MLB Offseason Recaps, Rosters, Forecasts, and (Updated) Projected Lineups & Rotations – Finalized & FREE

MLB Offseason Recaps, Rosters, Forecasts, and (Updated) Projected Lineups & Rotations

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The MLB offseason came and went in a blink again this year and, against all odds, the Dodgers have come away a somehow better ballclub. In addition to the big acquisitions by Los Angeles, teams around the league have made transactions both large and small. The purpose of this article is to provide a foundation for player and team expectations moving forward, as well as providing a focal point for player analysis (sleepers, busts, prospects, etc.) around the league.

All lineups below are presented as the most likely lineup vs. right-handed pitching (baseline lineups via Fangraphs Roster Resources), but in applicable places we may include a platoon or projected backup who we see fitting into a more regular role.

National League West

Arizona Diamondbacks

Additions

Merrill Kelly – SP – Arizona reunited with the veteran righty who has been worth three or more wins in three of the last four seasons, including a strong 2025 that paid off waiver pickups or sleeper draft choices at cheap prices. Kelly was traded to Texas late in the season, he was less effective in his 10 starts with the Rangers, posting a 4.23 ERA with a 4.07 xFIP and seeing his K/9 mark dip to just 7.48. Over 22 starts with Arizona, Kelly posted a 3.22 ERA with a 3.70 xFIP and an 8.46 K/9 mark, putting his end of year numbers at a 3.52 ERA masking a higher-but-effective 3.81 xFIP with an adequate 22.3% strikeout rate and 15.9% K-BB%. A later-round pick who can provide depth in a variety of fantasy formats.

Nolan Arenado – 3B/DH – The irretrievably broken Arenado comes to Arizona in search of his lost swing. The former superstar has hit just 28 home runs with his awful .303 wOBA only looking good in comparison to his expected mark of .294 in a combined 1,071 plate appearances over the past two seasons combined. Now 35 years old, Arenado simply has a swing that has fallen behind and will not catch back up to the modern game. This is a hard pass until the very last rounds of a fairly deep draft in any format. Arenado will be more playable as a cheap DFS option on upside days for the Diamondbacks as a stack.

Michael Soroka – SP/RP – The right-hander only managed 89.2 innings in 2025, giving him a bit of an incomplete after he was a deep sleeper pick going into last season. Soroka was just interesting enough in a few of his starts to draw the eye at the back of a deep Diamondbacks rotation. In the innings he did manage, Soroka put up a compelling 25.1% strikeout rate and a 17.4% K-BB% with xERA and SIERA favoring his production somewhat at 3.53 and 3.78 respectively, compared to the more off-putting 4.21 xFIP and his actual ERA mark of 4.52 in competition. Soroka is universally projected for only around 100 innings and his role is not entirely secure, he could prove more useful in a long relief or even setup role that could unlock additional upside at the expense of starting pitcher value in fantasy.

Carlos Santana – 1B/DH – The 40-year-old switch-hitting first baseman fell short of 500 plate appearances for the first time in his long career last season (discounting an abbreviated rookie season and the 60-game 2020 season). Santana made 474 underwhelming plate appearances, hitting just 11 home runs while slasing .219/.308/.325 and posting a .290 xwOBA and 82 WRC+. There is not likely to be much more in the tank, but the plate discipline could carry the veteran to a more productive season than that. Assuming a generous 550 plate appearances, the ceiling here is a very late depth pick and a DFS value play during the season.

Paul Sewald – RP

Grant Holman – RP

Jonathan Loaisaga – RP (minor league deal)

Luken Baker – 1B (minor league deal)

Subtractions

Blaze Alexander – Utility – Traded

Jake McCarthy – OF – Traded

Jalen Beeks – RP – FA

Outlook, Sleepers, and Busts

Arizona did not make many changes from the team that finished fourth in the NL West and a game under .500 last season. Bringing Merrill Kelly back into the fold is a nice piece of management after cashing his trade ticket for a few prospects at last season’s deadline. The rotation is where Arizona is likely to shine, despite not having a true ace the team does deploy a bevvy of mid-rotation talents, led by righty Zac Gallen who has more than we saw last season. Ryne Nelson, Kelly, and Soroka add right-handed depth, and veteran southpaw Eduardo Rodriguez remains capable of finding quality despite a bumpy 2025. Overall, Arizona seems destined for another middle-of-the-pack finish in 2026, particularly in their hyper-competitive and loaded division.

Arizona’s lineup looks good up top with the returning unit of Geraldo Perdomo, Ketel Marte, and Corbin Carroll, though we have Carroll pulling lighter power marks this season with the after-effects of his hamate bone injury likely to linger. Perdomo and Marte are tremendous options in the middle infield. Both players were excellent at limiting strikeouts and working walks to create opportunities while also providing individual counting stat quality. Perdomo, notably, made 720 plate appearances and posted a 20/27 season with a .356 xwOBA and 138 WRC+ that surprised many. Marte missed time but hit 28 home runs and had a tremendous .390 xwOBA and a 145 WRC+ over his 556 opportunities. All Carroll did was post a quiet 31 home runs and 32 stolen bases with a 139 WRC+ over 642 plate appearances last season. The outfielder is back for the end of Spring Training, his status for Opening Day looks good but his injury tends to sap power for the better part of a season, regardless of recovery. The rest of the Diamondbacks lineup provides less quality, though Gabriel Moreno is a capable low-strikeout catcher with a bit of pop in his bat and a knack for getting on base. Arenado and Santana cannot be counted on for much, though either could produce in spots via the old baseball-speak “veteran know-how” path. Pavin Smith and Alek Thomas are established depth options, Smith his the ball hard but has seen little for it to date. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. will miss at least the first half of the season as he recovers from a major knee injury late last year, opening the door for some positional shifting.

Jordan Lawlar got a cup of coffee in the show with 34 limited plate appearances back in 2023 and again over 74 chances in 28 games last season. Lawlar posted a .182/.257/.288 line with a .253 xwOBA and a 35.1% strikeout rate that made him look overmatched at the MLB level in 2025. Despite those ugly marks, the top prospect did hit 11 home runs and steal 20 bases while posting a 129 WRC+ at the AAA level, and he is on or ahead of his development curve. Lawlar’s biggest issue might be finding the right spot on the MLB diamond, with the team working him into an outfield role given the depth of talent and contract value in the current infield. Lawlar has never been projected to hit for the average that he posted in last year’s AAA stint, but his power upside and steals are both real, a 15/25 season would not be entirely stunning, if he were to find 600 plate appearances. Lawlar should offer positional eligibility at third base and, for five-start qualifying leagues, second base, with outfield eligibility coming early this season, he is a flier in deeper rounds.

Update: Paul Sewald looks to be the closer to start the season.

Primary Lineup

Rotation & Primary Bullpen Arms

Colorado Rockies

Additions

Jose Quintana – SP – The veteran lefty had few places to turn for his age 37 season, fortunately Colorado is always in the market for willing victims pitchers. Quintana was in decline last season, posting a 3.96 ERA with an unsightly 4.92 xFIP under the surface and seeing strikeouts dip from 18.8% for two consecutive season in New York to just 16.0% while his walk rate climbed for the second year in a row. Making half of his starts in Colorado is not going to help the situation. This is a strong avoid outside of only the most desperate season-long situations. Quintana could find a few interesting spots at cheap DFS prices while on the road this season, at most.

Michael Lorenzen – SP – The low-strikeout righty joins Colorado after a middling run with a mix of teams over the past few seasons. The journeyman posted a bumpy 4.64 ERA with a 4.23 xFIP underneath not offering much encouragement last season. Lorenzen did approach a league-average strikeout rate for the first time in five seasons, posting a 21.0% mark and a 6.4% walk rate that were his only truly positive attributes. Lorenzen was in the bottom-half of all pitchers in most advanced metrics last season, there is very little reason to roster him outside of a cheap DFS spot on the road or a “we draft everyone” league (can we join?).

Willi Castro – UTIL – Castro is a solid pickup for an organization that is not at the top of the list for marquee free agents. Castro is not to be mistaken for a star, this is a capable role player who should finish the season with eligibility at most positions on the field. Castro is an excellent depth weapon to pad any bench or best-ball lineup and Coors Field should help boost his numbers slightly, though it is noteworthy that his .323 xwOBA in 2024 was a career-high for any season in which he made more than 150 plate appearances. Castro is a depth piece, he should not be considered a fantasy starter outside of very large leagues.

Edouard Julien – 2B/1B/DH – If Willi Castro is a reliable utility man drafted rounds and rounds earlier, Julien at least rates as a somewhat interesting sleeper that no one is really drafting. The infielder is just entering his prime at age-27 and the team’s offensive environment in home games should help bring out his best. Julien only got into 26 games in his last Twins campaign, hitting three home runs and posting a .329 xwOBA with an 81 WRC+ in the tiny sample. He struck out at a 29.3% clip but his skills were on display with a 10.6% walk rate that provides a spark of hope. Before making 301 plate appearances in 2024 that are better left forgotten, Julien did have a very good rookie season. In 2023, at just age-24, Julien hit 16 home runs and got on base at a tremendous .381 clip over 408 MLB plate appearances. He still struck out aggressively, posting a 31.4% rate but it came against a career-high 15.7% walk rate that he has not been able to approach in limited action since. In addition to a potentially strong ability to pad his OPS, Julien offers a tantalizing ability to hit the ball effectively, even in last year’s down third of a season he posted a 12.2% barrel rate and 42.3% hard-hit mark with a 110.1 mph maximum exit velocity. Coors Field has made worse hitters look like stars for a season, with potential chances both at second and first base in the mix, Julien deserves a look from the Rockies. If he gets one, he is a late round flier who could surprise. At worst, there is ongoing cheap DFS potential in home games.

Jake McCarthy – OF – After joining the team in a trade from the Diamondbacks, McCarthy is probably slated for a backup or shared role. The outfielder could steal around 25 bases if he were to see 500+ plate appearances, but that is unlikely.

Tomoyuki Sugano – SP – The 36-year-old veteran of the NPB had a lousy first MLB season over 30 starts for the Orioles in 2025. Sugano put up a 4.64 ERA with a 4.69 SIERA and 4.70 xFIP while reaching just a 15.7% strikeout rate. This is an emphatic no thank you in any format.

