This week’s edition of Dynasty Baseball Buys consists of two pitchers. The first is a former top prospect with high potential, who has hit a rough patch, and the other is a grizzled veteran who is being overlooked. The dynasty baseball sells features a red-hot rookie destined to cool off and an aging fantasy star who can still provide solid value to contending teams. In case you missed it, you should check out last week’s edition of Dynasty Baseball Buys and Sells.
Dynasty Baseball Buys
Gavin Williams, SP, Cleveland Guardians
Williams missed the first half of the season while dealing with an elbow injury. He has made four starts since his return and the results have not been very promising. He has a 4.5o ERA, 1.56 WHIP, and 7.0 K/9. This has some dynasty managers a little nervous after returning from a serious elbow injury. Although it has been an ominous start to the season, it creates an interesting buy-low opportunity for Williams.
Williams has actually added nearly one MPH of velocity on his fastball since last year, which should alleviate any concerns about his elbow still being an issue. He certainly has the potential to be a fantasy ace. He was one of the top pitching prospects after dominating the minors to the tune of a 2.34 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and 11.9 K/9 in 192.1 career innings. Williams also put up a respectable 3.29 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and 8.9 K/9 in his rookie season. He should eventually turn things around and have a chance to become one of the top pitchers in the game in the near future. There might not be much longer to buy low on Williams, I would recommend him as a dynasty baseball buy.
Yusei Kikuchi, SP, Toronto Blue Jays
Kikuchi hasn’t turned many heads this fantasy season with a 4.54 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. Combine that with being 33 years old and he doesn’t seem like the most attractive dynasty asset. However, there are several reasons to add or trade for him at this point in the season.
K-BB% is one of the best indicators of being a top fantasy pitcher. The top 6 pitchers in K-BB% with at least 70 innings pitched this season are Garrett Crochet, Paul Skenes, Jack Flaherty, Chris Sale, Tyler Glasnow, and Tarik Skubal. Kikuchi ranks inside the top 20 of that list. He has a higher K-BB% than Logan Gilbert, Corbin Burnes, Zack Wheeler, Grayson Rodriguez, Aaron Nola, and Zac Gallen just to name a few. Only two pitchers in the top 20 of K-BB% (with at least 70 IP) have an ERA over 3.90, Kikuchi and Pablo Lopez.
Kikuchi is throwing the hardest velocity of his career. He has averaged 95.6 MPH on his fastball this season. Kikuchi has also been quite unlucky as his xERA is 3.99, his xFIP is 3.34 and his SIERA is 3.39. These are all positive signs for him to turn things around in the second half and in future years to come. I would strongly consider him a dynasty baseball buy. His price shouldn’t be very expensive given his performance and age.
Dynasty Baseball Sells
Lawrence Butler, OF, Oakland Athletics
Butler has been one of the hottest hitters in the game recently. He is hitting .386 with eight home runs, 25 RBI, 16 runs, three stolen bases and a 1.272 OPS over the last month. Butler has a .500 average over his last 10 games. There have only been two players with more home runs than Butler over the last month. It’s been quite an amazing run for the rookie. However it poses the question, is Butler for real?
There are some troubling signs in Butler’s minor league career that make him a dynasty baseball sell. First of all, he struck out at a 29.3% clip in the minors, so he could be prone to a high strikeout percentage in the majors. Also, he was a .257 career hitter in the minors. His hit tool is not one of his best qualities. Butler may have 20 HR and 20 SB potential, but due to his high strikeouts and questionable hit tool, his average could likely be a drag. Due to Butler being scoring hot and still just 24 years old, he may be able to attract a stellar dynasty piece in return. I’d test the waters to see what you might be able to get for him.
George Springer, OF, Toronto Blue Jays
Springer was hitting .209 with four home runs and 12 RBI at the end of May. It appeared that Springer was in the midst of a decline and getting towards the end of his career. However, he has turned things around in a big way. He has hit .337 with eight home runs, 25 RBI, 16 runs, one stolen base, and a 1.103 OPS over the last month. The only players during that span who have a higher OPS with at least 85 at-bats are Bobby Witt Jr., Rafael Devers, and Juan Soto.
Springer turns 35 in September, so there might not be a better time to deem him a dynasty baseball sell. After his rough start, his ownership dropped substantially as many dynasty managers realized they couldn’t get anything of value in a trade for the former All-Star. Although his dynasty value has taken back off and may never be higher than it is right now. Springer may be of interest to some contending teams that need help in the outfield.
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