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You have to ask.
My wife is more attractive than me. The truth is, she’s not even close. And it’s not about me being modest about my appearance. If you showed 100 strangers a photo of me and my wife, all 100 would say she should get back on the dating scene. I’m not selling myself short, as I bring a few things to the table, like a good sense of humor and a strong work ethic. But none of those traits were evident when I initially asked my future wife to spend some time with me.
So how did I manage to get that pivotal first date with my wife? Well, I asked. Which brings me to my point today about the fantasy trading market. You’ll never get anywhere if you don’t ask. You need to make offers. And don’t beat around the bush when you do them. I didn’t ask my wife to eventually consider dating me. I invited her to dinner on Friday. Simple as that.
Go out this week and make some deals. Some of them will be rejected. But you won’t get anywhere without trying. Ignore the part of your brain that says, “don’t bother sending the offer, they’ll just say no” and get out there. And when it comes time to strike a deal, here are some players who should be front and center in trade negotiations.
Who to buy cheap from
Francisco Lindor (SS, New York Mets)
Players averaging less than .200 often draw the ire of their managers, as is the case with Lindor right now. But a look under the hood reveals plenty of reasons for optimism, as the veteran has one of the largest gaps of any player between his batting average (.198) and xBA (.263). Lindor’s xSLG shows the same reasons for enthusiasm, as it is 99 points above his actual mark. With seven home runs and six steals, Lindor isn’t far off from the 30-30 player we saw last season, and there’s a good chance he’ll soon put up counting stats at a much higher rate.
Pablo López (SP, Minnesota Twins)
Buying cheap on a struggling starter is easy right now. There are many starters who are exceeding expectations, providing many trade options for those who want to improve their pitching staff. Incumbents like López, who did not meet expectations, have become unattractive trade candidates. The right-hander has an inflated 4.72 ERA, but the rest of his stats are encouraging, especially his 63:9 K:BB ratio. Acquiring Lopez for less than usual for a fantasy ace is a smart move.
Who to sell cheap to
Cedric Mullins (OF, Baltimore Orioles)
There are good reasons to be concerned about Mullins’ ability to remain in the lineup. The speedy outfielder is hitting just .190, and his .200 xBA shows that he hasn’t deserved a significantly higher mark. His strikeout and walk rates are notably worse than his career marks, and his batted ball profile is concerning, given that Mullins hit a lot of fly balls without a high average exit velocity. But the biggest reason to worry about Mullins is the Orioles’ overstretched farm system. If the 29-year-old fails to turn his season around, he could be replaced by a younger player mid-season.
Who to sell high to
Elly De La Cruz (SS/3B, Cincinnati Reds)
I don’t see Elly as a massive regression candidate. However, I see a couple of reasons to try to get a huge ransom for him right now. First, the sophomore has been much worse in May (.645 OPS) than he was in April (.982 OPS), which mostly goes unnoticed due to his huge steal contributions. And speaking of those 30 steals, De La Cruz’s coaches in broken leagues may already be ahead of the rest in that category thanks to his incredible impact. For those managers, trading De La Cruz for a superstar with a more balanced profile may make sense.
Who to buy high from
Teoscar Hernández (OF, Los Angeles Dodgers)
In short, everything that is happening with Hernández makes a lot of sense. The 31-year-old regularly hits directly behind superstars in baseball’s highest-scoring lineup, putting him in perfect position to use his significant power skills against beleaguered pitchers. All of his stats expected from Statcast look like his real-life marks, and he should continue to be an R+RBI machine thanks to all the opportunities he’s given. Add in the fact that he should quietly contribute 10+ steals, and Hernandez becomes a top-five contributor who won’t be treated like a superstar on the trade market.