Welcome back to Buy & Sell, where this week’s theme is Cleveland Guardians of the Galaxy (and also me being a curmudgeon who wants to shake a raised fist at the helium. I’ve always advocated the “zig when they zag” approach, which in trades means you can capitalize on a player’s hype if you find what they need and time it right. And as far as buys/sells, I think that it’s important to consider a player’s track record, sometimes we rely on that too much and ignore real changes under the hood (or in some cases, fewer changes than it seems). This also is the first article I’ve ever written standing up, because my doctor told me I’m not allowed to sit. So if the pain meds made my writing loopier than usual, you’re welcome. On to the list!
BUY
10-team
Spencer Steer (1B/OF, Cincinnati Reds)
Time to blast full volume on the Steereo. Look, I’ve written him up a few times, I’m running out of Steer puns, okay? He’s a good example of why you should never pigeonhole a player, as I was out on him after his big debut because I didn’t trust his terrible batted ball data. But while he has a reputation for that, this year he’s hitting far beyond his past years, with 7 HR and 3 SB and most notably, but for once it’s what’s under the hood that I’m excited about. After all, expected stats don’t account for PullAir% or for home park, and even without those, it seems like Steer’s actually been unlucky. Don’t believe me? Look at his .289 xBA and .539 xSLG (both 90th percentile). That makes me bullish on his next 4 plus months being better than what’s hes put up so far.
It’s odd that he’s had such a drastic change mid-career as just last year he had a putrid .219 xBA and .361 xSLG, and the year before wasn’t much better. And even then, he found ways to provide fantasy value with his run production, hitter-friendly home homers, and some bags. But this year everything is better. While he didn’t have a significant bat speed jump, he’s been hitting the ball much harder with an average exit velocity that’s 3 mph (!) higher than last year, up to 90 mph. And his barrel rate is doubled. Oh and he’s hitting the best Pull Air% of his career at 28%, continuing a trend of improving there every single year in the majors. With all of that, he should be hitting .300+ with double digit homers, and I bet if he still had those rate stats in June and July, that’s what we’ll get. But only 3 stolen bases? Well, I figured he slowed down to focus on the batter’s box, but actually he’s clocking in faster than last year, and even better than 2024, the year he stole 25 bags. So it’s all upside and I’m trying to buy low in all leagues but with an aggressive offer they might think is buying a bit high.
Bo Bichette (3B/SS, New York Mets)
Sticking with him due to process may have felt some new age mindfulness woo-woo with Jay Bichetty. Well, Bo was just a Jay. I sure felt pretty relieved to see that I didn’t put him on my bench in my weekly lineup league! 3 homers this week and while there are still some trends I don’t love, I continue to roll with the memory that he’s had other slow starts and then had hot summers, and his expected stats do indicate some poor luck. I still think you might have better options in 10-team OBP formats though since he doesn’t walk and won’t likely steal bases, as his sprint speed has plummeted and he was hardly getting the green like when he had more.
But he has one thing going for him that makes him 10-team AVG team viable: He’s a 3rd baseman. Between Machado, Riley, Chapman, Royce…the hot corner has been the NOT cornerstone. And I still trust in Bichette’s ability to hit for average, as he’s been stinging the ball even if most of it is on the ground and to the opposite field. While he won’t steal meaningful bases or likely reach 20 homers, he could hit .270+ the rest of the way, and there are very few third baseman who can even come close to a batting average like that, and one was a first round pick, and another is Ernie Clement (Love ya, Ern!)
Honorable Mention: Samuel Basallo (C, Baltimore Orioles) – I had thought he was so obvious he wasn’t worth a writeup, but then I saw he’s only 53% Rostered and 39% started on Yahoo. What?! He’s had his slumps and playing time concerns, but he’s a 21-year-old with huge talent whose xwOBA is steadily rising, oh and like half the rest of the catching pool is injured now.
