The trade deadline is approaching and now is the time to
make that major move you've been waiting for. This will be the last time owners
can fix up their teams via trade; therefore it's time to make the most of it.
There have been some big names that are slumping and some big names that have
been red hot, even though they aren't expected to continue that pace. This
article of MLB Buy ‘n Sell focuses on three players, whose value is red hot,
who should be sold and three players, whose value is slumping, who should be
traded for. There are some very talented players involved and hopefully fantasy
owners out there will be able to reap the rewards with any trades they make.
Sell:
Torii Hunter (CF - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) - Hunter has always been one of the better overall
outfielders in the league, but he has been having some bad slumps this year,
especially after the Angels shelled out all that money to get him. However, he
did have a very good week. The only problem is that it seems like he did all
his damage in one game which makes his weekly stats look better than they
really were. Fantasy owners in head-to-head leagues won't complain, but unless
he continues to start having games like the one great one he had, it may be best
to sell him while his value is hot. After all, he hasn't had quite the season
that owners expected. At least now owners could get something for him if they
wished to be rid of him.
6/14, 5 runs, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 0 SB, .429 AVG
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Aaron Cook (SP - Colorado Rockies) - It is my opinion that Cook is one of the most underrated
pitcher in the league. To me he seems like the NL version of Chien-Ming Wang,
although not quite as good. Cook is great at getting groundballs and he's been
very effective as of late. As of late he's pitched some excellent games in four
of his last five games. However, his value isn't as high as it should be
because he doesn't strikeout many players, but he's got a solid ERA, WHIP, and
of course the wins he's been piling up. Cook has pitched very well of late,
therefore it seems to me that he's due for a slight setback. I hate to see him
do bad because I enjoy watching Cook pitch, but it may be wiser to get
something for him before his value goes down in the near future.
2 wins, 0 losses, 15 IP, 6 K, 2.40 ERA, 0.73 WHIP
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Adam LaRoche (1B - Pittsburgh Pirates) - LaRoche is finally playing like the player that the
Pirates hoped for when they traded for him. He's always had a ton of power and
a ton of potential, but he never seemed to be able to put it together to be a
consistent player. He's got a ton of holes in his swing, but that isn't
stopping him, at least for now. He's been very solid, but it may be wise to
trade him now because the Pirates are getting rid of all of his protection in
the lineup and replacing them with inferior players. They recently traded
Xavier Nady to the Yankees, therefore that offers less protection so teams can
pitch around LaRoche in order to get to the easier outs. Not only that, but
LaRoche may have even less RBI opportunities now that the Pirates are sellers
on the market. There's a chance LaRoche can continue to do well, but to be safe
it's probably safer to trade LaRoche now and get something of value for him
before he goes back to his inconsistent ways.
10/25, 7 runs, 4 HR, 6 RBI, 0 SB, .400 AVG
Buy:
Ichiro Suzuki (CF/RF - Seattle Mariners) - Ichiro has been struggling as of late. Ichiro rarely
struggles. It isn't exactly all his fault though because the Mariners are just
so bad offensively. They have talented players too which is why it's so strange
that they've been this bad. Ichiro is just a few hits away from 3,000 in his
professional career; therefore some may say that it's the stress of reaching
that milestone that's making Ichiro slump. I highly doubt that because Ichiro
has shown that he thrives in pressure. It seems like he's just frustrated with
the team and isn't offered much protection which makes him have go swing at bad
stuff. I believe that Ichiro will do what he does best and go up to the plate
and then just let go of any thought except the one about getting on base. He's
been the best leadoff hitter of the decade and it's just a matter of time until
he breaks out and starts putting up good numbers again, even though his overall
numbers are down for the year due to a not-so-talented team. His value is the
lowest it will be all season so get him if you can find a frustrated owner.
3/26, 1 runs, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0 SB, .115 AVG
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Brian Roberts (2B - Baltimore Orioles) - Roberts may be small but he is fast as lightning. On top
of that he also plays solid defense. However, he isn't the same player he was,
but I don't think it's because of steroids. His power numbers are down and I
think that part can be attributed to steroids, but lately he's not even getting
hits. He's useless if he's not getting on base because of his speed. He's been
caught a few times, but lately he hasn't even attempted to steal a base. That
is worrisome to fantasy owners. He's got speed, but he's not using it. He can
hit, but he's not hitting. He can get on base, but he's not doing that either.
He's got too much talent to not breakout, even if he's done with steroids.
Roberts is one of the better second baseman and he's still elite in terms of
fantasy numbers. Now is the time to pick him up because if he breaks out then
there's no way owners will be willing to part with him. He's too valuable to
fantasy teams.
4/27, 1 run, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0 SB, .148 AVG
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Xavier Nady (LF/CF/RF - New York Yankees) - The X-Man is now in pinstripes and Yankee fans, and
fantasy owners, couldn't be any happier. Nady will now take over leftfield
while Johnny Damon is the DH, due to him still not throwing well because of a
hurt shoulder. Nady can play any outfield position and has been having a career
year. Many people expect his numbers to drop off, but now he's on a team loaded
with talent. The protection could help increase his value even more than it's
been. The reason I urge to buy is because analysts, fans, etc. were all
predicting Nady's numbers to fall after a great first half. Now that he's in a
new setting, with better protection, I believe his numbers will remain high and
that Nady will continue to be a fantasy stud. He should have plenty of chances
to drive in scores of runs with the types of players hitting ahead of him.
Johnny Damon, Derek Jeter, Bobby Abreu, Alex Rodriguez, Jason Giambi, and
Robinson Cano will all be ahead of him in the lineup. Welcome to fantasy
heaven, X-man, I hope you enjoy your stay.
9/24, 8 runs, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 0 SB, .375 AVG