Fantasy Baseball Buy Low and Sell High Targets: Late April 2024

His expected batting average is .266, even though his actual batting average is well below that mark. He is still crushing the ball, and his plate discipline has gotten better too – he’s walking more often this season. That is a huge development for Morel, who struck out 31.0% of the time last year.

His three home runs are underwhelming, but don’t forget the incredible streaks he went on last season. His 26 home runs in 107 games was impressive.

What’s more, Morel just picked up third base eligibility on top of his outfield presence. Go and get him because I can almost guarantee his owners are open to talking. 

Parker Meadows 

Remember just one month ago when Meadows homered four times and stole three bases while hitting .358 over 20 spring training games?

Unfortunately, springtime is in the rearview mirror at this point, but his spring performance tells us that the potential is there. Even though Meadows only has six hits in 26 games this season, he still has two homers and three stolen bases. His average needs some work, but as you know, average only counts for one category. Power and speed make up multiple areas, which can be more valuable in the long run. 

One thing about young guys trying to get a feel for the majors is that it can be hard to get into a rhythm if you are not playing every day. Not playing against lefties and hitting lower in the lineup because of his slow start might be making things difficult for Meadows.

He has done fine against lefties in the minor leagues, which gives me hope for more playing time down the road and the possibility that he will regain his leadoff spot in the order. This young Detroit Tigers team is young and hungry, so I would invest in Meadows before the true breakout happens.  

Sell High

Ryan McMahon 

The popular hitter choice to sell high is Taylor Ward. Sure, I can see the case for that considering his career high in home runs is just 23. He’s also 30 years old and playing in a mediocre lineup with a below-average back-of-the-baseball card. However, Ward’s Statcast numbers support his performance. That’s simply not the case with McMahon. 

McMahon is hitting .308, while his expected batting average hovers around .254. He is chasing more, and he is also whiffing at a staggering amount of pitches.

Furthermore, it’s not just his Statcast page that raises my eyebrow, it’s his career as a whole. I mean are we really trusting a guy who has never hit more than 24 homers in a season? In the friendly air of Coors Field? I see him as a .240 stick with a bit of power and no speed. Ship him off while you still can. 

Cristian Javier 

Pitchers finding success even though they walk the world will always be confusing to me. It was Blake Snell last year, and before Javier got hurt, he was issuing free passes at an 11.6% pace this year.

I don’t think I’ll ever be able to trust guys who don’t mind walking opposing batters. I remember having Javier rostered on my team in 2023 and every single game was so stressful to watch with absolutely no flow. He would fall behind in almost every count, which only made me grow angrier as the game went on.

Do not forget Javier’s final line in 2023: a 4.26 ERA and 1.27 WHIP. His 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings was down compared to his breakout 2022 season, in which he sat at 11.7 K/9. I don’t think he’s anywhere close to what he showed that year.

Javier is close to coming back from his injury and is expected to pitch again in early May. So far in 2024, he’s found success, but I still don’t trust the underlying numbers. His five walks in his second start of the season reminded me too much of last year, and the strikeouts just haven’t been there. Save yourself the stress of watching Javier fall behind batters and let another owner in your league worry about that. 

Tanner Bibee

A popular prediction back during draft season was that Gavin Williams would outperform his teammate on the Cleveland staff. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to see Williams due to injury, but I still support that prediction.

Bibee helped me win a dynasty championship last season, so it pains me to write this, but it’s the truth. I don’t think Bibee performs like he did in 2023, and I think the league is onto him. 

Before his dominant outing against the Braves on Saturday, Bibee owned a 4.44 ERA and 1.60 WHIP. What made him so special last year was his low walk rate and all the soft contact he induced. His strikeout rate is up this season, but so are his walk and barrel rates.

It’s also worth mentioning that he has already made two starts against the Athletics, one against the White Sox, and one against the struggling Twins. Those squads aren’t exactly setting the standard for offense in the league these days. His performance against Atlanta was promising, but is it a sign of more good things to come?

Because it’s early, you can still use his 2023 season as leverage for a high price in return, especially in dynasty leagues. I did just that in my own dynasty league and would advise the same for anyone who doesn’t have confidence in this Guardians hurler.