Fantasy Baseball Sell High Trade Candidates: Salvador Perez, Alec Bohm, Jose Berrios and More

Identifying some sell high fantasy baseball players in the fifth week of the season.

We’re in the fifth week of the fantasy baseball season and have now hit the one-month mark of the MLB regular season.

Some players are off to hot starts, while others have really struggled so far. There’s still a lot of season left, but based on how a player has performed, fantasy owners might be itching to make some trades.

This week, I wanted to identify some “buy low” and “sell high” candidates. We’ll look at some sell high candidates here after talking about the buy low options earlier in the week.

Explore the best in-season tool to manage lineup/start decisions including waiver pickups, projections, trade suggestions, trade value charts, rest of season rankings, power rankings, and tons more with Fantasy Assistant. Use our fantasy baseball trade analyzer and trade value charts to break down trade scenarios and weekly projections to find the best fantasy options.

Hitters to Sell High

Salvador Perez Fantasy Outlook

It pains me to put Perez on this list because I love him as a player, but his hot start at the plate is something he won’t be able to keep up all season and might make him pretty valuable in a trade right now.

Perez was drafted around pick 155, so it’s not like he was a premium pick, but he’s playing like one so far.

In his first 24 games, Perez has a .348 average and .408 on-base percentage. Among his 31 total hits, six have been homers and four went for doubles. Perez has also driven in 23 runs, scored 11 times, walked eight times and struck out 13 times.

Perez is in his age 34 season, and many expected his production to start dropping off at some point. He hit .254 and .255 over the last two seasons and is a career .268 hitter, so a near .350 average is definitely not sustainable. Perez had a .292 OBP the past two seasons and has a career .302 mark, so again, his current mark is just not sustainable.

He’s hit 23 homers in each of the past two seasons, but is on pace to pretty easily top that mark. He’d also fly past his RBI marks at his current pace.

It’s hard to part ways with Perez, especially if you drafted him around that ADP. You are getting starting quality play in return and he can likely slot in as a catcher, first baseman or designated hitter for your fantasy team. You have to remember that these numbers won’t last forever, and his value is pretty much about as high as it’ll get right now, so now is the time to pounce.

Because you got Perez later in the draft, he was probably a backup option at C/1B, so you are probably covered at those two spots. If you are lacking at another position, try flipping Perez for a position of need. His big name and hot start should make him a desirable asset in redraft leagues.

Make sure to use FantasySP’s Trade Value Chart, Trade Analyzer and Rest of Season Rankings to come up with smart and informed trade offers. 

Alec Bohm Fantasy Outlook

Bohm was drafted just a few slots before Perez at around pick 148. He’s off to a scorching start at the plate.

In his first 25 games, Bohm is hitting .337, with a .430 on-base percentage. He’s doubled eight times, homered three times and tripled once among his 29 total hits. Bohm has driven in 21 runs, scored 11 times, stolen a base, struck out 16 times and walked 14 times.

Bohm has hit .280 and .274 across the past two seasons, with OBPs between .315-.327. His home run and runs scored numbers are pretty much the same as past seasons, but is on pace for more RBIs.

Bohm’s higher average obviously makes him a better fantasy option, but it also makes him a lot more desirable in a trade. With him being a later pick, you can again use the hot start as a way to help your fantasy team out at a position of need.  You won’t get a top-end talent, but you might be able to acquire a player that went several rounds earlier than Bohm. You might as well try!

Justin Turner Fantasy Outlook

I was extremely high on Turner all preseason, so I’m pretty pumped at how he’s started the season. His ADP was around pick 178, which I thought was far too late.

In 23 games, Turner had a .319 average and .414 OBP. He’d doubled seven times and homered twice among his 23 total hits. Turner has driven in 12, scored 11 times, walked 11 times and struck out on 13 occasions.

The past three seasons, Turner had either a .276 or .278 average, with OBPs between .345-.361. His average might not fall off all that much, but a fantasy owner desperate for a consistent bat might take an interest in Turner.

Because he’s 39 years old, this is another trade that’s only likely to happen in a redraft league. His value isn’t quite as high as Bohm or Perez, but Turner might be able to help you land a player that went quite a bit earlier in the draft, or maybe even a couple players. Toss his name out there and see what kind of bites you get.

Pitchers to Sell High

Jose Berrios Fantasy Outlook

Berrios was another sleeper pick of mine. He had an ADP around 119 and is off to a fantastic start.

In five starts, Berrios boasts a 4-0 record and 0.85 earned run average (no, that’s not a typo). He’s struck out 27 batters over 31 2/3 innings, while allowing just three runs on 23 hits and nine walks.

His starts haven’t been against too many bad offenses either, but that level of pitching won’t continue for the entire season, so it’s worth throwing him on the trade block to see what kinds of offers pop up. He’s got a career 4.08 ERA and had a 3.65 mark a season ago after an ugly 5.23 mark in 2022. Most of his other stats look about in line with 2023.

Consistent pitching is hard to come by, so I’d understand not wanting to make a move, but you might be able to flip Berrios for a starter that went earlier in the draft and is just off to a bit of a slow start. You are basically trying to capitalize on each pitcher’s hot streak, and you know that Berrios won’t likely keep up this level of pitching forever, so now is a great time to make a move.

Ranger Suarez Fantasy Outlook

Suarez had an ADP of around 235, but has been great so far this season.

Suarez is also 4-0 across five starts, but with a 1.36 ERA. He’s struck out 32 batters in 33 innings, while allowing five runs on 18 hits and five walks. His lower hit and walk marks than Berrios might actually mean you get better value back in dealing Suarez.

Suarez has a career 3.27 ERA, but had a 4.18 mark last season in 22 starts. Aside from the lower ERA, most of his other numbers look about in line with a season ago (but if he makes a full season of starts, he’ll obviously have more innings and strikeouts).

Between some injury concerns and the fantastic start, now is an ideal time to try to flip Suarez. You probably could get a pretty decent starter in return, or you could target a position player at a position of need.

Ronel Blanco Fantasy Outlook

Blanco didn’t even appear in the top 400 players on our ADP list.

In four starts, Blanco is 2-0 with a 1.33 ERA. He’s struck out 22 batters over 27 innings, while allowing four runs on 11 hits and 12 walks.

Blanco had the no-hitter to start the season, but has backed things up with three more solid starts. He’s allowed five hits the past two outings (which is pretty solid for going six innings), but the three walks in each start is what concerns me. Blanco’s ERA is really low for that many baserunners being on.

Other fantasy owners can notice these things too, but the four quality starts (against pretty solid hitting teams) might also mean you could flip a guy that was a waiver wire pickup for a dependable fantasy starter. Again, you should be targeting a position you are struggling at and not be asking for top-end talent, but mid-to-late round picks that play everyday and can be in your lineups consistently.

Good luck in your trading endeavors! 

#trades #2024-fantasy-baseball