Bernie on the Scene: More Outfielder Trade Targets

This is my second article about outfielders who can help your fantasy team. While they may not be stars, they have the at-bats that can help add depth and breath to your lineup. None should be overly expensive in trades.

Hunter Dozier, OF/3B/1B, Royals
Age 29
BR
Lineup Position: 6th

Dozier is attractive because he is probably eligible in the outfield and both corners in most leagues. 

Dozier plays his home games in a tough home run park, but he hits the ball so hard and barrels so many balls, his home runs will sail out of any park. And with the huge outfield in Kaufmann Stadium, Dozier will get his share of gap doubles.

The Royals lineup is sneaky good. But many of the players are streak hitters. Anchored by Whit Merrifield at the top of the lineup, once the line gets moving for the Royals, good things happen.

Dozier can get you some home runs and RBIs for a trade price that should be fairly reasonable. And one thing is for sure — he'll be in the lineup.

Ian Happ, OF/2B/3B, Cubs
Age 26
BB
Lineup Position: On IL with a rib contusion

Happ's price is highly depressed now due to his rib injury. That isn't the only problem. He hasn't hit at all this season, and some feel his job is in jeopardy. That may be just the type of guy you want to look at in a keeper or ONLY league. He's a better hitter than we've seen.

I project him to finish the season in the .250/.370/.500 range.

Because he's a switch-hitter, Happ should end up with solid playing time once he returns to the lineup and proves he's healthy. Then the Cubs might look to trade him, which may be to your benefit in the long run.

I wouldn't give up a regular player for Happ, but I'd try to strengthen my bench in a trade with another team manager who might need one of your spare-part pitchers or catchers. He may be worth giving up a low production player for a high reward.

David Peralta, OF, Diamondbacks
Age 33
BL
Lineup Position: 4th

You probably didn't think Peralta had already reach his age-33 season. 

He's just such a solid hitter, I can't see him going into a huge slump. He makes contact, hits in a great spot in the batting order and his team is now hitting.

Peralta drives the ball to the gap in right-center as well as anyone, but he can also take a pitch to left field. And at Chase Field in Arizona and Coors in Colorado, Peralta will get his share of home runs. He has a history of hitting some triples, which really helps in extra-base leagues.

Peralta might be a bit costly if you try to trade him to a manager who likes contact hitters with the type of history Peralta brings. Not an All-Star, but a solid player who can help a manager win a fantasy season with a good batting average, good contact skills and a great knowledge of the strike zone.

Leury Garcia, OF/SS/2B, White Sox
Age 30
BB
Lineup Position: 8th

The injuries that have consumed the White Sox lineup have been of great benefit to Garcia's 2021 fantasy season. He can play anywhere the team needs him. Basically, he's a Swiss Army Knife with a good feel for hitting.

Garcia will play. He'll probably play CF with Luis Robert out of the lineup. If he plays center or even second base, he'll be hitting at the bottom of the order. However, even with the injuries, the White Sox have some quality hitters in Tim Anderson, Adam Eaton, Jose Abreu, Yermin Mercedes, Andrew Vaughn and even Yasmani Grandal hitting in front of Garcia. That means he'll be hitting with men on base.

Many fantasy managers will see Garcia as utility playing spare part. He's more than that. He's important.

I would pay a price to get a guy with multiple playing positions and a pretty secure 2021 spot in the lineup. Be careful, weigh the offer, but consider adding Garcia as a superb utility piece.

Andrew Benintendi, OF, Royals
Age 26
BL
Lineup Position: 2nd

Who knew we would ever talk about Andrew Benintendi needing to make a comeback from a very stale career with the Red Sox? In essence, it turned he was an overrated prospect who had a good start to his career and fizzled as time went on.

I now see a return to the spray-hitting Benintendi I thought he could be when I first scouted him. He tried to hit home runs in Boston, and it ruined his swing. He is now shorter to the ball and takes the pitch where it is thrown.

In Benintendi, you'll get a guy who will be playing every game. He hits at the top of the solid Royals order in a home park that is ideal for his gap approach.

The fantasy world likely knows Benintendi is improving, so weigh any offer closely and carefully. He clearly won't offer you much power, but I still think he'll deliver a batting average, score plenty of runs and maybe steal a few bases.

Randal Grichuk, OF, Blue Jays
Age 29
BR
Lineup Position: 6th

With the injury to George Springer, Grichuk's position in the lineup is more certain. There were times early in spring training I thought he might be a platoon player and miss several at-bats per week. I now am more confident Grichuk will be a constant presence in the Blue Jays lineup, playing the outfield or at designated hitter at times.

