This week’s article is bittersweet as it will be the final edition of the Trade Tips series for 2024. It’s been a pleasure guiding readers through the ups and downs of Yahoo! Trade Market, which ends with the trading deadline on Thursday, August 8th.
Attacking specific categories during the final stretch of the season is usually the best plan in both the rotten and head-to-head leagues. For this reason, this week’s player list will offer ideas for making significant gains in each of the standard categories. The players listed today are not balanced contributors, meaning they will have substantial value to some teams but less significance to others.
Batting Average
Luis Arráez (1B/2B, San Diego Padres)
There are two types of fantasy teams: those that need help with batting average and those that don’t like Arráez. The .322 lifetime hitter will always be among the batting average leaders, but he offers miniscule totals in home runs (3), steals (4) and RBI (29). Arráez’s unique skills should see him traded more often than any other player this week.
Home runs
Cal Raleigh (C, Seattle Mariners)
Landing an impact player at the receiver position can give a fantasy team a huge boost, and Raleigh will be the option for those in need of a boost. The slugger leads all catchers with 23 homers; there are only two other backstops who are within five long balls of his total.
RBI
Vinnie Pasquantino (1B, Kansas City Royals)
Among RBI leaders, no one is closer than Pasquantino to being a category contributor. The 26-year-old ranks seventh in baseball with 80 RBI, but his homer total (16), total runs (51) and batting average (.265) are mediocre marks. Additionally, Pasquantino has no speed component to his game.
Alec Bohm is another option, as he has 78 RBI but only 12 home runs and 50 runs.
Run
Corbin Carroll (OF, Arizona Diamondbacks)
Most Carroll managers will have reasonable expectations of a trade return, as he is among the most disappointing assets in fantasy baseball this season. But even in a bad year, the sprinter managed to record many races. He has the chance to score 100 times this season.
Steals
Brice Turang (2B/SS, Milwaukee Brewers)
Managers can buy Turang on the dip right now. The speedster has been one of the worst hitters in baseball since the beginning of July, batting .173 with a .420 OPS. He managed just four steals during the slump, but Turang still did enough this year to rank second in baseball with 32 hits. The infielder faced a .215 BABIP during his slump, and a reversal of fortune could get him back on track quickly.
Victories
Seth Lugo (SP, Kansas City Royals)
Predicting pitcher wins is dangerous territory, but Lugo checks the key boxes. To win games, a pitcher must go deep into his starts, and Lugo leads the majors with 150.1 innings pitched. He’s also been effective (2.57 ERA, 1.02 WHIP) and pitches for a team with postseason aspirations. Finally, although Lugo is having an excellent season, he lacks the name value that drives the commercial returns of some aces.
Eliminations
Freddy Peralta (SP, Milwaukee Brewers)
Peralta ranks seventh in baseball with 149 strikeouts, which isn’t surprising when you look at his lifetime rate of 11.5 K/9. Among the top 12 pitchers in whiffs, the right-hander has one of the worst grades in ERA (3.89) and WHIP (1.19), which means his manager may be willing to at least entertain the idea of trading him for a reasonable price. turn back.
IT WAS
Tyler Glasnow (SP, Los Angeles Dodgers)
Among top starters, Glasnow has one of the biggest gaps between his ERA (3.54) and xERA (2.55). The right-hander ranks fourth in baseball in WHIP and second in strikeouts, and he could be as valuable as any starter down the stretch, bringing his ERA closer to the expected mark. And of course, giving up fewer runs should lead to more wins for someone pitching on one of the best teams in baseball.
WHIP
George Kirby (SP, Seattle Mariners)
Kirby strikes out so few hitters that he is the safest source of WHIP in baseball. The right-hander has drawn just 15 walks this season, and for his career, he has a miniscule 3% walk rate. Kirby is a virtual lock to be a WHIP asset in the future, and he should also provide a serviceable ERA and serviceable strikeout total.
To save money
Emmanuel Clase (RP, Cleveland Guardians)
Some coaches may not realize how incredibly valuable Clase has been this season. The closer ranks second in baseball with 33 saves, but that category is just the tip of the iceberg as he’s also posted incredible ratios (0.69 ERA, 0.65 WHIP). Clase’s performance has been so good that he is the second most valuable pitcher so far in the campaign. Those in need of saves should feel comfortable trading an ace starter or elite hitter to secure Clase’s services.
