Fantasy Baseball Trade Values: Time to buy Chris Sale, Dylan Cease; Sell Charlie Morton?

It’s been a few weeks since we’ve had a Fantasy Baseball Trade Values Chart on CBSSports.com, which means there have been some sizeable changes in players’ values. Before we get to this week’s updated trade values and rankings, let’s take a look at three players I’m trying to buy right now and one I’d very much like to sell: 

Three to buy

Chris Sale, SP, Red Sox

Something clicked for Sale a few weeks back. He had zero strikeouts against the Orioles on April 24 and his ERA through five starts was sitting at 8.22. If you though he was finished, you certainly weren’t alone, and with just two swinging strikes on 83 pitches in that outing, it was awfully hard to argue against that claim. He showed some signs of turning things around with his next start, liming the Guardians to just one run over 6.1 innings, albeit with just five strikeouts; a nice outing, but hardly a turn-back-the-clock kind of performance. No, he was saving that kind of showing for his past two outings. Sale struck out 10 against the Phillies in his next outing and then followed that one up with an absolute vintage performance, striking out nine in eight one-run innings against the Cardinals Saturday. He got 16 swinging strikes in that one, including a season-high 11 with his slider, and suddenly he looks pretty good. His 5.40 ERA is still pretty ugly, but he has a much more impressive 3.78 FIP and 3.49 xFIP to go along with it, plus a 28.7% strikeout rate that isn’t far off his career mark. Is Sale a top-12 pitcher again? Probably not, but we’re seeing flashes of it, and I’m willing to buy in on him at what might still be a discounted price. He’s back to being a top-40 starting pitcher for me. 

Dylan Cease, SP, White Sox

I had Cease as a bust pick entering the season, so you’d think I would be celebrating his struggles and running as far away as I can. However, that bust pick was all about being lower on him than the consensus – I had him as a top-20 pitcher despite my misgivings, and he’s still ranked there for me. His struggles aren’t just bad luck – his 4.86 ERA even after a very good outing Saturday is more or less in line with his xERA, FIP, and xFIP – but I still have quite a bit of faith he’ll be very good moving forward. Just not an ace, necessarily. He still walks too many guys (4.27 per nine) and hasn’t recaptured last year’s dominance on batted balls, but he’s better than this. 

Gunnar Henderson, 3B, Orioles

There’s a fine line between being patient and being passive, and I think Henderson’s on the wrong side of it right now. Henderson’s 19.3% chase rate is exceptional, but it’s a bit less impressive when you realize he’s also swinging at just 55.8% of pitches inside of the strike zone. Henderson has plenty of swing and miss in his game, but he also hits the ball hard when he makes contact, and while there’s always some risk of him becoming even more strikeout prone, given his struggles so far, it’s a risk I’d like to see him take. He’s still a talented player with loud physical tools, and I’d like to see him putting them into action a bit more often. He’s starting to show signs of life in May despite his batting average remaining well below the Mendoza line – he’s cut his strikeout rate to 21.7% without sacrificing much in quality of contact – and I think this is a perfect time to try to buy low. Hopefully his homer Saturday, one of three hard-hit balls in that game – is the start of big things. 

One to sell

Charlie Morton, SP, Braves

I wasn’t necessarily out on Morton this season, but I didn’t draft him anywhere after getting burned pretty bad by him the prior season. So, you could say I’m kicking myself for not drafting him now that he has a 3.32 ERA through his first seven starts. However, that’s mostly because I think he’s a really good trade chip right now, and I wish I could take advantage of that. Morton’s walk rate is actually worse than last year’s, which was already his highest since 2018, and his strikeout rate has collapsed to 21.9%. That’s despite the fact that he’s throwing his curveball, his best swing-and-miss pitch, more than ever, at 44.9%. He’s getting good results with the pitch overall, generating a bunch of weak contact on the ground, but I’m not sure he can sustain this level of play even with that. Because his fastballs remain a problem, allowing a .392 expected wOBA with his four-seamer and a whopping .563 mark with his sinker. I wouldn’t be surprised if Morton started getting a few more strikeouts moving forward, but I don’t think it’ll be enough to overcome the other steps back he’s taken. His 4.79 expected ERA suggests much worse times are ahead, and I don’t want to be around when it happens. 

