Welcome to Buy & Sell! And for those of you who were here before, welcome back! I sure am glad to have baseball back in my life (well, the offseason prep and early drafts never left), but let’s cut to the chase, this is buy and sell, but basically right now that means buy and maybe sell high? Why? Because it’s, of course, too early to drop an established vet you believed in all offseason for one bad week. That said, there’s also a lot of emerging talent… and if you don’t have an injury to open up a spot for you, you do need to drop someone. If I were more responsible, I’d say it’s hardly April, and don’t panic. But I believe you’ll never win sticking to streams you’re used to without chasing at least a few waterfalls. Speaking of chase… onto the list!
Note: this week I’m adding extra names to BUY and removing names from SELL because I think it’s more useful this early on, since who to sell often depends more on individual team needs.
BUY
10-Team
Chase DeLauter (OF, Cleveland Guardians)
If you took a late-round gamble on him in drafts, you’re probably feeling like you won DeLautery. I was very encouraged by his big spring, and felt it went underreported that not only did he have a fantastic high contact rate, but also smacked a ball 115 mph, a sign that he could do the rare feat of hitting for both power and average. The fact that he hit 4 homers in the first 4 games makes it likely that he’s no longer available in more active leagues, but look, some leagues draft and then rest on their laurels a bit, and are preaching “It’s only March (not even April!).
That said, he’s hitting the ball legitimately hard with 3 Barrels and over half of his balls hard-hit, though his 71% Contact% suggests he might be selling out a bit for the longball. The important thing is that in such a depleted lineup, he’s a full lock for full-time playing time, and he should be a good power source who doesn’t hurt in AVG, who will be a great runs source. The bat has never been questioned, but his health issues remain concerning, so I would add him, but then maybe explore flipping him now, since he can’t get much hotter, and everyone right now probably isn’t thinking about him being one awkward foot movement from another long IL stint.
Munetaka Murakami (1B/3B, Chicago White Sox)
They say Murakami’s secret is a special bat from Oslo… he’s swinging Norwegian Wood. M&M has certainly been sweet in the early going and quieting those who said his high-strikeout ways in Japan would never translate, hitting .267 with 3 homers in the opening weekend, and showing better contact skills than expected in the small MLB game sample (which he did struggle with in the larger sample of MLB games. While I think pitchers will make an adjustment and find a weakness, for now, I think it’s wise to take him and ride, and then consider flipping when his trade value is higher. Even with some bumpiness, 30 HR and 10 SB is expected in every projection system, so as long as he continues playing, he’ll end up being one of the better 3B draft day values.
Honorable Mention: Jake Burger (1B, Texas Rangers) – The small sample SwStr% is admittedly laughably terrible, but what’s important is that he seems healthy, and when he’s healthy, Burger hits plenty of homers.
12-Team
Andres Gimenez (2B, Toronto Blue Jays)
I see your batting average/stolen base sleeper, Andres you this guy. He’s more than a string bet, as he was on fire all spring and hasn’t slowed down one bit, hitting .500 (8-for-16) with a homer, a swiped bag, and 5 RBIs. While it’s way too early to make too much out of peripherals, it certainly can’t hurt that he has an 100% Z-contact%, so he’s seeing the ball well when it counts, and certainly looks more like a potential .300 hitter than a potential .200. Given it’s not even April 1st, I could get locked up for such a crazy comment but I stand by it.
Hear me out, as terrible as he was last year with a .210 AVG and .313 SLG%, his xBA of .252 and xSLG of .361 suggested all along things would bounce back, especially given his speed and the fact he’s still just 27. Not saying he’s going to return to the glory of his breakout season, but at the end of the day, I still don’t see a big difference between a bad luck-regressed Gimenez and Bryson Stott, who went about 150 picks earlier in drafts. On an offense-loaded team where his playing time is quite safe, he remains an underrated option, and I don’t think it’s crazy to consider cutting a Luis Garcia Jr. platoon type in favor of him if you’re willing to sacrifice some power upside for speed and safer volume.
Cole Young (2B, Seattle Mariners)
Young King Cole makes us merry young souls. I’ll admit, this one is more guided by his amazing spring than his less impressive first few real MLB games (though he made up for lost time with a homer). Now, you can say Spring Training doesn’t matter, but I don’t believe that (though big springs have indeed led to some hilarious draft day flops). In Young’s case, his biggest perceived weakness was a lack of power, given his punchless MLB debut in which he hit only 2 homers in a third of a season. But this spring, he hit 6 homers, and what’s more important, hit them FAR. Multiple homers were recorded at over 440 feet, and his last one was called possibly the longest homer of the spring, an absolute bomb at around 490 feet (though sources were fuzzy). You can’t “spring luck” your way into that.
In that time, he hit 6 barrels, but what is also interesting is that he stole 3 bases. He stole 22 bases in 2023 and then 23 bases in 2024 before not running much last year… maybe he was playing hurt? Well, if Josh Naylor could run wild with his laughable sprint speed, I think Young could certainly get the green light, given that he was above-average in sprint speed last year, and early readings have. him a bit faster at 77th percentile sprint speed in 2026. He might overcompensate with pulled flyballs and hurt his average, but he’s a sleeper 15/15 threat at the keystone with an outside shot at 20/20.
