Fantasy Baseball Trade Targets - Buy/Sell for Week 9 (2024)

May 18, 2024

Fantasy baseball trade candidates to buy/sell for Week 9 (2024). Joey's fantasy baseball undervalued players to target in trades, and overvalued to trade away.

Welcome, RotoBallers, to another edition of buy low/sell high trade targets. In this article, we will look at five players whom fantasy managers should be looking to buy low or sell high heading into Week 9 (May 20 to May 26). As a reminder, when reading this trade target piece, every league is different.

Therefore, acquiring these players below or trading them away might be easier for some than it will be for others. Overall, though, the buy-low players are those who are struggling to put up consistent production, and the sell-high players are off to great starts.

However, expect those players who are struggling to pick things up and the players off to great starts to eventually regress. So, without further ado, here are five players fantasy managers should be looking to trade for and trade away heading into Week 9.

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Undervalued Fantasy Baseball Players to Trade for

OF/DH Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros 

Fantasy managers likely aren't too pleased with Houston Astros outfielder Yordan Alvarez in the early going. Despite picking things up as of late with a hit in six of eight games, Alvarez's production has been a bit disappointing so far in 2024. He is hitting .253 with eight home runs, six doubles, and 20 RBI across 44 games.

Alvarez isn't hitting poorly by any means, but he's not putting up the big numbers that fantasy managers were hoping for early on. At this point last year, the left-handed slugger had a .287 batting average with nine HRs, nine doubles, and 39 RBI. As a result, fantasy managers could be frustrated with him through the first seven weeks of the season. That's why you should see what it would take to acquire him in a trade.

Now, it won't be easy to trade for him, and you might have to give up multiple solid players to get him. However, it could be a league-winning move. Alvarez has totaled at least 31 HRs and 97 RBI in each of the past three seasons. It would be wise to trade for the Astros star right now because his value will never be lower.

SS Bo Bichette, Toronto Blue Jays 

There's no doubt Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette has struggled mightily to begin the season. He is hitting .227 with two HRs, six doubles, and 15 RBI in the first 39 games of the season. However, there should be some optimism that Bichette will eventually pick things up.

For starters, just look at Bichette's track record. He has never finished a season with a batting average less than .290 and led the American League twice in the hits department (2021 and 2022). The shortstop has also totaled at least 20 HRs in three straight years. Now, nothing the 26-year-old has done so far suggests that he will put up close to those numbers in 2024. Nevertheless, acquiring him is certainly worth the gamble because of his fantasy upside.

On top of that, Bichette is starting to heat up at the plate. He has a hit in six straight games, and he's batting an impressive .435 over the last six contests. It's a small sample size, but this could be the turning point for the Blue Jays star at the plate. That's why fantasy managers should look to acquire him immediately. 

C/1B Yainer Diaz, Houston Astros 

There's a reason why a second Astros player makes this list. I remain confident that Houston's offense will eventually figure things out, and that will surely help catcher Yainer Diaz's numbers over the year.  As a result, he is someone I am looking to acquire in most formats, especially at a thin catcher position. 

There have been some mixed results from Diaz through his first 42 games of the season, as he entered Thursday's game with a .271 average, three HRs, and 18 RBI. The young catcher is also in the midst of a slump at the plate, hitting .214 (9-for-42) over the last 11 games. That recent slump should help fantasy managers acquire the 25-year-old catcher at a significant discount. 

Don't forget, Diaz just hit 23 HRs, 22 doubles, and 60 RBI in 104 games last season. Now, with an everyday role, expect the catcher to finish with better numbers in 2024. That's why he is someone I am looking to trade for in most cases -- unless you roster Adley Rutschman, Will Smith, J.T. Realmuto, or William Contreras. His expected batting average (.268), average exit velocity (90.7 mph), hard-hit rate (48.9%), and strikeout rate (13.3%) all rank in the top half of the league, which should give fantasy managers confidence moving forward.

Overvalued Fantasy Baseball Players to Trade Away

SP Seth Lugo, Kansas City Royals 

All good things must come to an end, right? Kansas City Royals pitcher Seth Lugo has been one of the most surprising pitchers in fantasy this season and currently owns a 1.66 ERA across 59 2/3 innings pitched. But, as elite as Lugo has been on the mound to begin the season, there should be some regression coming for the veteran right-hander.

His expected batting average against (.238), average exit velocity (89 mph), strikeout rate (20.7%), and whiff rate (22%) all rank in the bottom half of the league. As a result, Lugo has been getting a little lucky on the mound to open the season. That's why fantasy managers should expect some regression as the season progresses.

It would also be a complete shock to see Lugo pitch at this level for the entire season. The right-hander has only pitched more than 102 innings once in his MLB career (2022) after spending the first half of his career in the bullpen. So, how consistent can the veteran be in the second half of the year at age 34? Fantasy managers should be looking to trade him away while his value is this high.

Seth Lugo had a career-high 12 strikeouts as he lowered his ERA to 1.66 today! pic.twitter.com/vPaUpJKifj

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 12, 2024

SS Willy Adames, Milwaukee Brewers

Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Willy Adames is another player fantasy managers should be looking to trade away. Adames is always valuable for home runs and RBI, which has been on display since being traded to the Brewers in 2021. He has totaled at least 24 HRs and 80 RBI in back-to-back full seasons in Milwaukee.

Those power numbers have also continued for Adames in 2024. The shortstop has seven HRs and 29 RBI through the first 43 games of the year. However, fantasy managers could expect some regression from the slugger over the next few weeks. He has hit under .240 at the plate in consecutive seasons while striking out a combined 331 times in 2022 and 2023.

The average (.251) and strikeouts (39) haven't been a huge problem for Adames in the early going, but things are certainly trending down for him at the plate recently. He is hitting .193 (17-for-88) with 23 strikeouts over the last 23 games. See what you can get for the Brewers shortstop as his numbers continue to decline.

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