It's never too early to make a trade to make your Fantasy Baseball team better, but it can be awkward to try to actually pull off a big trade at the start of the season. For the most part, nothing much has happened between now and when you drafted that should change how you think about your team; the players you liked enough to draft should, generally speaking, still be players you want on your team.
As I'm writing this, we've seen a single day's worth of games played, and that just isn't very much information. That's not to say there was nothing to take away from Opening Day -- Scott White wrote about 10 things you should take away from the first day of games, in fact -- but, as a general rule, one game shouldn't change how you feel about just about any player.
That being said, this all does depend on when you draft, obviously. If you drafted early in March and lost Edwin Diaz or Jose Altuve or Rhys Hoskins to injury, you might have a hole in your lineup that might need to be filled via trade, for example. Even in that instance, I would argue you're probably better off waiting to see how the first few weeks to a month of the season shakes out before you actually make any moves, because there will be players who see their perceived value rise or fall, and you can take advantage of that. You might feel desperate to make a move, but you shouldn't be.
Not yet, anyway. In my first round of Fantasy Baseball Trade Values, you aren't going to see many changes from my preseason rankings. I'll start making some tweaks as soon as this weekend, when we have a bit more lineup data and see how teams are deploying their closers, but those are the only changes I'll be making. Performance-related changes likely won't be coming for a few more weeks, for the most part, because those need a lot more data to be actionable.
Even relatively concrete changes like velocity spikes aren't a guarantee that a player will be better. I'm higher on Pablo Lopez now than I was in early March after seeing a velocity spike and a new sweeper breaking ball added to his arsenal, but I'm not so sure he'll be a better pitcher because of them that I'm ready to shoot him up the starting pitcher ranks; another couple of starts like Opening Day's 5.2 shutout innings with eight walks will help.
So, don't expect to see too many drastic changes in these rankings over the next few weeks. We're just getting started, and we're not going to overreact. Yet.
Note: For the Trade Values Chart, you can figure out if you're making a fair trade by simply matching the values from each side of the deal up. The math starts to get a little trickier the more lopsided the trade becomes in terms of numbers of players dealt, of course, because you'll be adding or dropping players that won't be accounted for in the deal itself, but it should still be pretty useful for guiding you in the right direction.