Subtractions

German Marquez – SP – FA

Orlando Arcia – IF – FA

Thairo Estrada – 2B – DFA

Kyle Farmer – IF – FA

Michael Toglia – 1B – FA

Outlook, Sleepers, and Busts

The Rockies went 43-119 last season and the outlook for 2026 is not much more optimistic. The team did very little to bolster their roster, bringing in a few mediocre pitchers at the end of their careers, and adding only limited bats in free agency. While both Willi Castro and Edouard Julien could find a bit of late fantasy value, franchise players they are not. The Rockies bring a few late-round fliers to the table in the regular lineup, with Hunter Goodman and Mickey Moniak providing the most likely upside. Goodman is a thumper who led the group with 31 home runs last season, and Moniak has begun to deliver on his original prospect status with good numbers over the past two seasons. The team provides depth beyond McCarthy, Castro, and Julien, with both Jordan Beck and Brenton Doyle providing toolsy upside and a likely path to 600+ plate appearances. Beck put up a 16/19 season over 588 plate appearances, though his .302 xwOBA is discouraging. Doyle provides elite centerfield defense that will keep him in the lineup regardless, but he did hit 15 homers while stealing 18 bases in 538 chances last year. Doyle’s .300 xwOBA is disappointing but the 10.8% barrel rate and 44.6% hard-hit mark say he can find more upside, and Coors Field can help.

Shortstop Ezequiel Tovar had a rough 390 plate appearances in 95 games last season when glancing at the surface numbers. Under the covers, however, there might be a different story. While Tovar only hit nine home runs after hitting 26 in 695 chances a season before, the infielder did cut his strikeout rate from 28.8% to just 25.1% in the smaller sample. Tovar also pushed his walk rate from a limiting 3.3% to a still-too-low 5.4% and his xwOBA was higher than his posted wOBA for the first time. While the actual production slipped to just .301, Tovar’s xwOBA checked in at a league-average .320 mark, a career high by .018. Tovar showed a marked improvement in his whiff rate against fastballs, and marginal improvement against breaking stuff, while he swung and missed far more when exposed to off-speed pitches.

The only even potentially interesting pitcher on the Rockies is Chase Dollander, a young righty who is rendered uninteresting by virtue of being a member of the Rockies. The 24-year-old was picked ninth overall in 2023 and debuted for the Rockies with 21 starts and 98.0 innings in 2025. While he did not find it and posted a 6.52 ERA, 5.10 xFIP, and a lowly 18.6% strikeout rate and 7.5% K-BB% last season, Dollander posted tremendous Stuff+ marks across three breaking pitches that work off of a 94th percentile 97.8 mph average velocity on the fastball. Dollander has the rough tools but a long way to go, he would only be viable in road starts, if at all, but could be a sneaky name to keep in mind for very cheap value in those situations for DFS.

Primary Lineup

 

Rotation & Primary Bullpen Arms

Los Angeles Dodgers

Additions

Kyle Tucker – OF – Tucker just adds to the ridiculous overflowing treasure chest that is the Dodgers lineup. The idea that Los Angeles was able to add Tucker and still have enough leftover to sign Edwin Diaz to a three-year deal is what makes people call for salary caps. The Dodgers pick up one of baseball’s top left-handed bats, in what looks like a statistically down season by comparison, Tucker “only” hit 22 home runs and stole 25 bases while getting on at a .377 clip and posting a .372 xwOBA and 136 WRC+ in his one season with the Cubs. There is massive upside for Tucker given an expected spot between Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts in the daily lineup a return to 30 or more home runs seems likely.

Edwin Diaz – RP – 112 saves from 21-25 with the Mets, including 28 last year with a 1.63 ERA and 2.49 xFIP. Diaz struck out a massive 38.0% of the hitters he faced while posting a 29.8% K-BB% for the season, he is simply one of the elite closers in the game and a major target where relevant in season-long formats.

Santiago Espinal – UTIL – minor league deal

Seby Zavala – C – minor league deal

Keston Hiura – IF – minor league deal

Jack Suwinski – claimed off waivers, lurking power but only in platoon situations if he is on the team at all

Subtractions

Kirby Yates – RP

Esteury Ruiz – OF

Michael Conforto – OF

Ben Rortvedt – C

Clayton Kershaw – Retired

Andrew Heaney – SP

Anthony Banda – RP

Tony Gonsolin – FA

Outlook, Sleepers, and Busts

The Dodgers finished atop the National League West but only third by winning percentage overall in the National League, and those who want to immediately hand Los Angeles another World Series would do well to remember that they only finished three games ahead of the Padres by season’s end. The team was undoubtedly elite, and an inarguably deserving champion, and they have only added to their firepower. Everyone should be uplifted with Tucker in the mix, while Ohtani and Betts are obvious candidates, another to watch is Freddie Freeman. The veteran first baseman slides down the lineups slightly, but he does not have to hold up as much production as has been demanded of him in recent seasons, which could ease any signs of a slowdown. Freeman has yet to crack, he was tremendous over 627 plate appearances with a .295/.367/.502 slash line and a .350 xwOBA, there are no concerns in taking him as one of the first few off the board at his position once again in 2026. Will Smith is one of the top catchers in the game, he should easily clear 400 plate appearances and has a good shot at getting back to 500, an important feature for the position. Smith drew more than 500 plate appearances for four straight years before last year’s dip to 436 chances (in 110 games), he saw a minimum of 544 between 2022 and 2024. Max Muncy is a player seeing a bit of a cooldown but the premium contact and expected production marks remain outrageous. Muncy had a 13.6% barrel rate and 51.5% hard-hit mark while drawing a 16.5% walk rate and minimizing strikeouts last season. The lefty slugger only managed 19 home runs in his 388 plate appearances, but his .374 xwOBA and 137 WRC+ speak for themselves. Teoscar Hernandez should be back to his 25-homer ways in the outfield, while Andy Pages can make gains on a bit of added plate discipline.

The Dodgers are loaded on the mound as well. In addition to the split talents of Shohei Ohtani, the team has Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a popular and over-drafted favorite, and Tyler Glasnow, as well as one of the industry’s top “sleeper” candidates at pitcher. Yamamoto and Glasnow are a formidable duo for whom the primary question is depth. Glasnow only made 18 starts last year and has never made more than the 22 he had in 2024. The righty is a high-end strikeout artist who sat hiters down at a 29.0% rate last season, but that came with an ugly 11.7% walk rate for a seven-year-low 17.2% K-BB% for the pitcher. Yamamoto, meanwhile, made 30 starts and threw 173.2 innings in his second MLB season, pitching to an elite 2.49 ERA with a 3.05 xFIP that hardly betrays the surface mark. Yamamoto struck out 29.4% and put up a 20.8% K-BB% while successfully limiting home runs by clipping the average launch angle of opposing hitters.

Roki Sasaki has been all over the place, he is not a recommended fantasy selection and may not make the starting rotation for Opening Day. After a terrible first 36.1 MLB innings, Sasaki has a long way to go before he will be fantasy-relevant, unless he lands in a high-leverage bullpen role.

Emmet Sheehan is a popular but entirely justifiable “sleeper” pick at starter, enough to drive his price up the board somewhat by ADP in a variety of league formats. Potentially a great name to remember for an early-season DFS start before the price goes up, Sheehan has all the tools of a frontline starter. The burly 6’5″ 220lbs righty made a dozen starts and threw a handful of innings out of the bullpen last season, putting up a sparkling 2.82 ERA and 3.37 xFIP with a star-caliber 30.6% strikeout rate and 23.0% K-BB%. Sheehan wields a wipeout slider that induced a 43.6% whiff rate last season, with a fastball that “stays up” as he works at the top of the zone at 95.6 mph on average to perfectly set up the rest of his arsenal. Sheehan is projected for an upper-20s strikeout rate, if he can continue to avoid the free pass and assuming a rotation job from Opening Day on, he has ace upside from well down the draft board, but he is absolutely not a secret.

River Ryan is much more of a secret. Ryan made four starts and threw 20.1 innings for the Dodgers in 2024, posting a 1.33 ERA but a more honest 4.29 xFIP in the small sample. The righty had eight starts with a 33.7% strikeout rate between A and AAA that season as well. Ryan is back on the mound after missing all of last season following Tommy John surgery in August 2024, he has dominated in Spring Training and looks sharp with a fastball sitting near 97mph on average and snappy stuff. Ryan is extremely unlikely to pitch a full season of starts, but he stands a good chance to make more than 10 starts while providing innings out of the bullpen as well. The upside for strikeouts is clear and anyone in a keeper league could do worse than a cheap investment in a future Dodgers rotation piece.

Jose De Paula is not likely to be fantasy-relevant until at least 2027, whether that is with Los Angeles or another team remains to be seen for the 20-year-old top Dodgers’ prospect outfielder. De Paula is an interesting option for dynasty/minor league drafts.

Tanner Scott and Alex Vesia are interesting depth options for fantasy where saves and holds are both relevant. The primary setup men coming into the season, the duo should combine for nearly 40 holds with a handful of saves and wins. Both are capable strikeout pitchers but Vesia should provide a few more along the way, giving him the slight edge over his righty counterpart.

Primary Lineup

 

Rotation & Primary Bullpen Arms

 

San Diego Padres

Additions

German Marquez – SP – Now 31, Marquez is finally free from the grip of Coors Field. Unfortunately, the transition to a far more pitching-friendly environment may come too late for the righty. Marquez was a disaster over 126.1 innings in 26 starts for Colorado last season, posting a 6.70 ERA and a 5.35 xFIP with strikeouts falling off the table at just 14.0%. At his best, Marquez showed flashes of an ace, but that is now eight seasons ago. The righty did make 30+ starts in both 2021 and 2022, even striking out 176 in 180.0 innings in 2021, but he has never been effective enough to justify faith beyond the odd depth flier in sizable drafts. However, Marquez absolutely could be someone to keep in mind the first or second time through the rotation in DFS settings at a presumably low price and extremely low popularity to start.

Miguel Andujar – UTIL – The utility man’s 341 plate appearances in 2025 were the most he has drawn since his age-23 season in 2018. Andjuar as always been able to hit, in the half-season sample in 2025 he managed 10 home runs and a terrific .318/.352/.470 slash with a .354 wOBA. Unfortunately, his .298 xwOBA tells an entirely different story about where all of that success came from. Outside of the outlier 27 home runs that he racked as a 23-year old in that big Yankees season, Andujar has been far more of a contact-oriented hitter who limits strikeouts and puts bat on ball, the low walk rate that comes with that approach can limit this expected mark but .298 is dramatically below league average. Andujar could continue to succeed from an average standpoint, but his on-base percentage last year was largely based on a .348 babip that a.315-career on-base quickly belies. Andjuar is projected for a similar 350-400 plate appearances and below-average marks in most categories this season.

Walker Buehler – SP – Minor league deal but could break camp with the team, particularly if Joe Musgrove continues to work behind schedule after the WBC. The veteran righty is unlikely to be fantasy-relevant outside of a here and there DFS flier.

Nick Castellanos – OF – A bench option for San Diego and unlikely to provide much fantasy value other than DFS stack filler when he plays.

