By the time I finish writing this, two or three more big-name trades will probably be made. That’s how crazy the past few days have been as we approach Tuesday afternoon’s MLB non-waiver trade deadline. In most fantasy leagues, the trade deadline is later than July 31, and that’s the way it should be, allowing owners to digest the real-life trades and explore their own trade options with as much information as possible at hand. So, while our minds are on the subject of trades, I figured that now would be a good time to look at five players who are worthy fantasy trade targets.
Elvis Andrus – Fresh off a 20 HR/25 SB season in 2017 in which he also batted .297, Andrus was drafted on average as the sixth shortstop off the board and within the top-60 overall in NFBC leagues this spring. The Rangers shortstop played only 14 games before missing roughly two months due to a fractured elbow as a result of a hit by pitch. At the time of the injury, he was 17-for-52 (.327 AVG) but had tallied only seven runs and no steals. Since Andrus’ mid-June return, his offensive production has been decent but nothing special, and he really struggled in his half-month of June, batting .200 with five runs scored, no homers and no steals. But over his last 12 games entering play on Saturday, Andrus is 15-for-47 (.319 AVG) with four swipes. The return of the steals is especially notable with speed being so scarce these days and considering Andrus’ established track record in that department. Perhaps the window to truly buy low on Andrus has closed, but if you can acquire him at any sort of discount, do it now.
Jonathan Schoop – When I shelled out $17 for Schoop at the Tout Wars Mixed Auction table back in March, I wasn’t quite expecting a 2017 repeat. My gut even told me that he would be at least a mild disappoint this season. But I was expecting 25 homers, 80-85 RBIs and an average in the .270-.275 range. Through the first three months of the 2018 campaign, what I bought was arguably the biggest fantasy bust of the season. Schoop entered July hitting .197 with eight homers, 21 RBIs and an OBP that would have been a poor batting average. July has been a totally different story, as the Orioles second baseman is batting .378 this month with eight home runs and 16 RBIs. Heading into Saturday, he’s homered in five straight games and six of his last seven contests. Like with Andrus, it might be too late to pay a bargain basement price for Schoop. Still, a frustrated owner might pounce on the opportunity to get something of substance in exchange for a guy who has caused so much stress.
Edwin Encarnacion – He’s 35 years old. He’s batting a measly .235 through 91 games this season. The strikeout rate is up. The walk rate is down. These are the things you should be saying to the Encarnacion owner in your league. Leave out the part about him being on pace to post at least 34 homers and 98 RBIs for the seventh straight season. Leave out the part about him recording a .928 OPS last August and a .997 OPS last September. If you’re still unable to pry away Edwin, well, you tried.
Andrew Heaney – At last, Heaney is fully healthy, and he’s showing what he can do when fully healthy, pitching to a 3.64 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP through 19 starts with just under a strikeout per inning. The 27-year-old southpaw has been especially sharp in July, registering a 2.88 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP in five starts. And the funny thing is that despite his former top prospect status, he’s being overlooked, as he’s owned in only 55% of ESPN leagues and 58% of Yahoo leagues. Even if he’s not available in your league, there’s a chance his owner is still underrating him. So send over an e-mail, or a text message, or make a phone call. Wait, forget the phone call. That’s too old-fashioned.
Jose Quintana – Quintana has been a longtime favorite of mine thanks to his year-to-year consistency. But something isn’t right this season, as “consistent” is just about the last adjective one would use to describe the veteran southpaw’s performance. The most surprising aspect of Quintana’s 2018 season has been the walks, as he sports a 4.2 BB/9 through 19 starts, this after never registering a BB/9 above 2.9 in any season of his big league career. The good news is that Quintana seems to have finally put his season-long inconsistency behind him. Through three July starts, he’s 3-0 with a 1.89 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. Everything will be just fine. Buy low while you still can.
What? Six runs allowed in the first inning against the Cardinals? Here we go again.
Zach Steinhorn is the 2016 Mixed Auction Tout Wars champion. Follow him on Twitter @zachsteinhorn
