RADIO
With the trade deadline in the recent past, the league's top teams have loaded their lineups in hopes of strengthening the odds of a playoff berth. The flurry of trades this time of year have a variety of effects on players' fantasy stock.
Of course, a player being dealt from a losing team to a true contender does wonders for his value. Also, a player's stock may vary without being traded at all, but rather from players being moved around him.
Let's take a look at some trends in recent weeks and determine whom is at the peak and whom is at the nadir of his worth.
Sell High Hitters for Week 18
Lucas Duda, (1B, NYM)
No hitter has been as hot as Duda in recent weeks. His last eight hits all went for home runs and he's piled up 9 HR in his last 28 AB. Perhaps batting behind Yoenis Cespedes in the refreshed Mets lineup has boosted Duda's plate presence, or more likely he's just in a zone right now. Manager Terry Collins gave Duda an ultimatum at the All-Star break - either produce or ride the pine. Duda answered the call and is largely responsible for sparking the offense in New York to claim the lead in the NL East. Since the break, Duda is sporting an OPS of 1.107 with 12 RBI and that is some pretty tempting power this time of year. Needless to say, this rate of slugging will not continue from Duda, or the Mets offense as a whole. Expect those numbers to decline and deal the heavy-hitting first baseman while he still holds weight.
Gerardo Parra (OF, BAL)
Parra was enjoying a career season as one of the only standouts in a lackluster Brewers squad. After being dealt to the Orioles before the deadline, his value went up in the midst of a much more productive offense in Baltimore. The 28 year-old outfielder is sporting a .323/.366/.509 slash line in 2015 with 9 HR and 9 SB. Although Parra hasn't astounded many in the counting stat department, he has been a solidly consistent hitter all season and any team would be glad to have him at the top of the lineup. Now that he is batting in the two-spot between Manny Machado and Adam Jones, his value has inevitably skyrocketed. Still, Parra hasn't finished a season with a BA above .270 since 2012 and his .509 slugging percentage is over 100 points higher than his career norm. Parra was a nice acquisition for the Birds, but he should be dealt while his value is at a premium.
Ben Zobrist (2B/SS/OF, KC)
Was Zobrist the first player to ever man multiple positions in the MLB? Guys like Kelly Johnson, Brock Holt and others were all being described as "Ben Zobrist-like" players prior to the deadline. Every team was reportedly looking to acquire that quintessential "Ben Zobrist-type". Well, Kansas City went out and bought themselves a Ben Zobrist-like player in the form of Ben Zobrist.
Any hitter's fantasy value automatically jumps when placed into a red-hot Royals lineup. The veteran utility man and two-time All-Star has certainly been a marquee player since his debut and throughout his 10 year career. This season, the numbers aren't quite as impressive. He was slashing .268/.3354/.447 with only 6 HR and 1 SB with Oakland prior to being traded. With almost no power and no speed of which to speak, Zobrist holds little value past an injury fill in for various positions. The catch? In four games since joining the Royals, Zobrist has launched 3 HR with 6 RBI and a 1.000 slugging percentage. Cash in on all this Zobrist-like hype while you still can.
Buy Low Hitters for Week 18
Ben Revere (OF, TOR)
OK, bear with me here. Obviously, Revere landing in Toronto prior to the trade deadline makes his value go through the roof, at least temporarily. Thus, it would be strange to see him on this side of the buy/sell threshold. Here's the thing - Revere has a chance to be even better than his value suggests right now.
First off, Revere has not been known as a superb player throughout his career in Philadelphia. His .325 career OBP and .344 career slugging percentage are not impressive for a leadoff man or outfielder, respectively. So, on his own, Revere doesn't command too much respect in trade talks. However, the 27 year-old outfielder is always a threat to steal upwards of 50 bases, and this season's total of 24 is right on pace, if not slightly behind. Right now, he's batting in the eight spot in Toronto. If he can continue to get on base this year (.298 BA with Philadelphia in 2015) and win the leadoff role, the counting stats will be piled on for the rest of the season in the Blue Jays high-flying offense.
Stephen Vogt (1B/C, OAK)
No hitter has been worse than Vogt in recent weeks. Things are looking bleak in Oakland these days, and Vogt's sudden decline in performance fits that sentiment. He rode the pine on Sunday after an 0-for-23 streak to end the month of July. On the month, he wielded a .163/.193/.225 line after flashing a .300/.392/.525 line in an All-Star campaign prior to July 1. Owners who dealt Vogt as a sell-high candidate (such as myself) are feeling pretty smart right about now. But, odds are the 30 year-old catcher will regress back to some sort of norm. His early season success was unsustainable, as is this July stretch of ugliness. There's no telling what type of numbers he will put up for the next few months. It wouldn't be stupid to swipe him up while his stock is in the basement.
Joc Pederson (OF, LAD)
Low batting average has proven to be a serious issue for the rookie outfielder throughout his young career. Even in an All-Star campaign, Pederson is batting .223 and his 129 strikeouts are second only to strikeout-machine Chris Davis. These facts are hard to stomach in leagues that record strikeouts. In the month of July, things only got worse for the young slugger. He slashed .169/.229/.258 with only 1 HR and 5 RBI and another 31 strikeouts on the month. In fact, his struggles since the break saw him sit out two straight games over the weekend, with indications that he will enter in to a platoon role with Enrique Hernandez. As soon as the word 'platoon' is even entered into conversation, a player's value plummets drastically. Don't forget, we're talking about a legitimate young power hitter who smashed 20 HR before the start of July and recorded the longest average HR distance in the league. If that power returns this season, you'll be happy you got him for so cheap right about now.
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