Honorable Mention: Owen Caissie (OF, Miami Marlins) – He’s impressed me in this first week, with even faster bat speed but much-improved early contact readings. He could be this year’s Kyle Stowers as a strikeout-prone slugger who finally clicks.
Honorable Mention: Ryan O’Hearn (1B/OF, Pittsburgh Pirates) – He played against a lefty! Maybe this is the year… in any case, the past two years he started off red hot, so why not ride the power/average for a few months & then flip him?
15-Team
Dominic Canzone (OF, Seattle Mariners)
If you’ve read my column often, you’ll know from last year that he was one of my favorite adds who sort of but didn’t fully pan out. So why did I only draft him in only 2 of my 13 teams this year? Because I’m stupid, that’s why. Canzone is already proving that last year’s surprising power spike is no fluke, and could take things to another level if the early (very early) results stick. Canzone has two homers in only 13 PA, good for a .909 SLG%, but what impresses me more is that he’s managed this with an 8% K%, after a spring in which he kept his normally high K% at 10%. Granted, his mid 70s contact rate suggests it won’t last, but he’s stinging the ball with 3 barrels and a 60% HardHit%. I think he could be a .260 20-homer bat as a median projection, with potential for an even bigger breakout. I’m trying to flip other hot assets to get him while there’s still doubt about his legitimacy, since I expect him to outlast the hot but also historically streaky Luke Raley.
T.J. Rumfield (C/1B, Colorado Rockies)
Rumfield is in that limbo between being not quite interesting enough for 12-teamers but already rostered in a lot of 15-teamers, but I felt the need to write him up anyway. He was incredible this spring, not only avoiding strikeouts like I avoid responsibility (3% K%) but also hitting 5 homers and showing previously unreached raw power with a ball hit 113 mph. It was enough to give the 2025 trade acquisition a starting role, and thus far, it’s been a bit of a return to earth, but still fairly solid in terms of moderate power, flyballs, and decent contact rate.
Although the catcher pool is deeper this year, I think we should’ve learned a lesson from Hunter Goodman, who, of course, has more (much more) raw power, but had a similarly amazing spring in 2025 that went largely ignored until his big April. I actually love hitters with his profile in Colorado much more than a true power hitter with K issues (aka Michael Toglia types). He could max out under 110 mph and still hit .260 with 20 homers just due to the home park, and the added 1b eligibility, while not super useful, also never hurts.
Honorable Mention: Rhys Hoskins (1B, Cleveland Guardians) – Looks like Rhyses picked up the pieces. He’s already hit a ball harder (112 mph) than 2024 & 2025 combined, and will see regular playing time. Small sample fun fact: Currently, his overall Contact% (69%) is worse than his Z-Contact (58%), while his O-Contact% is 100%.
Honorable Mention: Jake Bauers (1B/OF, Milwaukee Brewers) – Had an outrageous spring, and was already edging into playing time when Vaughn surprisingly hit the IL, and it will last at least beyond the minimum. Bauers, if nothing else, has OBP and a sneaky power/speed combo, but last year seemed close to putting it all together for a truly valuable fantasy asset, and I’ll bet again on that elite barrel rate.
Deep Leagues
Angel Martinez (2B/OF, Cleveland Guardians)
Will you take a chance on this fallen Angel? Coming off a big spring, he’s still hitting the ball 3 mph harder this year (110 mph), and his early contact rate is also much better (88% to 80%, small sample warning). It’s worth noting in the spring, he hit .356 with 4 homers, but also hit a ball 111 mph, an even bigger jump from his 107 mph MaxEV from last year, and he came into the spring looking more muscular, so we need to not make the Cole Young mistake and assume we know his power upside. He still just turned 24 in February and I liked him as a prospect, and if he’s hitting, the Guardians really can’t put any other bats ahead of him. But it might take a few frustrating weeks of partial playing time, so he’s best in deep leagues or ones where you have daily lineups or room on a bench until his PT is more consistent.
Nick Fortes (C, Tampa Bay Rays)
Impressing fantasy leaguers is not one of his Fortes. That said, I think he’s won the lion’s share of playing time ahead of Hunter Feduccia (who had a terrible spring). Fortes had a big spring that basically no one but me talked about, hitting .250 with 2 homers in 35 PA, but much more impressively, with only 1 strikeout, and an uncharestic 13% Barrel% and 55% HardHit%. This is Nick Fortes, people! Well, so far in 13 “real” PA, he also has only 1 strikeout, with an 100% Z-Contact%. In the end, if you missed on the big catchers, you want someone who won’t hurt you, and I think Fortes, with what he’s been showing, could actually help you in batting average and maybe also contribute some more power. He’s still widely available even in deep formats, and I’ve been scooping him up everywhere.