H2H Points Leagues Trade Values
Rank | Player | Eligible | Value |
1 | Aaron Judge | DH-OF | 52 |
2 | Jose Ramirez | 3B-DH | 46 |
3 | Ronald Acuna | DH-OF | 45 |
4 | Mookie Betts | OF | 45 |
5 | Trea Turner | SS | 43 |
6 | Yordan Alvarez | DH-OF | 41 |
7 | Kyle Tucker | OF | 39 |
8 | Julio Rodriguez | OF | 39 |
9 | Juan Soto | OF | 39 |
10 | Freddie Freeman | 1B | 38 |
11 | Mike Trout | OF | 37 |
12 | Fernando Tatis | SS | 37 |
13 | Vladimir Guerrero | 1B-DH | 37 |
14 | Shohei Ohtani | DH-SP | 37 |
15 | Manny Machado | 3B | 36 |
16 | Rafael Devers | 3B | 36 |
17 | Gerrit Cole | SP | 34 |
18 | Corbin Burnes | SP | 34 |
19 | Paul Goldschmidt | 1B-DH | 33 |
20 | Austin Riley | 3B | 33 |
21 | Pete Alonso | 1B-DH | 33 |
22 | Max Scherzer | SP | 32 |
23 | Sandy Alcantara | SP | 32 |
24 | Nolan Arenado | 3B | 31 |
25 | Bo Bichette | SS | 31 |
26 | Marcus Semien | 2B | 29 |
27 | Zack Wheeler | SP | 28 |
28 | Justin Verlander | SP | 28 |
29 | Aaron Nola | SP | 28 |
30 | Michael Harris | OF | 28 |
31 | Francisco Lindor | SS | 28 |
32 | Spencer Strider | RP-SP | 28 |
33 | Kyle Schwarber | OF | 28 |
34 | Shane McClanahan | SP | 28 |
35 | Brandon Woodruff | SP | 28 |
36 | Bobby Witt | 3B-SS | 28 |
37 | Dylan Cease | SP | 28 |
38 | Shane Bieber | SP | 28 |
39 | Jacob deGrom | SP | 28 |
40 | Corey Seager | SS | 26 |
41 | Luis Robert | OF | 25 |
42 | Ozzie Albies | 2B | 25 |
43 | Matt Olson | 1B | 25 |
44 | Jazz Chisholm | 2B | 25 |
45 | J.T. Realmuto | C | 25 |
46 | Randy Arozarena | DH-OF | 25 |
47 | Cedric Mullins | OF | 24 |
48 | Kevin Gausman | SP | 24 |
49 | Alex Bregman | 3B | 23 |
50 | George Springer | DH-OF | 23 |
51 | Luis Castillo | SP | 23 |
52 | Alek Manoah | SP | 22 |
53 | Framber Valdez | SP | 21 |
54 | Emmanuel Clase | RP | 21 |
55 | Julio Urias | SP | 21 |
56 | Yu Darvish | SP | 20 |
57 | Josh Hader | RP | 20 |
58 | Eloy Jimenez | DH-OF | 20 |
59 | Wander Franco | SS | 19 |
60 | Will Smith | C-DH | 19 |
61 | Robbie Ray | SP | 18 |
62 | Teoscar Hernandez | OF | 18 |
63 | Zac Gallen | SP | 18 |
64 | Daulton Varsho | C-OF | 18 |
65 | Tommy Edman | 2B-SS | 17 |
66 | Adolis Garcia | DH-OF | 17 |
67 | Adley Rutschman | C-DH | 17 |
68 | Devin Williams | RP | 16 |
69 | Starling Marte | OF | 16 |
70 | Bryan Reynolds | OF | 16 |
71 | Xander Bogaerts | SS | 16 |
72 | Clayton Kershaw | SP | 15 |
73 | Christian Walker | 1B | 15 |
74 | Dansby Swanson | SS | 15 |
75 | Oneil Cruz | SS | 15 |
76 | Felix Bautista | RP | 15 |
77 | Corbin Carroll | OF | 15 |
78 | Max Fried | SP | 15 |
79 | Cristian Javier | SP | 15 |
80 | Carlos Rodon | SP | 15 |
81 | Tim Anderson | SS | 15 |
82 | Gunnar Henderson | 3B | 15 |
84 | Andres Gimenez | 2B | 15 |
85 | Logan Webb | SP | 15 |
86 | Kyle Wright | SP | 15 |
