Trading Up: Javier Baez

Before the season, Chicago Cubs manager, Joe “Hates Your Fantasy Baseball Team” Maddon challenged Javier Baez to make himself so productive that Maddon would be forced to start Baez every day. Many fantasy owners are well aware of Maddon’s tendency to split playing time between several strong players, thereby decreasing their volume and consequently their […]

Trading Up - Mike Trout

It is universally understood among fantasy managers that Mike Trout is the best player in baseball. There was some speculation about Trout versus Mookie Betts earlier this year, and a few articles before the 2017 season about Betts or Jose Altuve as alternative number one picks. Many analysts offer the guidance that you never want […]

Trading Up - Edwin Diaz

If you've read this column before, you know my standard guidance is to sell rather than buy closers. Today we take a look at the number one closer I'd actively target in a trade. I’m working on another article right now titled: “If You Only Buy One.” The idea behind it is that if you […]

Trading Up - Nick Pivetta

When the Phillies called up Nick Pivetta last season, he had made five starts at AAA and put up a 1.41 ERA while averaging a 30% K-rate. Many fantasy owners salivated over the numbers when he arrived. He pitched well enough in his debut (2 Rs, 5 IP, 5 Ks) that many folks were patting […]

Trading Up - Paul Goldschmidt

Since 2013, Paul Goldschmidt has helped fantasy baseball owners win leagues in every format. This season I’ve been seeing posts for a month declaring Goldschmidt as “old-s**t.” It’s a steep fall. At the start of the season, Goldschmidt was a no-doubt first-round pick. Owners could take him number 3, and someone might grumble about Nolan […]

Trading Up - Miles Mikolas

The legend of the Lizard King begins in 2011 when a young Miles Mikolas, a self-described picky eater, accepted a teammate’s bet to eat a live lizard in exchange for paying Mikolas’ Arizona Fall League dues. Mikolas agreed, coated the lizard in Moutain Dew, tasted it quickly, and paced for a moment. Then he crammed […]

Trading Up - Andrelton Simmons

In this column, I'll dive into the profile of a player who could be considered a valuable trade asset and give recommendations of how to approach a potential deal in fantasy baseball leagues. After a strong first quarter of the season, Andrelton Simmons’ stock has skyrocketed as owners try to judge his value after articles […]

Max Kepler (OF, MIN) - Week 7 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 28% of leagues ANALYSIS: When Top Prospects Fail could be the name of a Discovery Channel show as compelling as Shark Week. If so, Minnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler could have been featured. Last year, analysts hyped Kepler as a major breakout candidate. Then he struggled […]

Shopping at the DL Store - Buying Low on Injured Players

Injured players often represent buy-low opportunities, and at this point in the season, there’s an injured All-Star at each position. If you can pry them away from the owner or add them outright, each one could offer a real boost later in the season. Madison Bumgarner and Corey Seager are notably absent from this list. […]