Fantasy Baseball: Guys to Buy Low On

• Julio Rodriguez

  Julio was widely taken as a top 3 selection in fantasy drafts, but has completely underperformed up to this point. Rodriguez did something similar last year after a slow start and really excelled towards the end of the year. Expecting that again, Julio could certainly be the most valuable fantasy piece in the trade market over the course of the summer if you’re able to get him for a good price. Julio offers power and speed upside hitting all five categories and if you’re able to get him before he goes on his hot streak, you can reap all of Julio’s benefits without paying his hefty first round price tag.

• Manny Machado

  Machado has had very little power during the early portion of the season, but for a guy who is looking for his third consecutive 30 plus home run season, you have to expect that he will get close to that number by the time October rolls around. Machado is only 31 so the risk of an age decline is very minimal and if you believe that players play to the back of their baseball cards, trading for Machado could be what helps win you a league if you are in need of power and RBIs. The asking price for Machado with his recent lack of power is likely a lot less compared to what it would usually cost to get a player the caliber of Manny Machado.

• Corbin Carroll

  Carroll was a consensus top five pick heading into fantasy baseball season but has been an extreme disappointment up to this point in the year. Carroll to date, is hitting .211 with 2 homers, 23 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases, numbers that you would not expect even if he did have a little sophomore slump. Carroll has shown signs of potentially turning back into the level of player that won him the NL rookie of the year award last year but has struggled to put it together for a long period of time. Carroll is a player that if he figured it out, and a team in contention traded for him at a much lesser asking price then the top five pick it would have cost to get him 3 months ago, he could give whoever acquires him a strong chance at winning their league come September.

• Pablo Lopez

  Lopez was drafted as a top 10-20 pitcher in drafts this past spring and has been abysmal through the first 2 months. Lopez has pitched to a 5.63 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP through 80 innings so far but taking a risk on him to turn it around may be worth it. Trading for Lopez may cost you a mid-level hitter but if you can get him for a player like Nico Hoerner, or Jurickson Profar it may be worth it. Guys get off to slow starts, but if you’re smart about your moves you can take advantage of players’ slowly starts and turn them into great value for your team.

• Randy Arozarena

  Arozarena has been brutal through the first half of the season but has been an extremely consistent fantasy player over recent years. Arozarena has hit to a .191 average with 10 home runs and 26 RBIs through almost the midway point of the season with only 10 steals. Arozarena was likely taken in the fourth round of fantasy drafts this past spring and has certainly not returned that value up until this point. If you are looking for steals and average for the rest of the year, Arozarena may be able to return to form considering he’s a career .255 hitter and figures to end the year close to that number. That means that he will be returning great value in average the rest of the way. He’s already starting to turn his season around as he is hitting .275 in the month of June and has dropped his strikeout rate to 13 percent after it was 28 percent or more through the first 2 months of the year. If you take the chance and buy low in Arozarena it may just pay off over the final 3 months of the year.

• George Springer

  Springer is on the list because he will probably be the cheapest player to get out of the 5 players listed. Springer, if healthy, is usually a fantasy stalwart but has been borderline droppable through the first 2 and a half months of the season. Springer has accumulated 5 homers, 15 RBIs, and a .194 average through the early portion of the year but could be in for a monster second half, giving the buy low buyer the potential for really great value. Age for Springer, unlike Machado, plays a much bigger role in his potential decline but trading for Springer would cost much less than it would if you traded for Machado.