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2013 Fantasy Baseball, Week 4 Tools of the Trade: Selling-Low On Giancarlo Stanton?

TheFantasyFix.com’s “Tools of the Trade” is a unique guide for owners to use while attempting to make an even trade with their league-mates in a standard 12-team mixed, 5×5 head-to-head or rotisserie redraft league.

The values present in this guide are simply the basis for a trade. A full-blown analysis of each team’s strengths and weaknesses are essential prior to proposing or accepting a trade offer.

How to use the guide: Ideally, owners will agree to a trade that will aid both sides and stay within $2-3 of each other in a one-for-one and $4-5 in a multi-player deal, according to our chart.

The Week 1 “Tools of the Trade” was free for all readers, and so is this weeks! But going forward, the “Tools of the Trade” will only be available to Front Office members. Learn the benefits of being a Front Office member here.

Without further ado, here is week 4’s trade value chart:

Player Value Player Value Player Value
Miguel Cabrera – Det 3B $41 R.A. Dickey – Tor P $12 Trevor Cahill – Ari P $5
Ryan Braun – Mil OF $40 Todd Frazier – Cin 3B $12 Kyle Lohse – Mil P $5
Justin Upton – Atl OF $39 David Freese – StL 3B $12 Shelby Miller – StL P $5
Mike Trout – LAA OF $38 Curtis Granderson – NYY OF $12 Edward Mujica – StL P $5
Prince Fielder – Det 1B $37 Mark Reynolds – Cle 1B $12 Huston Street – SD P $5
Joey Votto – Cin 1B $37 Dan Uggla – Atl 2B $12 Kevin Youkilis – NYY 3B $5
Robinson Cano – NYY 2B $36 Mark Trumbo – LAA OF $11 Michael Cuddyer – Col OF $4
Andrew McCutchen – Pit OF $35 Daniel Murphy – NYM 2B $11 Kyle Seager – Sea 3B $4
Carlos Gonzalez – Col OF $35 Victor Martinez – Det C $11 Josh Johnson – Tor P $4
Bryce Harper – Was OF $34 Norichika Aoki – Mil OF $11 C.J. Wilson – LAA P $4
Albert Pujols – LAA 1B $34 Yovani Gallardo – Mil P $11 Jonathan Lucroy – Mil C $4
Clayton Kershaw – LAD P $33 Adam LaRoche – Was 1B $11 J.J. Hardy – Bal SS $4
Justin Verlander – Det P $33 Salvador Perez – KC C $11 Kendry Morales – Sea 1B $4
Adam Jones – Bal OF $33 Carlos Gomez – Mil OF $11 Brett Gardner – NYY OF $4
Matt Kemp – LAD OF $33 Ike Davis – NYM 1B $11 Carlos Quentin – SD OF $4
Jose Bautista – Tor OF $32 Doug Fister – Det P $11 Dan Haren – Was P $4
Felix Hernandez – Sea P $30 Mariano Rivera – NYY P $11 Tim Lincecum – SF P $4
Troy Tulowitzki – Col SS $30 Shane Victorino – Bos OF $11 J.J. Putz – Ari P $4
David Wright – NYM 3B $28 Nelson Cruz – Tex OF $11 Kyuji Fujikawa – ChC P $4
Stephen Strasburg – Was P $28 Paul Maholm – Atl P $11 Matt Garza – ChC P $4
Adrian Beltre – Tex 3B $28 Josh Willingham – Min OF $11 Alexi Ogando – Tex P $4
Evan Longoria – TB 3B $27 Jeremy Hellickson – TB P $11 Ichiro Suzuki – NYY OF $4
Jay Bruce – Cin OF $27 Hunter Pence – SF OF $11 Jason Hammel – Bal P $4
Jason Heyward – Atl OF $27 Joe Nathan – Tex P $9 Lorenzo Cain – KC OF $4
