Buy Low Sell High

Josh Donaldson, Third baseman (Blue Jays): Simply put, Donaldson is a mess right now (.227 average, five homers, 16 RBIs across 128 at-bats). The combination of his ineffectiveness and nagging shoulder injury have pushed his trade value to its lowest point since he broke out with the A’s in 2013. However, wise owners will remember that the slugger was struggling at a similar level at this time last year while dealing with a calf injury before going bananas (22 homers, 47 RBIs across 191 at-bats) during the final two months of the season. Owners who can get Donaldson at a significant discount will need to consider the potential for a sky-high reward down the road.

Brian Dozier, Second baseman (Twins): Dozier has been an across-the-board disappointment this season, posting one of the lowest batting marks (.238) of his seven-year career and falling off the paces of his previous three seasons in homers and swipes. Still, his control of the strike zone (0.50 BB:K ratio) is nearly identical to recent campaigns, and he has maintained his trademark style of a pull-heavy, fly-ball hitter. Owners who are looking for a discounted second baseman should consider the possibility that Dozier is simply a slow starter who heats up with the weather. After all, his second-half OPS in each of the past two seasons was roughly 200 points higher than his marks prior to the All-Star break.

Jay Bruce, Outfielder (Mets): Bruce has fallen on hard times this season, posting the second-lowest batting average (.226) and worst OPS (.649) of his 11-year career. While it’s certainly possible that the 31-year-old has lost his power stroke, he is not at an age when sluggers typically fall off a cliff. Bruce can likely be acquired right now at an extremely minimal cost, which is a rare occurrence for a player who is barely outside his expected prime and has averaged 30 homers and 94 RBIs across the previous seven seasons. Owners who have room to give him a brief reprieve on the bench can pick Bruce up with the expectation of receiving some powerful stretches during the summer.

Jose Peraza, Shortstop (Reds): Although Peraza continues to largely be a one-category asset, he is quietly trending in the right direction. The speedster is on pace for a career high of 25 steals, and his frequent lineup spot in front of superstar Joey Votto has put him on pace for 84 runs scored. His .243 average is a disappointing mark, but his batted-ball luck hasn’t been good (.267 BABIP) and he has been knocking on the door of a .300 average as recently as May 4. Overall, owners who are desperate for cheap speed should be willing to pick Peraza up before he starts collecting base knocks again.

Didi Gregorius, Shortstop (Yankees): Perhaps no player has endured more of a roller-coaster ride than Gregorius this season. The 28-year-old was a fantasy superstar during April (.330 average, 10 homers, 30 RBIs) before completely bottoming out (.123 average, one homer, four RBIs) this month. There are surely some Gregorius owners out there who are regretting their decision to believe that he could maintain some semblance of his hot start. However, his plate discipline has not been terrible during May (3:9 BB:K ratio across 76 plate appearances), and his ugly May batting average is mostly due to horrid batted-ball luck (.127 BABIP). Hitting among star sluggers Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Gary Sanchez, Gregorius has the potential to post game-changing numbers once he emerges from his slump.

Sell High

Buster Posey, Catcher (Giants): Although he has homered just twice this year, Posey has retained his lofty standing among fantasy catchers. The 31-year-old sits second among qualified backstops with a .297 average, ranks third at his position in runs scored (20) and is one of just three catchers with multiple steals this year. Nevertheless, the power concerns linger for a player who plays at arguably the most pitcher-friendly park in baseball and has produced a total of 28 long balls since the outset of 2016. Further, Posey may be showing signs of wearing down from his heavy defensive responsibilities, as in each of the previous two seasons his second-half OPS was roughly 100 points lower than his mark prior to the All-Star break. This could be a good time for Posey owners to trade him to a catcher-needy club.

Jean Segura, Shortstop (Mariners): Segura has surprisingly joined Manny Machado as the two most valuable fantasy shortstops to this point in the season. While the speedster can be counted on for a .300 average, 90-100 runs and roughly 30 swipes, he has upped his fantasy stature by driving in 33 runs across 209 at-bats. Wise owners will see the lofty RBI total (which ranks 13th in the American League) as a fluke, as Segura came into this season with a career-high of 64 RBIs and has made no power gains (three homers, .445 SLG) this year. Some monthly RBI totals in the single-digits are likely on the horizon for the 28-year-old, at which time he will return to being a good, but not great, shortstop asset.

Brandon Belt, First baseman (Giants): Belt has been one of the best stories so far this season, bouncing back from multiple concussions to bat .316 with 11 homers and 29 RBIs across 171 at-bats. The slugger has fueled his power surge by producing elite rates of hard contact (46.3 percent) and fly balls (50.4 percent), but his batting mark has been inflated by a .384 BABIP. Additionally, owners can worry that even with a plus ability to produce hard contact, Belt may struggle to maintain his homer pace while calling home to offense-suppressing AT&T Park. Fears of regression can be combined with long-term injury concerns to make Belt a sell-high candidate for owners with another first base option.

Matt Kemp, Outfielder (Dodgers): For Kemp owners who cannot find a willing trade partner, holding onto him and riding out his early season hot streak is certainly a worthy option. But in many leagues, there will likely be an owner who sees Kemp’s strong start (.338 average, .907 OPS) and former glory, and assumes that this is a star player in some form of rebirth. With just six homers across 151 at-bats this year, the 33-year-old will likely return to being a marginal fantasy asset once inevitable regression (.402 BABIP) pulls his lofty batting average down to his lifetime .286 mark. Additionally, Kemp will likely soon stop batting an eye-popping .486 with runners in scoring position.

Mallex Smith, Outfielder (Rays): Smith appears in this space for a second time this season, as his owners still have time to sell high on his services. The 25-year-old has logged a lofty .296 average this year, but his improvement cannot be traced to improved skills. In fact, his rate of strikeouts, walks, hard contact, line drives and other performance indicators are virtually unchanged from last season. Overall, Smith has benefited from a .378 BABIP, which has pumped his batting average and has given him more opportunities to compile swipes. Once his luck returns to normal, the speedster will return to being a one-category asset.