Alex Rios, OF, Rangers. It’s easy to make a pro-Rios case and an anti-Rios case. Pro: he’s hitting .320 with 12 steals and seems due for a power surge since he only has three homers. Anti: He only has three homers. Rios has never been much of a slugger, topping out at 25 HRs and only three times hitting more than 18, but he should hit more going forward – emphasis on should. Of course, it’s possible he doesn’t hit many more, and with a .376 BABIP that figures to drop, he could really go into a prolonged slump (he still doesn’t walk much). The Rangers’ offense isn’t as good as it’s been in past years, so run-producing chances could also be tougher to come by. Overall, Rios probably has more value as a trade chip.
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Michael Morse, OF, Giants. Morse has been a nice surprise, but the injury bug has a way of finding him. He’s missed 134 games the past two seasons and is currently producing significantly higher power and/or batted-ball numbers than those campaigns. There’s no need to give Morse away for 50 cents on the dollar, but if a power-starved owner is sniffing around Morse, don’t be afraid to talk deal.
Alexie Ramirez, SS, White Sox. Ramirez has already started coming back to Earth after his torrid start, and his homer drought now stretches back to May 23. His BABIP has gone from .360 in April to .330 in May to .302 in June, so you don’t have much time to deal before his batting average falls below .300. Ramirez is still a nice guy to have around for steals, but don’t expect the homers and RBIs to continue at anything close to the same pace they were on earlier in the season. Ramirez’s overall numbers still look great for a shortstop, though, so perhaps you can squeeze more than he’s worth out of a fellow owner.
Xander Bogaerts, SS/3B, Red Sox. Bogaerts shouldn’t be considered a “sell-high” candidate because he’s not really having that good of a season, but he got off to a hot start and has some name-value, so other owners might think he’s better than he is. He’s not – at least not yet. The 21-year-old has major upside for the future, but he offers very little in terms of power or speed this year. And with a .350 BABIP, his average/OBP figures to drop, too.
Troy Tulowitzki, SS, Rockies. Do you trust a guy who’s missed at least 36 games in three of the past four seasons and at least 19 games in each season since 2009? You should be able to name your price for Tulo (with the exception of Mike Trout), so you’ll never be selling higher. If he stays healthy and comes close to continuing his current pace (unlikely, especially with Carlos Gonzalez out), you’ll have made a bad trade; if he gets hurt, you’ll get the last laugh. It’s an awful feeling to trade away someone like Tulo, but it’s a worse feeling to put him on your DL in July.