Giancarlo Stanton – Mia OF $26 John Buck – NYM C $9 Andrew Bailey – Bos P $4
Cliff Lee – Phi P $23 Mike Minor – Atl P $9 Josh Beckett – LAD P $4
Starlin Castro – ChC SS $23 Aramis Ramirez – Mil 3B $9 Wellington Castillo – ChC C $4
Paul Goldschmidt – Ari 1B $23 Mike Morse – Sea OF $9 Tom Milone – Oak P $4
Joe Mauer – Min C $22 Hisashi Iwakuma – Sea P $9 Brian McCann – Atl C $3
Ian Kinsler – Tex 2B $22 Brandon Morrow – Tor P $9 Yonder Alonso – SD 1B $3
Josh Hamilton – LAA OF $22 Jered Weaver – LAA P $9 Jason Kubel – Ari OF $3
Matt Holliday – StL OF $22 Rafael Soriano – Was P $9 Erick Aybar – LAA SS $3
Yoennis Cespedes – Oak OF $22 Fernando Rodney – TB P $9 Michael Young – Phi 3B $3
Cole Hamels – Phi P $22 A.J. Burnett – Pit P $9 Jose Valverde – Det P $3
David Price – TB P $21 Addison Reed – CWS P $9 Chris Carter – Hou OF $3
Yu Darvish – Tex P $21 Clay Buchholz – Bos P $9 Dillon Gee – NYM P $3
Jacoby Ellsbury – Bos OF $21 Jonathon Niese – NYM P $8 Ernesto Frieri – LAA P $3
Adrian Gonzalez – LAD 1B $21 Marco Estrada – Mil P $8 Justin Maxwell – Hou OF $3
Buster Posey – SF C $21 Coco Crisp – Oak OF $8 Drew Stubbs – Cle OF $3
Dustin Pedroia – Bos 2B $21 Matt Carpenter – StL 3B $8 Garrett Jones – Pit 1B $3
Adam Wainwright – StL P $21 Jed Lowrie – Oak SS $8 Grant Balfour – Oak P $3
Austin Jackson – Det OF $21 Jose Reyes – Tor SS $8 Jedd Gyorko – SD 2B $3
Pablo Sandoval – SF 3B $20 Carl Crawford – LAD OF $8 Brandon McCarthy – Ari P $3
Chase Headley – SD 3B $20 Andre Ethier – LAD OF $8 Alfonso Soriano – ChC OF $2
Matt Cain – SF P $20 Hiroki Kuroda – NYY P $8 Steve Cishek – Mia P $2
Chris Sale – CWS P $20 Brett Anderson – Oak P $8 Josh Donaldson – Oak 3B $2
Jordan Zimmermann – Was P $20 Nick Markakis – Bal OF $8 Wil Myers – TB OF $2
Jeff Samardzija – ChC P $20 Alejandro De Aza – CWS OF $8 Cameron Maybin – SD OF $2
Madison Bumgarner – SF P $20 Jayson Werth – Was OF $8 Michael Saunders – Sea OF $2
CC Sabathia – NYY P $20 Melky Cabrera – Tor OF $8 Dayan Viciedo – CWS OF $2
Freddie Freeman – Atl 1B $19 David Ortiz – Bos DH $8 Ryan Roberts – TB 3B $2
Chase Utley – Phi 2B $19 Ryan Howard – Phi 1B $8 Domonic Brown – Phi OF $2
Ryan Zimmerman – Was 3B $18 Jason Grilli – Pit P $7 Edwin Jackson – ChC P $2
Allen Craig – StL 1B $18 Will Middlebrooks – Bos 3B $7 A.J. Griffin – Oak P $2
Max Scherzer – Det P $18 Tim Hudson – Atl P $7 Juan Pierre – Mia OF $2
Craig Kimbrel – Atl P $18 Jim Johnson – Bal P $7 Joel Hanrahan – Bos P $2
Brandon Phillips – Cin 2B $18 Tom Wilhelmsen – Sea P $7 Bobby Parnell – NYM P $2
Edwin Encarnacion – Tor 1B $18 Josh Reddick – Oak OF $7 Jon Jay – StL OF $2
Ben Zobrist – TB 2B $18 Torii Hunter – Det OF $7 Ryan Dempster – Bos P $2
Matt Harvey – NYM P $16 J.P. Arencibia – Tor C $7 Homer Bailey – Cin P $2
Gio Gonzalez – Was P $16 Matt Wieters – Bal C $7 Derek Holland – Tex P $2
Shin-Soo Choo – Cin OF $16 Neil Walker – Pit 2B $7 Hyun-Jin Ryu – LAD P $2