Griffin Canning – SP – A potential depth piece for the Padres who could also land at the bottom of the early rotation depending on the availability of others. Canning has been a sleeper target in seasons past, he was at his best in 2023 when he put up a 25.9% strikeout rate and 19.25 K-BB, he was at just 21.3% and a 10.7% K-BB% last season with the Mets.

Ty France – 1B – Minor league deal

Jose Miranda – 1B/3B – Minor league deal

Triston McKenzie – Minor league deal

Subtractions

Dylan Cease – SP – FA

Luis Arraez – IF – FA

Ryan O’Hearn – 1B/OF – FA

Robert Suarez – RP – FA

Jose Iglesias – IF – FA

Tyler Wade – UTIL – FA

Nestor Cortes – SP – FA

Martin Maldonado – C – FA

Outlook, Sleepers, and Busts

The Padres finished a strong second to the Dodgers in the West last season, winning 90 games and ultimately falling three games short of Los Angeles. San Diego checks in with a similar lineup and hopes for a return to form for young outfielder Jackson Merrill, but also with a diminished pitching staff that lost Dylan Cease. The Padres still offer rotation depth, Michael King is largely expected to right the ship this season, assuming a bit more health after making a mere 15 starts in 2025. Nick Pivetta should provide ongoing quality with slightly above-average marks for strikeouts and, possibly, ratios. Beyond those options, the Padres offer several veteran wildcards in their early-mid thirties and a strong bullpen led by elite closer Mason Miller who stands out among RP options in any format. Miller struck out a ludicrous (plaid, it’s actually gone to plaid) 44.4% of opposing hitters last season. Granted, he walked another 12.0% of those opponents, but that still amounts to a 32.5% K-BB% that was the best mark among all pitchers with more than 30.0 innings last season by nearly two percentage points.

While the Padres’ offseason acquisitions read like a list of waiver wire claims from recent fantasy seasons, the day-to-day lineup looks largely like it did last season, outside of the departure of Luis Arraez. While Arraez is a highly capable contact hitter who has won three batting titles, his overall upside dipped to 109 and 104 WRC+ the past few seasons after soaring to 130 and 131 in 2022-23. Arraez’ departure sees Xander Bogaerts sliding into the top spot in the early projected lineup, with Fernando Tatis Jr. sliding down to the cleanup role in the hopes of finding some absent power. In between, Jackson Merrill and Manny Machado should provide a fair amount of upside. Penciled in to hit second, Merrill needs to return to his 2024 form after dropping to just .264/.317/.457 with 16 home runs in 483 chances last season. His .347 xwOBA is a great indicator of his underlying quality. Merrill is someone to draft for upside at his current ADP in all formats, he hit 24 home runs and stole 16 bases while slashing .292/.326/.500 with a .375 xwOBA and 130 WRC+ in 593 plate appearances as a 21-year-old rookie just two seasons ago. Machado remains a consistent star. The third baseman plays elite defense at the hot corner and continues to mash at the plate, hitting 27 home runs and putting up a 123 WRC+ and .354 xwOBA next to strong surface numbers last season. Tatis Jr. is now three seasons removed from the burgeoning super-duper-star who hit 42 home runs and stole 25 bases in 2021. The outfielder simply looks more like a tremendous mid-high 20s home run and 25 stolen bases type of standard-issue star in recent years, and that should be fine. Tatis Jr. blasted 25 long balls and swiped 32 bases last season, finishing in a tie for fourth in baseball with 111 runs scored (a non-predictive counting stat that is out of a hitter’s control but score for fantasy in most formats). From there, the balance of the daily Padres lineup should be filled with above-replacement-level veteran bats including Ramon Laureano, who is coming off of a career season, Gavin Sheets, Andjuar, and capable catcher Freddy Fermin. These are fine for DFS filler in stacks on good days to have Padres, but, other than Laureano, there is no need to draft any of these players in season-long formats.

Update: Joe Musrgove will start another season on the IL, Walker Buehler will start the season in the fifth spot in the rotation as a non-roster camp invite with a long track record.

Primary Lineup

 

Rotation & Primary Bullpen Arms

San Francisco Giants

Additions

Luis Arraez – The three-time batting champ take his talents up the Pacific Coast to San Francisco where he should land atop a capable lineup looking to improve upon a .500 season in 2025. Arraez slashed .292/.327/.392 and created runs four percent better than average by WRC+ last season, his second-straight dip in run creation despite continuing his ability to hit for average. Arraez constantly puts the ball in play, he struck out just 3.1% of the time while walking at a 5.0% clip last season, but he was not on base frequently enough to support additional offensive gains. The infielder is a lightly playable two-category asset for average and runs in season-long formats, he is more interesting for DFS correlation assuming he leads off ahead of Rafael Devers, Willy Adames, and Matt Chapman. That group of power bats in any order should drive production from Arraez if he is able to find his way to first base.

Harrison Bader – Should fill a regular outfield role with a home run total in the mid-teens and similar stolen base total if he reaches 500+ plate appearances. No more than filler, but adequate filler in any format.

Tyler Mahle – SP – The righty has simply missed too many games in recent seasons after finding some early success. Mahle made a career-high 33 starts and threw 180.0 innings way back in 2021. He threw 120.2 innings in 23 starts the following season then made just eight starts from 2023-2024 before 16 outings last season. Despite what a misleading 2.18 ERA may say, Mahle was not good in his return to slightly more regular action. The veteran had a 4.43 xFIP and 4.62 SIERA while pitching to a 19.1% strikeout rate and 10.7% K-BB%. With projections for fewer than 25 starts, at the outside, Mahle seems miles from ongoing fantasy relevance, his value is most likely in low cost DFS situations.

Adrian Houser – SP – Houser has made a few more starts than Mahle since 2021, though he has not gone beyond the 21-start mark since that same season. Houser is a replacement-level or worse starter when it comes to fantasy in all formats, he is probably best deployed as a deep bench option for best-ball purposes to scrape the occasional win and effective home starts.

Sam Hentges – RP

Eric Haaase – C – minor league deal

Subtractions

Justin Verlander – SP – FA

Andrew Knizner – C – FA

Tom Murphy – C – FA

Wilmer Flores – IF – FA

Dominic Smith – 1B – FA

Kai-Wei Teng – P – trade

Marco Luciano – UTIL – waivers

Outlook, Sleepers, and Busts

Despite early-season struggles that ultimately landed him out West, Devers put up a 35-homer season for the first time in four years. The infielder mashed his way to a .227 ISO and .367 xwOBA while posting a 135 WRC+ that was directly in line with previous production. Devers is a strong buy option when he slides in season-long drafts and he is the linchpin for this Giants offense in all formats. Chapman hit 21 home runs in 535 plate appearances but his .340 xwOBA suggests that the premium contact marks do not deceive us, this remains a good right-handed power bat. The third baseman padded fantasy scoring with a handful of stolen bases, swiping nine last year and 15 the year before, but his true value comes from the power that delivered 27 home runs in three of the past five seasons. Adames started last year slowly but finished with 30 home runs and a 108 WRC+, his productivity has a strong chance of climbing somewhat with the team’s current lineup in place for the full season. Jung Hoo Lee, Heliot Ramos, and Harrison Bader are capable bats for outfield depth from the late rounds in any format or for DFS stack padding but you would not want to rely on any of them in the long-term.

Bryce Eldridge is an intriguing young hitter who blasted 25 home runs in just 433 plate appearances across AA and AAA and saw a 10-game cup of coffee in the Show in 2025. With nothing between him and 500 plate appearance but his production, Eldridge is a strong breakout candidate and not a bad option for a flier on NL Rookie of the Year at +1800 across several sportsbooks. Eldridge was picked 16th overall in 2023 and profiles for sheer raw power, if nothing else. Strikeouts will likely be an issue in early action, Eldridge struck out at or around 30.0% in the upper levels of the minors in 2025 and at a 35.1% rate in his 37 MLB plate appearances. The rookie has shown a knack for drawing walks at every stop on his way up the ladder, a crucial feature for his hitting profile that is likely to be the deciding factor between a productive power-hitting fantasy star and just another mid-range guy.

The Giants strength remains their pitching staff, topped by Logan Webb, one of the best starters in baseball by any measure. Webb had a tremendous 2025 season, as we featured in Best Ball Rankings:

“While Webb lacks the apex strikeout stuff of some counterparts, he has been fantastically consistent and available, with 2025 marking three straight seasons of at least 33 starts and more than 200 innings (plus 32 and 192.1 in 2022). Webb pitched to a 3.22 ERA with a 2.78 xFIP under the covers last season while spiking a 26.2% strikeout rate that was his highest since 2021 by several percentage points and also lowering his walk rate from 5.9% to 5.4% (20.8% K-BB). Webb was in a three-way tie with Garrett Crochet and Cristopher Sanchez for the league-lead with 22 quality starts last year.”

Robbie Ray is an erratic frustrating starter but he can still punch tickets on the right night. Ray worked 182.1 innings in 32 starts, a few shy of his totals in similar full seasons in 2021 and ’22. Ray’s strikeouts dipped significantly from those days, and year-over-year from the 30.2 innings and seven starts he made in 2024. That season, the veteran southpaw had a 33.3% strikeout rate but an 11.6% walk rate. Last year, in a much more complete sample, Ray only managed to strike out 24.6% of hitters with a K-BB% that dipped to just 15.0%. While the somewhat above-average strikeout rate supports the notion of big games, Ray failed to strike out 10 in any of his 2025 starts, though he did strike out eight or more in nine separate outings. For comparison, Ray struck out 10 or more hitters seven times in his last-best full season in 2022. He was even better in 2021 with 10 games of 10 or more strikeouts, and another four games with nine providing major start-by-start upside. The best days are gone and Ray can be an ongoing problem for walks, leading to inflated WHIP, if he fails to punch his way out of trouble with runners on we could see a spike in ratios that would be unfriendly to ongoing fantasy standings. Ray is best deployed in daily or best ball formats where the downside is less costly in the longer-term.

Primary Lineup

 

Rotation & Primary Bullpen Arms

 

National League Central

Chicago Cubs

Additions

Alex Bregman –  3B – From one former Astros star to another, the Cubs lose Kyle Tucker but pick up Alex Bregman on a five-year deal. Bregman made a one-season stop in Boston, where he got off to a hot start before missing time last year, ultimately putting up 18 home runs with a .273/.,360/.462 slash and a .356 wOBA but a .337 xwOBA. The third baseman will be 32 to start his first year in Chicago, the days of 30+ home runs are long gone, Bregman should be expected to hit 22-23 homers with a fair slash line and quality OPS mark. While the power is not what it once was, Bregman has never had a season below a 114 WRC+. His value is enhanced in season-long formats in an extremely thin year at third base.