H2H Points leagues Trade Values

Rank	Player	Eligible	Value
1	Ronald Acuna	DH-OF	48
2	Aaron Judge	DH-OF	46
3	Fernando Tatis	OF-SS	46
4	Jose Ramirez	3B-DH	46
5	Juan Soto	OF	45
6	Julio Rodriguez	OF	43
7	Yordan Alvarez	DH-OF	41
8	Mookie Betts	2B-OF-SS	41
9	Vladimir Guerrero	1B-DH	39
10	Shohei Ohtani	DH-SP	39
11	Kyle Tucker	OF	38
12	Bo Bichette	SS	37
13	Freddie Freeman	1B	37
14	Rafael Devers	3B	37
15	Mike Trout	OF	36
16	Trea Turner	SS	36
17	Pete Alonso	1B-DH	36
18	Gerrit Cole	SP	34
19	Paul Goldschmidt	1B-DH	33
20	Austin Riley	3B	33
21	Manny Machado	3B	33
22	Spencer Strider	RP-SP	32
23	Corbin Burnes	SP	32
24	Sandy Alcantara	SP	32
25	Shane McClanahan	SP	31
26	Max Scherzer	SP	31
27	Matt Olson	1B	29
28	Marcus Semien	2B	28
29	Bobby Witt	3B-SS	28
30	Aaron Nola	SP	28
31	Randy Arozarena	DH-OF	28
32	Zack Wheeler	SP	28
33	Nolan Arenado	3B	28
34	Justin Verlander	SP	28
35	Kevin Gausman	SP	28
36	Francisco Lindor	SS	28
37	Cedric Mullins	OF	28
38	Emmanuel Clase	RP	25
39	Kyle Schwarber	DH-OF	25
40	Framber Valdez	SP	25
41	Luis Robert	OF	25
42	Luis Castillo	SP	24
43	Jacob deGrom	SP	24
44	Jazz Chisholm	2B-OF	24
45	Ozzie Albies	2B	23
46	Josh Hader	RP	23
47	Zac Gallen	SP	23
48	Michael Harris	OF	23
49	Bryan Reynolds	OF	23
50	Bryce Harper	DH	21
51	Wander Franco	SS	21
52	J.T. Realmuto	C	21
53	Yu Darvish	SP	21
54	Will Smith	C-DH	21
55	Adolis Garcia	DH-OF	20
56	Shane Bieber	SP	20
57	George Springer	DH-OF	20
58	Julio Urias	SP	19
59	Devin Williams	RP	19
60	Daulton Varsho	C-OF	18
61	Joe Musgrove	SP	18
62	Xander Bogaerts	SS	18
63	Dylan Cease	SP	18
64	Alex Bregman	3B	17
65	Cristian Javier	SP	17
66	Jordan Romano	RP	16
67	Starling Marte	OF	16
68	Felix Bautista	RP	16
69	Brandon Woodruff	SP	15
70	Teoscar Hernandez	DH-OF	15
71	Salvador Perez	C-DH	15
72	Vinnie Pasquantino	1B-DH	15
73	Corey Seager	SS	15
74	Christian Walker	1B	15
75	Willy Adames	SS	15
76	Dansby Swanson	SS	15
77	Clayton Kershaw	SP	15
78	Corbin Carroll	OF	15
79	Byron Buxton	DH-OF	15
80	Pablo Lopez	SP	15
81	Ryan Helsley	RP	15
82	Max Muncy	2B-3B-DH	15
83	Nate Lowe	1B	15
84	Logan Webb	SP	15
85	Carlos Correa	SS	15
86	Tim Anderson	SS	15
87	Ryan Pressly	RP	15
88	Andres Gimenez	2B	15
89	Joe Ryan	SP	15
90	Jose Altuve	2B	15
91	Alek Manoah	SP	15
92	Camilo Doval	RP	15
93	Christian Yelich	DH-OF	14
94	Adley Rutschman	C-DH	14
95	Kris Bryant	DH-OF	14
96	Carlos Rodon	SP	14
97	Sean Murphy	C-DH	14
98	Nestor Cortes	SP	14
99	Matt Chapman	3B	14
100	Tommy Edman	2B-SS	14
101	Kenley Jansen	RP	14