Aroldis Chapman – Cin P $16 Rafael Betancourt – Col P $7 Julio Teheran – Atl P $2
Alex Rios – CWS OF $15 Angel Pagan – SF OF $7 Carlos Ruiz – Phi C $2
Brett Lawrie – Tor 3B $15 Mike Moustakas – KC 3B $7 Justin Ruggiano – Mia OF $2
Billy Butler – KC 1B $15 Justin Morneau – Min 1B $7 Alexei Ramirez – CWS SS $2
Martin Prado – Ari 3B $15 Josh Rutledge – Col 2B $6 Evan Gattis – Atl C $2
Jason Kipnis – Cle 2B $15 Nick Swisher – Cle OF $6 Denard Span – Was OF $1
Alex Gordon – KC OF $15 Alexander Cobb – TB P $6 Chris Johnson – Atl 3B $1
Matthew Moore – TB P $15 Greg Holland – KC P $6 Jhonny Peralta – Det SS $1
Eric Hosmer – KC 1B $15 Adam Dunn – CWS 1B $6 Phil Hughes – NYY P $1
Paul Konerko – CWS 1B $15 Jean Segura – Mil SS $6 Trevor Rosenthal – StL P $1
Ian Desmond – Was SS $15 Lance Berkman – Tex 1B $6 Jesus Montero – Sea C $1
Elvis Andrus – Tex SS $14 Miguel Montero – Ari C $6 Ross Detwiler – Was P $1
Anibal Sanchez – Det P $14 Brandon League – LAD P $6 Corey Hart – Mil 1B $1
Kris Medlen – Atl P $14 Danny Espinosa – Was 2B $6 Zach Cozart – Cin SS $1
Carlos Santana – Cle C $14 Chris Perez – Cle P $6 Edinson Volquez – SD P $1
Jimmy Rollins – Phi SS $14 Adam Eaton – Ari OF $6 Brandon Moss – Oak 1B $1
Alcides Escobar – KC SS $14 Jim Henderson – Mil P $6 Stephen Drew – Bos SS $1
Asdrubal Cabrera – Cle SS $14 Mark Teixeira – NYY 1B $6 Manny Machado – Bal 3B $1
Carlos Beltran – StL OF $14 Starling Marte – Pit OF $6 Colby Rasmus – Tor OF $1
Chris Davis – Bal 1B $14 Ben Revere – Phi OF $6 Wei-Yin Chen – Bal P $1
Wilin Rosario – Col C $14 Lance Lynn – StL P $6 James McDonald – Pit P $1
Zack Greinke – LAD P $13 Casey Janssen – Tor P $6 Jason Vargas – LAA P $1
Johnny Cueto – Cin P $13 Jarrod Parker – Oak P $6 Ryan Ludwick – Cin OF $1
Jon Lester – Bos P $13 Ian Kennedy – Ari P $6 Emilio Bonifacio – Tor OF $1
B.J. Upton – Atl OF $13 Everth Cabrera – SD SS $6 Yuniesky Betancourt – Mil 2B $1
Yadier Molina – StL C $13 Ryan Vogelsong – SF P $6 Jose Veras – Hou P $1
Desmond Jennings – TB OF $13 David Murphy – Tex OF $6 Kelvin Herrera – KC P $1
Sergio Romo – SF P $13 Rickie Weeks – Mil 2B $5 Wade Miley – Ari P $1
Jonathan Papelbon – Phi P $13 Glen Perkins – Min P $5 Bruce Rondon – Det P $1
Michael Bourn – Cle OF $13 Aaron Hill – Ari 2B $5 Peter Bourjos – LAA OF $1
Hanley Ramirez – LAD SS $12 A.J. Pierzynski – Tex C $5 Andrew Cashner – SD P $1
Jose Altuve – Hou 2B $12 Jaime Garcia – StL P $5 John Axford – Mil P $1
James Shields – KC P $12 Pedro Alvarez – Pit 3B $5 Trevor Plouffe – Min 3B $1
Dexter Fowler – Col OF $12 Andrelton Simmons – Atl SS $5 Joaquin Benoit – Det P $1
Anthony Rizzo – ChC 1B $12 Justin Masterson – Cle P $5 Derek Jeter – NYY SS $1
Mat Latos – Cin P $12 Howie Kendrick – LAA 2B $5 Jurickson Profar – Tex SS $1
Jake Peavy – CWS P $12 Jose Fernandez – Mia P $5 Aaron Hicks – Min OF $1
Mike Napoli – Bos C $12 Roy Halladay – Phi P $5 Dustin Ackley – Sea 2B $1