Edward Cabrera – SP – Turning 28 just as the season gets underway, Cabrera finds himself in Chicago where he should be expected to take a regular turn in the top-3 of the rotation. Cabrera is inconsistent, but he posted a career-best 17.6% K-BB% in 2025 on his way to a 3.53 ERA and 3.62 xFIP, the latter of which was a career-best and marked his second-straight season with an expected mark below 4.00 in the category. Cabrera’s ceiling appears to be a mid-20s strikeout rate pitcher who can find more quality if he can wrangle his walks. The righty wields an upper-90s fastball and finds whiffs working off of that pitch with tremendous breaking and off-speed offerings. There is tantalizing potential but we have been down this road and come up wanting with this pitcher several times in the past. A wildcard in any format, but someone to keep in mind when the price, matchup, and popularity align in DFS.

Hunter Harvey – RP – Righty reliever with a bit of mid-20s strikeout potential, could find his way to a fair number of holds where the stat scores fantasy points.

Shelby MIller – RP – Miller had a bit of an outlier season in 2025, posting a 29.0% strikeout rate and a career-best 21.0% K-BB% in 46.0 innings. Miller worked to a 2.74 ERA but had a 3.67 xFIP under the surface, but he does not currently project for a role where holds or saves will be easy to find.

Tyler Austin – 1B

Phil Maton – RP

Scott Kingery – UTIL

Christian Bethancourt – C

Kyle Wright – SP

Subtractions

Kyle Tucker – OF – FA (ouch)

Aaron Civale – SP – FA

Willi Castro – UTIL – FA

Owen Caissie – OF – traded

Michael Soroka – SP – FA

Drew Pomeranz – RP – FA

Andrew Kittredge – RP – traded

Taylor Rogers – RP – FA

Carlos Santana – 1B – FA

Brad Keller – RP – FA

Ryan Brasier – RP – FA

Justin Turner – 1B – FA

Outlook, Sleepers, and Busts

The Cubs bring back a solid lineup and make the best of a bad situation by covering a fair amount of Kyle Tucker’s departure with his former teammate Alex Bregman. It seems fair to suggest that a lot of Chicago’s production might come down to how the question “who is the real Pete Crow-Armstrong at the plate?” is answered. The centerfielder is a fixture in the outfield for his elite defense whether he hits or not, as was mostly the case in his 123-game rookie campaign two years ago. That season, Crow-Armstrong made 410 plate appearances, hitting 10 home runs and padding fantasy scoring a bit with 27 stolen bases. The rookie slashed just .237/.286/.384, striking out at a 23.9% clip while walking in just 5.1% of his opportunities. His .289 wOBA slightly outperformed an even more pathetic .286 xwOBA. Expectations for the sophomore season were low around the fantasy industry last year, so, naturally, the outfielder roared out of the gate in 2025. Crow-Armstrong had 25 home runs and 27 stolen bases by July 10th last season, mashing to the tune of a .288 ISO and a .271/.309/.560 slash with a 137 WRC+ at that point. From July 11th through the end of the season, Crow-Armstrong slashed just .209/.254/.357 with a 66 WRC+ and hit just six more home runs and stole only four more bases. The season-long totals look tremendous with 31 home runs and 35 stolen bases, but the drop-off was sustained and noteworthy in the second-half.

Michael Busch led this group of hitters with 34 long balls in 2025, breaking out in a big way with a 17.1% barrel and 47.3% hard-hit rate on the year. Busch had a tremendous 140 WRC+ and a .378 xwOBA that rivaled the very best in baseball, finishing 10th overall. Busch has potentially even more upside for power, though expectations should be cooled around the 30hr mark. Ian Happ is a longtime favorite in this space, the outfielder is an on-base machine who had another productive season with a 116 WRC+ and 23 home runs. Seiya Suzuki makes fearsome contact and sees solid production for power, he hit 32 home runs and posted a 123 WRC+ over 651 plate appearances in 2025.

Rookie Moises Ballesteros slots in with expectations for around 350-400 plate appearances and moderate output. Ballesteros has shown a knack for keeping strikeouts down and working a reasonable but not exceptional share of walks while hitting for average and a medium amount of power. He is a depth option going into his first full season at age 22 with a bit more potential in dynasty formats if he can find a bit of power upside in his 5’8″ 195lbs profile. Ballesteros hit a pair of home runs in 66 plate appearances in a cup of coffee last season, he had a limited 6.7% barrel rate and 38.1% hard-hit rate in the small sample but his 112.8 mph maximum exit velocity mark in the small sample catches the eye.

Kevin Alcantara is another name to know for dynasty or significant depth formats. The young outfielder was up for just a dozen plate appearances in 2025, but he had a successful 430 AAA plate appearances, hitting 17 home runs and stealing 10 bases while slashing .266/.349/.470 and putting together a 110 WRC+. Alcantara is not projected for a role and is likely to start the season in the minors, but he will be a phone call away as the season goes on and the 6’6″ 188lbs outfielder makes for a fun bookend with the Ballesteros pick in long-term keeper formats or even deep best-ball stacks hunting replacement situations.

After new addition Edward Cabrera, who was covered above, Cade Horton is the name to know in the Cubs pitching staff. The second-year starter could arguably lead the rotation this season. Horton made 22 starts in 2025, working his way to a 2.67 ERA that masked a bumpy 4.27 xFIP. The rookie right-hander struck out just 20.4% of MLB hitters, taking a 10-point hit in his K% with the step up in class. Despite only throwing 118.0 innings, Horton picked up 11 wins and posted five quality starts to help pad fantasy scoring somewhat. If he can find the strikeout stuff in his first full season, and a 47.8% whiff rate on his changeup and 37.6% mark on his sweeper suggest he can, Horton has a fair amount of late-round value in season-long formats. He could provide quality in early DFS contests before the season settles in as well.

The rest of the rotation falls into place with familiar pieces including Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, and Jameson Taillon. Any of the three is capable of snapping off a good DFS start from time to time, but Boyd’s 21.4% strikeout rate last season led the trio. Daniel Palencia stands in line to receive the bulk of the save chances early in 2026, he was effective for strikeouts and worked to a 20.9% K-BB% for the year, booking 22 saves and six holds along the way. He should find more saves and high-leverage opportunities along the way as the team’s regular closer.

Update: Moises Ballesteros will be with the team to start the regular season. The Cubs extended Pete Crow-Armstrong’s contract ahead of Opening Day, confirming his ongoing place as a major puzzle piece going forward.

Primary Lineup

 

Rotation & Primary Bullpen Arms

Cincinnati Reds

Additions

Eugenio Suarez – 3B – After a gargantuan 2025 that saw him blast 49 home runs and chase a title into October across the Diamondbacks and Mariners, Suarez returns to one of his first homes, surprising many by signing with the Reds. The third base masher has hit 30 or more home runs in four of the last five seasons, with a dip to 22 with Seattle in 2023 as lone the blemish. He has 79 home runs over the past two seasons and his power profile is increased by the move to Cincinnati’s bandbox ballpark. Per Statcast, Suarez’ xHR mark in 2025 in Arizona was 49 while it spikes to 54 in Cincinnati. Suarez posted a solid .347 wOBA but that mark outperformed his shockingly average .320 xwOBA for the first time in six years, a negative development worth watching. By any reasonable measure, Suarez should be in for another big power season with enough on-base to carry him in OPS leagues. His batting average can be problematic in other formats, but that simply means your league needs a better setup that avoids antiquated stats.

JJ Bleday – OF – Bleday should pull strong-side platoon plate appearances with the potential for a bit more if he finds success, but he should not be expected to crack the 400- opportunity threshold. Bleday has moderate power and is capable of drawing double-digit walk rates, but he put up a paltry .212/.294/.404 slash with a .276 xwOBA in 344 chances. That followed a 642 plate appearance season in which he slashed .243/.324/.437 with a .322 xwOBA and 120 WRC+ though, with an outlier low-19.5% strikeout rate for the year. That 2024 season seems far from the truth of the player entering his prime years, Bleday is not much more than a late rounds depth play, if that.

Dane Myers – OF – An outfielder with a bit of speed, Myers should not be expected to see more than 250 plate appearances in most versions of the upcoming season. His ceiling projection is currently for just 14 stolen bases and that is in a model handing him an unlikely 379 plate appearances.

Brock Burke – RP

Nathaniel Lowe – 1B – minor league deal

Michael Chavis – IF – minor league deal

Michael Toglia – UTIL – minor league deal

Garrett Hampson – UTIL – minor league deal

Subtractions

Nick Martinez – SP – FA

Zack Littell – SP – FA

Miguel Andujar – UTIL – FA

Gavin Lux – IF – Traded

Austin Hays – OF – FA

Wade Miley – SP – FA

Scott Barlow – RP – FA

Brent Suter – RP – FA

Santiago Espinal – UTIL – FA

Outlook, Sleepers, and Busts

The daily lineup in Cincinnati should get a boost from the addition of Suarez’s big bat, while the top of the lineup features entrenched options including TJ Friedl and multi-category superstar Elly De La Cruz. Sandwiched between the two, Matt McLain could provide upside if he carries a hot Spring into regular season action. McLain took a nosedive to a .220/.300/.343 slash line with a 77 WRC+ over 577 opportunities last season but previous history provides reason for optimism. Tyler Stephenson is a capable catcher who should be good for 350-400 plate appearances as one of the later names off of the board in deep season-long formats. JJ Bleday and Ke’Bryan Hayes are not premium fantasy assets.

Noelvi Marte hit 14 home runs and stole 10 bases in only 360 plate appearances last year, posting a 101 WRC+ but also carrying a limited .304 xwOBA under the surface. Marte is a graduated top prospect going into his age-24 season with a clear path to 500+ plate appearances. The infielder stands to chase the 18-20 home run range if everything clicks into place, though that is more optimistic than our projection.

Another name to know from the projected Reds lineup is Sal Stewart, who has gotten some preseason buzz for his massive power profile. Stewart tattooed five home runs in just 58 plate appearances, posting a 17.5% barrel rate and .291 ISO in the small sample. In 494 plate appearances betwen AA and AAA last season, Stewart had an additional 20 home runs and added 17 stolen bases with a .309/.383/.524 slash and 152 WRC+. Stewart has not been the somewhat high-strikeout (25.9%) hitter we saw briefly in the Show in last year’s small sample. Over his climb through the minors, Stewart had a 14.9% combined strikeout rate against a 16.2% walk rate from A through high-A in 2023, a 16.9% strikeout at 14.8% walk rate in 338 high-A chances in 2024, and a 15.6% strikeout and 9.3% walk rate in the 2025 sample. Assuming he wrangles contact and manages his plate discipline, Stewart could post strong average and on-base marks to support hefty fantasy expectations for the popular breakout pick.

