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Fantasy Baseball Trade Analyzer: It's time to trade these big-name players away

This week’s edition of the Trade Analyzer is entirely focused on players whom fantasy managers should trade away. Some of the players listed below are playing poorly and are showing strong indicators that they will not turn things around. Managers are being hurt simply by having these players in their lineup, and trading them away is the best plan of action.

There are also some players listed below who have overachieved thus far, making them sell-high candidates.

Sell Low

Kyle Tucker, OF, Dodgers: The narrative on Tucker’s disappointing 2025 season was that hand and calf injuries caused a disappointing second half in which he posted a .738 OPS. The Dodgers certainly bought into that story when they handed him a massive free-agent contract. But after 2.5 months of the current campaign, it’s fair to wonder if Tucker’s issues run deeper.

Despite being propped up by baseball’s best lineup, the 30-year-old is hitting just .236 with five homers and 30 RBI. His quality of contact is down, especially his 5.6% barrel rate. And his expected stats mostly line up with his actual marks. After seeing Tucker play poorly for almost an entire year, it’s time to allow him to do so on someone else’s roster.

Geraldo Perdomo, SS, Diamondbacks: At this point, it’s fair to wonder if Perdomo was a one-year wonder from a fantasy perspective. The shortstop is an effective defender with terrific plate discipline, which makes him valuable to the D-backs. But the 26-year-old doesn’t hit the ball hard and hasn’t made any progress in that area as he reaches his prime. His .263 xBA is a good indicator that he may make modest improvements on his .237 average. However, the rest of his numbers are underwhelming, and Perdomo should be viewed as a 20-steal player who lacks power potential.

He has been the 31st-most productive fantasy shortstop, and the depth at the position makes it hard to see him returning to the top 20.

Luke Keaschall, 2B, Twins: I was excited about Keaschall during draft season but am willing to admit that his poor quality of contact has made him a bust. His 84.1 mph average exit velocity and 2.7% barrel rate are among the lowest marks of any full-time player, and until they improve, he will produce meager numbers in every category except steals. Keaschall remains rostered in 62% of Yahoo leagues and can be dealt for any player who has the potential to remain on a fantasy roster for the foreseeable future.

Framber Valdez, SP, Tigers: Although their positions and overall value are different, Valdez has some similarities to Tucker. Fantasy managers mostly gave Valdez a pass during draft season for a poor finish to 2025. But the main reason he logged a second-half ERA of 5.20 was a notable drop in his strikeout rate from 25.5% to 19.9%.

And those problems have persisted into this year, as his 18.6% strikeout rate is a career-worst mark. Additionally, there is a new problem with Valdez, who is no longer inducing grounders at an elite rate. He’s more of an innings eater than impact player, and fortunately, fantasy managers can undo their mistake much easier than the Tigers.

Sell High

Liam Hicks, C/1B, Marlins: Hicks is a great story, as a 27-year-old late bloomer who has gone from a mixed-league afterthought to the sixth-ranked fantasy catcher to this point in the season. Unfortunately, once we get past terrific plate discipline, there isn’t much in his skill set. Hicks doesn’t hit the ball hard (86.0 mph average velocity) and has been fortunate to go deep 12 times.

The gap between his .461 SLG and .374 xSLG shows his downside as a power hitter and is a good reason for fantasy managers to explore his trade market. After all, Hicks could fetch a significant return at a different position, and there are some solid catchers on the waiver wire in standard Yahoo formats.

Ozzie Albies, 2B, Braves: Albies has some similarities to Hicks. He deserves credit for his ability to limit strikeouts (12.5%), which helps him to post a respectable batting average. But he isn’t hitting the ball hard enough (87.0 mph average exit velocity) to maintain his current power production, which includes 10 homers and 36 RBI. Albies’ strong start at the plate has also masked the fact that he has swiped just one base, and past expectations for a double-digit steals total were part of his appeal. He’s still someone to start but isn’t the impact player that he appears to be.

José Soriano, SP, Angels: Last week, I mentioned the regression that was happening with Soriano. And since that time, his struggles have continued. Over eight starts since April 28, the right-hander has posted a 5.28 ERA and 1.60 WHIP. His control over the strike zone has regressed over that stretch, which is indicated by a 44:27 K:BB ratio. Soriano still has respectable season-long ratios (2.96 ERA, 1.24 WHIP) but is no longer an impactful starter.

Connelly Early, SP, Red Sox: Managers with Early on their roster can refer back to the paragraph that I wrote about him in yesterday’s deep dive on American League rookies. The youngster has been fortunate thus far, and the combination of his stellar ratios and prospect status should make him overvalued on the trade market.

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