Fantasy Baseball 2012: Jacoby Ellsbury and Others You Should Trade Early

As most fantasy baseball drafts are starting to begin, managers should immediately begin looking at possible trade values.

Every year there is a handful of players that are being valued much higher during the draft then they are at the end of the season.

Jacoby Ellsbury, although still a great player, is being considered a much better power hitter than his history supports.

In 2011, Jacoby did what no manager imagined he would—he hit 30 homers.

There is a reason no manager saw that coming. Ellsbury has only hit 20 home runs in his first 1,554 plate appearances before hitting 32 in his 732 appearances in 2011. To make the numbers a little more clear, Jacoby has never hit more than 10 dingers in a single season.

With that being said, Jacoby Ellsbury is currently being picked within the top 10 in almost all league formats. Sounds a bit high to me for just one season's performance.

If you used your first-round or even early second-round pick on Jacoby, do not fear. Look at your roster and available players within your league, you will notice the depth of power in OF is very significant. Now look at your roster and see what positions you are lacking in. Time to propose a trade.

You will be surprised at what Ellsbury believers will agree to. I have personally already seen Jacoby traded for Dan Haren and Nelson Cruz. Not a bad trade if you would like more depth on your rotation without losing much in the OF.

Continue reading to see players who may get you as good a value as Jacoby Ellsbury.

Curtis Granderson, OF, NYY

I know this may seem a little absurd, but I expect Curtis Granderson to be a bust.

By bust, I do not mean by the traditional definition. He will still be a good power hitter with 30 home runs and add some speed to your roster with 20 stolen bases. The problem is that you can find players much later in rounds with a little less speed but a much better average compared to the .250 Granderson will hit in 2012.

Before 2011, Granderson had never hit more than 30 home runs and 75 runs batted in while seeing his average steadily dip.

Being a second-round pick in most leagues, you may be able to find a very good value in trading Granderson. Getting another outfielder producing just a tad less and a solid low-end second-tier pitcher gives you much more value considering the history of Curtis Granderson.

Jose Reyes, SS, MIA

In 2011, Jose Reyes had a stat-line of 101-7-44-39-.337.

Keep in mind that before 2011, Reyes has never hit over .300, and he has been drafted in the second round so far in most leagues.

In 2011, a player to be named later, had a stat-line of 91-10-66-22-.307.

That player, Starlin Castro, is currently being drafted two or three rounds later than Reyes. Think Reyes is overvalued yet?

I am a firm believer that most players perform better during contract years, just as Reyes did. I am also a firm believer that if you drafted Reyes you can trade him for a lesser known shortstop like Castro and a solid pitcher—strengthening your pitching rotation while not losing much offensive production.

Josh Hamilton, OF, TEX

When healthy, Josh Hamilton produces numbers similar to the best in fantasy baseball.

The issue though—despite the amazing 2010 campaign, Hamilton has missed more than 30 games every season and is on the worse side of 30 years of age.

A top-30 pick while missing 30 games is as overvalued as they come. Sure, he will produce while he is in your lineup, but the five weeks without him will surely leave you wishing you had drafted better options.

If you drafted Hamilton, don't second guess putting him on the trade block and see what some of the offensive inept managers offer you. Pitchers such as Jered Weaver have gone later than Hamilton in a lot of drafts.

Any Closer in the First 10 Rounds

Every year I see at least one trade made for a top closer. In the trade, the manager selling the closer gets an incredible value. It has happened, and it will continue to happen.

In 2011, 7 of 10 closers with the most saves were all drafted later than the 10th round. With that being said, managers absolutely love those well known closers.

If you find yourself with Mariano Rivera, Jonathan Papelbon or Craig Kimbrel, then you can sacrifice a few saves for more offensive power. Surely, there will be an offensive juggernaut ready to pull the trigger on any trade for a closer.