Buy Low or Sell High? Breaking Down 5 Trending Fantasy Baseball Hitters as Trade Candidates

As we wait for the return of the MLB regular season so we can start enjoying fantasy baseball again, let's go over some trending trade candidates.

To come up with this list, I perused several fantasy platforms and picked out some names that kept popping up. Let's discuss only hitters here - check back for a trade writeup on pitchers.

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

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. - Toronto Blue Jays

We will begin with Guerrero, who was selected within the first 20 picks on average, but now sits outside the top 50 in trade value. 

He is hitting just .262 this season, while sitting with a career .286 average. Guerrero has a .346 on-base percentage this year, which is lower than his career .364 mark.

Guerrero has 88 hits across 91 games and 387 plate appearances. He has 14 doubles, but just six home runs. He also has posted 41 RBIs, 51 runs scored, seven stolen bases, 42 walks and 50 strikeouts.

It's great that he doesn't strike out a bunch, but a lower average/OBP and less power is making him just a good fantasy asset, not a great one, like he was expected to be coming into the season.

His value is down, and many are expecting him to bounce back in the latter portion of the season. That makes it a time to buy low on Guerrero. He's still going to cost a bit because he's a bigger name, but I'd be happy to acquire the Toronto slugger now, especially because he's at a stacked position, and you should be able to get him for relatively cheap.

Kyle Tucker - Los Angeles Dodgers

Tucker was a borderline first-round pick, but is ranked 89th on the trade chart right now. He's been pretty underwhelming in his first season with the Dodgers.

He has a .244 average, which is well below his career .244 mark. Tucker has a .341 OBP, which is again lower than his career .356 OBP.

Tucker has 47 RBIs, 53 runs scored, six stolen bases, 48 walks and 76 strikeouts this season. He has 80 hits, including 18 doubles, seven home runs and two triples.

He has underwhelmed after being drafted so early, and that makes him a buy-low trade candidate right now. He too is part of a stacked fantasy position (outfield), so you should be able to acquire him for a pretty reasonable price right now.

At least see what Tucker would cost, because you could land a high-end fantasy hitter for pretty cheap, and if he turns things around, he could power your team to big things by the end of the fantasy season.

Gunnar Henderson - Baltimore Orioles

Henderson was drafted around pick 21 on average this year. He sits closer to 60th in trade value right now, so he too has underwhelmed.

Even with some better hitting in the games leading up to the break, Henderson is still hitting just .224 on the season - he has a .294 OBP. For his career, Henderson has a .262 average and .338 OBP.

Henderson has 89 hits this year, and he's saved a truly bad year by clubbing 17 homers, 16 doubles and two triples. He has just 43 RBIs and 55 runs scored though, so he's simply not producing enough. Henderson has seven stolen bases, 34 walks and 99 strikeouts.

Henderson is at shortstop, which is another stacked fantasy position. He's a big name, but his poor play makes him an affordable fantasy trade option to look into.

If you need help at shortstop, or just need another infielder in general and want to take a swing on a bounceback candidate, look Henderson's way.

Fernando Tatis Jr. - San Diego Padres

Tatis went around pick 14 on average, yet sits 56th on the trade chart right now. He has underwhelmed most of this season.

It took him a long time to hit a home run, and he has just five at the break. He has a triple and 19 doubles among his 103 total hits. Tatis also has 35 RBIs, 45 runs scored, 23 stolen bases, 34 walks and 87 strikeouts.

His .277 average and .340 OBP aren't terrible - the average is right at his career mark, and his OBP is only 13 points lower. The lack of power is holding him back though, and makes him a buy-low candidate yet.

I'm not as intrigued in acquiring Tatis as I would be some of the other guys we've discussed in this article. He might be holding the best average and OBP, but the lack of power basically means Tatis is a glorified contact hitter. 

The stolen bases are a nice perk, but unless you can acquire Tatis for cheap, I'd spend my trade resources elsewhere. If I rostered him, I'd look to sell him away, because that seems more beneficial than acquiring and rostering him right now.

Mike Trout - Los Angeles Angels

Trout was drafted around pick 145 on average. He sits at 63rd on the trade chart, so he's the lone sell-high candidate we are going to discuss in this hitter article.

He has just a .237 average, but a .390 OBP is propping him up. The average is well below his career mark, but close to what he's done each of the past two seasons. His OBP is about 16 points lower than his career mark, but it's still in a great spot.

Trout makes up for the low average with 18 home runs and 13 doubles among his 67 hits, and that's come in just 78 games. He has 39 RBIs, 58 runs scored, seven stolen bases, 67 walks and 87 strikeouts.

Injuries have slowed his season a bit, and that's the biggest reason behind him being a sell-high trade candidate today. I'd look to trade him away before he gets injured and loses a ton of value again. On name value alone, you should get a good return for Trout.