Looking for the top “buy low, sell high” trade candidates for MLB? Then it’s time for the Week 9 Fantasy Baseball Stock Watch!

It is still early in the week, but it’s never too early to think about players to target on the fantasy baseball waiver wire. Some of you might even be in leagues where you can do add/drops throughout the week and stream in both hitters and pitchers. With that being the case, we’ve scoured through the latest MLB injuries and taken a look at which players are rising or falling in value the most. 

So, let’s get to it and play some ‘3 Up, 3 Down’.

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Stock Watch: Risers

Joey Ortiz, 2B/3B Milwaukee Brewers

Sometimes, when a player is traded as part of a package, we lose sight of who he is and what his overall value may be. That seems to be the case for Ortiz who was one of the key components coming back to the Brewers when they traded Corbin Burnes to the Baltimore Orioles. 

He showed developing power, modest speed and was pretty slick with the glove which is great when you understand that he’ll remain in the starting lineup because the team also doesn’t want to lose his defense. Ortiz left Monday’s game after being hit on the foot with a pitch, but x-rays came back negative and he is listed as day-to-day. Hopefully, the absence is not long because we would very much like to see him continue with the momentum we've seen from him at the plate recently.

Ortiz was riding a six-game hit streak in which he was batting .455 (10-for-22) with three doubles, two home runs, four RBI and seven runs scored. He’s entrenched at third base right now but also qualifies at second which only enhances the value. Look for him to come back from the injury and get right back to where he left off.

 

 

 

Luke Raley, 1B/OF Seattle Mariners

When a player is labeled as a platoon guy, he is often overlooked and that seems to be the case with Raley. Ask any MLB DFS player or just check out one of our MLB DFS Livestreams and you’ll hear all sorts of rave reviews for the Mariners’ lefty-swinging first baseman/outfielder. Even better, though, is how the Mariners have been using him with more regularity. 

Maybe he sits against some of the tougher southpaws out there, but he’s been in the starting lineup for 20 of the last 23 games now. The seven-game hit streak Raley is on has been absolutely fantastic for fantasy owners. He’s batting .500 (14-for-28) in that span with two doubles, two home runs, five RBI, six runs scored and two stolen bases. That kind of production turns a draft-afterthought into a clear-cut reason that you’re sitting atop your standings. 

The Mariners have a tough stretch of games against the Yankees and Houston, though there’s a three-game set against the Nationals in between) but after that, they’re facing the pitching staffs of the Angels, Athletics, Royals and White Sox throughout the end of May and beginning of June.

Alec Burleson, OF St. Louis Cardinals

Once a part-time player, Burleson has blossomed into the full-time DH for the Cardinals and should stay there for the foreseeable future. Tommy Edman won’t be returning until the beginning of July and neither Dyaln Carlson, Mike Diani nor Brendan Donovan will be standing in his way with regard to at bats. Even when Edman does return, Burleson seems the least likely to hit the bench based on what he’s doing.

Currently, Burleson is riding a six-game hit streak with five multi-hit performances during this run. He’s batting .480 (12-for-25) with two doubles, two home runs, four RBI, five runs scored and two stolen bases. Will he continue to hit like this? Of course not. There’s ebb and flow with every player. But with little competition for at-bats, Burleson appears to be someone you can keep in your regular lineup without much concern.

 

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Stock Watch: Fallers

Nico Hoerner, 2B Chicago Cubs

The last time I put Hoerner into the ‘Fallers’ category, he turned some things around, started stealing bases and became a much more productive asset, especially for what you paid for him on draft day. But he’s now missed the last six games with a hamstring injury and is being re-evaluated by the Cubs medical staff once again to see if he needs to hit the IL. If he lands on the IL, it will be retroactive to May 14.

Stay tuned in to all the latest MLB news and wait for those test results. If you have Hoerner on your team, keep those fingers crossed as he will, once again, turn things around and give you what you need, statistically-speaking. If you don’t, then you want him to land on the IL and then immediately make some offers to pick him up from your opponent’s team. The slumps and injuries are a bummer, but there is plenty of baseball still to come.

 

 

 

Spencer Steer, 1B/OF Cincinnati Reds

Here’s another classic buy-low candidate in Steer. He’s hitless in his last five games and is now nursing an ankle injury. While it’s not enough to land him on the IL, it’s annoying enough to his fantasy owners that you may be able to pry him away at a discount. 

But the slump Steer is on isn’t just him. It’s the entire Reds lineup. Save for Elly De La Cruz, they’re all struggling right now, so it obviously magnifies the underperformance. Watch that .254 BABIP start to climb and with it, the rest of Steer’s statistical output. All of his peripherals indicate that better games are on the horizon, so be patient if you have him. Buy low if you don’t. 

Jake Burger, 3B Miami Marlins

I’m sure there are plenty of spoiled meat and burger jokes just sitting there for the taking, but we’re going to avoid them all as we try to sort things out for the Marlins third baseman. Since returning from the IL back on May 6, Burger is hitting a meager .098 (5-for-51) with just one double, one RBI and one run scored. Brutal, right?  

We knew he was a low batting average guy when we drafted him, but this is beyond ridiculous and an average like this can ONLY be tolerated if it’s still coming with a bunch of power. The Marlins know they aren’t competing for anything, so Burger, who is on a one-year deal, becomes a very strong trade candidate. Not that he’s going anywhere to be a regular third baseman, which is where the problem lies. 

If the Marlins deal him away, he’s more than likely to land with a potential contender, but as a bench bat. Someone looking for righthanded power will scoop him up, especially if he’s just depth. So no… he is not a buy-low candidate here. You can stash him away if you have the bench depth, but if you’re in a pinch, it’s time to say goodbye.