12-team
Angel Martinez (2B/OF, Cleveland Guardians)
Your fantasy team needs a Guardian Angel. And he’s one of the best, right up there with former Rookie of the Year Angel Berroa. No, don’t look at the rest of the career. Angel was a popular drop even in some deeper leagues before anything actually happened, as people were expecting his playing time to drop when the Bazzana bonanza arrived, but fortunately, Martinez kept his playing time and it came at the expense of worse hitters who frankly deserved it more. And he’s rewarded who kept the faith, with a .244 AVG but 4 dingers and 3 SB and 10 RBI over the past 2 weeks, and hitting .280 with 7 of those RBI this past week. While yet again, his expected stats started hot and have been cooling off, we’re still talking about a player who is pacing for a 30/25 season, who has dual eligibility, and one is 2B, which has been… not so great.
I think it’s safe to say at this point that Martinez has lineup security, and while he’s not the most skilled baserunner, it seems the increased aggressiveness has been part of the team philosophy in 2026, with teammates Rocchio and Bazzana also suddenly racking up the bags… so I think it should continue. I think if you try to play his streaks, which he will have as a player without much plate discipine, you’ll get the whipsaw, so just keep rolling him out there and cast his halo over your power/speed totals in 12-team AVG leagues.
Jake Bauers (1B/OF, Milwaukee Brewers)
It’s Bauers time!… Said the guy playing Mario Party with dyslexia. He’s definitely been messing with the game’s natural order as he’s been stomping on opposing pitchers, but after cooling off from a big early April, his recent production has been flying more under the radar. But he’s been smashing the ball with an impressive .406 AVG with 2 HR and 1 SB and 9 RBI in 32 AB over the past 2 weeks. With both Vaughn and Yelich back, there’s concern about him losing reps, but I think they will keep finding a way to get him out there with how promising his bat looks this year. And man, am I kicking myself for having 0 shares this year even though I saw the potential breakout, but kept getting “too cute” and getting sniped playing the ADP game in my Draft & Holds, but I knew I’d regret it… but not this much.
I really still consider him a buy low, as most aren’t buying what he’s doing, regardless of the surface stats, just because, well, he’s Jake Bauers. But he cut his K rate and bumped up his barrel rate last year and was just unlucky. This year his breakout is supported by a strong .272 xBA and .507 xSLG, and interestingly must love the number 96 as he’s exactly 96th percentile in HardHit%, bat speed, and chase rate. Strikeouts were typically his bugaboo, but he’s managed to pull it up to a league average 21%, so he can do some serious damage more often. And hey, he can steal double digit bags too. He’s seen as a 15-team only guy, but I really do think he’s splendid in 12-team OBP.
Honorable Mention: Casey Schmitt (2B, 3B, San Francisco Giants) – He’s been the Giants’ best hitter, and frankly it hasn’t been close, hitting .293 with 9 HR and 3 SB. It’s not a fluke, as his xwOBA supportss it and has remained high, and qualifying at 3B makes him indispensable. And to think I cut him in week 3 in a 30 team dynasty… not great!
Honorable Mention: Trent Grisham (OF, New York Yankees) – I will still not give up on you Trent, but stop making me look bad! I think the fact that people cling to xBA and xSLG (admittedly, me included) makes his .217 xBA give owners the ick, but I’ll still bank on the fact that compared to last year’s breakout, he has a better K rate, better BB rate, better HardHit%, and better MaxEV. He just CAN’T continue being this bad, and Jones’s struggles and Dominguez’s injury gives him breathing room.
15-team
Paul Goldschmidt (1B, New York Yankees)
It has its ups and downs, but Gold never goes out of style. Roster Resource still lists him as a small side platoon, and fair, it’s been that way so far, but I think Goldy is going to hit his way into the DH slot and be like discount Ben Rice. If I’m right, I’ll definitely celebrate with Rice wine and Goldschlager. He’s hitting a cromulent .284 with 5 homers in just 87 PA, reaching half his 2025 homer total in less than 20% of the at-bats. But although it’s pink and not red because the samples are still small, he’s looking like a beast under the hood, like a Toyota Camry with a Mustang Engine (is that a thing you can do? I don’t know about cars).
