Fantasy Baseball Frauds? Buy/Sell On Standout Performers Including Trevor Story, Tyler Mahle, Carson Kelly, Andrew Abbott, more

April 23, 2025

Joey's fantasy baseball buys and sells for MLB players currently on hot streaks. He looks at potential fantasy baseball frauds for Week 4 of the 2025 season.

Welcome, RotoBallers, to our weekly fantasy baseball frauds and buys/sells article. Every Monday, we'll analyze which players are currently on the hottest streak. It could be a hitter who is coming off a very strong week at the plate, or a pitcher who has strung together some nice outings in a row. We'll then determine if fantasy managers should be buying or selling those players. 

In most cases, the players featured on this list will be rostered in less than 55 percent of Yahoo! leagues. However, there are some instances where players over that percentage will be listed below. In this week's edition, there is one player rostered in over 65 percent of Yahoo! leagues. Given his recent play, that player is someone we should be talking about heading into Week 4.

So, should fantasy managers be buying or selling these players coming off a strong week? Let's dive in and find out. 

Trevor Story, SS, Boston Red Sox

Rostered 67% of Yahoo! leagues 

It's hard to ignore what Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story is doing offensively to begin the year. He is hitting .318 with five home runs, two doubles, 14 RBI, and six stolen bases across his first 22 games. The two-time All-Star is also coming off a strong week at the plate in which he had a two-home run, six-RBI game on Friday against the Chicago White Sox.

Story wasn't featured on last week's edition, but he was listed as a buy in the bottom section of this weekly article. After another solid week offensively, the veteran shortstop will remain a buy in most formats heading into Week 4.

He's a 10! pic.twitter.com/o5IRwFa46E

— Red Sox (@RedSox) April 19, 2025

The biggest problem for Story over the past few years has been his inability to stay healthy. He hasn't played more than 100 games in a season since 2021. If he manages to stay healthy this season, then the 32-year-old could turn out to be a very consistent fantasy option for managers. His hard-hit rate (54.4 percent), barrel rate (14 percent), and expected batting average (.289) all rank extremely well through the first few weeks.

Therefore, he's worth buying in most leagues right now. He has looked great at the plate so far, and his metrics should give fantasy managers some confidence in rostering him moving forward. Given that he has played in 22 of 23 Red Sox games to begin the year, he has a ton of fantasy potential in his 10th major league season.

Tyler Mahle, SP, Texas Rangers

Rostered 59% of Yahoo! leagues 

Texas Rangers pitcher Tyler Mahle wasn't on many fantasy radars during drafts this past spring. He had only made eight starts during the 2023 and 2024 seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery in May of 2023. However, the right-hander has looked fantastic this year with the Rangers.

Mahle has given up just one run across his last 25 innings pitched to go with 22 strikeouts. He threw seven innings of one-run ball against the Chicago Cubs on April 9 and followed that up by delivering six shutout innings with nine strikeouts against the Angels on April 15. Then, he tossed seven shutout innings with two hits in Sunday’s outing against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Now, no one really knows if Mahle will keep this up for the remainder of the season. But don't forget, the right-hander finished with a 3.75 ERA and 210 strikeouts during the 2021 season with the Reds. Therefore, there is potential for him to have a similar year in 2025. His fastball has been unhittable in the first month of the season, and his whiff rate (31 percent) ranks extremely well early on.

So, fantasy managers should definitely take a chance on him and buy him. He has shown he can be a solid fantasy option in the past, and the California native has some favorable matchups over the next month. Assuming nothing changes, Mahle will face the A's (at home), Rockies (at home), and White Sox in three of his next six outings.

Dylan Moore, 1B/2B/SS/3B/OF, Seattle Mariners

Rostered 50% of Yahoo! leagues 

Seattle Mariners utility specialist Dylan Moore was one of the most-added players in fantasy last week. After going 7-for-14 with two home runs, four RBI, two stolen bases, and five runs scored against the Cincinnati Reds during that three-game series, he became a hot commodity on the waiver wire. However, fantasy managers should be selling Moore every chance they get in the coming days.

Dylan Moore gets hold of his second homer of the game!

He has driven in all 4 @Mariners runs 👀 pic.twitter.com/8iPdUXfzQj

— MLB (@MLB) April 16, 2025

Although he has been seeing the ball well to begin the 2025 campaign, he has had a career .206 AVG across his first six major league seasons. So, it's fair to assume that Moore will not keep up this hot streak for most of the season. His current .316 batting average will eventually come way down.