David Hamilton (2B, Milwaukee Brewers)
Well, do you want a shot at the next Jose Caballero? Well, here it is, sort of. 3 stolen bases in a handful of games may have taken him already off deep league wires, though his sporadic playing time may have gotten him thrown back like a cool but endangered fish. Unlike the more hyped Jake McCarthy, Hamilton has, in his extremely tiny sample, at least hit for a significantly better contact rate of 92% (career 77%), which is probably nothing, but if he could even be above 80%, his fantasy outlook could change significantly. With a bit more PT become viable in 15-teamers
Honorable Mention: Everson Pereira (OF, Chicago White Sox) – My expectations aren’t so high, but he’s still young and could scrap out some decent power/speed numbers with a bad average; could be like a Miguel Vargas minus the walks, which is good enough in AL-only AVG leagues.
Honorable Mention: Daniel Schneemann (2B/3B/OF, Cleveland Guardians) – Especially in leagues with thin benches, 13 PA so far indicates he’s basically a regular (strong-side platoon). In 1-game eligibility leagues, he qualifies at everything besides catcher and pitcher. It’s boring, but you’ll find plenty of uses for the Schwiss Army Knife.
SELL
10-Team
Kazuma Okamoto (3B, Toronto Blue Jays)
What, am I crazy? Okamoto’s spring value has been skyrocketing. Why “sell” him now? Maybe his name reminds me a bit too much of OKLO, a situation where you wish you had sold when people were talking like this. A hot week does not a season make, and odds are high IN A TRADE that you could probably trade him for a 3rd baseman in the previously 100-150 ADP range if not higher, after he hit .333/.444/.733 with 2 home runs in just his first 4 games. But maybe, maybe it’s too hasty to now determine he’s a “safe” asset.
For me, the biggest orange-tinted flag (too early for anything to be red) is that, unlike what was expected, he’s not been hitting for contact. Yes, the sample size is TINY, but look, a 53% Contact% is still objectively not good, nor is a 65% Z-Contact%. Also, he’s been quite passive with a 54% Z-Swing%, resulting in a hilariously bad tiny sample of a 43% SwStr%. Now, it’s silly number season, and Jake Burger’s is 50%, and I said buy him! But the point is, Okamoto’s surface stats raise his trade value while the underlying data is more ambiguous. If you stick with him, he’ll probably be fine, but if you had really wanted a guy like Chapman, Barger, or maybe aim higher at a different position for someone like Jac Caglianone or Ozzie Albies, this might be the best chance to use Kazuma to get you there. It’s a long season, and we still don’t know nearly as much as we think we do. But please, do not drop him because you read the name and not the text, okay? Well, in that case, you didn’t read this either, did you?
12-Team
Luis Garcia Jr. (2B, Washington Nationals)
Unlike Okamoto, we know what Garcia Jr. is basically, and yet we are shocked with righteous indignation every April when we find out he was put in a platoon, again. This time, though, he really did deserve it, as he had a truly horrid spring. Fortunately for him, the surrounding team is so bad that he was never at risk of losing a regular role, but if you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball, and if you can’t hit anyone, you can’t hit lefties. You could argue he was distracted by learning a new position, as this historically has interfered with offense, but c’mon, it’s first base. This one pains me as I did draft him in a few places, but he was cut in my 14-team OBP, and I looked at him and then my roster and said, “sorry, LG, life’s good without you.” It really depends on your 2B alternatives, but yes, in 12-team OBP, he’s an easier drop, but I’d probably take my chances with Cole Young or Andres Gimenez over him at this point, at least until he shows something.
15-Team
Noelvi Marte (3B/OF, Cincinnati Reds)
Is this an overreaction to roster decisions? Maybe yes, but I was down on Noelvi all offseason, and unless you’re in a league with a deep bench, I think you’re missing critical opportunities to find regulars who can help you while holding onto a player in a small-side platoon role. Of course, if it’s a keeper league, it’s a different story. I’m not saying straight cut him yet (though in 15-team OBP it’s a closer call), but check your wire because you really might want to consider it. Call me crazy, but I’d rather have Canzone right now.
Deep Leagues
Ben Williamson (2B/3B, Tampa Bay Rays)
Like last year, he made a big splash, but I’m afraid that, like last year, he’s going to soon be flailing and drowning. His surface numbers look great with a .385 AVG in 13 AB and locked-in playing time in the Rays infield, with qualification at 2B & 3B in CBS formats. Only problem is, he’s hitting the ball weaker than last year (27% HardHit%), and a mildly concerning 68% Contact% and 50% O-Swing%. He probably won’t lose playing time soon, but hopefully you can find a hitter whose upside is less… Ben Gamel-y?
Nathan Church (OF, St. Louis Cardinals)
The good news? He’s on the strong side of a platoon! The not-so-good news? Outside of a multi-hit game or two, he’s actually been pretty bad. His average is now down to .250, and he has a lousy 22% HardHit% and a 75 mph average exit velocity. In the early going, he’s also been far too passive yet also undisciplined at the plate, with a rare 53% Z-Swing% but a 54% O-Swing%. Maybe Church had a collision and got his bell rung. In super deep leagues, if you can no longer flip him, just cut and find the next part-time regular… can I interest you in an Everson Pereira?
