he will give you top 5 value at the position. Give up James McDonald to get Cliff Lee.
ROY HALLADAY – SP – PHI
Stats as of 7/23: 3.96 ERA. (4-5). 1.14 WHIP. 62 K in 77.1 INN.
Halladay has really struggled this season, and did not look so dominant in his return against a semi-weak Dodgers squad. Halladay does have the potential to turn it on Justin Veralnder style, and for the price tag of James McDoanld, you can possibly have it your way. It may take more, but you should still see if you can get him for less than top 20 value and another hitter. Especially if your waiver wire is filled.
MATT MOORE – SP/RP- TB
Stats as of 7/23: 4.23 ERA. (6-7). 1.40 WHIP. 106 K in 112.2 INN.
Moore had a good week with two QS’s. Although it is discouraging to know that Wins are going to be hard to come by with this terrible Tampa offense. You will have the potential of having a pitcher who can throw a dominant 8+ K game. In weekly leagues where he qualifies at RP, his value is much higher. For now to get a pitcher like Moore you have to probably give up a solid Yoenis Cespedes. But if you wait until he gets bombed by a quality team in the AL East you can probably give the owner J.J. Hardy.
JON LESTER – SP – BOS
Stats as of 7/23: 5.46 ERA. (5-8). 1.46 WHIP. 100 K in 120 INN.
Jon got moLESTERd on Sunday by the Blue Jays allowing 11 ERs. This has been a common trait nearly all season as you will not get much consistency with the occasional shellacking like this. What makes that statement worst is that was me being nice. Lester is close to droppable in some leagues, but the others that he is not you can get him for a very cheap chess piece. Maybe throw in a quality player like Kendrys Morales and a mediocre pitcher to acquire someone that can turn it on Tim Lincecum style sooner than later.