102	C.J. Cron	1B-DH	13
103	George Kirby	SP	13
104	Rowdy Tellez	1B	13
105	Logan Gilbert	SP	13
106	Anthony Rizzo	1B	12
107	Steven Kwan	OF	12
108	David Bednar	RP	12
109	Nico Hoerner	2B-SS	12
110	Anthony Santander	DH-OF	11
111	Freddy Peralta	SP	11
112	Taylor Ward	OF	11
113	Jeremy Pena	SS	11
114	Max Fried	SP	11
115	Ryan Mountcastle	1B-DH	11
116	Alejandro Kirk	C-DH	11
117	Gleyber Torres	2B-DH	11
118	Eloy Jimenez	DH-OF	10
119	Hunter Renfroe	OF	10
120	Lance Lynn	SP	10
121	Yandy Diaz	1B-3B	10
122	Seiya Suzuki	OF	9
123	Hunter Greene	SP	9
124	Luis Severino	SP	9
125	Jonathan India	2B	9
126	Brandon Lowe	2B	9
127	Blake Snell	SP	9
128	Ian Happ	OF	8
129	Chris Sale	SP	8
130	Tyler Glasnow	SP	8
131	Willson Contreras	C-DH	8
132	Brandon Nimmo	OF	8
133	Ty France	1B	8
134	Raisel Iglesias	RP	8
135	Hunter Brown	RP-SP	8
136	Nick Castellanos	DH-OF	8
137	Paul Sewald	RP	7
138	Ketel Marte	2B-DH	7
139	Jarred Kelenic	OF	7
140	Gunnar Henderson	3B-SS	7
141	Sonny Gray	SP	6
142	Jesus Luzardo	SP	6
143	MJ Melendez	C-DH-OF	6
144	J.D. Martinez	DH	6
145	Josh Bell	1B-DH	5
146	Amed Rosario	SS	5
147	Jordan Montgomery	SP	5
148	Nick Lodolo	SP	5
149	Nathan Eovaldi	SP	5
150	Masataka Yoshida	DH-OF	5
151	Alexis Diaz	RP	5
152	Dustin May	SP	5
153	Anthony Volpe	SS	5
154	Tyler Stephenson	1B-C-DH	4
155	Miguel Vargas	1B-2B	4
156	William Contreras	C-DH	4
157	Lucas Giolito	SP	4
158	Charlie Morton	SP	4
159	Chris Bassitt	SP	4
160	Alex Verdugo	OF	4
161	Mitch Haniger	OF	4
162	Thairo Estrada	2B-SS	4
163	James Outman	OF	3
164	Jose Berrios	SP	3
165	Andrew Vaughn	1B-DH-OF	3
166	Giancarlo Stanton	DH-OF	3
167	Javier Baez	SS	3
168	Jhoan Duran	RP	3
169	Jose Abreu	1B-DH	3
170	Alec Bohm	1B-3B	3
171	Liam Hendriks	RP	3
172	Eugenio Suarez	3B	3
173	Anthony Rendon	3B	3
174	Jorge Polanco	2B	3
175	Luis Arraez	1B-2B-DH	3
176	Jeff McNeil	2B-OF	3
177	A.J. Puk	RP	3
178	Andrew Chafin	RP	3
179	Ryan McMahon	2B-3B	3
180	Clay Holmes	RP	3
181	Triston McKenzie	SP	3
182	Eduardo Rodriguez	SP	3
183	Jorge Soler	DH-OF	3
184	Cody Bellinger	OF	3
185	Grayson Rodriguez	SP	3
186	Jake Cronenworth	1B-2B	3
187	Ezequiel Tovar	SS	3
188	Reid Detmers	SP	3
189	Ke’Bryan Hayes	3B	3
190	Alex Cobb	SP	3
191	Andrew Heaney	SP	2
192	Kyle Wright	SP	2
193	Josh Naylor	1B-DH	2
194	Merrill Kelly	SP	2
195	Joey Gallo	1B-OF	2
196	Tony Gonsolin	SP	2
197	David Robertson	RP	2
198	Lars Nootbaar	OF	2
199	Riley Greene	OF	2
200	Joc Pederson	DH-OF	2
201	Peter Fairbanks	RP	2
202	Lourdes Gurriel	DH-OF	2
203	Jon Gray	SP	2
204	Jordan Walker	3B-OF	2