87 | Byron Buxton | DH-OF | 15 |
88 | Ryan Pressly | RP | 15 |
89 | Jordan Romano | RP | 15 |
90 | Jose Abreu | 1B-DH | 15 |
91 | Salvador Perez | C-DH | 15 |
92 | Vinnie Pasquantino | 1B-DH | 15 |
93 | Joe Musgrove | SP | 15 |
94 | Alejandro Kirk | C-DH | 15 |
95 | Carlos Correa | SS | 15 |
96 | Max Muncy | 2B-3B-DH | 14 |
97 | Steven Kwan | OF | 14 |
98 | Blake Snell | SP | 14 |
99 | Willson Contreras | C-DH | 14 |
100 | Lance Lynn | SP | 14 |
101 | Luis Severino | SP | 14 |
102 | Willy Adames | SS | 14 |
103 | Anthony Rizzo | 1B | 14 |
104 | Jordan Walker | 3B | 14 |
105 | Bryce Harper | DH | 13 |
106 | Kris Bryant | OF | 13 |
107 | Christian Yelich | DH-OF | 13 |
108 | Ryan Helsley | RP | 12 |
109 | Kenley Jansen | RP | 12 |
110 | Hunter Greene | SP | 12 |
111 | Nick Lodolo | SP | 12 |
112 | Giancarlo Stanton | DH-OF | 12 |
113 | Brandon Lowe | 2B | 12 |
114 | Nestor Cortes | SP | 12 |
115 | Camilo Doval | RP | 11 |
116 | Chris Sale | SP | 11 |
117 | Anthony Santander | DH-OF | 11 |
118 | George Kirby | SP | 11 |
119 | Tyler O'Neill | OF | 11 |
120 | Charlie Morton | SP | 10 |
121 | William Contreras | C-DH | 10 |
122 | Sean Murphy | C-DH | 10 |
83 | Jose Altuve | 2B | 9 |
123 | Freddy Peralta | SP | 9 |
124 | Nick Castellanos | OF | 9 |
125 | Raisel Iglesias | RP | 9 |
126 | Hunter Renfroe | OF | 9 |
127 | David Bednar | RP | 9 |
128 | Taylor Ward | OF | 9 |
129 | Josh Bell | 1B-DH | 9 |
130 | Nate Lowe | 1B | 9 |
131 | Logan Gilbert | SP | 9 |
133 | Jeremy Pena | SS | 8 |
134 | Gleyber Torres | 2B | 8 |
135 | Joe Ryan | SP | 8 |
136 | Mitch Haniger | OF | 8 |
137 | Jesus Luzardo | SP | 8 |
138 | Lucas Giolito | SP | 8 |
139 | Chris Bassitt | SP | 8 |
140 | Ketel Marte | 2B-DH | 8 |
141 | Dustin May | SP | 8 |
142 | Pablo Lopez | SP | 8 |
143 | Ty France | 1B | 8 |
144 | MJ Melendez | C-DH-OF | 8 |
145 | Eugenio Suarez | 3B | 7 |
147 | Jeffrey Springs | SP | 7 |
148 | C.J. Cron | 1B-DH | 7 |
132 | Andrew Vaughn | 1B-DH-OF | 7 |
149 | Seiya Suzuki | OF | 7 |
150 | Brandon Nimmo | OF | 6 |
151 | Tony Gonsolin | SP | 6 |
152 | Anthony Volpe | SS | 6 |
153 | Tyler Stephenson | C | 5 |
154 | Drew Rasmussen | SP | 5 |
155 | Luis Garcia | SP | 5 |
156 | Ryan Mountcastle | 1B-DH | 5 |
157 | J.D. Martinez | DH | 5 |
158 | Lance McCullers | SP | 5 |
159 | Rowdy Tellez | 1B | 5 |
160 | Jose Miranda | 1B-3B-DH | 5 |
161 | Jordan Montgomery | SP | 4 |
146 | Anthony Rendon | 3B | 4 |
162 | Jake Cronenworth | 1B-2B | 4 |
163 | Tyler Glasnow | SP | 4 |
164 | Ian Happ | OF | 4 |
165 | Jose Berrios | SP | 4 |
166 | Jonathan India | 2B | 4 |
167 | Brandon Drury | 1B-2B-3B-DH | 4 |
168 | Andrew Heaney | SP | 3 |
169 | Jon Gray | SP | 3 |
170 | Oscar Gonzalez | OF | 3 |
171 | Matt Chapman | 3B | 3 |
172 | Nico Hoerner | SS | 3 |
173 | Jorge Polanco | 2B | 3 |
