Fantasy baseball: Trade for these soon-to-be breakout stars now

If it feels like this season has been brutal on the injury front, particularly among the game’s most prominent players, you’re not wrong.

Seven of the first 11 players picked (on average) in ESPN leagues during the preseason have already spent time on the injured list, with every one of them either having spent or expected to spend longer than a minimum stint on the sidelines:

Aaron Judge, No. 2 in ADP, likely out until at least mid-July
Juan Soto, No. 3, 19 days
Tarik Skubal, No. 6, 43 days
Jose Ramirez, No. 7, likely out 4-6 weeks
Ronald Acuna Jr., No. 8, on the IL for the second time
Garrett Crochet, No. 9, 52 days and counting
Cal Raleigh, No. 11, 33 days

When such a large portion of the fantasy baseball superstar pool is sidelined for significant time, our focus shifts to who might be next in line to shine. After all, injuries create not only opportunities for new players to step into those roles, but already present players can often emerge in more prominent positions.

Additionally, fantasy managers who roster injured stars such as Judge or Ramirez might feel the need to shake things up, in an attempt to fill the production lost from their sidelined stars. With all that in mind, let’s examine three players with supremely high ceilings who look like ideal acquisitions right now.

Jac Caglianone, OF, Kansas City Royals (31.8% rostered)

Not every slugger immediately clicks as an upper-tier performer like Judge and Nick Kurtz did. Others like Junior Caminero and Kyle Schwarber arrived at their current status more gradually. Caglianone, drafted No. 6 overall in 2024 after hitting 68 home runs over his final two seasons at Florida, seems like more of the latter.

Caglianone hasn’t yet experienced success at the MLB level and is far more known for posting the worst batting average by any rookie (minimum 200 plate appearances) during the divisional era. As a sophomore, he places outside the top-120 players in both points-based and rotisserie scoring. The Royals’ decision to move in Kauffman Stadium’s outfield fences during the winter figured to benefit the young slugger, yet thus far, he has hit only five homers in 37 games there.

All that said, Caglianone’s contact-quality metrics offer scads of promise, as among batting title-eligibles, he ranks among the top 20 in Statcast’s average exit velocity (11th, 93.6 mph), Barrel (18th, 14.8%) and hard-hit rates (sixth, 57.0%). He’s one of only 10 hitters* who can claim top-20 status in all three departments, testament to the massive power potential he has in his bat. This is a player who was described at the time of his pro debut as having 70-grade (on the 20-80 scouting scale) raw power.

Thus far in June, Caglianone is batting .422/.509/.689 with three home runs over 13 games, vaulting himself into the upper half of the Royals lineup. This could be your last chance to add or realistically trade for him.

*The other nine top-20 hitters in average exit velocity, Barrel and hard-hit rates: Yordan Alvarez, Oneil Cruz, Elly De La Cruz, Michael Harris II, Judge, Kurtz, Munetaka Murakami, Shohei Ohtani and James Wood.

Samuel Basallo, C/DH, Baltimore Orioles (34.7% rostered)

Basallo’s rookie campaign has progressed plenty smoothly — his odds of winning American League Rookie of the Year honors rank fourth — but let’s face it, so long as Adley Rutschman is in Baltimore, Basallo might always be overshadowed. Rutschman has that “No. 1 overall pick in the draft” scouting esteem, and he’s the one of the two with greater OPS and more RBIs.

That’s why whispers, however unrealistic — he’s under team control through 2028 — that Rutschman could be traded makes Basallo a particularly interesting fantasy acquisition, especially in dynasty leagues. Paving the way for Basallo to be the everyday catcher would lock in critical positional eligibility for the long term, though whatever the outcome, there’s a lot to like in his upcoming future.

While Basallo’s contact-quality metrics pale in comparison to Caglianone’s, he’s not worlds off, as Basallo’s average exit velocity (91.9 mph), Barrel (12.9%) and hard-hit rates (47.5%) all place in the 80th percentile or better. That’s notable from a catcher, considering the only other catchers who can claim that are Drake Baldwin and Hunter Goodman (Dillon Dingler is close, but has a 78th percentile average exit velocity).

A sluggish start to June could provide fantasy managers with the trading opportunity they need for Basallo, as he’s hitting just .143/.211/.257 with two-extra base hits (one a home run) over 12 games

Grant Taylor, RP/SP, Chicago White Sox (11.4% rostered)

The White Sox are in a curious position this deep into the season, as they entered play on Tuesday tied for the AL Central lead and six games over a .500 winning percentage. They’re second in one-run wins (14) and two wins ahead of their current total in terms of Pythagorean expectation. Many rest-of-season projection models have them as a sub-.500 team from this point forward, so they can scarcely afford any missteps in late-and-close situations.

Current closer Seranthony Dominguez’s save conversion rate is fifth-worst among relievers with at least 10 chances, and that would only be amplified should the White Sox trade for additional supporting pieces, strengthening their competitive state and presumably resulting in more leads to protect. Should Dominguez experience further struggles, the team might — and should — consider a change.

Taylor’s emergence over the past year-plus has gone somewhat beneath the radar despite his team’s success, though that’s largely because as a multi-inning reliever, he hasn’t moved the needle much in the saves or holds departments. Nevertheless, this season he ranks sixth among qualified relievers in strikeout rate (35.6%) and eighth in FIP (1.80). Taylor’s underlying metrics, and his fastball/curveball/slider repertoire that has each generated at least a 29% whiff rate in this and last season, backs up his prospective upper-tier reliever ability.

This isn’t to say the White Sox will make a closer change, but they should consider one in the near future. Taylor certainly seems to be the team’s ninth-inning future, with top-five positional upside once he attains the role.