Fantasy Baseball: Players to deal for and deal away before Yahoo's default trade deadline
After the real-life general managers took their big swings at the MLB trade deadline, it's time for Yahoo fantasy baseball managers to have their turn. The default trade deadline in Yahoo leagues occurs on Thursday Aug. 6, which leaves managers little time to make major changes to their rosters.
As was mentioned in this space earlier in July, my advice for those with a balanced roster is to consider trading a hitter for a pitcher. We continue to see plenty of hitting talent arrive to the majors. Already this week, the Yankees promoted George Lombard Jr., the Reds called up Hector Rodríguez and the Nationals not only promoted Abimelec Ortiz but also inserted him in the two-hole of their productive lineup.
The flow of intriguing hitters is unlikely to stop, and there simply isn't a comparable cohort of high-upside young arms. Additionally, while pitchers are feared during draft season due to their long-term injury risk, there are no such concerns when we are talking about less than two months of remaining action. An elite starter is incredibly valuable in the fantasy playoffs, and wise managers will pick up one more hurler who meets that description while working the waiver wire to replace the departed hitter.
The final suggestion here is for managers to avoiding holding back over the next two days. If a deal feels good, make it. Unlike those who sit in the front offices in MLB cities, no one is going to lose their job if trades made on this platform backfire in spectacular fashion. Fantasy managers signed up for these leagues for entertainment and competition. And few things provide more entertainment than making a major trade.
Buy Low
Riley Greene, OF, Tigers: Greene has struggled in the second half, posting a .185/.281/.389 slash line. The cold stretch at an important time of the season has undoubtedly frustrated his fantasy managers, who may be willing to trade him away, given that he is widely regarded as more of a midlevel fantasy asset rather than a true star.
Greene's second-half skills look great, however, including a 21.4% barrel rate, which has helped him to earn a .543 xSLG over that stretch. His luck should improve soon.
Kenley Jansen, RP, Tigers: Jansen survived the trade deadline as a member of the Tigers, which is all that fantasy managers need to know before acquiring him. The veteran closer is 11 saves away from 500, and the Tigers would surely love to see Jansen reach that milestone in their uniform. The righty is having an unremarkable season (3.94 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 13 SV) and should be easy to acquire. Managers can even mention that with the trade of Tarik Skubal, there will be even fewer save opportunities for Jansen. But the guess here is that he gets virtually all of the remaining save chances, making him a viable option for those who need help in that area.
José Soriano, SP, Blue Jays: I have plenty of faith in Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker to quickly help Soriano. The right-hander has a terrific skill set, with a slider and knuckle curve that get plenty of strikeouts and a power sinker that induces oodles of grounders. Similar to Dylan Cease, who is having a terrific season under Walker's tutelage, Soriano will take the next step as soon as he lowers his walk rate. I fully expect him to have some dominant starts down the stretch, and I will target him in 2027 drafts.
Sell Low
Colson Montgomery, SS, White Sox: Montgomery has fallen on hard times of late, as his swing-and-miss tendencies have not been offset by making blistering contact when he finally connects. The slugger has the lowest xBA (.137) of any player in the second half, and his xSLG (.251) is fourth from the bottom. Montgomery figures to have wild fluctuations throughout his career and cannot be trusted right now by those who are gearing up for the stretch run. Managers can likely use his homer total (25, ninth in baseball) to trade him for a significant return.
Buy High
Jackson Merrill, OF, Padres: Merrill has crushed the baseball in the second half, recording a 93.3 mph average exit velocity and 18.9% barrel rate. The 23-year-old's excellent post-break results (.333 BA, .652 SLG) are well-supported by a .330 xBA and .691 xSLG. And Merrill has rediscovered his speed game throughout the season, compiling 22 swipes.
Some managers will look at his full season stats, including a .237 average, and fail to recognize how well he has played of late. And that's where the buying opportunity lies for wise managers.
Sell High
Jeremy Peña, SS, Astros: Peña has been one of baseball's best hitters in the second half, batting .422 with a 1.292 OPS. And while the shortstop deserves credit for showing some strong skills over that stretch, he hasn't played as well as his production indicates. Peña's second-half xSLG (.571) is 257 points lower than his actual mark. Managers who can use his season-long average (.320) and OPS (.901) to trade him for a true fantasy star should be willing to make the move.
Caleb Durbin, 2B/3B, Red Sox: In deep leagues, this is a great time to trade one of baseball's hottest hitters. Not only has Durbin been terrific since the beginning of June (.298 BA, .867 OPS), but his hot stretch has been magnified by the media due to Boston's dramatic rise up the standings. Unfortunately, there have been few changes to the diminutive infielder's skill set, as can be seen by his lowly second-half marks in xBA (.213) and xSLG (.253). Managers should be happy to trade Durbin for any player with the potential to remain on their roster for an extended period of time.
