5 Hitters to Trade For and Trade Away in Fantasy Baseball

The title of this article is pretty self-explanatory. I'm going to give you five hitters who have scuffled out of the gate that you should try to acquire via trade, and then five over achiever's you should try to sell high.

5 YOU SHOULD TRY TO GET

1. Hanley Ramirez, SS, Florida Marlins - He probably went no later than 4th in your league this year, but so far has only delivered a .215 batting average. This is a case of a guy who is way to talented to struggle for an entire season like this. Now that Florida has him hitting 1st or 2nd everyday as opposed to 3rd, expect a steady increase in the stolen base department.

2. Carl Crawford, OF, Boston Red Sox - His spot on this list would've looked a lot smarter if he hadn't of just gone 4-4 today with a homerun. My case for Crawford is similar to Hanley's (he's too good to be this bad all year), but Crawford does have added risk. He's admittedly been pressing at the plate since his arrival in Boston, and also appears to have struggled with the unseasonably cold New England weather. I wouldn't trade Jose Bautista for him or anything, but if you can flip a starting pitcher for him, by all means take the chance.

3. Nelson Cruz, OF, Texas Rangers - As I documented during my preseason fantasy baseball mockdraft, I have a man crush on Cruz. I've traded for him each of the past two years. He has prodiguous power, but always seems to find his way onto the disabled list with a hamstring or quad injury. He just returned Monday from another of his famed DL stints, and promptly mashed a home run in his first game back. Perhaps you can play the health risk angle with a fellow owner to nab Cruz at a discount price.

4. Derek Jeter, SS, New York Yankees - This listing comes with some specific instructions, so please read carefully. At this point in his career, Jeter is not going to singlehandedly carry your fantasy team. However, if you're desperate for a shortstop, you could do worse than a guy who Joe Girardi will stubbornly plug in the 1 or 2 hole everyday. Even if Jeter finishes the year with a .255 batting average, he'll still score around 100 runs. See if you can trade a backup outfielder or a mid-level starting pitcher for him.

5. Aramis Ramirez, 3B, Chicago Cubs - Baseball is known for producing statistical oddities, but none are stranger than what Aramis Ramirez has put together so far this season. A perrenial 30-homer guy for most of the '00s, Ramirez has only hit one home run all season, despite the fact that he's hitting .295. However, he has smacked 12 doubles so far, which puts him on pace for about 40. Expect a few of those doubles to morph into home runs the rest of the way, giving Ramirez a shot to finish the year close to 20.

5 YOU SHOULD SELL HIGH BEFORE SOMEONE ELSE READS THIS COLUMN

1. Matt Joyce, OF, Tampa Bay Rays - Joyce is a nice player, but you should not expect him to maintain batting average above .360. There's plenty of depth in the outfield, so see if you can sucker some owner into sending you some help in the infield.

2. Howie Kendrick, 1B-2B, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim - I've owned Kendrick a couple of times over the past five years. I'm going to tell you one thing he'll consistently do...pull a hamstring. He's missed the past five games with a hamstring injury, but apparently will avoid a trip to the DL. If he hits well for a week after he returns, try to ship him out before he pulls his groin again.

3. Andrew McCutchen, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates - McCutchen is a talented dude, but doesn't have enough of a supporting cast (besides No Credentials favorite Neil Walker) to deliver his full potential value. I don't think I would move him in a keeper league, but if you are in a re-draft group, see what you can get for him.

4. David Ortiz, 1B, Boston Red Sox - I think Ortiz actually is legitimate this year (a better supporting cast has helped him more than anyone else on the Red Sox), but for those of you in a league that is heavy with Red Sox fans, test the waters to find out what you can get back. You probably didn't draft him as your starting first baseman, so you should have the flexibility to move him.

5. Starlin Castro, SS, Chicago Cubs - This again applies to re-draft fantasy teams. Castro so far has delivered an elite batting average, but not much else to go with it (just one homer and only four stolen bases so far). Unless the rest of your squad is full of Adam Dunns, try to parlay his elite batting average into better counting stats.