Fantasy Baseball Stock Watch 2024: MLB Trade Deadline Winners & Losers
It’s been a very busy 2024 MLB trade deadline thus far which means we’re seeing players rise and fall in value every day. Time to check in with this week’s Fantasy Baseball Stock Watch to see which players interest us the most!
The MLB general managers got an early start to the trade activities, and we already saw significant movement that changed the landscape of the Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire. Outside of Randy Arozarena, there haven’t been any real marquee names moving to other teams. We are seeing a lot of tweaking going on, something fantasy baseball owners should probably take more to heart.
You don’t have to trade for the biggest names out there. That’s one of the biggest misconceptions you see at a fantasy trade deadline. No one is looking to add role players, just superstars. That’s not going to do it, because, more often than not, you are just robbing from Peter to pay Paul. If you are looking for specific category help, a minor deal to boost you is all you need. And if you can pull off a few of those minor yet specific deals, you’re improving your team way more than trading a star for a star.
So, with all of the MLB trade deadline action, we’ll use this week’s stock watch to give you the three biggest fantasy baseball winners and three biggest fantasy baseball losers from what we’ve gotten from this year’s deadline deals!
Time for a little ‘3 Up, 3 Down’.
Fantasy Baseball Stock Watch: 2024 MLB Trade Deadline Winners
Jazz Chisholm, New York Yankees
Allow me to put my Captain Obvious cape on and dance around for this one. We had Chisholm pegged as a Stock Watch Riser when the trade rumors began to swirl, and as I said back then, landing with the Yankees was the ideal move. We don’t need to hash out the power/speed stats. We know what he is capable of doing. The real question was how he fit.
The fit might just be better than we expected. I spoke with Jim Bowden who spends plenty of time talking with manager Aaron Boone. The key here, as I am told, is how Aaron Judge and Juan Soto are taking Chisholm under their wing and helping guide him into being a better player overall.
That includes attitude and performance off the field as much as on. And Chisholm is 100-percent buying in. Couple that with his “put me in wherever you need me, coach” attitude and we also have the potential to add third base eligibility, which is huge for the stretch run.
Isaac Paredes, Chicago Cubs
It’s all about park shift here. Paredes goes from one of the more pitcher-friendly parks in Tampa Bay to the hitter-friendly confines of Wrigley Field where the sun is shining bright, and the winds are routinely blowing out.
Paredes is a pull hitter and while the left field line at Wrigley is 355 feet compared to 315 feet at Tropicana Field, the walls from the left field line to center field are roughly 10-15 feet closer to home plate. We should see a more consistent boost in power. Not to mention what it’s going to feel like playing in front of 40,000-plus instead of the four fans who show up for Rays games.
Lane Thomas, Cleveland Guardians
This move is a positive one for Thomas as he goes from a young, inexperienced and struggling lineup in Washington to a more polished and productive lineup in Cleveland. Thomas is expected to bat second for the Guardians and should have plenty of traffic in front with Steven Kwan continuing to have a masterful season.
Behind Thomas will be Jose Ramirez and we all know what kind of lineup protection he will provide. I’m a big fan of CJ Abrams and James Wood, but they simply don’t intimidate pitching or provide the consistent production that Ramirez does.
Fantasy Baseball Stock Watch: 2024 MLB Trade Deadline Losers
Adam Duvall, Atlanta Braves
Say goodbye to full-time at bats. It’s over for Duvall. Maybe if you play in a league with daily roster moves and you want to platoon him with another bat, you can, but the acquisition of Jorge Soler pushes Duvall into a platoon role with lefthanded Eddie Rosario.
He had a nice little two-homer game against the Mets a few days ago, but the guy is still slashing .188/.251/.336 on the season, and that’s just plain atrocious.
Carlos Estevez, Philadelphia Phillies
If I can take a moment to get a little personal, this one hurts me more than the others. Why? Because I’ve been riding the Estevez Save Train for multiple seasons and now I’m going to have to fish through the waiver wire and see what else happens with relievers here during the late deadline hours.
In the meantime, Estevez may still see some save opportunities. But he goes from being the main man with 20 saves on a terrible team to just another cog in the Philadelphia bullpen machine.
With Jose Alvarado and Jeff Hoffman still in the mix, you know manager Rob Thompson is going to continue playing the matchups. I hope I’m wrong on this one, but you better be prepared if I am right.
Alec Marsh, Kansas City Royals
We’ve seen some really good outings from Marsh, and we’ve seen some bad ones, but we’ve been able to use Marsh as a streaming starter this season and now that is likely to come to an end.
The acquisition of Michael Lorenzen gives the Royals a veteran, experienced fifth starter and that should push Marsh into either a long-relief role or maybe even a demotion to the minors until they need someone as an injury replacement. It’s not a huge impact for fantasy, but enough of one to show some concern.
Player News
Daulton Varsho picked up three hits, three RBI and a homer in a win over the Angels on Thursday.
Varsho has only played in seven games this year, but they’ve been seven good ones. He’s homered three times already, and his slugging percentage is a remarkable — and entirely unsustainable — .727 over 22 at-bats. Varsho has been a mediocre offensive player in his two seasons with the Blue Jays, but it’s possible at the age of 28 he’s having a breakout campaign. Far from a guarantee, but possible.
Taylor Ward hit a two-run homer in a loss to the Blue Jays on Thursday.
Ward, 31, gave the Angels a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer off Chris Bassitt in the first inning. He’s now gone deep in two of his last three games, and it ‘improves’ his slash to .181/.224/.391. Ward has been one of the most hot/cold players players in the sport over the last few years, so fantasy managers who can afford to make some roster moves may want to look at Ward while the going is good.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. picked up three hits and scored twice in an 8-5 win over the Angels on Thursday.
Guerrero also drew a walk. It gives the first baseman multiple hits in back-to-back games, and it’s the third time in May that he’s reached that mark. That’s helped raise his average from .268 to .295, and the only thing fantasy managers can be disappointed with is his .432 slugging percentage. That number should continue to climb as the season unfolds, but Vladdy Jr. has had some inconsistent seasons when it comes to power production.
Chad Green picked up his first save of 2025 with a scoreless ninth against the Angels on Thursday.
Green got the save after Jeff Hoffman worked in back-to-back games — and struggled — in the first two contests against the Angels. He struck out two and looked the part while needing just nine pitches to get through the inning. Hoffman should remain the closer, but Green is on his tail if the struggles were to continue.
Chris Bassitt allowed five runs — four earned — while working six-plus innings against the Angels on Thursday while picking up a win.
Bassitt allowed three runs over the first two innings on a pair of homers, but settled down over his next four frames. He came out to work the seventh, but ended up being charged for two more runs after leaving the contest. The 36-year-old veteran has forged a 3.35 ERA and outstanding 49/8 K/BB ratio over the first quarter of the season, but this wasn’t him at his best. He’ll get the Rays next week if the rotation order stays the same for Toronto.
José Soriano allowed three runs over five innings while not factoring in the decision Thursday against the Blue Jays.
Soriano left with a 4-3 lead, but it was erased quickly after his departure. The 26-year-old was not exactly dominant in his outing with eight hits allowed and four free passes, but he did strike out six to help balance things out a smidgen. Soriano takes an even ERA of 4.00 into a scheduled start against the Padres in San Diego on Tuesday. There should be better options for that one.