174 | Paul Sewald | RP | 3 |
175 | Amed Rosario | SS | 3 |
176 | Jake McCarthy | OF | 3 |
177 | Ezequiel Tovar | SS | 3 |
178 | Brady Singer | SP | 3 |
179 | Jhoan Duran | RP | 3 |
180 | Javier Baez | SS | 3 |
181 | Clay Holmes | RP | 3 |
182 | Miles Mikolas | SP | 3 |
183 | Patrick Sandoval | SP | 2 |
184 | Jeff McNeil | 2B-OF | 2 |
185 | Grayson Rodriguez | SP | 2 |
186 | Cody Bellinger | OF | 2 |
187 | Joey Meneses | 1B-OF | 2 |
188 | Jack Flaherty | SP | 2 |
189 | Triston McKenzie | SP | 2 |
190 | Reid Detmers | SP | 2 |
191 | Merrill Kelly | SP | 2 |
192 | Alex Verdugo | OF | 2 |
Rotisserie/Categories Leagues Trade Values
Rank | Player | Eligible | Value |
1 | Ronald Acuna | DH-OF | 44 |
2 | Julio Rodriguez | OF | 43 |
3 | Jose Ramirez | 3B-DH | 43 |
4 | Trea Turner | SS | 43 |
5 | Aaron Judge | DH-OF | 43 |
6 | Mookie Betts | OF | 38 |
7 | Juan Soto | OF | 35 |
8 | Kyle Tucker | OF | 35 |
9 | Yordan Alvarez | DH-OF | 35 |
10 | Mike Trout | OF | 34 |
11 | Shohei Ohtani | DH-SP | 34 |
12 | Fernando Tatis | SS | 32 |
13 | Freddie Freeman | 1B | 31 |
14 | Vladimir Guerrero | 1B-DH | 31 |
15 | Manny Machado | 3B | 29 |
16 | Bo Bichette | SS | 29 |
17 | Rafael Devers | 3B | 29 |
18 | Corbin Burnes | SP | 27 |
19 | Austin Riley | 3B | 27 |
20 | Pete Alonso | 1B-DH | 27 |
21 | Bobby Witt | 3B-SS | 27 |
22 | Gerrit Cole | SP | 26 |
23 | Paul Goldschmidt | 1B-DH | 26 |
24 | Marcus Semien | 2B | 25 |
25 | Nolan Arenado | 3B | 24 |
26 | Randy Arozarena | DH-OF | 24 |
27 | Max Scherzer | SP | 24 |
28 | Sandy Alcantara | SP | 24 |
29 | Francisco Lindor | SS | 24 |
30 | Cedric Mullins | OF | 23 |
31 | Luis Robert | OF | 23 |
32 | Michael Harris | OF | 22 |
33 | Aaron Nola | SP | 22 |
34 | Zack Wheeler | SP | 21 |
35 | Kyle Schwarber | OF | 21 |
36 | Jacob deGrom | SP | 21 |
37 | Shane McClanahan | SP | 21 |
38 | Jazz Chisholm | 2B | 21 |
39 | Matt Olson | 1B | 21 |
40 | Emmanuel Clase | RP | 20 |
41 | Ozzie Albies | 2B | 20 |
42 | Shane Bieber | SP | 20 |
43 | Corey Seager | SS | 20 |
44 | Brandon Woodruff | SP | 19 |
45 | Spencer Strider | RP-SP | 19 |
46 | Justin Verlander | SP | 19 |
47 | J.T. Realmuto | C | 18 |
48 | Adolis Garcia | DH-OF | 17 |
49 | Josh Hader | RP | 17 |
50 | George Springer | DH-OF | 17 |
51 | Tommy Edman | 2B-SS | 16 |
52 | Dylan Cease | SP | 16 |
53 | Alex Bregman | 3B | 16 |
54 | Oneil Cruz | SS | 16 |
55 | Luis Castillo | SP | 16 |
56 | Daulton Varsho | C-OF | 16 |
57 | Kevin Gausman | SP | 16 |
58 | Dansby Swanson | SS | 15 |
59 | Byron Buxton | DH-OF | 15 |
60 | Zac Gallen | SP | 15 |
61 | Robbie Ray | SP | 15 |
62 | Julio Urias | SP | 15 |
63 | Joe Musgrove | SP | 15 |
64 | Teoscar Hernandez | OF | 15 |
65 | Bryan Reynolds | OF | 15 |
66 | Gunnar Henderson | 3B | 15 |
67 | Alek Manoah | SP | 15 |
68 | Adley Rutschman | C-DH | 15 |
