Fantasy Baseball Trade Analyzer: If these 8 players have stopped helping your team, send them packing

I rarely talk about my own fantasy trading prowess in these articles, but I earned the nickname “Trader Fred” by making plenty of deals. And my most recent trade in the Mixed LABR league is one that could provide some valuable lessons for some managers.

The Mixed LABR league, which is made up of fantasy industry experts and has been run by Steve Gardner of USA Today since long before most of us had even heard of fantasy baseball, is a 15-team roto league. To this point in the 2023 season, my team is sitting with a narrow overall lead on several other squads. Superior speed has been my club’s best attribute so far, having built a wide lead over the competition in stolen bases. My team also has a serious lack of power but is competitive in categories other than home runs.

When looking at my roster Sunday night, it was instantly clear that Starling Marte needed to be dealt. Marte is having a solid season. He ranks sixth in baseball in steals while posting a respectable .257 average. He sits 136th on the Yahoo Player Rater. But his steals are mostly worthless to me at this point, and he is yet another player in my starting lineup with a low homer total. Replacing Marte with a slugger from the waiver wire might be beneficial.

My trade quest started by looking at the rosters of the most active managers in our league. Yahoo colleague Scott Pianowski fit the bill of someone who quickly replies to trade offers and had a roster that could benefit from the addition of Marte. However, Scott didn’t have the excess power I was looking for. Instead, I needed to think creatively and target Reds closer Alexis Diaz, who could help my team gain several points in saves. The match was a good one for Scott as well, as he was well ahead of the pack in saves. After some quick negotiations, I added in Drew Smyly, and we completed a 2-for-1 trade.

The point of this story is that in every league, there are several players sitting on rosters they can no longer help. These players can’t be grouped into my usual article headings of “Acquire” or “Trade Away” because their value is dramatically different for each team. Instead, I’ll label all the players listed below as “Trade Often.”

Check your rosters, and if you have any of these players, make sure their streamlined contributions are still helping your squad — if not, send them packing in a deal.

Esteury Ruiz (OF, Oakland A’s)

The MLB steals leader with 40, Ruiz has put many of his fantasy squads ahead of the pack in that category. But with one homer and mediocre numbers in the other categories, he isn’t offering much help elsewhere.

Jake McCarthy (OF, Arizona Diamondbacks)

Since being recalled May 26, McCarthy has produced 15 steals in 28 games. He continues to be unremarkable in other areas and lacks overall value to anyone who is ahead in swipes.

Kyle Schwarber (OF, Philadelphia Phillies)

Schwarber helps in homers (20), hurts in batting average (.185), has yet to swipe a base and is on pace for roughly 90 runs and 85 RBI. Teams that do not need power numbers are better off unloading the slugger for someone with a different profile.

Matt Olson (1B, Atlanta Braves)

Olson is a superior version of Schwarber, providing game-changing totals in homers (25), runs (58) and RBI (60) while offering minimal steals contributions and hurting fantasy teams’ batting averages. He clearly holds value to all teams but is much more appealing to those with a lead in batting average.

Lance Lynn (SP, Chicago White Sox)

Managers who are trying to get ahead in the ratios categories are likely willing to trade Lynn for a very small return. Meanwhile, those who are in good shape in ERA and WHIP would take the ratios risk to get someone who sits ninth in baseball in whiffs.

MacKenzie Gore (SP, Washington Nationals)

Gore is a lesser-known version of Lynn, but he has better numbers this year. Still, beyond the strikeouts category (he ranks 15th in baseball in whiffs), the left-hander has provided mediocre ratios (3.89 ERA, 1.41 WHIP).

Tyler Wells (SP, Baltimore Orioles)

Wells will be coveted by those who are in a tight race in the WHIP category, as his 0.88 mark leads the majors. But those who are not as focused on WHIP will find Wells expendable for a solid return. Because he allows plenty of long balls, Wells is unlikely to consistently provide a helpful ERA.

Kenley Jansen (RP, Boston Red Sox)

All closers have volatile values, depending on how much a team needs saves, but those who do not help in the ratios category are poster boys for this circumstance. Such is the case with Jansen, who ranks eighth in baseball in saves but has logged a 3.08 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP.