Tristan H. Cockcroft May 6, 2026, 08:20 AM ET

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Tristan H. Cockcroft is senior writer for fantasy baseball and football at ESPN. Tristan is a member of the FSWA Hall of Fame. He is also a two-time LABR and three-time Tout Wars champion.

Gear up for some bargain shopping!

We're now deep enough into the season where 2026 stat lines are increasingly perceived as full-year trends by some, and panic amongst fantasy baseball managers whose teams have started off slowly is only rising. Nevertheless, the season-long sample size remains small and the trade market is rife with opportunity.

Whether it's past history, a tough schedule or merely awful luck, certain slow-starting players have reason to formulate strong cases for a turnaround. These early mirages should rank atop your trade target list.

Granted, not every sluggish superstar is bound to improve in the coming weeks.…