69 | Alejandro Kirk | C-DH | 15 |
70 | Corbin Carroll | OF | 15 |
71 | Felix Bautista | RP | 15 |
72 | Ryan Pressly | RP | 15 |
73 | Wander Franco | SS | 15 |
74 | Tim Anderson | SS | 15 |
75 | Starling Marte | OF | 15 |
76 | Xander Bogaerts | SS | 15 |
77 | Will Smith | C-DH | 15 |
78 | Willy Adames | SS | 15 |
79 | Salvador Perez | C-DH | 15 |
80 | Yu Darvish | SP | 15 |
81 | Framber Valdez | SP | 15 |
82 | Cristian Javier | SP | 15 |
83 | Vinnie Pasquantino | 1B-DH | 15 |
84 | Eloy Jimenez | DH-OF | 15 |
85 | Jordan Romano | RP | 15 |
86 | Devin Williams | RP | 15 |
87 | Jordan Walker | 3B | 14 |
88 | Christian Walker | 1B | 14 |
89 | Jose Abreu | 1B-DH | 14 |
90 | Brandon Lowe | 2B | 14 |
92 | Carlos Correa | SS | 14 |
93 | Andres Gimenez | 2B | 14 |
94 | Nate Lowe | 1B | 14 |
95 | Clayton Kershaw | SP | 14 |
96 | Anthony Santander | DH-OF | 14 |
97 | Carlos Rodon | SP | 14 |
98 | Tyler O'Neill | OF | 14 |
99 | Jake McCarthy | OF | 14 |
100 | Christian Yelich | DH-OF | 14 |
101 | Gleyber Torres | 2B | 14 |
102 | Chris Sale | SP | 14 |
103 | Ryan Helsley | RP | 14 |
104 | Camilo Doval | RP | 14 |
105 | Giancarlo Stanton | DH-OF | 13 |
106 | Willson Contreras | C-DH | 13 |
107 | MJ Melendez | C-DH-OF | 13 |
108 | Steven Kwan | OF | 13 |
109 | Max Muncy | 2B-3B-DH | 13 |
110 | Logan Webb | SP | 13 |
111 | Anthony Volpe | SS | 13 |
112 | Bryce Harper | DH | 12 |
113 | Blake Snell | SP | 12 |
114 | Jeremy Pena | SS | 12 |
115 | Taylor Ward | OF | 12 |
116 | Nick Lodolo | SP | 12 |
117 | Kris Bryant | OF | 12 |
118 | Lance Lynn | SP | 12 |
119 | Nestor Cortes | SP | 12 |
120 | Max Fried | SP | 12 |
121 | Lars Nootbaar | OF | 11 |
122 | Hunter Greene | SP | 11 |
123 | Logan Gilbert | SP | 11 |
124 | Hunter Renfroe | OF | 11 |
125 | Riley Greene | OF | 11 |
126 | Kyle Wright | SP | 11 |
127 | George Kirby | SP | 11 |
128 | Nico Hoerner | SS | 10 |
129 | Ketel Marte | 2B-DH | 10 |
130 | William Contreras | C-DH | 10 |
131 | Kenley Jansen | RP | 10 |
132 | Ty France | 1B | 10 |
133 | Rowdy Tellez | 1B | 10 |
91 | Jose Altuve | 2B | 10 |
134 | Clay Holmes | RP | 9 |
135 | Raisel Iglesias | RP | 9 |
136 | Anthony Rizzo | 1B | 9 |
137 | Ian Happ | OF | 9 |
138 | Josh Bell | 1B-DH | 9 |
139 | Seiya Suzuki | OF | 9 |
140 | Matt Chapman | 3B | 9 |
141 | David Bednar | RP | 9 |
142 | Sean Murphy | C-DH | 9 |
143 | Amed Rosario | SS | 9 |
144 | Kodai Senga | SP | 9 |
145 | Charlie Morton | SP | 9 |
146 | C.J. Cron | 1B-DH | 9 |
147 | Ryan Mountcastle | 1B-DH | 9 |
148 | Nick Castellanos | OF | 9 |
149 | Andrew Vaughn | 1B-DH-OF | 9 |
150 | Chris Bassitt | SP | 8 |
151 | Tyler Stephenson | C | 8 |
152 | Freddy Peralta | SP | 8 |
153 | Pablo Lopez | SP | 8 |
154 | Oscar Gonzalez | OF | 8 |
155 | Jonathan India | 2B | 7 |
156 | Brandon Drury | 1B-2B-3B-DH | 7 |
157 | Luis Severino | SP | 7 |
