This week’s dynasty buys feature a player who might already be one of the top dynasty third basemen in the game, but isn’t being treated like one. And also, a starting pitcher putting up SP1 numbers, but who is more likely viewed as a SP3/4. The dynasty sells consist of a future Hall-of-Famer and a well-regarded pitching prospect. In case you missed it, you should also check out last week’s edition of Dynasty Baseball Buys and Sells.
Dynasty Baseball Buys
Nick Pivetta, SP, Boston Redsox
It’s a perfect time to buy low on Pivetta after he landed on the injured list with a mild elbow strain. Elbow injuries nowadays are enough to send most fantasy managers into panic mode. Fortunately for Pivetta, it looks like he will return sometime in May if he doesn’t experience any setbacks. I will explain why I think Pivetta is a strong dynasty buy in fantasy leagues.
When you think of the top fantasy pitchers in the game, you probably don’t think of Nick Pivetta, but he certainly has looked like one recently. Since the All-Star break last season, Pivetta has a 2.98 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 115 strikeouts in 84.2 innings. You would probably be happy with those results from a healthy Spencer Strider. Last year, Pivetta had career bests in K/9, ERA, WHIP, K%, K-BB% and opponents batting average. Pivetta has been showing SP1 potential for nearly his last 85 innings. I would buy Pivetta based on the elite numbers he’s been putting up for nearly half a season.
Isaac Paredes, 3B, Tampa Bay Rays
I think Paredes has been severely undervalued in dynasty leagues for quite some time. Austin Riley, Rafael Devers, Jose Ramirez, and Manny Machado are a few of the names that come to mind when you think of the best third basemen in the league. It may come as a shock, but Paredes has more RBI (114) than all of them since the start of last season. He even has more homers than all of them except Austin Riley, who only has two more long balls (in 155 more at-bats). Making things even sweeter is the fact that Paredes is the youngest player in that group. Also, he has by far the least at-bats out of these players since the start of last year, showing how dangerous he could be if he gets more at-bats this season.
In my opinion, if you own Manny Machado in a dynasty, I would immediately try to see if you could acquire Paredes plus another solid piece for him. Paredes is over six years younger than Machado and should at the very least match his fantasy numbers, if not outperform him. Most people think Machado is worth more than Paredes in a dynasty, but that case is getting harder to prove by the day. He is a strong dynasty buy as he is emerging as one of the top dynasty third basemen in the game.
Dynasty Sells
Nolan Arenado, 3B, St. Louis Cardinals
Arenado is one of the greatest third basemen of all time. He has recorded at least 30 homers and 100 RBI in seven seasons. He’s coming off a season where he narrowly missed those numbers with 26 homers and 93 RBI. The last time Arenado had less than 25 homers and 90 RBI in a season (besides the shortened 2020 season) was all the way back in 2014.
Arenado’s fantasy game has taken a turn for the worse since the second half of last season. His power took a massive downturn. It’s hard to believe, but Arenado has only hit one homer in his last 196 at-bats dating back to last season. Also, during that span, he only has 20 RBI. It’s very concerning to see his numbers drop off last season and the trend continuing this year. I consider Arenado a dynasty sell before his fantasy value drops off even further.
Carson Whisenhunt, SP, San Francisco Giants
Whisenhunt is probably owned in many deep dynasty leagues. He is ranked 68th on the top 100 prospects by Baseball Prospectus. He is the second-ranked prospect in the San Francisco Giants system. Entering this season, he had a 2.17 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and 97 strikeouts in 66.1 innings in his minor league career. However, I think it’s time to sell or drop him in dynasty leagues.
Last season, Whisenhunt was diagnosed with an elbow sprain, which is a partial tear of the UCL. In most cases, this eventually leads to Tommy John surgery in the not-too-distant future. Whisenhunt has made five starts this season and has looked like a completely different pitcher from last season. He currently has an 8.79 ERA and 2.09 WHIP. He has allowed 19 hits and 11 walks in just 14.1 innings. Something is obviously not right with Whisenhunt and I fear his elbow is in some serious trouble. He is a strong dynasty sell or drop at this point.
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