The All-Star break is close at hand and that means it's time for smart
fantasy owners to take advantage of those less fortunate. This week's MLB Buy
‘n Sell focuses on two sets of players. The first set is players who have very
high values right now, but have been marked with inconsistency. The other
focuses on players who don't have very high values now, but they have a very
good chance of putting up solid numbers and helping fantasy owners in due time.
There are many players on this list who have been dealing with injuries, one of
which is even on the disabled list, but that shouldn't stop you from acquiring
them. They won't be on the DL forever and right now their value is the lowest
it'll ever be this season, hopefully. Keep in mind that fantasy trades are made
for the future, not for the present.
Sell:
J.J. Hardy (SS - Milwaukee Brewers) - Hardy has been absolutely
remarkable as of late. He's taken over as the primary playmaker after Ryan
Braun and Prince Fielder began slumping. Hardy was anything but good
offensively early in the season, but lately he's been hitting nearly everything
thrown at him. He's currently riding a 16-game hitting streak and seems to be
on pace of getting near his career high in RBI and homeruns that he set for himself
just last year. It may be a good time to sell him now because he's been a
pretty streaky hitter throughout his career. Last year, in his career year, he
was neck and neck with A-Rod at one point in time in homeruns, and especially
RBI, but he was unable to keep up with the pace. As of right now he has a
pretty good chance of matching the numbers he put up last year, with a better
average, but there's always a chance for him to falter and go back to his
inconsistent ways. His value is the highest it's been all year and those
desperate for a shortstop may be willing to part with a player they normally
wouldn't consider dealing. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
16/30, 6 runs, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 1 SB, .533 AVG
------
Cody Ross (RF/CF/LF - Florida Marlins) - Inconsistency kills when it
comes to fantasy sports. As mentioned above, J.J. Hardy's inconsistency hurt
his value early on, but it's also hurt Ross' as well. Ross was absolutely
horrible earlier in the year, even though he'd hit the occasional homerun. He'd
put up decent stats in some categories, but his average was pitiful. He's
consistently gotten better and better though. In April he hit .159, .280 in
May, .239 in June, and now .522 in July. He's very streaky and right now he's
in the middle of an offensive barrage in which he is hitting absolutely
everything and anything. He's driven in just under the total amount that he hit
in June, and he will easily drive in more runs than he had in May, although he
may not come close to matching the 10 homeruns he had. Either way, right now
Ross is hitting for average, something he hasn't done too well in his career.
Add in the occasional power outburst and his ability to drive in runs and he
could be an attractive player to dangle to an owner who needs outfield help.
He's a bit inconsistent though, which is why it's safer to trade him now
instead of holding onto him a bit longer.
15/31, 7 runs, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 0 SB, .484 AVG
------
Jon Lester (SP - Boston Red Sox) - Who could have imagined that Jon
Lester could blank the Yankees for an entire game? Probably not many, I sure
didn't. Lester is talented, as witnessed when he threw his no-hitter, but he
seems a bit streaky at times. He struggled earlier in the year while his ERA
was hovering around 4.30-5.30, but he's managed to get that under control. He
has also cut down his walks a ton since his games in April. He struggled a bit
with control, but all of a sudden he's pitching inside and hitting the corner
of the plate, and pitching so batters can't get the barrel on the ball. He's
been quite good; good enough to get a shutout against the Yankees at least.
However, he's also on pace to throw well over 200 innings this season. He's
only thrown 144.1 total innings before this year, and he's already got 117.2
under his belt. Lester is a great pitcher, and he's also overcome a lot early
in his life, but fantasy owners have to place a lot of hope that he doesn't
overuse his arm and wind up with some type of injury, whether minor or major.
He's coming off of a shutout against the Yankees; therefore he is red-hot in
terms of value. Another owner, especially a Red Sox owner, should be easily
enticed when it comes to acquiring him. Make sure you get your money's worth
though.
1 win, 0 losses, 9 IP, 1 complete game, 1 shutout, 8 K, 0.00 ERA, 0.78
WHIP
Buy:
Johan Santana (SP - New York Mets) - I already know what you're
probably thinking, especially the Mets fans out there. Johan Santana has not
been pitching poorly lately. He's actually got a very good ERA. However, the
Mets as a team aren't exactly helping him out at all. Lately the offense is
non-existent when he pitches, and if they do somehow show up then the bullpen
makes sure to give the game away. It's very unfair for Santana. His last six
starts produced a record of 0 wins, 4 losses, and a 2.48 ERA. He's got an ERA
well under three, on a team that's got great offensive players in Wright,
Reyes, and Beltran, yet he's got four losses and no wins. The Mets are dragging
him down. They are like an albatross draped around his neck. Santana has also
been a better post-All Star break pitcher. He has a .679 win percentage,
strikes out more than one per inning, has an ERA below three, and hitters
barely hit .200 off of him. He's a very talented pitcher, but the Mets are
hurting him. The All-Star break is right around the corner and the Mets
definitely could use some time off to relax and clear their heads. You should
buy Santana now because many owners are frustrated in owning him. He could be
an absolute steal if he can be acquired at a bargain price.
0 wins, 0 losses, 8 IP, 6 K, 2.25 ERA, 0.75 WHIP
------
Ryan Braun (3B/LF - Milwaukee Brewers) - What exactly is wrong with
Braun? Apparently he's got a lingering hand injury that hurts him when he
swings. He has recently gotten a few days off in order to rest. Rest may have
been exactly what he needed. He wound up finally snapping his streak of 18
hitless at bats. He has shown good plate discipline since coming back. He's
reached base several times, but he didn't get the big hit that owners were
hoping for. Braun has had a very solid season, but the injury is concerning, to
some. It doesn't seem major and it's obviously been helped by his days off. The
All-Star break will be here soon, therefore he'll get even more time to rest
his hand. He should be fresh and formidable as ever once he returns. After his
last two games his value is slowly rising, but it's still pretty low in terms
of what it was pre-injury. Get Braun now because he's always a great candidate
to go on a hot streak and right now his value is very low. It's always a gamble
to target players who have some kind of injury, but if Braun can bring his
career post-All Star break slugging percentage of .619 to your lineup then it
won't look like a bad trade at all.
2/20, 1 run, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB, .100 AVG
------
Alfonso Soriano (LF/CF - Chicago Cubs) - Soriano has been out since
June 11, when he broke his left ring finger. It was predicted that he would be
out four-to-six weeks, and it seems like he's a quick healer. Soriano took batting
practice on Saturday, he's fielded balls, and he's also participated in soft
tosses. He is trying desperately to get back in time for the All-Star game
because he wants his name called and it apparently means a lot for him to be
named an All-Star. You can't fault the guy for wanting to get back quickly so
he can partake in something that exciting, especially in the last year of
Yankee Stadium. Obviously Soriano is still on the disabled list, but he could
be a dark horse for savvy fantasy owners to target on the trade block. He's
been injured, but he is trying quickly to return from the broken finger. He
could be had for super cheap if you were to acquire him now and stash him on
your bench until after the break. There's a huge risk when it comes to dealing
with injured players, but Soriano is very talented and he seems extremely
headstrong in this case. He wants to play in the All-Star game and if he's
capable of playing anytime soon then get him while his value is the lowest it's
been because it may not be so low in the near future.