2024 Fantasy Baseball Trade Deadline Targets
By: Gavin Babbitt
With August looming, fantasy baseball trade deadlines are upon us. The decision facing fantasy managers at the deadline is to buy players and make a playoff push or sell them to prepare for 2025. Below are four players to target for managers looking to win now based on their performances this season and their upside heading to the Fall.
Lawrence Butler- OF - OAK
Lawrence Butler is 69th among outfielders in fantasy scoring in 2024—nothing to write home about. But in July, Butler is third overall in OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) in MLB due to a monstrous SLG (slugging percentage) of .829. This month he has 9 home runs along with 21 runs scored, 26 RBIs and four stolen bases (SBs). “On fire” would be an understatement.
At 24 years old, Butler’s BA (batting average), OBP (on-base percentage) and SLG are all up from his 42-game stint in the big leagues last year. He is also trailing his expected statistics (more info here) in BA and SLG. Butler’s production may continue to ascend with a SLG of .481 on the season and a xSLG of .496.
If Butler’s stretch run is more similar to his July than his first half, his fantasy managers may have an ace in the hole with his combination of speed and power. He is currently rostered in only 40.0% of ESPN fantasy baseball leagues. Butler is worth pursuing in a deal including outfielders like Brendan Donovan and Jesse Winker.
Nick Pivetta- SP- BOS
Nick Pivetta is having one of his best seasons in his eighth campaign in the bigs. The difference between his K%(strikeout percentage) and BB% (walk percentage) is 24.1%, up significantly from his career mark in the category of 17.2%. In 2024, Pivetta carries an ERA of 4.47 with an xERA of 3.52. Statistics are only one component of each player’s story, but with nearly a full run difference in these categories, Pivetta’s best days of the season could be in front of him.
Along with an ERA that could be dropping by the start, Pivetta is racking up punchouts in July. His 13.66 strikeouts per nine innings this month lead all qualified pitchers in MLB. If these trends continue, he could be undervalued as a starter in fantasy lineups as managers look to the postseason.
Pivetta should be targeted by managers reliant on spot starts for starting pitching and who lead their fantasy leagues in offensive categories.
Cal Raleigh- C - SEA
In 2024, Cal Raleigh leads all qualified catchers in wins above replacement (WAR, details here). He also leads the position in HRs and SBs, and is second in RBIs. Raleigh is simply one of the most productive fantasy catchers out there.
In the past month, we have seen Raleigh post an OPS of .955 with nine HRs over 97 plate appearances (PAs). He looks to be heating up alongside the Seattle weather. The downside with Raleigh has always been low BA and low OBP. In July, though, his K% is down nearly five percentage points from his season average and his OBP is .351- up from .303 on the year. If Raleigh’s efficiency increases whatsoever down the stretch, he is likely to be the most valuable fantasy catcher available.
For managers who have done well in categories like BA and OBP this season, Raleigh is worth pursuing in exchange for all-around threats like Bryan Reynolds and George Springer. Cal is a separator out of the catcher slot and could be the difference between advancing in the fantasy playoffs or going home.
Oneil Cruz- SS- PIT
Oneil Cruz has matched his career highs in HRs and RBIs after playing only 95 games this season. 2022 was his only other season with a considerable sample, but his slash line is up significantly from that year at .253/.307/.469. The catch with a player like Cruz is his K%, which is 32.0%- this leads all qualified shortstops in MLB this year.
Cruz’s July is encouraging nonetheless. Over his last 20 games, his SLG and OBP are up from his season averages culminating in an OPS of .976 this month. This includes five HRs, 18 RBIs and three of his nine total SBs on the year. Cruz has wiggle room with his expected stats as well- his xSLG of .507 would set him up for a top-three finish at shortstop this season in the category if he can get close.
For managers looking for more pop in their lineups, Cruz is worth the swap with a more efficient shortstop like Ha-Seong Kim of the Padres. For fantasy teams whose strength is pitching, Cruz is worth giving up starters comparable to Logan Webb of the Giants.
