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Fantasy baseball trade value chart and trade rankings for Week 3 of 2026. Use our trade value rankings to evaluate trades, and buy low on the right players.
Welcome back to our updated fantasy baseball trade value chart for Week 3 of the 2026 MLB season. In this article, you'll find our updated trade rankings, along with several buys and sells for fantasy baseball, including Ben Rice, Julio Rodriguez, Pete Alonso, Jacob deGrom and more.
Every week of the MLB season brings new opportunities to buy-low or sell-high on players, as we project their rest-of-season fantasy baseball values. By looking at the trade values of each player, you can add up their scores and calculate potential trades (if the combined score is higher, that side of the deal wins).
So, let's use RotoBaller's fantasy baseball trade value chart to identify some of the best fantasy baseball trade candidates for Week 3. Good luck!
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Fantasy Baseball Trade Analyzer Tool for Week 3
Want more fantasy baseball trade advice? Be sure to also bookmark our free Fantasy Baseball Trade Analyzer tool to assist with your trade offers. The Trade Analyzer tool allows you to add up to three players on each side of a trade and calculate whether it is fair or not for fantasy baseball. You instantly get a recommendation on which side of the trade is a better deal.
The Trade Analyzer tool will display various information side by side for you to compare the players involved in any trade and help you make better decisions. Compare projections and stats, read the latest fantasy baseball news, and see upcoming schedules.
Fantasy Baseball Trade Rankings Values
The higher the Trade Value number, the higher the priority for targeting in trades. Find your players, add up the trade values of each side of the offer, and see which side of the trade wins.
Players to Target in Trades for Fantasy Baseball
Julio Rodriguez, OF, Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners superstar outfielder Julio Rodriguez is off to a slow start to the season, slashing .143/.250/.143 with zero home runs, zero stolen bases, four runs scored, and two RBI. The Mariners' offense as a whole has been struggling; they rank last in MLB in batting average (.184) and runs per game (3.1), and fourth-worst in strikeout rate (27.6 percent). Rodriguez is notorious for being a second-half player; every year he has been in the Majors (since 2022), his second-half numbers have been better than his first half.
Last year, for example, he slashed .252/.313/.417 in the first half and .290/.341/.560 in the second half. In 2024, the same story, .267/.318/.372 in the first half and .285/.336/.482 in the second half. Rodriguez is a superstar in this league and has shown it time and time again, so fantasy managers, although they have every right to be frustrated thus far, should not be throwing in the towel or looking to sell low on him after a slow start to the season.
Verdict: Top buy-low candidate. Rodriguez typically starts slow but produces at an MVP level after the opening month. The buy-low window will not last long.
Pete Alonso, 1B, Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso is off to a slow start in his first year with the club, hitting .188/.264/.292 with one home run, three RBI, and four runs scored through his first 53 plate appearances of 2026. The 31-year-old is striking out in a career-worst 28.3% of his plate appearances, and his 9.1% barrel rate is less than half of the 18.9% barrel rate he posted in 2025 as a member of the New York Mets.
Still, Alonso has a long track record of being one of the best power hitters in baseball. Dating back to 2021, he's recorded five consecutive seasons with at least 34 home runs and 88 RBI. After signing a five-year, $155 million contract with the Orioles in free agency, Alonso could simply be pressing in an effort to ingratiate himself with a new fanbase. Fantasy managers should afford him a much larger sample size of plate appearances before hitting the panic button.
Verdict: Prime buy target following his slow start. Alonso possesses 40+ HR upside and could produce high-end counting stats in this potent lineup.
Ben Rice, C/1B, New York Yankees
New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice is batting fifth for the team on Thursday against the visiting Athletics and left-hander Jeffrey Springs, according to MLB.com. The Yankees said that Rice is going to face lefties more in 2026 after he broke out at the plate last year. The 27-year-old former 12th-rounder in 2021 out of Dartmouth College slashed .255/.337/.499 with an .836 OPS, 26 home runs, 65 RBI, and 74 runs scored in 138 games in 2025 in his first full season in the big leagues.
In his first 10 games in 2026, Rice has gone 11-for-33 (.333) with three home runs, 11 RBI, and 11 runs scored. Rice currently leads the league in on-base percentage (.500), slugging (.727), and OPS (1.227) in 44 plate appearances. He hit .208 (22-for-106) with seven of his 26 home runs last year against lefties. Rice has never faced Springs in his career and should be faded in DFS against the southpaw.
Verdict: Buy-high candidate. Rice is seeing stable playing time against left-handed pitching, which will set him up for a breakout season.
Other Players to Target in Trades
- Bo Bichette, NYM
- Taylor Ward, BAL
- Josh Naylor, SEA
- Kyle Stowers, MIA
Players to Trade Away for Fantasy Baseball
Jacob deGrom, SP, Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers right-hander Jacob deGrom's (knee) MRI results showed no structural damage in his right knee, according to Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News. It was an old injury that flared up. deGrom is scheduled to throw his normal between-starts bullpen to test it out, but the team isn't expecting him to miss a start. Fantasy managers can breathe a sigh of relief that the oft-injured 37-year-old veteran will avoid a trip to the injured list early in the 2026 season. deGrom was pulled from his start on Monday night against the Seattle Mariners as a precaution when he felt tenderness in his knee. '
The two-time Cy Young winner is typically a must-start in fantasy, but you may want to think twice about that in his next scheduled outing coming off injury against the defending World Series-champion Los Angeles Dodgers on the road. deGrom has so far allowed four earned runs on seven hits (two homers) while walking one and striking out 13 in 9 2/3 innings over his two starts.
Verdict: Look to sell-high for a similar high-end SP2/low-end SP1 once deGrom returns to the mound
Shane McClanahan, SP, Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Shane McClanahan made his second start of 2026 on Monday, pitching four innings and allowing two earned runs, one hit, and four walks while striking out five in his team's 6-4 win over the Chicago Cubs. The talented lefty is trying to revitalize his MLB career after missing all of 2024 due to Tommy John surgery and the entirety of 2025 due to a nerve issue in his triceps. Thus far, command has been a major issue for McClanahan, as he's issued seven walks across 8 2/3 innings pitched.
Before his injury troubles, McClanahan had never recorded a walk rate above 8.7% in any of his three big-league seasons. While his control of the strike zone could return as he gets more reps under his belt in 2026, his current control issues will limit his ability to work deep into games. Fantasy managers may be forced to go in a different direction in their starting rotation, at least in the short term.
Verdict: Look to sell McClanahan after a strong outing. While he still possesses high-end upside, his lengthy injury history over the past two seasons will limit his consistency.
Emilio Pagan, RP, Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds closer Emilio Pagan pitched a perfect ninth inning and recorded his fourth save of the season in his team's 2-0 victory over the Miami Marlins on Monday. Pagan's overall numbers for the year don't look pretty, as he's pitched to a 7.11 ERA with three walks and six strikeouts across 6 1/3 innings pitched. However, the 34-year-old's line is tainted by one four-run outing against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Pagan has allowed just one run across his other five appearances combined, and he's converted four of his five save chances. The veteran right-hander picked up 32 saves for Cincinnati in 2025, and he appears to have a firm hold on the team's closer job to begin 2026 as well. As long as that remains the case, Pagan should be in the starting lineup of fantasy managers.
Verdict: Sell-high after a strong stretch. His high fly-ball and hard-hit rates could lead to significant regression in pitching in Cincinnati. Look to flip him for a similar RP2 with more stability, like Daniel Palencia or Ryan Helsley.
Other Players to Trade Away
- Matt McLain, CIN
- Andy Pages, LAD
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