Having been actively involved in the trade market for more than two decades, I can confidently say that the hardest thing for a fantasy baseball manager is to sell high on a player who is having a tremendous season.
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After all, the manager either drafted this player or added him via the waiver wire because they believed that the player could be successful. When they see their predictions coming to fruition, they feel validated and want to see the season through to the end. However, there are times when a player is outperforming even the optimistic predictions the manager had for him, and the right move is to trade the player away before he experiences regression.
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This week’s article is solely comprised of hitters who are off to terrific starts in 2025 but are likely to take a step back this summer. I’m not saying they are “must trade” players, but I believe their managers would be wise to see what they could fetch on the trade market. There could be league mates who are watching their season slip away and will be happy to swap slumping superstars such as Gunnar Henderson or Mookie Betts for packages that include a player who has been excellent thus far.
Sell-High Trade Candidates
Byron Buxton, OF, Minnesota Twins
Buxton has been undeniably excellent this year. Despite missing two weeks due to a concussion, the five-tool outfielder has been the 10th most productive fantasy outfielder by hitting .273 with 12 homers, 12 steals and 42 RBI in 55 games. Still, there are reasons to be concerned that Buxton will leave fantasy managers high and dry at some point in the season, as his 102 games last season were his highest total since he played 140 games in 2017. Managers may be wise to trade the career .247 hitter for someone who is more likely to remain healthy all summer.
Jeremy Pena, SS, Houston Astros
Many managers would be surprised to know that Pena has been the third-most valuable player to this point in the season at a loaded shortstop position. The 27-year-old deserves plenty of credit for utilizing his 97th percentile sprint speed, and he could post his first 30-steal season. But the rest of his production has been impacted by a .356 BABIP and 12.5% HR/FB rate that doesn’t line up with his 88.1 mph average exit velocity. There are plenty of shortstops who have thus far been less productive than Pena but should be better the rest of the way.
Jacob Wilson, SS, Athletics
This one is tough for me, because I love Wilson. In fact, in our preseason Bold Predictions article, I predicted that Wilson would lead the AL in batting average. But the rookie is playing over his head right now, and could fetch a sizable trade return in some leagues. The youngster is not going to sustain his lofty .360 average, as his .364 BABIP doesn’t line up with his mediocre marks in average exit velocity (86.2 mph) and line drive rate (21.3%). His eight homers are also a fortunate total for someone who doesn’t hit the ball especially hard and has a lowly 25.3% fly ball rate. Wilson is similar to Pena, in that, he has been a top-6 shortstop so far but will likely be outside the top-12 from this point forward.
Hunter Goodman, C/OF, Colorado Rockies
Goodman continues to stay ahead of the pack at his premium position; his .285 average and 14 homers made him the second-most valuable catcher thus far. And this may be the perfect time to sell high on the 25-year-old who is playing his best (1.211 OPS) in June. Goodman is a regression candidate because he has outperformed his expected stats in most key areas, but that isn’t the main reason I chose him for this article. The catcher position is unusually deep this year due to the emergence of several players, such as Goodman, pushing some of the usual stalwarts further down the list. I would be happy to trade Goodman for a good player at a different position and buy low on players who are outside the top-15 such as Adley Rutschman, Salvador Perez or Agustin Ramirez.
Jose Altuve, 2B/OF, Houston Astros
Altuve is a sell-high player in two ways. Not only is he having another productive season that includes a .270 average, 11 homers and six steals in 70 games, but he has been more effective in June than he was in April or May. The diminutive sparkplug often outperforms his expected stats, but it’s worth noting that his 85.0 mph average exit velocity is a career-worst mark, and his .388 xSLG and .299 xwOBA are his lowest marks outside of the shortened 2020 season. I wouldn’t force an Altuve trade, but I also wouldn’t walk away from a reasonable offer.
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