He has a 40 percent hard-hit rate, a 21.2 percent squared-up rate, and a 23.7 percent whiff rate. While his 27.5 ft/sec sprint speed will help him steal over 20 bases in 2025, he is still a sell in most fantasy leagues. Outside of stolen bases, it's going to be hard to rely on him in many other categories throughout the year, including batting average, home runs, RBI, and runs scored.

Carson Kelly, C, Chicago Cubs

Rostered 41% of Yahoo! leagues 

Chicago Cubs catcher Carson Kelly has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball to begin the season. He is batting an absurd .371 with six home runs, one double, and 13 RBI across his first 12 games. In Friday's contest against the Diamondbacks, Kelly continued his strong season by launching two home runs and driving in five runs in an epic win for the Cubs.

It is truly amazing what Kelly has accomplished so far this year, but the biggest downside for him is his limited playing time. The veteran catcher has only appeared in 12 of the Cubs' 24 games this season. Although he missed two games to start last week due to a hand injury, he continues to split playing time evenly with Miguel Amaya.

Nevertheless, fantasy managers should ride the hot streak and pick him up in almost all leagues. His expected slugging (.758), barrel rate (21.4 percent), and hard-hit rate (60.7 percent) all rank extremely well, and he has been the best-hitting catcher in the league so far this year.

Seeing him play only three to four times a week definitely hurts his fantasy value moving forward, but we shouldn't ignore his hot start. That makes him a buy in most formats, especially in daily leagues.

Pavin Smith, 1B/OF, Arizona Diamondbacks

Rostered 25% of Yahoo! leagues 

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Pavin Smith has seen his rostership climb over the past week, thanks to his strong offensive showing in the early going. Smith is currently hitting .382 with three home runs, eight doubles, and seven RBI in his first 21 games. He is also carrying an impressive 15.5 percent walk rate to open the season.

As a result, it's hard not to be in on Smith heading into Week 4. He has been hitting the ball hard through the first month, and his barrel rate (22.6 percent), xwOBA (.408), and launch angle sweet-spot rate (51.6 percent) all rank in the 90th percentile or better. So, no one will fault you for picking him up amid this hot streak.

However, he isn't someone fantasy managers should be looking to buy right now. Although he is off to a great start, it's highly unlikely that we will see a breakout campaign from him in his sixth major league season. Strikeouts remain a problem for him, and his 33.3 percent whiff rate could contribute to some rough slumps throughout the year.

If Smith is available in your league, though, you shouldn't completely pivot away from adding him in 12-plus team leagues. He could definitely help your fantasy team right now. He finished with a 14.7 percent barrel rate last season and showed some encouraging things in those 158 plate appearances. Just keep in mind, though, that he might not be a long-term answer.

Andrew Abbott, SP, Cincinnati Reds

Rostered 26% of Yahoo! leagues 

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Andrew Abbott started the season on the injured list due to a shoulder injury, but he has wasted no time making an impact in 2025. He threw five innings of one-run ball against the Pittsburgh Pirates in his season debut and then allowed just one run across six innings with 11 strikeouts in his most recent outing against the Baltimore Orioles.

Andrew Abbott's 9th and 10th Ks pic.twitter.com/1v4X3LIMMR

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 19, 2025

Given those two performances on the mound, Abbott should be considered a buy in most fantasy leagues right now. He has looked solid in his first two starts, and the left-hander is coming off a solid campaign in 2024. The 25-year-old had a 3.72 ERA, 1.297 WHIP, and 114 strikeouts across 25 starts last season.

There's no doubt that the strikeouts were low for Abbott last year after he finished with a mere 19.5 percent strikeout rate. However, we should expect him to finish with a higher strikeout rate in 2025. He is leaning on his changeup this season, and that is looking like an effective No. 2 pitch for him. Opposing batters have yet to get a hit against that changeup in his first two starts.

With a start against the Marlins upcoming in Week 4, Abbott should be added in most cases. He should be able to dominate a Marlins offense that has struggled through the first month of the season.

Other Standout Performers

• Gabriel Arias (sell)
• Austin Hays (sell)
• Cam Smith (buy)
• Casey Mize (buy)

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