I actually just traded for him in a dynasty in which I’m contending, getting him and Joc Pederson for prospect Tanner Franklin. Why? Well I know it’s just been against lefties, but look at those expected stats. A .315 xBA and .631 xSLG suggest greatness, or at least someone who deserves at bats over strikeout extraordinaire Spencer Jones. And unlike some others here, Goldschmidt’s expected xwOBA keeps climbing, and is a studly .469 over his past 50 PA. That’s actually the 3rd-highest of anyone in the top 30 for xwOBA risers, only behind Corbin Carroll and Kyle Schwarber. Nice. But how? Well, miraculously, the 38-year-old is rocking a career-best 56% HardHit% and 20% Barrel%, while I just turned 39 and I had an acute lumbar spasm from a big sneeze. It might take a bit of patience, but I think those jumping in on him early will be rewarded, as I think a real breakout is imminent.
Honorable Mention: Brett Baty (2B/3B, New York Mets) – Wow, I guess I’m really a fan of the Mets, but only ones whose initials are B.B. Well, this B.B. King has been mostly blues on his Statcast sliders with a week start, but he seems to be rounding into form over he past week with a .308 AVG and 2 HR and 8 RBI in 26 AB, and I think this could be start of the closing of the buy-low window, since his useful eligibility sets a low bar I think he can clear.
Deep Leagues
Curtis Mead (2B/3B, Washington Nationals)
Since he’s not playing often, you might need some bench space, I should add that as a clause. What did you say, punk? Big, Meady, Clause! The Washington D.C. hitter has been hitting the crab out of the baseball, hitting .300 with a 7/3 BB/K, but it’s likely you missed it since it only came in 20 AB over 2 weeks, which is… not helpful. But the recent call-up of Crews leading to the surprise demotion of Brady House opens up time for both him and Jose Tena, and I think frankly he’ll emerge the victor of that PT battle, since Mead is rocking elite K rates, BB rates, with a mighty 47% HardHit% and an above average Barrel rate, whereas Tena is more massive HardHit% and vibes.
Don’t forget he was a top 100 prospect not that long ago, and it seems this is the year of down-and-out former prospects rediscovering glory, right? Roster Resource still lists him on the small side of a platoon, but I remain confident he’ll soon be a roster staple and could be like 2025 Brett Baty if all breaks right. He’s still a sneaky buy-low and I always like buying mead (seriously why is it not more popular, it tastes so good).
Wenceel Perez (OF, Detroit Tigers)
Wenceel has been as ineffective as Splash by Magikarp. But he still gets my WenSeel of Approval. Which is a terribly contrived segue into something that has irked me for ages: Why wouldn’t a Water Pokemon using Splash not at least deal some damage to a Fire Pokemon? It had no effect on the enemy’s Magmar my sweet behind. Okay, back to Perez who is much more dull than that rant, I see him as little Grisham in that he’s made skills improvements, most notably a K rate which went from a mediocre 23% to an excellent 14%, and it does seem that he did sacrifice some power to get there, as his 37% HardHit% (down just 3%) masks that his MaxEV is down by 3 mph and his AVG EV is down by 2.5 MPH… and he’s hitting at optimal angles less. But wait, I still like him, I swear.
Well, the main reason is this is Deep Leagues, and he’s playing. That matters a lot. But also, I think a guy with some speed like him playing in Detroit should take this approach, and he’s still barreling the ball at a 40th percentile rate, which would mean a high volume of barrels, plus some stolen bases (his sprint speed is actually up this year). A .230 10-10 season is fine in an AL-only, but I still think there’s more.
Honorable Mention: Drew Romo (C, Chicago White Sox) – He hasn’t done much, but hey he did steal a base, Teel is now out for longer, and Quero has been bad. Romo doesn’t have big pop but he does make contact and his high walk rate makes him very useful in OBP formats.