Rotisserie/Categories leagues Trade Values 

Rank	Player	Eligible	Value
1	Ronald Acuna	DH-OF	44
2	Aaron Judge	DH-OF	43
3	Fernando Tatis	OF-SS	43
4	Jose Ramirez	3B-DH	43
5	Shohei Ohtani	DH-SP	43
6	Bo Bichette	SS	43
7	Julio Rodriguez	OF	38
8	Juan Soto	OF	35
9	Vladimir Guerrero	1B-DH	35
10	Mookie Betts	2B-OF-SS	35
11	Kyle Tucker	OF	34
12	Rafael Devers	3B	34
13	Freddie Freeman	1B	31
14	Mike Trout	OF	31
15	Yordan Alvarez	DH-OF	29
16	Pete Alonso	1B-DH	29
17	Trea Turner	SS	29
18	Paul Goldschmidt	1B-DH	27
19	Gerrit Cole	SP	27
20	Spencer Strider	RP-SP	27
21	Austin Riley	3B	27
22	Bobby Witt	3B-SS	27
23	Manny Machado	3B	26
24	Justin Verlander	SP	25
25	Matt Olson	1B	25
26	Corbin Burnes	SP	25
27	Randy Arozarena	DH-OF	24
28	Shane McClanahan	SP	24
29	Max Scherzer	SP	24
30	Kevin Gausman	SP	24
31	Sandy Alcantara	SP	23
32	Zack Wheeler	SP	23
33	Aaron Nola	SP	22
34	Marcus Semien	2B	22
35	Bryce Harper	DH	22
36	Nolan Arenado	3B	21
37	Emmanuel Clase	RP	21
38	Framber Valdez	SP	21
39	Cedric Mullins	OF	20
40	Zac Gallen	SP	20
41	Josh Hader	RP	20
42	Luis Castillo	SP	20
43	Bryan Reynolds	OF	18
44	Luis Robert	OF	18
45	Kyle Schwarber	DH-OF	18
46	Francisco Lindor	SS	18
47	Jazz Chisholm	2B-OF	17
48	Jacob deGrom	SP	17
49	Ozzie Albies	2B	17
50	Yu Darvish	SP	17
51	Adolis Garcia	DH-OF	16
52	Will Smith	C-DH	16
53	Wander Franco	SS	15
54	Michael Harris	OF	15
55	Joe Musgrove	SP	15
56	Devin Williams	RP	15
57	Jordan Romano	RP	15
58	J.T. Realmuto	C	15
59	Felix Bautista	RP	15
60	Daulton Varsho	C-OF	15
61	Xander Bogaerts	SS	15
62	George Springer	DH-OF	15
63	Julio Urias	SP	15
64	Cristian Javier	SP	15
65	Nate Lowe	1B	15
66	Starling Marte	OF	15
67	Willy Adames	SS	15
68	Christian Walker	1B	15
69	Shane Bieber	SP	15
70	Salvador Perez	C-DH	15
71	Brandon Woodruff	SP	15
72	Alex Bregman	3B	15
73	Ryan Helsley	RP	15
74	Vinnie Pasquantino	1B-DH	15
75	Teoscar Hernandez	DH-OF	15
76	Byron Buxton	DH-OF	15
77	Dylan Cease	SP	15
78	Corey Seager	SS	15
79	Clayton Kershaw	SP	15
80	Pablo Lopez	SP	15
81	Corbin Carroll	OF	15
82	Tim Anderson	SS	15
83	Dansby Swanson	SS	15
84	Max Muncy	2B-3B-DH	14