Ace Hunter Greene is out with an injury until at least July, and now Chase Burns has been slowed down with a range-of-motion issue in his pitching arm. The Reds options could be down to less appealing choices like lefty Andrew Abbott, Brady Singer, and Nick Lodolo, none of whom are overly trustworthy or important for fantasy outside of depth and DFS. Any of the three could beat a 4.00 ERA mark with a handful of wins and they all work in the lower-mid twenties for strikeout rate historically. Assuming Burns gets back to form, he is the potential upside play from this staff. The righty had a 35.6% strikeout rate and 27.1% K-BB% in 43.1 MLB innings over eight starts and 13 total games last year. Burns added 13 starts from high-A through AAA, working to a combined 36.8% strikeout rate and 31.4% K-BB% in the small lower-level samples. The upside is tremendous but Burns is universally projected for only 21-23 starts around the industry. It would be unfair to ignore Rhett Lowder, the seventh overall pick in the 2023 draft. Lowder has a chance to nail down a rotation spot coming out of camp, given the shaky nature of the team’s rotation and injuries. Lowder only threw 9.1 innings between A-ball and AAA last season but he made 22 starts and threw 108.2 innings from high-A through AAA (16 AA starts) in 2024. Lowder put up a combined 3.64 ERA and 2.92 xFIP that season, striking out 25.3% with a 19.9% K-BB%. The righty has a chance to make 20+ starts for the team whether or not he breaks camp in the rotation, he is a flier in drafts and dynasty formats.

UPDATE: Chase Burns has made the Opening Day roster after earlier rumors of a slowdown and perhaps starting the season behind the team. Will Benson made the team and could provide upside power on the strong-side of a platoon.

Primary Lineup

 

Rotation & Primary Bullpen Arms

Milwaukee Brewers

Additions

Kyle Harrison – SP – The Brewers add yet another intriguing young starter, picking up former top Giants prospect, lefty Kyle Harrison. While Harrison has not exactly burst onto the scene over his first 37 starts and 42 games in the Show, the southpaw has not been bad. Harrison holds a 4.39 ERA and 4.32 xFIP over 194.2 innings, primarily from his 24 starts and 124.1 innings for the Giants in 2024. Harrison posted a 4.56 ERA but a 4.23 xFIP while striking out 22.2% that season. He showed signs of growth in a tiny sample of 35.2 innings over six starts and 11 appearances in 2025, posting a 3.95 xFIP and 24.4% strikeout rate in the small sample. Harrison has upside on a team loaded with talented pitching.

Luis Rengifo – IF – The utility man qualifies at multiple positions, depending on your site and format of choice, but he rarely provides much fantasy upside. Rengifo hit 17 home runs in 2022 and 16 in 2023 but has only come away with 15 over the past two seasons combined (six in 2024 and nine in 2025). Nothing about his .302 xwOBA over 541 plate appearances last year suggests that we should expect much of a return to form, though his 73 WRC+ was notably lower than the 102, 115, and 118 marks he put up over the three previous seasons.

Brandon Sproat – SP – A former top Mets prospect, Sproat was traded to the Brewers where he will look to put himself back together after taking a step backward developmentally in 2025. The righty made 25 starts in AAA last year, his first full season at the advanced level. He completed 121.0 innings with a 4.24 ERA but a rougher 4.53 xFIP, while striking out 22.1% but walking 10.4%. Sproat had an 11.9% K-BB% with a 4.79 ERA but a 3.84 xFIP in four starts and 20.2 MLB innings with New York last season. Expectations are mixed for the workload, but if Sproat finds his form and makes 20+ starts he could provide sneaky value. The starter is going to turn 26 midway through this season, so his prospect clock is officially ticking.

Gary Sanchez – C – There is always a place for Gary Sanchez as a cheap option in DFS lineups if nothing else. Sanchez blasted 11 home runs in 280 plate appearances in 2024 but hit only five in 101 chances last season, posting matching .315 xwOBA marks in both seasons. The backup catcher was last truly relevant with 19 homers in just 267 opportunities in 2023. Despite his reputation as a free-swinger, Sanchez has been below a 29.0% strikeout rate in every season other than an outlier 2020 in the 60-game Covid season. His strikeout rate has been 27.1% or lower in each of the last three seasons. Meanwhile, Sanchez has never failed to post a double-digit barrel rate, it was 10.8% in 2025. No one’s idea of a starter or even a late-round value, but Sanchez can provide power in a pinch and he rounds out DFS stacks nicely in his mostly platoon-based role.

Reese McGuire – C – minor league deal

Akil Baddoo – OF

Subtractions

Freddy Peralta – SP – trade

Caleb Durbin – IF – trade

Danny Jansen – C – FA

Jose Quintana – SP – FA

Isaac Collins – OF – trade

Rhys Hoskins – 1B/DH

Jordan Montgomery – SP – FA

Tobias Myers – SP – trade

Outlook, Sleepers, and Busts

Many may not remember that the Brewers had the best record in baseball last season, going 97-65 in a year in which no team won 100 games. Milwaukee brings an interesting lineup to the park for fantasy owners, with several players providing upside across multiple categories of scoring in all formats. The team is set to feature upcoming star Jackson Chourio atop the lineup again in 2026. Chourio mostly held stable with a .270/.308/.463 slash line and a limited .307 xwOBA (down year-over-year), hitting 21 home runs and stealing 21 bases. Still just going into his age-22 season, the ceiling remains very high. An extremely favorable comp for Chourio is early Justin Upton. Over Upton’s age 21 and 22 seasons, the former fantasy star made 1,159 plate appearances, slashing .287/.361/.489 with 43 home runs and 38 stolen bases, posting a .350 wOBA and .339 xwOBA. Over his age 20 rookie year and age-21 sophomore season, Chourio stands at .272/.327/.463 with 42 home runs and 43 stolen bases, posting a .333 wOBA and .317xwOBA. Chourio strikes out less but also gets on base less by virtue of drawing fewer walks early in his career. As his plate discipline develops, the outfielder should be able to capitalize on more power while pushing his on-base marks. Chourio is every bit the fantasy star that was promised.

Brice Turang surprised with a leap from 2.9 and 2.4% barrel rates over the past two seasons to a 7.9% mark last year, feeding his 18 home run breakout. Turang stole 24 bases with a quality triple-slash, posting excellent counting stats for fantasy along the way to a 124 WRC+. The second baseman provides value at a somewhat top-heavy position, he is a strong selection at his ADP in season-long formats and should be an asset when stacking Brewers, even if the power slips back toward previous expectations. William Contreras remains an upside bat but he slipped to just 17 home runs and a .140 ISO in 659 plat appearances last season. Contreras still managed a 113 WRC+ mark and struck out just 18.2% of the time, but his barrel rate was clipped nearly in half, impacting the power. Christian Yelich, meanwhile, surged to a 29 home run throwback season that saw him make 644 plate appearances and post a 121 WRC+. The primary question with the Brewers star has always been limited to availability, Yelich has always hit the ball hard and excelled at cross-category fantasy production when active. Sal Frelick posted a quality slash-line, getting on base frequently and creating runs, but his underlying .299 xwOBA has to be of concern. Rengifo, Garrett Mitchell, and Joey Ortiz provide fill-in options from late in the lineup.

Another popular value pick with clear upside, Andrew Vaughn checks in coming off of a roller coaster season that saw him traded out of the South Side of Chicago only to go absolutely berserk over his first few weeks with the Brewers. Vaughn finished 2025 with 14 home runs and a .254/.307/.411 slash line with a sporty .349 xwOBA indicating there is more potential to come. The White Sox simply gave up on the first baseman after taking him third overall in the 2019 draft. Vaughn “only” hit 72 home runs over 562 games by the time he was 25 for the organization, slashing a steady .253/.310/.415 with a 102 WRC+ over four mostly full seasons. How many players can the White Sox say provided that much production between 2021 and 2024? Vaughn also managed to cut his strikeout rate from 20.3% over those seasons to just 17.9% last year, showing that his growth at the plate is not yet complete. Still just 28, there is ample opportunity for the slugger to get back to, or even beyond, the 20-homer range.

Brewers ace Brandon Woodruff has only thrown two innings this spring as he works his way back from yet another injury. The righty’s status for Opening Day is currently an unknown, but he is clearly close enough to a full season to consider him in play in later rounds of fantasy drafts. Woodruff has been limited over the past two campaigns, making 11 starts in 2024 and 12 last season. In that action, the starter has a combined 2.73 ERA and 3.44 xFIP with a sparkling 30.8% strikeout rate and 25.1% K-BB%, putting him among the league’s elite arms. The only question with Woodruff will be availability and depth. It would be reasonable to hope for 28 starts while expecting 25. Getting more than 150 innings would be a win. Given some expectations of shorter-than-average outings, Woodruff may be cut down in the quality start department (requires 6.0 completed innings), but he should remain a fair source of wins and an excellent option for strikeouts and ratios.

Jacob Misiorowski finished last year’s rookie campaign with a 4.36 ERA tarnishing a better-looking 3.66 xFIP and 3.56 SIERA. The right-handed potential ace struck out 31.9% but walked 11.4% in his debut season. While that still presents a strong K-BB%, getting the walks into single-digit range should be a priority for the starter in his second season. Misiorowski is generally projected to lose a bit of the edge on his strikeout rate as the book settles in against him this season, but the talent and upside are clear for any format, and the pitcher is not yet 24-years-old for dynasty builders where he is somehow available.

Logan Henderson is another premium starting pitching prospect for the Brewers but he is dealing with injuries through the Spring and seems likely to begin the year out of the mix. Henderson made five starts in the Show last season, hurling 25.1 innings to the tune of a 1.78 ERA and a more realistic 3.36 xFIP. The righty struck out 33.3% with a 25.3% K-BB% at the MLB level last year, though his 27.9% K% and 20.2% K-BB% from AAA might be the better expectation. Unless he is truly cut down by injury, Henderson could see work out of the bullpen or find 15-20 starts through the season regardless of how he breaks camp, he is a dynasty option who is more likely to be available in a draft or trade market, and he should be highly available at the end for re-draft or best ball formats.

Chad Patrick was quietly effective last season, striking out 25.2% while working to a 3.53 ERA over 119.2 innings in 23 starts and four appearances out of the bullpen. Under the surface, Patrick had a more pedestrian 3.98 xFIP and posted just a 17.3% K-BB%, but his arsenal flashes four pitches with Stuff+ marks that land well above average. Patrick has blazed a trail through five innings of Spring action, posting a 15.1% swinging-strike rate and 32.3% CSW in the meaningless sample.