SELL
10-team
Ozzie Albies (2B, Atlanta Braves)
And Albies, your crying shoulders… well it does seem at least he’s not feeling the glenohumeral tendinitis anymore. My biggest regret is not being bolder and listing him as a sell (even though I wanted to) while he was still hot. Now he’s slumping, hitting just .130 with no homers or steals over the past two weeks, so it’s more obvious this hot start was mostly smoke and mirrors… but still not obvious enough. After all, his batting average of .276 is still well above average, and 8 homers is among the leaders of all 2nd baseman. But while he does always outhit his worse expected numbers (.239 xBA and .378 xSLG), what concerns me is his peripherals are basically a carbon copy for his 2025… which if you remember, was not very good. And that year he stole 14 bases, and so far this year in a whopping 214 PA, he has 0. You probably would still be unwise to drop him outright as I think you can get something good for him still, especially with the general hype surrounding the Braves boisterous offense.
Honorable Mention: Dansby Swanson (SS, Chicago Cubs) – He’s cromulent and all, and seems to end up the same at the end of every season, but the .218 xBA and .400 xSLG just make me want to stream the hot hand in 10-teams with so many interesting power/speed options, and Swanson pacing for under 15 SB.
12-team
Brayan Rocchio (SS, Cleveland Guardians)
He’s very popular right now, but I call him Pinrocchio, because he’s full of lies. And uses the extended wooden nose as his baseball bat. Of course I’m writing this as he’s 3-for-3 with 2 doubles, raising his AVG to .290, and even before this game he was hitting .341 with a homer and 5 SB (1 CS) and a 7/8 BB/K in 41 AB. In a 15-teamer, I would’ve been all over him, except that I wasn’t because I was too focused on who has was previously and then I missed my chance. But maybe this is more than sour Guardian Grapes.
So I can’t deny he’s made a huge change to his game, massively cutting his strikeout rate from a league-average 20% to an incredible 10% (97th percentile). I mean incredible as in “not credible”. In 2025, his K rate was backed by a similar 50th percentile whiff rate. In 2026, his 97th percentile K% comes with a Whiff% which is just 63%. True, that’s better than 2025 still, and he’s walking more. But I have trouble looking past the fact that his quality of contact metrics still stink and are similar but overall slightly worse than last year, with a 7th percentile Avg Exit velocity, 11th percentile barrel%, and even a poor 24th percentile LA SweetSpot%. Most of his value hinges on if he’ll continue to run, but he’ll have to keep getting on base to run this much. Given he’s been discussed as a must-add on just about every podcast I’ve listened to, zig where others zag and try to flip him for something good. I’ll admit that if he keeps stealing at this rate, he could be more of a 10-team sell, and I wouldn’t drop him, but I do think this Rocchioster of Love will have you wishing you didn’t hold for the descent of this Ohio Player.
Honorable Mention: Spencer Torkelson (1B, Detroit Tigers) – It wasn’t so long ago he had 5 homers in 5 consecutive games, and apparently he saved all of his talent for that one streak. He’s been hitting .150 with 1 HR over the past 2 weeks, and the sub-Mendoza line average just makes the juice not worth the squeeze in 12-team AVG formats.
15-team
Steven Kwan, (OF, Cleveland Guardians)
Stop looking at me, Kwan! Well, I wasn’t looking at him (I didn’t draft him once in my 13 leagues), and just realized how truly abysmal he’s been. And I figure if I just noticed, odds are some of the less vigilant managers out there may have been seeing his name and assuming “Well, we know what we get from Kwan.” Try a .202 AVG with just 1 homer and 2 stolen bases near the end of May. You can cite track record all you want, but he’s never been this bad, and in some ways very few have… his HardHit% is just 10%, for crying out loud! At this time, it’s important to remember that players who are late bloomers (well, somewhat) often have early declines, and the team has already moved him out of leadoff, so they’re not so optimistic he’ll be just fine either. I’d even have Yohendrick Pinango at this point, who at least shows intriguing skills. Don’t hold on for name value or you’ll lose a lot of Tied-to-Kwan Dough.
Honorable Mention: Jesus Rodriguez (C, San Francisco Giants) – It’s been fun in CBS leagues with 1 game eligibility to have a catcher who also qualifies at 2B and RF, but he’s simply not playing enough to make an impact right now. Sure, you could say the same about Keibert Ruiz, but I think in 15-team league 1-catcher formats, I think it’s smarter to roll with a more full-time catcher option despite the gladiator catcher carnage, even if that catcher is “boring”.
