With the MLB All-Star break looming, it’s time to check in with the Fantasy Baseball Stock Watch and see which risers and fallers we need to pay attention to as the first half of the season comes to a close.

MLB Week 16 comes to a close on Sunday and the games don’t start back up again until Friday. That should give you plenty of time to start wheeling and dealing. Your fantasy baseball waiver wire is likely picked clean, so it’s time to work on your negotiating skills.

 

 

 

Fantasy baseball trades can be fairly easy to pull off if you just look at your opponent’s roster and, not only try to get a player he can afford to give, but also give a needed player in return. Check those categories and see where they need to move up before blindly making an offer. 

Perhaps a run through some players to target will help? Time for some ‘3 Up, 3 Down’.

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Stock Watch: Risers

Jazz Chisholm, OF Miami Marlins

Dear Lord, please let the trade rumors be true! While that article on MLBTradeRumors.com doesn’t mention the New York Yankees, they are very much in the mix as they could potentially move Gleyber Torres off second where Chisholm used to play and replace DJ LeMahieu at third. They could also consider him for left field or DH.

Or maybe I’m just a delusional Yankees fan hoping to acquire a player I have always enjoyed watching. Still, a move to the Pirates, Royals or Mariners, the teams mentioned in the article, would be a positive one for Chisholm. He needs to get out of Miami and onto a team with a winning culture. 

Yes, I am aware that I just said the Pirates have a winning culture, but hey… they’re still in this! Acquiring Chisholm before he finds a landing spot is wise as the price will rise should the landing spot be super-tasty like the Bronx.

Brooks Lee, SS/3B Minnesota Twins

Don’t you roll your eyes at me for mentioning Lee. I know I’ve discussed him before. His teammate Juan Miranda too, but I’m trying to limit it to just three fantasy baseball risers here. Both are fantastic, but Miranda has the power, so mainstream folks are already in on him. Maybe not the case for Brooks as some people might be concerned that he goes back to the minors once Royce Lewis returns.

For me, there is little concern for when Lewis returns. Lee is a high-quality prospect and he’s hitting big-league pitching very well right now. In fact, Lee has hit safely in each of his first six games, batting .458 (11-for-24) with four multi-hit performances, one home run, eight RBI and four runs scored. 

While he’s not batting that well the whole rest of the way, he’s both smart and strong enough to make the necessary adjustments when pitchers start throwing him different pitches. And best of all, they had him playing second down at Triple-A so when Lewis does come back, Lee is an easy shift across the diamond and Willi Castro can go to the outfield or bench.

Brenton Doyle, OF Colorado Rockies

Oddly, the world has been pretty quiet about Doyle this season. He’s moved up and down in the order, had some nice hot streaks and some obvious cold spells too, but I’ll happily take a Rockies outfielder who is slashing .273/.339/.441 with 11 home runs, 26 RBI, 50 runs scored and 20 stolen bases. The strikeouts are tough to take in a points league, but the speed is what everyone should covet.

As the calendar flipped to July, Doyle has gone on a really nice run for fantasy owners. He’s hit safely in six of his last seven games with four multi-hit performances, four home runs, nine RBI and a stolen base. He’s finishing the first half with a series in hitter-friendly Cincinnati and then it’s off to face some mediocre Mets pitching. When they come back from the break, he’s got six straight games at Coors Field. That will work, won’t it?

 

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Stock Watch: Fallers

Noelvi Marte, 3B Cincinnati Reds

We’re gonna start calling him “Oh-No Noelvi” soon, amirite? Granted, coming back from a PEDs suspension is tough as he’s probably all wrapped up in his head trying to prove that the steroids weren’t the sole reason for his prior success. Still, this has been a struggle for those of us who invested or stashed him away as Marte is batting just .136 with one home run, five RBI and two stolen bases over 45 plate appearances. 

But while some might want to give up on him and call him a juice head, I think this is a great buy -low opportunity. What’s killing Marte right now is the strikeout rate. Right now, he’s whiffing at a 35.6-percent clip, and he’s got two strikeouts in each of his last six straight games. 

His swing rates are terrible right now and he’s hacking away at everything even remotely near the plate. But Marte has always shown better plate discipline and a solid batter’s eye, so I’m willing to explore a trade for him as you’re not going to have to give up much at all. Value trading, baby!

Dansby Swanson, SS Chicago Cubs

What in the world is going on here? Right now, Swanson is batting .204 on the season with eight home runs, 27 RBI and five stolen bases. He’s striking out almost 28-percent of the time and that .136 ISO is pretty feeble. He wasn’t hitting well to close out June and so far in July, he’s got one hit over his last 24 at-bats. 

 

 

In trying to find any remote sign of Swanson actually improving this year, I did notice that he’s swinging outside the zone a lot more often, so maybe he adjusts and fixes that in the second half. But overall, there wasn’t anything glaring to explain his lousy performance, which kind of tells me you should definitely be looking for an upgrade. With so many great shortstops in the game, it’s tough to stick with a guy like Swanson right now. Time to move on.

Jared Jones, SP Pittsburgh Pirates

I never like to put someone in this section when he’s down with an injury, but Jones was having command issues before it happened and there were a couple of outings that left little to be desired. But I’m a believer in this kid’s talent. We saw him dazzle early on and we know, once healthy, the strikeouts will be there. But there is another risk, which is why he’s on this list.

The lat injury can be a problematic one, especially for a guy who’s been struggling with his command. But my issue is that he’s likely going to miss all of July and while that’s only two and a half weeks removed from the All-Star break, that’s still enough time for the Pirates to fizzle out and put Ben Cherington in a position where he needs to decide if rushing Jone back is the right move for the club’s future. 

The August 1 return date is not set in stone, so if Jones is still recovering, he could be out longer and may never even return to the big club. Not a huge risk, but enough of one where I may not want to trade for him and if I’m in a dynasty league and can win this year, maybe someone makes a tasty offer.