This week’s dynasty baseball buys features two pitchers, one who was once considered an elite fantasy starter and the other a prospect not getting enough respect. The dynasty baseball sells consist of one of the hottest hitters in the game and a player who has previously won the NL MVP award. In case you missed it, you should check out last week’s edition of Dynasty Baseball Buys and Sells.
Dynasty Baseball Buys
Walker Buehler, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers
It wasn’t very long ago that Buehler was considered one of the top starting pitchers in fantasy baseball. He finished third in the 2018 NL Rookie of the Year vote, behind Ronald Acuña Jr. and Juan Soto. He compiled a 2.47 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and had 212 strikeouts in 207.2 innings, finishing fourth in the 2021 NL Cy Young Award vote. It was the second time in his career he had recorded over 200 strikeouts in a season.
Buehler underwent Tommy John surgery in 2022 for the second time in his career. It took him nearly two full years to return to the mound. Buehler has struggled to the tune of a 5.84 ERA and 1.51 WHIP this season. He has only struck out 31 hitters across 37 innings pitched. Although his xFIP is 4.32 and his SIERA is 4.33, indicating he has been very unlucky. His velocity has not been an issue. He has actually added 0.2 MPH onto his fastball since his amazing season in 2021. There shouldn’t be too much concern with him after nearly a two-year layoff, he will certainly need some time to knock off the rust. I think he is a good bet to rebound and therefore is a solid dynasty baseball buy.
Sean Sullivan, SP, Colorado Rockies
Sullivan was drafted in the second round of the 2023 draft by the Colorado Rockies. He has never been a highly regarded prospect. He was not ranked as a top-100 prospect by Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus or MLB.com. Sullivan is not even ranked as a top-10 prospect in the Rockies organization. I know it’s hard to have faith in a Rockies pitcher. Jon Gray was the last fantasy-relevant starting pitcher for the Colorado Rockies. However, Sullivan could put an end to the drought of disappointing starting pitchers in the Mile High City.
Sullivan was recently promoted to Double-A earlier this month. Since his promotion, he has made two starts, hasn’t allowed a run, and has a 0.67 WHIP in nine innings. He has put together a pristine 1.87 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, and 115 strikeouts in 96.1 innings in his minor league career. Even more remarkable, he has only allowed 10 walks in his career. His 11.5 strikeout-to-walk ratio is actually better than Zebby Matthews’ ratio of 10.55. Very few pitchers have put up these types of numbers in the minor leagues. I recommend him as a dynasty baseball add before it’s too late.
Dynasty Baseball Sells
Xavier Edwards, 2B/SS, Miami Marlins
Edwards has been a tremendous addition to many dynasty baseball teams down the stretch this season. He has a .358 average, one home run, 13 RBI, 24 runs, and 19 stolen bases in 175 plate appearances. He has the most stolen bases of any player over the last 30 days. The only players that have more hits than Edwards over the last 30 days are Bobby Witt Jr., Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Aaron Judge.
He is currently slashing .358/.437/.432 this season. However, his expected slash line is .270/.319/.349, suggesting he has been extremely lucky. His average is bound to come crashing back down to Earth. Also, Miami is projected to have one of the worst lineups in the league for at least the next couple of years, so his weak supporting cast definitely won’t help his fantasy stats. I would consider him a strong dynasty baseball sell.
Cody Bellinger, 1B/OF, Chicago Cubs
Bellinger has been the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of fantasy baseball throughout his career. He won the NL Rookie of the Year award by a landslide in 2017. He also won the NL MVP award in 2019, while hitting .305 with 47 home runs, 115 RBI, 121 runs, and 15 stolen bases. However, he hit .165 with 10 home runs, 36 RBI, 39 runs, and three stolen bases in 350 plate appearances in 2021. He followed up that season, hitting .210 with 19 home runs, 68 RBI, 70 runs, and 14 stolen bases in 2022.
He bounced back last year by slashing .307/.356/.525 with 26 home runs, 97 RBI, 95 runs, and 20 stolen bases. His current slash line this season stands at .276/.336/.426. His expected slash line is .235/.292/.375. Bellinger is simply a player that can’t be trusted in fantasy. He is up and down from year to year and you never know what to expect from him. Due to his extreme volatility, I would suggest him as a dynasty baseball sell.
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