You're Stuck With Me: Players Too Good to Drop and Too Bad to Trade

It happens. At the draft, you reach for a player who you think is going to anchor your team or be one of its most valuable assets but ends up derailing several stat categories.

If you drafted any of the following players, you're likely stuck with them unless you're in a shallow league, don't mind taking a discount in a trade, or have 100-plus roster moves already. Those folks won't wait around.

OF Justin Upton, Detroit Tigers

Upton has shown some signs of life lately. He had three consecutive two-hit games where he hit a home run and knocked in five runs. He went 3-for-19 over five games with only one RBI and no long balls before driving in four against the White Sox on Tuesday.

Upton has hit 26 or more home runs in five different seasons, almost always sniffs 20 stolen bases and has always driven in his share of runs. He's been perceived as a bat to build a team around, both in terms of real life and fantasy.

He was a top-20 outfielder in terms of ADP and considering the supporting cast of Ian Kinsler, Miguel Cabrera and J.D. Martinez, it seemed a sure bet that he would improve on his 2016 numbers on an otherwise awful San Diego Padres team. He will now need a monster second half to come close in any of the five main fantasy categories.

Still, you can't drop him. While batting average has been a mixed bag much of his career, the other counting stats have been steady. Other than striking out more often and making soft contact at a greater rate, Upton's numbers look consistent with his career rates. A correction is coming.

The problem is, anyone looking to acquire him is not going to be banking on him recovering. It's a hope even if it is backed by reason and numbers. So expect the offers to be paltry even after he turns things around. People get gun shy and they tend to stay there.

SP Dallas Keuchel, Houston Astros

Fantasy baseball is a cruel game. There were understandably a ton of skeptics who didn't like Keuchel's low 6.57 K/9 in 2014, so he went later in drafts and promptly won the 2015 AL Cy Young! He increased his K rate to 8.38 per nine innings, lowered his ERA, walked fewer batters and allowed fewer hits in 32 more innings.

He was the 14th pitcher drafted in 2016 and has promptly seen the wheels come off. Somewhat ironically, the one area he has still impressed is in the strikeout department. His 8.32 K/9 is still higher than his career average, but he has already had single games where he's allowed six, seven, and eight earned runs. He only had one game in 2015 where he allowed more than five.

Take some solace in the fact that the entire Astros team, save for the amazing Jose Altuve and George Springer, has been largely disappointing. No one will offer enough of a return to make trading Keuchel worthwhile and the second you drop him, someone would put in a justified claim - he's the kind of player worthy of the No. 1 waiver spot in case he turns it around.

SP Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals

A disastrous start to the season will make it difficult for fantasy owners to fully trust Waino. His injury history alone has given him a ticking-time-bomb air for a few seasons even though he always came back strong. The big concern has been his increased BB/9. It's around his career average, but since 2012, it appeared that he had worked past command issues.

Wainwright was still among the first 25 starting pitchers off the board, making him a perceived second option on many fantasy teams. That hasn't worked out. He looked to be on the fast track to the waiver wire, but beginning with a May 18 start against the Colorado Rockies - where he threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings - his stock has trended upward.

In the five starts beginning with his Rockies outing, Wainwright has registered four quality starts and has completed six innings in each game. In his most recent start, he struck out nine batters, easily his best total on the year. It's promising, but no one would or should offer anything of value in a trade.

2B Brian Dozier, Minnesota Twins

The batting average is no surprise, and if he were an outfielder he would already be on the waiver wire. Dozier keeps his value based on playing at a weak offensive position. In most drafts, he was selected fifth among second basemen. To rub salt in Dozier owners' wounds, Ian Kinsler was sixth.

Dozier hit 51 home runs over the last two seasons and scored over 100 runs in both years as he primarily hit leadoff for the Twins. He's dropped in the order - a career .315 OBP - and he his well off his usual pace.

He's done just enough in the power department, but dangle him in trade offers - I know I have - and see what you get in return. Among 2B-eligible players, he is 15th in home runs, 17th in RBIs, 17th in stolen bases and 19th in runs scored. If he slumps hard, he might become droppable, but he's not quite there yet based on past performance.

SS Troy Tulowtzki, Toronto Blue Jays

He's injured (surprise!) but he hasn't been as terrible as that batting average suggests. Despite missing time, he's only one home run outside the top 10 of SS-eligible players. Sure, the rest of his numbers are far from sterling and he's striking out more than ever before, but dropping Tulowitzki is not an option.

That doesn't mean owners should be happy about having him clogging up a roster spot. He's tainted goods. While no one will deny the impact he's had on fantasy baseball throughout the years, it's unlikely you could even flip him for the aforementioned Keuchel.

Stash him. If your team is doing well, he likely hasn't held it down and any improvement will be a welcome addition. If you're doing poorly, dropping him won't make the team any better for the home stretch. At least, not yet.