We're just over two weeks into the 2015 Fantasy Baseball season and some of you might be panicking if you're team isn't exactly where it should be. If hitting has been a struggle for you thus far, just be patient. If you can't be patient, here are some prudent trade suggestions to help upgrade your team.
Earlier today, ESPN Insider Eric Karabell analyzed the struggling Milwaukee Brewers. Manager Ron Roenicke's club is off to an MLB-worst 2-11 start and has been hit with the injury bug. Two of their stars are now on the disabled list and, depending on their recoveries, could be out for a little bit.
However, this could be your time to strike gold.
Outfielder Carlos Gomez landed on the DL last week and Roenicke said on Friday the All-Star could return in two-to-three weeks, which could leave some owners impatient as they wait for him to get healthy. Gomez is batting .235/.257/.441 with three runs scored, one home run and six RBIs in his first eight games.
On top of his less-than-stellar start to the year, if Milwaukee continues to lose while he's on the DL, those who own Gomez could become worried about his production if the team keeps struggling offensively (they rank last in the MLB for runs scored, home runs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS). Additionally, this person's fantasy team may not be able to afford to have Gomez on the shelf for that long. If that's the case, here's what Karabell thinks:
"Buy now, buy quickly. This is the lone player in the majors to have reached 20 home runs, 20 stolen bases and a .280 batting average each of the past two seasons, and he's more than capable of doing this again, even with only five months of action. Invest in this top-10 overall player."
As for Jonathan Lucroy, the All-Star catcher was off to a terrible start to the season and then broke his left big toe on Tuesday night, which will sideline him for at least four-to-six weeks. His .156/.235/.200 stat line could be worrying owners at this point, which means you can take advantage of these unfortunate turn of events and potentially grab yourself one of the best hitting catchers in the league.
"Buy. Buy. Buy. Perhaps he misses more than the next four weeks with this injury, but this is a rock-solid hitter at catcher. Like injured Cleveland Indians backstop Yan Gomes, I recommend keeping Lucroy owned in standard formats," Karabell adds.
It could be a difficult acquisition considering the catcher spot isn't a deep position, but perhaps you have a surplus in a different area that could help this other hypothetical team.
So if you have Gomez or Lucroy, hold onto them. If you don't and your team is off to a slow start, try to work out a deal and get a feel for what other managers are looking for in return. These two have been consistent over the past few seasons and they'd be good to have if you can use an upgrade in the outfield or at the catcher position.
