We are just about a month into the season, which makes late April a great time to go big-game hunting on the trade market. And this is a terrific year to do so, as there are several players who were top 20 picks in March but rank outside the top 150 assets to this point in the season.
As part of my role, I’m constantly sorting data on the Yahoo site. This site can compete with any other in terms of sorting ability, as managers can always sort by time periods such as the past seven days, past 14 days and past 30 days. Most managers would be surprised as to how often I sort data over short time periods during the middle of the campaign and find the best players buried down the list.
The problem during April is that the short time periods are all we have. But this game is a marathon, not a sprint, and the most talented players almost always rise to the top at some point.
Here are some elite players who are strong buy-low candidates on the trade market. My recommendation is to offer at least two good players for them, which will lead to not only acquiring an elite talent but also freeing up valuable roster space that can be used on the fruitful Yahoo waiver wire.
Many fantasy managers will be reluctant to make such a trade, which is fine. You don’t need to acquire all of them. Getting one is a good start.
Garrett Crochet, SP, Red Sox
A pitcher who went in the first round of many drafts and owns a 7.88 ERA? Yes, that’s the ultimate buy-low option. The easy answer is that his April 13 start (1.2 IP, 10 ER) ruined his stat line, but there’s more to it, as his starts on April 1 and 19 were uncharacteristically poor.
The devil is in the details for Crochet — his velocity is fine, but small changes in his strikeout rate, walk rate and average exit velocity have combined to knock him down several pegs. Still, he has struck out at least seven batters in four of five starts. The recent deals that can be viewed on the Yahoo Trade Market show that his buy-low window is wide open.
Julio Rodríguez, OF, Mariners
A couple weeks ago, I detailed the career path of Rodríguez, which includes several slow starts and furious finishes. In my opinion, he’s the perfect buy-low target right now. His season-long numbers are still terrible (1 HR, 2 SB, .237 BA). But a closer look shows that Rodríguez is starting to come around, having hit .359 with a .969 OPS in his past 11 games. He has recently been swapped for mediocre returns in plenty of Yahoo leagues.
Ronald Acuña Jr., OF, Braves
Going into the season, the popular expectation was that Acuña would either be awesome or injured. After all, the 28-year-old entered 2026 with a career .908 OPS but had played in more than 120 games just once in the previous five seasons. So far, Acuña is off to a slow start, while being picked up by his teammates in an Atlanta offense that ranks second in runs scored.
Acuña is walking plenty (12.0%) and limiting his whiffs (19.4%). A diminished 87.8 mph average exit velocity is the culprit of his struggles. I would happily acquire Acuña on the expectation that he will soon return to crushing the baseball.
Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Royals
Witt has done some good things by reaching base at a .371 clip and swiping eight bags. Unfortunately, he has yet to go deep, and a slumping Royals offense that ranks 27th in runs scored has caused him to cross home plate just four times. Witt continues to crush the baseball (92.5 mph average exit velocity, 11.1% barrel rate) and is hitting plenty of fly balls (38.9%). He will soon start ripping round-trippers, at which time he will return to being a top-three asset.
Fernando Tatís Jr., OF, Padres
Tatís is in a similar situation to Witt. He is reaching base often (.347 OBP), running aggressively (6 SB) but not scoring many runs (9). He has also been unlucky with the long ball, as a 93.7 mph average exit velocity has resulted in zero homers. Tatís lacks Witt’s sky-high ceiling but is still an excellent buy-low option.
Elite players to leave where they are
Jazz Chisholm Jr., 2B/3B, Yankees
Chisholm is off to a dismal start and lacks the consistent track record of those listed above him in this article. I’m much less confident that he will soon bounce back.
Juan Soto, OF, Mets
Managers who drafted Soto have been patiently waiting for him to return from the IL, which should happen Wednesday. They are unlikely to trade him right now, but he’s someone to target in a couple weeks if he and the Mets are in a collective slump.
Cal Raleigh, C, Mariners
Raleigh starting to come out of a deep funk (.599 OPS) and there are plenty of options in one-catcher leagues. Managers can instead trade for someone like Ben Rice or Shea Langeliers, or they can grab someone like Dillon Dingler or Carter Jensen off the waiver wire if still available.