Abner Uribe leads a still-strong bullpen and offers elite strikeout and ratio potential to go with what should be a combined 25-28 saves and holds. Uribe posted seven saves and a whopping 37 holds in an elite 2025 season. The righty struck out 30.2% and posted a 21.1% K-BB% last year, he is poised to be one of the top RP off of the board in most fantasy formats that value the position at all.

Update: Brandon Woodruff will start the season on time but will take the fifth start out of the gate, he is the team’s nominal top starter regardless of the order. Brandon Sproat is an interesting young starter with upside taking a mid-rotation spot. Logan Henderson will start the season in the minors.

Primary Lineup

 

Rotation & Primary Bullpen Arms

Pittsburgh Pirates

Additions

Brandon Lowe – 2B – Lowe shook off his reputation for missing time with nagging injuries in 2025, playing in 134 games and pulling in 553 plate appearances, his first time with more than 450 since 2021. The second baseman returned his expected levels of power with 31 home runs and a .221 ISO with 12.9% barrel and 46.4% hard hit rates. Lowe is a good buy at a bit of a discount from the peak of the position in most fantasy formats, though the move to Pittsburgh may impact his home run total slightly.

Ryan O’Hearn – 1B/OF – A valuable role player, O’Hearn truly found his game over the past few seasons in Baltimore, posting WRC+ marks of 118, 118, and 127 (BAL and SD) last season. The lefty will turn 33 this season, while he has been an asset over the past few years this will not be an upward trend for many seasons to come. With that in mind, however, this is a player who slashed .281/.366/.437 with a .343 xWOBA over 544 plate appearances last season. O’Hearn is fine for a late round pick in re-draft or best ball formats, but he is depth, not nearly as strong as a starter/primary option.

Marcell Ozuna – OF – Ozuna slipped badly in his age-34 season in 2025. The veteran outfielder plummeted to just 21 home runs over 592 plate appearances, posting a 114 WRC+ mark that, while still well above average, was a far cry from his 140 and 154 marks of the two previous seasons. Now in Pittsburgh, Ozuna will look to knock the dirt out of his spikes and find form. He should hit in the middle of the lineup where his power can create upside, with some talent around him on an improved Pirates team, there are worse later-mid round bets than a player who hit 79 home runs from 2023-2024.

Jake Mangum – OF – The outfielder surprised by making 428 plate appearances for the Rays last season. Mangum had been languishing in the minor leagues for years before last season’s minor breakout, he is not a prospect but a now 30-year-old outfielder whose primary fantasy skill was stolen bases. Mangum is a flier for depth and one of the last men on a bench in a large-format fantasy league, no more. He slashed .296/.330/.368 with 27 stolen bases last season but had a .307 wOBA and .276 xWOBA and was at just a 95 WRC+ for the season.

Gregory Soto – RP

Jose Urquidy – SP

Jhostynxon Garcia – OF – A player to keep an eye on through the season, Garcia lands in Pittsburgh after coming up as a well-regarded prospect for Boston. Over 489 plate appearances from AA-AAA last year, Garcia hit 21 home runs and stole seven bases while slashing .267/.340/.470 with a 116 WRC+. The player did go 1-9 with five strikeouts in a brief cup of coffee with the big club last season, but that should be ignored. Garcia has a bit of sneaky potential to fill categories if he finds himself with regular plate appearances. A .517/.576/.759 slash line with two home runs, nine runs scored, and three stolen bases in 33 Spring plate appearances helps make his case.

Mike Clevinger – P

Subtractions

Mike Burrows – SP – traded

Johan Oviedo – SP – traded

Andrew McCutchen – OF – FA

Tommy Pham – OF – FA

Liover Peguero – IF – FA

Alexander Canario – OF – FA

Jack Suwinski – OF – waivers

Outlook, Sleepers, and Busts

Oneil Cruz is going to be the lifeblood of the Pirates’ offense once again in 2026. Cruz simply oozes talent and potential, he was widely regarded as a major breakout contender last season – including enthusiastically so in this space – but took a step backward in several areas and has now been somewhat overlooked and dismissed. Cruz is far too talented to slip as far as he has. This is a player who, in what is universally regarded as a bad season, hit 20 home runs and stole 38 bases in 2025. If nothing else, that provides counting stat value for fantasy from Cruz’s current ADP. While he failed to hit for average and did not get on base nearly enough at .200/.298/.378, Cruz did push his walk rate from 8.5% in 2024 to 11.8% last season. The ugly 86 WRC+ speaks for the quality of what Cruz was able to deliver on the surface, he simply did not live up to expectations, but that was his first below-average mark over more than three seasons, giving ample reason for faith in a return to form. Cruz has one of the best swings in the game, if he can simply wrangle his talent he is a superstar. Even with last season’s disappointing results, Cruz climbed by more than two percentage points from 15.7% to 17.9% barrels while pushing his hard-hit rate from 54.9% to 56.6%. At the same time, he managed a career-high 95.8 mph average exit velocity with a 122.9 mph maximum exit velocity that was also a career high, as well as the highest exit velocity ever recorded. Cruz also owns second place at 122.4 mph on a ball he destroyed in 2022.

The hype around prospect Konnor Griffin, tops in all of baseball, seems justified. Griffin is not yet 20 but he is pushing to break camp with the big club and may never look back. The shortstop is a five-tool player who should fill every fantasy category to the brim once he is established. Griffin hit 21 home runs and stole a whopping 65 bases in 563 plate appearances from A-ball through AA last season, with only 98 of those chances coming in 21 games in AA. He has never played in AAA. While expectations for his rookie season should be held in check, if the rookie sees 500 plate appearances a 12/25 season is easily in reach and that sells his power short. Griffin has four home runs in 36 plate appearances this Spring, supporting his case to make the team. While the Pirates may start him in the minors for contract management and seasoning purposes, it is only a matter of time and Griffin is worthy of later-mid round picks if not earlier in fantasy drafts. He should already be gone in your dynasty leagues. Grabbing him in DFS lineups the first day he comes up will be a priority as he is not likely to stay cheap or even slightly unpopular for long.

It should not be said that Pittsburgh failed to invest in the team this season. In addition to their up-and-coming talent, the team brough in several affordable quality players to help at least make them look like they are trying to win. In addition to newcomers, the Pirates bring back star Bryan Reynolds, who is slated to hit third. The switch-hitter had a down year in 2025 but he stands a good chance to bounce back in a better lineup. Reynolds hit 27 home runs in 2022 and exactly 24 in each of ’21, ’22, and ’23. The outfielder crashed to just 16 homers in a similarly-sized opportunity last year while slashing just .245/.318/.402 with a .315 wBOA. The veteran had a .338 xwOBA under the surface providing signs of life that align with his 10.1% barrel rate. Reynolds posted a career-high mark for exit velocity average last season as well, he was making premium contact along the way but not cashing in with just a 7.3-degree average launch angle and 24.7% line drive rate. Padding the lineup with Lowe, O’Hearn, and Ozuna should give Reynolds both opportunity and support to get back on track. Spencer Horwitz is a potentially interesting mixer player for value in DFS lineups and a wildcard player for best ball formats. Horwitz is 28 but is projected for a nearly full-time job for the first time in his career. He has not been off to a good start this Spring, but if he settles in this should be a player who hits for average and gets on base while finding light home run totals in the mid-teens. Horwitz slashed .272/.353/.434 and posted a 119 WRC+ over 411 plate appearances last season and .265/.357/.433 with a 127 WRC+ in 381 chances the year before, he has a good stick. Nick Gonzales, Jared Triolo, and Joey Bart are not much more than mixers from the bottom of the lineup for daily formats. We like the Pirates to improve on a 71-91 record that finished dead last in the NL Central last season, but a .500 year is a long reach.

A rotation headed by superstar starter Paul Skenes is already in good shape. Skenes dominated in his second full season in the Show and now has a 1.96 ERA and 2.83 xFIP over 55 starts and 320.2 MLB innings. The elite righty did see strikeouts slip slightly, dropping from 33.1% to 29.5% with a K-BB% of 23.7% that was down more than three points year-over-year. That is nitpicking with Skenes, this is the second starter off of the board in every fantasy draft behind Tarik Skubal, without question.

Prospect Bubba Chandler seems likely to see at least 25 starts and some managed bullpen time toward the back-end of the season. Chandler looked the part of a MLB-ready starter in four starts and 31.1 total innings in 2025, pitching to a 4.02 ERA and 3.20 xFIP with a 25.0% strikeout and 21.8% K-BB%. Chandler consistently struck hitters out at a higher rate in the minors, his stuff should translate for production in the Show as well, but something like 22-25% should be expected in his first full season. Chandler is a tremendous dynasty pitcher who is probably already gone in your league, he is draftable in the later rounds in any format and will score well in DFS contests this season.

The remaining starters are familiar, led by Mitch Keller, who simply never became what some thought he could. The erratic righty has shown reduced strikeout stuff in recent campaigns and is at best a replacement-level option. Braxton Ashcraft and Jose Urquidy Carmen Mlodzinski do not offer much more potential, though Ashcraft could work his way to a mid-20s strikeout rate.

Primary Lineup

 

Rotation & Primary Bullpen Arms

St. Louis Cardinals

Additions

Ramon Urias – IF – A part time utility player, but one with a bit of quality, Urias has hit exactly 11 home runs in each of the past to seasons, though his .331 xwOBA in 2024 was far better than last year’s .290 mark, with the actual numbers looking similar. The 32-year-old does not have much expectation for fantasy production unless he finds his way to more than 450 plate appearances, even then he would be a backup at best.

Dustin May – SP – The righty made a career-high 23 starters and threw 132.1 innings last season, nearly 100 more than he has thrown in any other year. May has been difficult to keep on the mound, something that may be challenging coming off an uptick like that. The starter makes his way to St. Louis, coming in with expectations that are not justified by last season’s 4.96 ERA and 4.53 xFIP or his 21.1% strikeout and 9.6% walk rate. May has been a highly-regarded pitcher for elite horizontal movement in previous seasons, but those marks were way down last year and they have never truly translated to MLB strikeouts. May is one of the leading names in a placeholder rotation for St. Louis.

Richard Fitts – SP – “Don’t call me Dick” Fitts made 10 starts and threw 45.0 mediocre innings for the Red Sox last season, posting a 5.00 ERA and 4.27 xFIP with a 12.3% K-BB%. This is not a premium option for fantasy or real baseball.

