As injuries continue to ravage fantasy baseball rosters across the industry, patience is being tested. Can you wait it out and try to win with players from your bench? Or is it time to trade away some of your top players to stay afloat? Either way, do not panic. The worst thing you could do is trade a Mike Trout or Miguel Cabrera for a package of players that does not benefit you.
Buying high and selling low are two things you want to avoid, even if you are in dire need. Be sure to check the waiver wire as well.
Each week, XN Sports will have a Buys and Sells column, describing a few players to go after, or to get rid of. We all know to buy low and sell high, but what players should we trade, or who should we go after?
This week’s edition of Buys and Sells:
Buy Low
Dayan Viciedo, Chicago White Sox
Viciedo is being dropped in a ton of leagues, so you could add him for a really low price if a league mate is willing to trade him. With all the injuries to outfielders of late, Viciedo’s value is even higher than normal. So far this season, the ChiSox outfielder is hitting .295 with three home runs and 14 runs batted in. He has also scored 20 runs in a stout lineup. There are only eight other outfielders that are hitting .295 with 20 runs scored, and all eight of them are owned in almost every single league. Viciedo’s value is high right now, but no one seems to realize it.
Chris Archer, Tampa Bay Rays
Archer has struggled so far this season, with just three quality starts (none in his last four times on the mound) and an ERA of 5.16. But, he is due for vast improvement. In his career, Archer has a 3.85 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP, which are both way lower than what he is producing at the moment. Why is he poised for progression? His BABIP (batting average on balls in play) is .345, which is the highest it has been since 2007 when he pitched in Single-A. That BABIP seems to indicate that Archer has been unlucky, but has he really? It seems so, as he has the highest ground ball to fly ball ratio in his career, and he has given up six infield hits already this year. Archer will be a lot better, so be sure to add him while his price is low.
Sell High
There is only one sell high candidate this week, but make sure to let it sink in.
Jordan Lyles, Colorado Rockies
Lyles has had an incredible season so far, but if you have him, be sure to field offers for him as soon as possible. So far in 2014, Lyles has an incredible 2.66 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP, which is good anywhere. But, he has three starts in Colorado, which is a dangerous place for a pitcher, and has still succeeded.
Why sell him? Lyles’ BABIP is a low .253 this season which is the lowest in his career by far. Now, that could mean he is just pitching a lot better, right? It is possible, but Lyles has given up a line drive in 24.3 percent of his opponents’ at-bats, which is the worst that is has been since coming to the Major Leagues. Put two and two together, Lyles has still been hit hard, but a lot of balls have been right at people. No one is that lucky for that long, so be sure to get what you can for Lyles before he turns back into his old self. One final stat on Lyles, Fangraphs has a statistic called tERA, which takes all batted balls into account. Lyles has a 5.35 tERA, which is a good estimate of how he has pitched without so-called “luck”.