158 | Miguel Vargas | 1B | 7 |
159 | Jake Cronenworth | 1B-2B | 7 |
160 | Alec Bohm | 3B | 7 |
161 | Jeff McNeil | 2B-OF | 7 |
162 | Brandon Nimmo | OF | 7 |
163 | Tyler Glasnow | SP | 7 |
164 | Ezequiel Tovar | SS | 7 |
165 | Reid Detmers | SP | 7 |
166 | Eugenio Suarez | 3B | 7 |
167 | Joe Ryan | SP | 7 |
168 | Patrick Sandoval | SP | 7 |
169 | Javier Baez | SS | 6 |
170 | Anthony Rendon | 3B | 6 |
171 | Alex Verdugo | OF | 6 |
172 | Jesus Luzardo | SP | 6 |
173 | Ke'Bryan Hayes | 3B | 6 |
174 | Bryan De La Cruz | OF | 6 |
175 | Lucas Giolito | SP | 6 |
176 | Dustin May | SP | 6 |
177 | Luis Garcia | SP | 6 |
178 | Brady Singer | SP | 6 |
179 | Jeffrey Springs | SP | 6 |
180 | Mitch Haniger | OF | 6 |
181 | Paul Sewald | RP | 6 |
182 | Jose Miranda | 1B-3B-DH | 6 |
183 | Jhoan Duran | RP | 6 |
184 | Jordan Montgomery | SP | 6 |
185 | Thairo Estrada | 2B-SS | 6 |
186 | Luis Arraez | 1B-2B-DH | 6 |
187 | J.D. Martinez | DH | 6 |
188 | Triston Casas | 1B | 6 |
189 | Jorge Polanco | 2B | 6 |
190 | Ramon Laureano | OF | 5 |
191 | Oscar Colas | OF | 5 |
192 | Tony Gonsolin | SP | 5 |
193 | Jean Segura | 2B | 5 |
194 | C.J. Abrams | SS | 5 |
195 | Peter Fairbanks | RP | 5 |
196 | Whit Merrifield | 2B-OF | 5 |
197 | Josh Naylor | 1B-DH | 5 |
198 | Drew Rasmussen | SP | 5 |
199 | Andres Munoz | RP | 5 |
200 | Alexis Diaz | RP | 5 |
201 | Cody Bellinger | OF | 5 |
202 | Josh Jung | 3B | 5 |
203 | Gabriel Moreno | C | 5 |
204 | Grayson Rodriguez | SP | 5 |
205 | Triston McKenzie | SP | 4 |
206 | Jose Berrios | SP | 4 |
207 | Joc Pederson | OF | 4 |
208 | Lourdes Gurriel | OF | 4 |
209 | Andrew Heaney | SP | 4 |
210 | Cal Raleigh | C | 4 |
211 | Trevor Rogers | SP | 4 |
212 | Lance McCullers | SP | 4 |
213 | Josh Rojas | 2B-3B | 4 |
214 | Danny Jansen | C | 4 |
215 | Alex Cobb | SP | 4 |
216 | Jon Gray | SP | 4 |
217 | Keibert Ruiz | C | 4 |
218 | Seth Brown | 1B-OF | 4 |
219 | Andrew Benintendi | OF | 4 |
220 | Ryan McMahon | 3B | 4 |
221 | Nathan Eovaldi | SP | 3 |
222 | Jon Berti | 2B-3B | 3 |
223 | Joey Meneses | 1B-OF | 3 |
224 | Michael Conforto | OF | 3 |
225 | Merrill Kelly | SP | 3 |
226 | Dylan Floro | RP | 3 |
227 | Matt Mervis | 1B | 3 |
228 | Travis d'Arnaud | C | 3 |
229 | Trevor Story | 2B | 3 |
230 | Jorge Soler | OF | 3 |
231 | Jack Flaherty | SP | 3 |
232 | Seranthony Dominguez | RP | 3 |
233 | Jose Leclerc | RP | 3 |
234 | Miles Mikolas | SP | 3 |
235 | Gregory Soto | RP | 3 |
236 | Charlie Blackmon | DH-OF | 3 |
237 | Lane Thomas | OF | 3 |
238 | Kyle Finnegan | RP | 3 |
239 | Hayden Wesneski | SP | 3 |
240 | Martin Perez | SP | 2 |
241 | Edward Cabrera | SP | 2 |
242 | Marcus Stroman | SP | 2 |
243 | Sonny Gray | SP | 2 |
244 | Tyler Anderson | SP | 2 |
245 | Jameson Taillon | SP | 2 |
246 | Jake Fraley | OF | 2 |
256 | Jarred Kelenic | OF | 2 |