Hunter Dobbins – SP

Ryne Stanek – RP

Subtractions

Sonny Gray – SP – traded

Brendan Donovan – UTIL – traded

Willson Contreras – 1B – traded

Nolan Arenado – 3B/DH – traded

Miles Mikolas – SP – FA

Roddery Munoz – RP – waivers

Outlook, Sleepers, and Busts

This is a year that the Cardinals are handing to the kids. Prospects like JJ Wetherholt will be given runway to prove themselves at the MLB level and grow as a group, rather than spreading development over minor league stops and multiple seasons. Wetherholt is projected for the leadoff role in the day-to-day lineup. The rookie is one of baseball’s more highly-regarded infield prospects, he put up a 154 WRC+ mark over 496 plate appearances between AA and AAA in 2025 after the Cardinals drafted him seventh overall in 2024. He posted a slash line of .306/.421/.510 with a .421 wOBA while blasting 17 home runs and stealing 23 bases. The former shortstop is generally expected to shift to second base, with Masyn Winn occupying short and a profile that is more of a positional fit. Wetherholt should be expected to deliver 10-12 home runs with stolen bases in the 15-range, any more is gravy in 2026 and the future is bright in dynasty formats.

Another player we are watching in this development season is former top prospect Jordan Walker. Anyone who has been to this site or our shows before has probably heard the rant about Walker’s underrated rookie season in 2023 (.276/.342/.445 with a .341 wOBA and .332 xwOBA with 16hr in 465 plate appearances). They have probably also heard about the unfair movement up and down to the minor leagues over the past two seasons, while the player struggled to rediscover his form. After a catastrophic 2024 that saw him make just 178 MLB plate appearances, Walker rebounded to 396 chances in 2025 but had little to show for it. The outfielder slashed .215/.278/.306 with a .260 wOBA and .278 xwOBA last year, posting a career-low 66 WRC+. Walker’s strikeouts rose from 28.1% to 31.8%, though his walk rate did climb from 5.6% to 7.3%. Where we can find a bit of sunshine is in the premium contact department. While not really close to expectation for a player who formerly drew 80-grade potential power projections in traditional scouting, his 10.9% barrel rate marked a career-high, as did his 50.0% hard-hit rate. Walker struggles somewhat with launch, his 10.3-degree average mark last season was up slightly from 9.4-degrees the year before and 10.1 in his rookie season. Things have not gone to plan this Spring either. Walker spent the offseason working on his swing, famously visiting DriveLine for tinkering, drawing raves for his progress. In a meaninglessly small sample of 32 Spring plate appearances, that has resulted in a .200/.250/.200 slash line with zero home runs and a 1.3-degree average launch angle. The Cardinals are not likely to give up on Walker again immediately, in a season like this he will be given time to figure things out and prove himself, but he is no lock for 500 plate appearances without a surge. Still just 23-years-old, we want to bet on the upside for a player who had a 117.9 mph max exit velocity mark last season with a 92.3 mph average. Walker already has a 117.2 mph batted ball event on the board this Spring, despite the lack of early succes.

Ivan Herrera is a fine option at catcher in all formats, though the position is devalued in most best ball leagues. Herrera made 452 plate appearances last season, hitting 19 home runs and posting a solid line across the board, leading to his team-best 137 WRC+. Alec Burleson and Lars Nootbaar each provide a bit of potential for 15-18 home runs but neither is a reliable or much above replacement-level bat. Nootbaar has hit the ball more effectively at the MLB level, posting a 10.2% barrel and 50.0% hard-hit rate last season, though that did not translate to his lousy stat line and he will be injured to start the season. Masyn Winn is a limited option who failed to produce in 534 plate appearances last year, there are many better fantasy options at the position but Wynn should provide upside for opportunities where needed. Nolan Gorman feels like he has been around for a while, but he is only about to turn 26, as he enters his fifth MLB season. Gorman’s stock is probably at an all-time low. The infielder was a highly-regarded power prospect on his way up, he mashed 27 home runs in just 464 plate appearances in 2023, slashing .236/.328/.478 with a .352 xwOBA that left a bit of room beyond his actual mark. Gorman peaked at a 118 WRC+ that season, he was below average the next to seasons at 87 and 88 WRC+ in exactly 402 plate appearances each year. Gorman slipped from 27 to just 19 home runs in 2024, then fell again, hitting just 14 last year. With a clear path to 500 plate appearances, there should be nothing really stopping Gorman from approaching 20 home runs, with a bit of upside for more if he is able to make regular contact. With eligibility at second and third base in most leagues, the high-strikeout slugger needs to return to the days of a 16+% barrel rate to find his power and drive this lineup. Pedro Pages is a mixer, Victor Scott II can steal bases when he gets on but had just a .305 on base percentage last season. Nelson Velazquez has been mashing his way to relevance this Spring with four home runs and a 195 WRC+ in his 39 plate appearances. Velazquez could slide into a regular role in the outfield, particularly with Nootbaar on the shelf to start.

Matthew Liberatore has dominated over 10.0 innings in three Spring outings. The fourth-year southpaw surprised everyone in camp, blowing away hitters with a 35.0% strikeout rate and 32.5% K-BB% in the tiny meaningless sample. Liberatore is slated to start on Opening Day and lead this rotation, he has flashed greatly improved stuff in camp, drawing raves for the improvement on his curveball and the depth of his arsenal overall. Liberatore has been moderately successful in the Show to this point, most notably posting a 4.21 ERA and 4.31 xFIP over 29 starts and 151.2 innings in 2025. The lefty managed to keep walks to just 6.2% but with an 18.8% strikeout rate that mark does not have the impact that it could. Liberatore is a wildcard going into the season, odds are that he is currently seeing a bit of a spike in ADP around the industry based on Spring buzz. It seems less than likely that the strikeout uptick remains massive through the season, though Liberatore is a playable option for innings and even a few wins and quality starts.

Andre Pallante, Michael McGreevy, and Kyle Leahy currently make up the rest of the projected Cardinals staff, with Leahy operating in a hybrid role in the long-term. There is not much depth or quality down the board for this makeshift pitching staff. St. Louis may get production from their young bats in a season that the team is loudly declaring to be a development year but it will not be enough to outpace a lousy pitching staff or to get them out of the cellar in the NL Central in 2026.

Update: Lars Nootbaar will start the season on the IL with Nathan Church likely to be the most common replacement in the lineup at the outset. Jordan Walker hit a home run in his final Spring game in a hopeful sign of life, he slips down the projected lineup but we remain optimistic.

Primary Lineup

 

Rotation & Primary Bullpen Arms

National League East

Atlanta Braves

Additions

Ha-Seong Kim – SS – Kim has had an up-and-down ride over five MLB seasons. The former KBO star seemingly followed fantasy gamers home after the odd Covid-KBO correlated season in 2020, signing with the Padres the following year. The shortstop made 298 inconsequential plate appearances in 2021 but was more impactful over 582 chances the following season. After hitting 11 home runs and stealing 12 bases that year, Kim had a career-best 17 homers and a huge 38 stolen bases that made him truly fantasy-relevant in 2023. His final season in San Diego was diminished in quality, Kim made just 470 plate appearances, hitting 11 home runs and stealing 22 bags while posting a .318 xwOBA and 101 WRC+. He fell apart last season, ending the year here in Atlanta after starting a new deal with Tampa Bay that actually had a bit of expectation attached. Kim gets a fresh start with a Braves organization that has struggled to get true quality from the shortstop position since the departure of Dansby Swanson after the 2022 season. With expectations varying wildly, a season of 10-12 home runs and 14-16 stolen bases would not be out of the question, but Kim has also missed all of Spring Training while recovering from surgery on his hand.

Mike Yastrzemski – OF – Now 35-years-old and on the back-end of his career, Mike Yastrzemski finds himself projected for a regular role in the heart of the lineup for Atlanta. The outfielder had an OK season with 17 home runs and a .233/.333/.403 slash with a 106 WRC+ between the Giants and Royals last season. Yastrzemski can be drafted for outfield depth, he should see more than 450 plate appearances and expectations should generally be set around 16-17 home runs with moderate production for counting stats and potentially damaging average and on-base marks.

Robert Suzarez – RP

Mauricio Dubon – UTIL – a utility player with a bit of quality, Dubon can be expected to see regular chances early with Kim working his way back after Opening Day.

Martin Perez – SP – minor league deal

Jonah Heim – C

Jorge Mateo – UTIL – speed but little-to-nothing else

Kyle Farmer – UTIL – a decent utility player always good for a share at min-price in DFS lineups when he plays

Subtractions

Marcell Ozuna – OF

Jake Fraley – OF

Nick Allen – IF

Alek Manoah – SP

Jarred Kelenic – OF

Charlie Morton – SP – FA

Outlook, Sleepers, and Busts

The Braves lost a former bopper in Marcell Ozuna, a fixture for nearly 40 homers in recent seasons. Ozuna fell apart for this team last year, and the Braves have simply underperformed in back-to-back campaigns as a whole. Between injuries and downturns, Atlanta may want to scour the area near the ballpark for the presence of large power stations. Other than Ozuna, the lineup is largely the same as the team that went 76-86 last year, but with expectations of a return to form from several players, an improvement to around a .500 season is reasonable to expect. Still, the Braves should end the year no better than third in the NL East.

One of the players who is widely expected to return to previous quality is third baseman Austin Riley, a fixture in our dynasty league who disappointed in an otherwise title-winning season last year. Riley managed just 16 home runs and missed time, ultimately making only 447 plate appearances. Going into his age-29 season, Riley has a bit to prove, he underwhelmed in 2024 as well, hitting just 19 home runs that year. The 35 combined homers come after three straight seasons of more than 30 (33, 38, 37) from 2021-23. Riley’s xwOBA hovered in the .360s in previous seasons, including 2024, but it dipped to just .330 last year, against a .318 actual mark. The third baseman still managed an above-average 103 WRC+ and his premium contact marks were as good as ever. Over 289 batted ball events, Riley posted a 15.2% barrel rate with a 92.3 mph average exit velocity, nearly identical marks to his 38-homer season. Riley struck out a bit more and walked a bit less than in previous years as well, and he posted just a 27.6% squared-up rate on contact last year. Expectations should be high for this player, Riley is projected for upper-20s home runs in conservative systems, but we lean toward the more aggressive models that project him into the lower-30s.