85	Logan Webb	SP	14
86	Joe Ryan	SP	14
87	C.J. Cron	1B-DH	14
88	Camilo Doval	RP	14
89	Gleyber Torres	2B-DH	14
90	Andres Gimenez	2B	14
91	Ryan Pressly	RP	14
92	Carlos Correa	SS	14
93	Nico Hoerner	2B-SS	14
94	Christian Yelich	DH-OF	14
95	Rowdy Tellez	1B	14
96	Kris Bryant	DH-OF	14
97	Matt Chapman	3B	14
98	Jose Altuve	2B	14
99	Sean Murphy	C-DH	14
100	Ryan Mountcastle	1B-DH	11
101	Logan Gilbert	SP	13
102	Nestor Cortes	SP	13
103	Kenley Jansen	RP	13
104	David Bednar	RP	13
105	George Kirby	SP	12
106	Carlos Rodon	SP	12
107	Jeremy Pena	SS	12
108	Anthony Santander	DH-OF	12
109	Jonathan India	2B	12
110	Tommy Edman	2B-SS	11
111	Seiya Suzuki	OF	11
112	Freddy Peralta	SP	11
113	Adley Rutschman	C-DH	11
114	Taylor Ward	OF	11
115	Alek Manoah	SP	11
116	Ian Happ	OF	11
117	Tyler Glasnow	SP	11
118	Anthony Rizzo	1B	11
119	Hunter Renfroe	OF	11
120	Eloy Jimenez	DH-OF	11
121	Lance Lynn	SP	11
122	Thairo Estrada	2B-SS	11
123	Yandy Diaz	1B-3B	10
124	Raisel Iglesias	RP	10
125	Steven Kwan	OF	10
126	Nick Castellanos	DH-OF	10
127	Javier Baez	SS	9
128	Masataka Yoshida	DH-OF	9
129	Amed Rosario	SS	9
130	Chris Sale	SP	9
131	Hunter Greene	SP	9
132	Sonny Gray	SP	8
133	Alexis Diaz	RP	8
134	Brandon Nimmo	OF	8
135	Ty France	1B	8
136	Brandon Lowe	2B	8
137	Paul Sewald	RP	8
138	Alex Verdugo	OF	8
139	Gunnar Henderson	3B-SS	8
140	Luis Severino	SP	8
141	Alejandro Kirk	C-DH	7
142	Ketel Marte	2B-DH	7
143	Giancarlo Stanton	DH-OF	7
144	Jarred Kelenic	OF	7
145	Hunter Brown	RP-SP	7
146	Blake Snell	SP	7
147	Willson Contreras	C-DH	7
148	J.D. Martinez	DH	7
149	David Robertson	RP	7
150	Charlie Morton	SP	7
151	Jordan Montgomery	SP	7
152	Josh Bell	1B-DH	7
153	Nathan Eovaldi	SP	7
154	Jose Alvarado	RP	7
155	MJ Melendez	C-DH-OF	7
156	Anthony Volpe	SS	7
157	Chris Bassitt	SP	7
158	Jhoan Duran	RP	7
159	Liam Hendriks	RP	7
160	Tyler Stephenson	1B-C-DH	7
161	Jesus Luzardo	SP	7
162	Alec Bohm	1B-3B	6
163	Jose Berrios	SP	6
164	Jorge Polanco	2B	6
165	Miguel Vargas	1B-2B	6
166	Lucas Giolito	SP	6
167	Jeff McNeil	2B-OF	6
168	Andrew Chafin	RP	6
169	Nick Lodolo	SP	6
170	Cody Bellinger	OF	6
