There comes a time as a fantasy owner when you have to need to have that “come to Jesus” talk with yourself and realize that some of the “best” players you have are truly destroying your chances at winning a championship.
The great thing about these players is that no matter how bad they’re doing someone in your league will be crazy enough to take them off of your hands at almost double what they’re currently worth.
As long as you’re comfortable with cutting the fat loose and righting your ship, here are five guys who are owned in over 94 percent of all fantasy leagues who you should send packing immediately.
Prince Fielder Texas Rangers- 1B
It’s hard to believe that Fielder is a career .284-hitter, and the move to Arlington should have benefitted the left-handed hitter as the jet stream in right-centerfield is notorious for turning pop fly’s into dingers. Unfortunately for you, the Rangers and Fielder, this hasn’t been the case. Fielder is struggling to hit .200 and has only gone yard twice on top of seven RBI in 22 games played. Teammates like Donnie Murphy, Kevin Kouzmanoff and Josh Wilson are putting up more consistent, better numbers than the former five-time MVP candidate. Eventually Fielder will find his footing, but why not dump him off and pick up a closer and a more consistent first baseman in the mean time. You know, someone like Chris Colabello.
Pablo Sandoval San Francisco Giants- 3B
For some reason Panda thought it might be a good idea to drop 40 pounds in the offseason; apparently he also thought it might be a good idea to drop 129 points from his career batting average. That’s right, Sandoval, a career .294-hitter, is only clubbing .165 on the season along with two home runs and eight RBI in 21 games.
Even though the Giants have continued to win games despite the lack of his contribution, it’s still not a good enough reason to keep starting him every game with the thought that tonight will be the night when he breaks his slump.
Somewhere in your league is a Giants fan who would love to have him simply on that principle, and it’s not very likely that they’ll display much logic when making that deal with you. Get rid of him and get yourself someone who can help at the hot corner like Alberto Jose Callaspo or even Yangervis Solarte.
Jason Heyward Atlanta Braves- OF
For some odd reason Heyward always finds himself high atop of the rankings prior to the start of the season. As a result, fantasy hounds continue to overvalue his contributions and bank on him to be a workhorse for their team. It needs to stop.
Heyward is a .257 career hitter and only had one decent season in 2012 when he hit 27 home runs and 82 RBI. His numbers before and after that haven’t even come close. Currently Heyward is batting .198 with two home runs and six RBI. Even better, someone in your league is probably a Braves fan and would love to ride on the illusion of what he “might” be able to produce for their team.
You could probably swing a solid relief pitcher off of them, maybe even a decent infielder. But just know that a guy like Melky Cabrera is only owned by roughly 81 percent of all leagues and has been destroying baseball this season.
Allen Craig St. Louis Cardinals- 1B, OF
I’m not going to beat around the bush on Craig; I was one of the many people to scoop him up for my team. The idea that I could use him at first base, the outfield and as a utility was too good to pass up based on his .315 average, 13 home runs and 97 RBI in 2013.
Unfortunately, that ship has since sailed and I was smart enough to also pick up Colabello and Brandon Moss who can fill the same spots AND produce for my team. Craig’s .179 average along with one home run and five RBI in 22 games are just too hard to look at, and I know a lot of you are feeling the same way.
Do yourself a favor; dump him off for the price of a solid outfielder and maybe a good relief arm if you can get it as well. Craig might heat up later in the season, but you could also been banking a lot of wins before that day comes.
Carlos Santana Cleveland Indians- 1B, C, 3B
I’ve never been sold on Santana, especially after he started playing way more games as a first baseman or a designated hitter than he did at catcher. Santana is a career .249-hitter, and for someone who plays more in the field than behind the plate that number is pretty low.
To make matters worse, Santana is currently hitting .137 and has only gone yard once along with three RBI in 21 games. Not only is on pace to hit career-lows, he’s looking to cut his average in half of what he’s done for his career. Santana might be a little bit tougher to dump on someone else, but you may find someone who is willing to swap for someone like Salvador Perez at the catcher spot. Or in this case, you might just want to fish the free agent wire.