Buy Low or Move On? Fantasy Baseball's Slumping Hitters

After looking into fantasy baseball hitters trending up over the past two weeks, let's next check into hitters trending down.

Later in the week, we'll look at fantasy pitchers trending up and down, so check back for that.

Use the FantasySP trade value chart and trade analyzer as you propose and accept fantasy baseball trades all season!

Ketel Marte - Arizona Diamondbacks

Marte has just a .114 average over the past 15 days. That equates to five hits over 44 at-bats.

Marte has three homers among the hits, plus seven RBIs, four runs scored, four walks and eight strikeouts in that span. It's not been all bad, but he's definitely not been the top-end fantasy hitter we expect Marte to be.

Marte is a buy-low trade candidate right now, even if his value isn't super low right now. At least see what his asking price is, because you could land a top-end fantasy hitter for a reasonable price.

Austin Riley - Atlanta Braves

Riley is hitting just .132 over the past 15 days. He has five hits across 38 at-bats.

He has two doubles and a triple among his hits. Riley has three RBIs, four runs scored, five walks, a stolen base and 13 strikeouts in that span as well.

Riley has struggled most of the season, but he's still owned in 92% of leagues. If some fantasy owners are willing to drop him, others would be happy to trade him away for a little something.

See if you can land Riley for cheap, especially if you see him bouncing back eventually. He's bound to get going at some point, so there's some intrigue in adding Riley, especially if your fantasy 3B spot is unsettled.

Rafael Devers - San Francisco Giants

Devers has a .200 average over the past couple weeks, but he also leads the league in strikeouts (22). That's a lot of negative fantasy points to overcome.

He has 11 hits in that span, including six doubles and one triple and home run. Devers has five RBIs, nine runs scored and seven walks.

Devers is owned in 89% of fantasy leagues, so he's in a similar boat to Riley, but at a position stacked full of fantasy options. It makes him a very affordable fantasy asset, if you need help at first base.

See what he costs and see if you can add a high-end fantasy hitter for cheap. Better days are ahead, so I like the idea of at least trying to acquire Devers, especially in deeper leagues.

Brandon Lowe - Pittsburgh Pirates

Lowe has 18 strikeouts over the past couple weeks, and just a .200 average along the way.

He has nine hits over 45 at-bats, including three doubles and two home runs. Lowe has eight RBIs, 10 runs scored and three walks. 

Lowe is at 98% rostered, and at a fantasy position that lacks a lot of viable options. He has struggled a bit of late, so his fantasy value is down, making it a time to buy low on him.

At least see what his asking price is, because I think you could land a daily starting 2B for a pretty good price.

Eugenio Suarez - Cincinnati Reds

Suarez has just a .122 average over the past 15 days. He has 17 strikeouts in that span as well.

Suarez has really struggled this season, between an injury and his play on the field. He has just one double and home run among his five hits in that timeframe, while also tallying five RBIs, a single run scored and four walks.

He is a drop candidate nowadays, and he's down to 72% owned right now. That makes him more a deep-league trade asset than a standard one.

I see him performing better down the line, so I like the idea of acquiring him in deeper leagues. He's worth stashing in some standard leagues, especially if you have a good enough team that you don't need to start him for the time being. 

Mike Trout - Los Angeles Angels

Trout has just a .152 average over the past two weeks. He has also struck out 17 times in that span.

He has two doubles and a homer among his seven hits in that span. Trout has three RBIs, eight runs scored and 14 walks as well.

Trout has injury concerns in his career, so when he's hitting well, I like selling high on Trout. He's not performing well of late, so you'd be selling him a bit lower, but it still isn't the worst time to trade Trout away.

I'd personally try to wait until he heats up a bit, so you can truly get the most value out of him. I just don't trust him to stay healthy all season, so capitalize on his highest value when you can.

Manny Machado - San Diego Padres

Machado continues to struggle at the plate, and has posted just a .149 average over the past 15 days. He has 10 strikeouts in that span.

He too has struggled most of the season, and not much has changed of late. Among his seven hits, he has three homers and a double. Machado also has seven RBIs, three runs scored and two walks in that span.

Machado is still rostered in 97% of leagues, but a lot of fantasy owners would be happy to move on from him. If you still believe in him turning his season around at some point, now is still a good time to buy low on the third baseman.

If you are interested in acquiring Machado, just make sure you have enough fantasy firepower around him, because he's hard to trust in fantasy lineups right now.