Grichuk has power. He can hit the long ball, and his bat will help as the Blue Jays move out of Florida, into Buffalo, and ultimately back home in Toronto.

I wouldn't look for anything other than power to the gaps and over the fence from him. He has been hitting for a good batting average, and I'm not sure how long that will last. He won't steal any bases. But if you need a power jolt, he should be available to you in trade.

The Blue Jays lineup is potent. He's not a star, but Grichuck could drive in plenty of runs over the course of the entire season. And his role is secure. Especially with his strong start this season.

He won't come cheaply, but he may be worth the price. 

Mark Canha, OF, Athletics
Age 32
BR
Lineup Position: 1st

Canha may be tough to pry away from a savvy fantasy manager, but he is worth a try.

He has been used off the bench and as a regular by the Athletics in his career. But he won a starting job this year on a team that is playing well. Actually, if you have him on your roster, this may be the best time to offer him in trade. Most Athletics hitters have high values at this point.

Canha is intriguing because he has power in the leadoff roll. He can start the game with a home run or a blast to the large gaps in Oakland. He can also steal bases, which is a huge plus when stolen bases are tough to hunt down. That may be the best reason to trade for Canha. People don't view him as a base stealer in most conversations about stolen bases, but he is.

I would be careful about the price for Canha. He can be very streaky, but he'll hit somewhere in the .250/.410/.800 range, and that may be enough to boost your offense.

HEADING HOME

Designating  Albert Pujols for assignment is emotional and controversial.

Yes, I know his skills have eroded markedly. However, he did have five home runs at the time of his unceremonious designation.

Pujols was once a great hitter. Especially in his Cardinals days. Few hitters were as potent and as dangerous as Pujols. He's a first ballot Hall of Famer.

I wish Pujols would have remained with the Cardinals. Now the Angels have 10 days to trade his contract. That won't happen. Not with the money he is owed. And I doubt there are too many teams waiting to even pay him the major league minimum when he clears waivers. But anything can happen.

My Angels fans Twitter followers are ecstatic he was given his walking papers. They realize he is taking up space. However, I contend the manner in which he was designated for assignment was shameful. He deserved better. Much better. 

People say he asked for his release. That is not how I read the press releases from the Angels. They discussed his role in those private meetings. It was back and forth. It wasn't pretty. They never mentioned he asked for his release.

A Hall of Fame player deserves much more respect than a pink slip in May. He deserved some fanfare. Some celebration. Some gratitude. Some accolades. He got none.

How should they have handled this? Pujols should have announced last year that he was retiring. He should have reached a contract settlement with the Angels, with him agreeing to walk away, freeing his roster space. 

His last year should have been his farewell tour, not a bucket of ice water thrown in his face. 

In my tweets, I used the word "shameful" about the way Pujols was treated. Two days later, the great Pedro Martinez used the same word. I smiled. Angels fans disagreed, saying it was shameful that he was stealing money from the Angels. Who's fault was that? Who gave him the contract? Arte Moreno. And Arte Moreno had to have approved his designation for assignment. And yes, that was shameful.

The timing was bad. The method was wrong. The stain on the Angels is well deserved.

Pujols deserved better. Baseball fans deserved better.

•  I am not surprised at the number of no-hitters we have seen so far in baseball. In general, today's pitchers are much smarter than most of today's hitters.

With some exceptions, hitters are hunting the home run. Their uppercut swings are long and aggressive. They end up being totally off balance and out of hitting position when the pitcher changes speeds, throws breaking balls out of the zone and beats them with wicked changeups.

Pitchers adjust to hitters. Hitters get in a pattern and are very, very slow to adjust. And many of them use the same approach at-bat after at-bat, changing nothing in their mechanics.

In one game I watched last week, a ball was not put in play for 27 minutes. Balls. Swings and misses. Called strikes.

Baseball better be careful. Boring is not going to win the day. People don't want to watch swings and misses. People don't want to watch stubborn hitters pound the ball into the "shift" over and over again without even trying to beat the shift with a different hitting approach. And that's if they hit the ball at all.

One thing I have always believed, and I believe to this day — a hitter should never let an umpire decide the at-bat. Never. When a hitter is at two strikes, the hitter has to swing at any pitch in or near the strike zone. If he doesn't, he'll be called out on strikes by inconsistent umpires. The umpire has then dictated the at-bat. There are far, far too many called third strikes.

• Thanks for following me on Twitter and reading my articles at forbes.com.

I always appreciate your comments on these articles, and I try to respond to them all.

Have a great week.