Buy-low candidates to consider for Week 13

June 27th, 2018

It's almost July, people! Here's hoping you've taken us up on our weekly suggestion to make a buy-low trade or three to this point in the fantasy season.
As we roll into the fourth full month of baseball, it really becomes less of a suggestion and more of a command -- as in "Trade for one of these players, like, NOW!"
A.J. Pollock, OF, D-backs
Hey, remember this guy? Dynamic, do-it-all outfielder who was the NL Player of the Month for April after hitting .291 with 20 runs, nine home runs, 24 RBIs and six stolen bases before fracturing his left thumb on an attempted diving catch on May 14.
The 30-year-old has been slow to recover, and he's likely just idling on some owner's DL spot in your league, slowly being forgotten.
Except by you. Consider this your reminder to push for a proposal involving Pollock, a free-agent-to-be who just recently was cleared to resume baseball activities and will want to return and make a second-half contract push. He could be back sooner than later, so you have to act fast. The window here is small and shutting.
, C, Cubs
A .268 average with 25 runs, five homers and 25 RBIs are not the numbers everyone expected from Contreras, who looked poised to push into the top tier of fantasy catchers -- and was drafted as such -- before 2018 began.
When you make your pitch, be sure to point out to his owner that Contreras' stats would look that much worse if not for a whopping three long balls and 10 RBIs across a two-game stretch back on May 11-12.
So why do you want to acquire him? For one, the price should be heavily discounted from what it was in March. For another, the dearth of talent at the catcher position makes it ripe for gambling on upside, and Contreras, who is just 26 and hits in the heart of a solid Cubs lineup, has plenty of that.
Besides that, Contreras has shown a tendency to be streaky. You may recall he wasn't doing much through June last year, batting .249 with 26 runs, nine homers and 38 RBIs -- digits not much different from his current ones -- before going on a July-into-August tear (.322 AVG, 20 R, 12 HRs, 32 RBIs) that was cut short by injury.

, 2B, White Sox
Seems we're still waiting for the hype to hit home for Moncada, a Cuban-born sensation who not long ago was the top overall prospect in the sport with an electric blend of pop and speed and eye-opening athleticism. Alas, the beginning of Moncada's career in the Majors has been marked mostly by inconsistency and swing-and-miss issues with bright but brief flashes of brilliance.
To wit, the White Sox second baseman is hitting .228 in large part due to an overwhelming 107 strikeouts (second most in MLB) and an untenable 34.9 percent strikeout rate (fourth highest). That's enough to stunt the sheen that surrounded Moncada as a breakout candidate a few months ago.
With the cost of acquisition sufficiently diminished, Moncada may be one of the most high-risk/high-reward buy-low options around. He's not for the faint of heart or those owners already perched near the top of the standings. But if you are open to anything, there's massive potential here.
After all, Moncada still is just 23 years old. As a switch-hitter who most of the time bats leadoff on a rebuilding club, he's going to continue getting all kinds of opportunity. He also has 10 homers, eight thefts and a respectable walk rate (8.8 percent). Perhaps most importantly, he makes impressive impact when he does make contact: His average exit velo (92.4 mph), hard-hit rate (48.8 percent) and barrels-per-batted-ball rate (14.0 percent) all rank in the top 25.
If Moncada can figure out a way to make more contact, he could turn into a four-category fantasy stud. Considering the pedigree and the fact that he doesn't even have 600 career plate appearances yet, bold owners should give it a go.

, OF, Dodgers
Admit it, you thought the book on Pederson coming into the season was not only written but possibly starting to close. The former top prospect had shown the ability to hit for power but not much else, primarily because his strikeout problem (26.6 percent) and lack of production against same-side pitchers (.184/.278/.321, 32.5 K%) entering 2018.
Sure, his fantasy stats so far (.264 average, 31 R 10 HRs, 30 RBIs) aren't bad, but they don't stand out, either, especially when you think about how Pederson's reputation and perception has dwindled over time.
Here's where we point out that Pederson has begun to transform as a hitter and his production in June has been extraordinary: .308/.368/.923 with -- get this -- nine of his 10 long balls. He's also struck out only eight times in 57 trips to the plate, a 14.0 percent rate that's right in line with his 15.0 mark for the season -- and significantly better than his career figure.
Not everything about the 26-year-old's profile has improved: He's still struggling vs. southpaws at .111/.138/.148. The analytically savvy Dodgers are deploying him very strategically, though, allowing him only 29 plate appearances vs. lefties this year. With Chris Taylor shifted to shortstop to cover for the injured , Pederson should continue to see regular action in the outfield.