171	Mitch Haniger	OF	6
172	James Outman	OF	6
173	Ke’Bryan Hayes	3B	6
174	Ryan McMahon	2B-3B	6
175	Carlos Estevez	RP	6
176	Luis Arraez	1B-2B-DH	6
177	Eduardo Rodriguez	SP	6
178	William Contreras	C-DH	6
179	Alex Cobb	SP	6
180	A.J. Puk	RP	6
181	Triston McKenzie	SP	6
182	Dustin May	SP	6
183	Josh Naylor	1B-DH	6
184	Joc Pederson	DH-OF	6
185	Eugenio Suarez	3B	6
186	Lourdes Gurriel	DH-OF	6
187	Anthony Rendon	3B	6
188	Jorge Soler	DH-OF	5
189	Max Fried	SP	5
190	Lars Nootbaar	OF	5
191	Harrison Bader	OF	5
192	Clay Holmes	RP	5
193	Grayson Rodriguez	SP	5
194	Jake Cronenworth	1B-2B	5
195	Andrew Heaney	SP	5
196	Scott Barlow	RP	5
197	Reid Detmers	SP	5
198	Andrew Vaughn	1B-DH-OF	5
199	Charlie Blackmon	DH-OF	5
200	Ezequiel Tovar	SS	4
201	Brusdar Graterol	RP	4
202	Alex Lange	RP	4
203	Merrill Kelly	SP	4
204	Jorge Mateo	SS	4
205	Marcus Stroman	SP	4
206	Riley Greene	OF	4
207	Evan Phillips	RP	4
208	Joey Gallo	1B-OF	4
209	Will Smith	RP	4
210	Peter Fairbanks	RP	4
211	Josh Jung	3B	4
212	Ramon Laureano	OF	4
213	Jose Abreu	1B-DH	4
214	Eury Perez	SP	4
215	Zach Eflin	SP	4
216	Taj Bradley	SP	4
217	Mason Miller	SP	4
218	Kyle Finnegan	RP	4
219	Jameson Taillon	SP	4
220	Austin Hays	OF	4
221	Bryce Miller	SP	4
222	Andres Munoz	RP	3
223	Jon Gray	SP	3
224	Jake Fraley	DH-OF	3
225	Cal Raleigh	C	3
226	Louie Varland	SP	3
227	Tony Gonsolin	SP	3
228	Nolan Gorman	2B-DH	3
229	A.J. Minter	RP	3
230	Bailey Ober	SP	3
231	Whit Merrifield	2B-OF	3
232	Jason Adam	RP	3
233	Andrew Benintendi	OF	3
234	Randal Grichuk	OF	3
235	Travis d’Arnaud	C	3
236	Justin Turner	1B-3B-DH	3
237	Kyle Wright	SP	3
238	Wil Myers	1B-OF	3
239	Joey Meneses	1B-DH-OF	3
240	Tyler O’Neill	OF	3
241	Tanner Bibee	SP	3
242	Keibert Ruiz	C	3
243	Spencer Steer	1B-3B	3
244	Esteury Ruiz	OF	3
245	Patrick Sandoval	SP	3
246	Miles Mikolas	SP	2
247	Michael Conforto	OF	2
248	Bryan Abreu	RP	2
249	Edward Cabrera	SP	2
250	Logan Taylor Allen	SP	2
251	Yoan Moncada	3B	2
252	Triston Casas	1B	2
253	Danny Jansen	C	2
254	Craig Kimbrel	RP	2
255	Jose Urquidy	SP	2
256	Graham Ashcraft	SP	2
257	DJ LeMahieu	1B-2B-3B	2
258	Jordan Walker	3B-OF	2