Having been actively involved in the trade market for more than two decades, I can confidently say that the hardest thing for a fantasy baseball manager is to sell high on a player who is having a tremendous season.
[Smarter waivers, better trades, optimized lineups — Yahoo Fantasy Plus unlocks it all]
After all, the manager either drafted this player or added him via the waiver wire because they believed that the player could be successful. When they see their predictions coming to fruition, they feel validated and want to see the season through to the end. However, there are times when a player is outperforming even the optimistic predictions the manager had for him, and the right move is to trade the player away before he experiences regression.
Advertisement
This week’s article is solely comprised of hitters who are off to terrific starts in 2025 but are likely to take a step back this summer. I’m not saying they are “must-trade” players, but I believe their managers would be wise to see what they could fetch on the trade market. There could be leaguemates who are watching their season slip away and will be happy to swap slumping superstars such as Gunnar Henderson or Mookie Betts for packages that include a player who has been excellent thus far.
Sell-High Trade Candidates
Byron Buxton, OF, Minnesota Twins
Buxton has been undeniably excellent this year. Despite missing two weeks due to a concussion, the five-tool outfielder has been the 10th-most productive fantasy outfielder by hitting .273 with 12 homers, 12 steals and 42 RBI in 55 games. Still, there are reasons to be concerned that Buxton will leave fantasy managers high and dry at some point in the season, as his 102 games last season were his highest total since he played 140 games in 2017. Managers may be wise to trade the career .247 hitter for someone who is more likely to remain healthy all summer.
Jeremy Peña, SS, Houston Astros
Many managers would be surprised to know that Peña has been the third-most valuable player to this point in the season at a loaded shortstop position. The 27-year-old deserves plenty of credit for utilizing his 97th percentile sprint speed, and he could post his first 30-steal season. But the rest of his production has been impacted by a .356 BABIP and 12.5% HR/FB rate that doesn’t line up with his 88.1 mph average exit velocity. There are plenty of shortstops who have thus far been less productive than Peña but should be better the rest of the way.