I was listening to Buster Olney’s podcast last week when he interviewed Dayton Moore, the General Manager of the Kansas City Royals, and I found that the fantasy baseball community could benefit from some of the comments Moore made. The public slammed Moore this offseason for trading one of baseball’s top prospects, Wil Myers, to the Tampa Bay Rays for a package surrounding James Shields and Wade Davis. But Moore was 100% confident that his organization not only won this deal, but put themselves in a position to win now, without compromising their future.

Here are a few of the ideas/steps Moore indicated he took while struggling to deal Myers, with my added twist for fantasy purposes:

“Rank your players by position and category strengths. Remove players potentially in a deal, then reevaluate with potential addition of new players. If the deal still makes sense, do it. If you have enough talent to make a deal, then you’ve already done something right, and you should be happy about this. But if you focus solely on what you’re giving up, it will paralyze you in a way that you won’t make a deal. Focus on what you’re getting and how they will help your team.” -Dayton Moore

Trading isn’t easy. It’s fun, but not easy. Remember that you don’t have to “win” the trade in order to pull the trigger. If you’re improving your team, then you should pull the trigger.

Each-and-every week fantasy baseball owners send us their trade proposals and/or offers via our “Quick Fix” and Twitter to determine if the offer is fair and whether or not the trade should be proposed or accepted.

The theme of the week? Giancarlo Stanton.

Predictably, fantasy baseball owners make knee-jerk reactions early in the season due to their impatience — and more times than not, those owners sell-low too soon and miss out on said players’ production that they initially anticipated.

Stanton was one of the most hyped players heading into the twenty-thirteen season as evidenced by his average draft positions of 14. So naturally, fantasy owners expect every player to come out of the gate like Justin Upton has this year.

Despite the Marlins trading most of their team to the Blue Jays in the offseason, no one anticipated a .200/.333/.255 start for Stanton with zero homers. This could be any combination of a “slow start,” a lingering shoulder injury and/or pitchers giving him fewer pitches in the zone — just 36.2% (Zone%) of the pitches Stanton has seen thus far were in the strike zone.

But is it really a reason to sell the “star” for 75-to-80 cents on the dollar just three weeks into the season? Eh, Not yet.

Let’s take a look at some of the deals made for this underperforming star:

Trading an arm for a bat is difficult to analyze — especially without seeing the rest of the team. But in situations like this, hitters tend to provide more return on their value than the pitchers. A $26 Giancarlo Stanton for a $20 Jordan Zimmermann could make sense in some situations, but as much as I love JZimm, I think the team receiving Stanton got the edge here — for now.

Again, an arm for a bat. But in this case it’s a closer. Really? I know Kimbrel has been lights-out over the past few years, but haven’t you heard about the “don’t pay for saves” movement? The position is just too volatile. The owner receiving Stanton could be seen wearing a ski-mask on this one — even if he were to flop.

Really? The guy from the previous trade handed off his ski-mask to this owner. The Braves will struggle to fins a spot in the lineup for Gattis once Brian McCann returns and some expect for Brandon League to lose his job as closer at some point this season. Seems like a steal to me.

Have a question about our Week 4 Tools of the Trade? Leave it in the comments below.

The concept for the this trade value chart has been adapted from Dave Richard’s fantasy football work at CBS.

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4 Comments

  1. Jose
    April 26, 2013 at 6:52 am

    Got offered Giancarlo for my Dickey. The rest of my staff is Yu, Samardzija, Homer B., Iwakuma, and S.Miller. Do I trust Giancarlo will turn it around more than Dickey? $26 dollars vs. $12 seems like a good idea.

    • April 26, 2013 at 4:17 pm

      I agree. Despite the rough start for Stanton, I think you make this deal. Scoop another hurler from the wire or move a lesser bat for a #4/#5 starter.

  2. Justin
    April 26, 2013 at 3:58 pm

    Bautista and J. Zimmerman for Matt Harvey.

    • April 26, 2013 at 4:17 pm

      First side by a landslide.