Of course, before the lineup gets to Riley, pitchers have to go through superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. who should (hopefully) see a full season of health in 2026. Acuna made 412 plate appearances and seemingly did not miss much at the plate in 2025, slashing .290/.417/.518 with a .397 xwOBA. The noteworthy downturn came in his stolen bases, the formerly devastating baserunner managed just nine steals in a conservative season after his return from another knee injury, and we are fine with that. Acuna is one of the very best hitters in baseball, you are lucky to have him in any format and he is probably slightly under-valued. Drake Baldwin only won the NL Rookie of the Year award after blasting 19 home runs and posting a 125 WRC+ over 446 plate appearances. Baldwin mashed to the tune of an 11.0% barrel rate and 49.6% hard-hit mark from the left side, and his quality comes with a 15.2% strikeout rate and 8.5% walk rate. The catcher’s .353 xwOBA suggests that there is even more production to come. Matt Olson hit 29 home runs and had a quality slash line of .272/.366/.484 with a 136 WRC+ in 2025. The first baseman will be 32 to start this season, so the two-year trend of finishing below 30 home runs may be a real thing, but he is still one of the leading bats at the position. Olson is unlikely to approach the 54 home runs that he hit in 2023, but something like the 34 in 2022 would not be entirely shocking in a good season, his .360 xwOBA from last year is an encouraging mark. Olson will remain productive through his ability to get on base, and he has drawn 685 plate appearances or more in each of the past five seasons, winning on opportunity alone. Ozzie Albies and Michael Harris II have both disappointed over the past two seasons as well. Albies put up an 87 WRC+ while hitting 16 home runs and stealing 14 bases last year, and the Harris managed just an 83 WRC+ despite a 20/20 season that at least provided a bit of counting stat quality. Both players are better than those numbers, or they once were. A return to form is not a given but both are easily draftable at their current ADP.

Superstar starter Chris Sale tops the rotation for Atlanta. We wrote the following about Sale in our Best Ball Rankings blurbs: Sale is an elite PPG option who ranks 2nd among pitchers in the category. The veteran southpaw is simply projected to pitch a bit less than his counterparts, taking the top somewhat off of his season-long potential points total. If Sale were projected for 33 starts, he would be ranked in the Skubal-Skenes-Crochet range. The pitcher is coming off of a 2.58 ERA that landed against a 2.98 xFIP with a 32.4% strikeout rate and 26.1% K-BB% over 20 starts, 11 of which scored as quality starts. Sale is an absolute ace for whom health and age are the only concerns, he will be 37 to start the season and has not made 30 starts since 2017. Sale is an ideal option for those who waited somewhat but still want an ace-caliber starter to bolster scoring to pair with late pitching depth.

Spencer Strider is a total wildcard in 2026, something that would have sounded absurd pre-injury. Strider was the best fantasy pitcher in baseball in 2022 and 2023, posting untouchable 38.3% and 36.8% strikeout rates. The righty only had one truly complete season, he made 20 starts in 2022 and 32 in 2023, throwing 186.2 innings that season. Strider made two starts and threw nine innings in 2024, bowing out with an injury on April 5th and not returning until April 16th of the following season. Strider was not the same starter in his return. The former ace pitched to a 4.45 ERA and 4.24 xFIP with a 24.3% strikeout rate and a 14.8% K-BB% over 125.1 innings, while experiencing an appreciable dip in velocity across his entire arsenal. Strider is working on developing his arsenal beyond the go-to fastball-slider combination, as he continues to work around those same reduced velocities this Spring. This is a player with tremendous upside who is more likely to finish as an average right-handed two/three type starter.

The balance of the Braves rotation offers mostly matchup-based depth options who can be had or streamed throughout the year as-needed. Raisel Iglesias is a solid closer to lead this bullpen, he put up a 27.4% strikeout rate that was in-line with previous seasons despite a six-year high 3.21 ERA and 3.78 xFIP for the season. Iglesias came away with 29 saves and a pair of holds last year, down slightly from the 33 and 34 of the previous two seasons, though that is mostly a product of scoring that he cannot impact.

Update: Spencer Strider will start the season on the IL after suffering an oblique strain, he will miss about a month at least. Didier Fuentes made the team out of camp as a bullpen piece who should be expected to pitch extended innings of long relief with a few spot starts and eventually land in the rotation. Fuentes is a major upside piece who is not on most people’s radar as he failed spectacularly when promoted far too early at just 20. Fuentes had a fantastic Spring, firing 13.2 innings with a 0.66 ERA and 2.55 xFIP and 39.5% K-BB% (41.9%K/2.3%BB) against Spring competition. Fuentes is an intriguing early season waiver addition where holds count, and a definite dynasty piece with upside who could deliver strikeouts and ratios with cross-category value all season.

Primary Lineup

 

Rotation & Primary Bullpen Arms

Miami Marlins

Additions

Owen Caissie – OF – Part of the haul in the Edward Cabrera deal with the Cubs, and coming off of a starring role for Team Canada at the WBC, Caissie should provide power in the Marlins lineup this season. The outfielder has plenty of pop in his bat, he hit 22 home runs while slashing .286/.386/.551 with a 139 WRC+ in 433 AAA plate appearances in 2025, and even has one MLB homer on the books from a 27-chance cup of coffee last year. Assuming he sees 500 plate appearances, it would be fair to expect about 15 home runs but low average and on-base marks with a strikeout rate above 30.0% from the rookie.

Pete Fairbanks – RP – The closer moves from one Florida team to the other, he should be expected to put up 25-27 saves with a reasonable strikeout rate around 25.0% with strong ratio stat performance. Fairbanks is a quality reliever but the roster may limit the overall ceiling for opportunities when it comes to saves.

Chris Paddack – SP

Christopher Morel – UTIL – elite swing speed and batted ball events that rarely turn into actual production.

Esteury Ruiz – OF – elite foot speed that never turns into actual production.

Subtractions

Edward Cabrera – SP – traded

Ryan Weathers – SP – traded

Dane Myers – OF – traded

Troy Johnston – 1B/OF – waivers

Eric Wagaman – UTIL – traded

Joey Wiemer – OF – traded

Victor Mesa Jr. – OF – traded

Outlook, Sleepers, and Busts

Miami finished third in the NL East last season, but that was with a 79-83 record. While the team features some interesting young players they simply aren’t going to contend with the elite rosters that the Mets and Phillies are able to put together over the course of a season. Miami will probably slip behind the Braves, if Atlanta gets any sort of rebound for health and production, and an improving Nationals squad could give them a run as well. The Marlins are more interesting for their pieces and parts than as a whole at this point.

Kyle Stowers is one of those interesting pieces. The slugger bashed 25 homers in just 457 plate appearances in breakout 2025. Getting his first full chance in his age-27 season, Stowers made elite contact with a 19.0% barrel and 52.0% hard-hit rate and surprised with a .288/.368/.544 slash line. While there was a bit of small-sample quality in his premium contact numbers from previous seasons, absolutely no one can claim they saw an uptick like this coming from this player. Stowers soared to a .386 wOBA and his .375 xwOBA barely makes a lie of that mark while finishing 11th among players with more than 450 plate appearances last year. Stowers has legitimate power but he should be expected to trend downward in the overall slash-line this season. Stowers should slot in for well over 550 plate appearances in the three spot, 22+ home runs is reasonable but expecting him to leap to 30 or more is still asking a lot.

Miami kicks the projected lineup off with Jakob Marsee, who hit five home runs and stole 14 bases in 234 plate appearances last season. Marsee’s .347 xwOBA is intriguing, he struck out just 20.5% of the time and drew a 9.4% walk rate while making average contact. If Marsee gets on, he should be running. The player had 51 stolen bases over 603 plate appearances in the minors in 2024 and stole 47 in 429 chances in 2025. Xavier Edwards has proven his ability to hit for average and get on base, though that amounted to just a 95 WRC+ over 619 plate appearances last year. Agustin Ramirez had an uneven season in 2025, making 585 plate appearances with 73 games at catcher keeping him eligible for the position, and 63 starts as the team’s DH. Ramirez hit 21 home runs and posted a .332 xwOBA but had a limited 91 WRC+ and a lousy .231/.287/.413 slash line. Ramirez came up as the team’s top-ranked prospect, anyone with that much opportunity, raw power, and catcher eligibility should be given a long leash for fantasy purposes, and is a name to remember when stacking DFS lineups on sites that require the catcher spot. Griffin Conine, Otto Lopez, Liam Hicks, and Connor Norby are all lineup filler, though Lopez put up a cheap 15/15 season last year.

Eury Perez is the most interesting Marlins pitcher this season, while Sandy Alcantara might still be the “big name” in the rotation. Alcantara made 31 starts but threw only 174.2 innings last season, taking away much of the depth that was created by his habit of throwing seven or eight innings every start in previous seasons. Alcantara was never a lights-out strikeout pitcher, he peaked at a 24.0% mark in 2021, but he struck out more than 200 hitters in both 2021 and 2022. The veteran righty has been the subject of constant trade rumors since returning last year, he is still on the market and will likely finish the season elsewhere, potentially adding upside in the long-term. Perez, meanwhile, is a very popular breakout pick. The righty has not yet turned 23, despite bouncing around in prospect rankings and sleeper lists for three or four years. Perez made 20 starts and threw 95.1 innings last season after coming back from Tommy John surgery. Perez was effective, putting up a 4.25 ERA and 4.07 xFIP, the ERA marked a big uptick from the 3.15 ERA he posted over 19 MLB starts in 2023, but the xFIP was a slight improvement on that season’s 4.24 mark. Perez struck out 27.3% with a 19.0% K-BB% last season, underperforming expectations for strikeouts but improving upon his walk rate. If he can continue the gains and claw back strikeouts – Spring sessions have indicated that he can do the latter with the jury still out on the former – the flamethrower has a sky-high ceiling.

Chris Paddack, Max Meyer, and Braxton Garrett round out the Miami rotation. Garrett struggles to stay on the mound and lacked surface-level quality when he did last year, though his 18.6% K-BB% mark was not bad, his 5.35 ERA was a blemish masking his 3.49 xFIP. Meyer had a 23.9% strikeout rate but worked to a 4.73 ERA that was more than a full run higher than his 3.51 xFIP. Paddack was the low-point of the group last season, striking out a mere 16.7% of opposing hitters in a major downturn at a bad time in his career.

Update: Kyle Stowers will start the season on the IL with a hamstring strain.

Primary Lineup

 

Rotation & Primary Bullpen Arms

New York Mets

Additions

Bo Bichette – IF – Bichette had a down year in a half-season in 2024 but his 2025 numbers were among the best he has posted outside of the home run total. Bichette managed 18 home runs, close to the 2023 total of 20 but a long way from the 2021 days of hitting 29 long balls. He has a chance of getting back to that level of power in his new role, but we can look to Bichette for the career .294/.337/.469 hitter with a .343 xwOBA and 122 WRC+. Bichette will likely hit third behind superstars Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto.

Marcus Semien – 2B – Marcus Semien will form the other side of the double-play tandem for the Mets. Semien has been diminished over the past two seasons. Now 35, the second baseman is coming off of 534 plate appearances over which he slashed just .230/.305/.364 with 15 home runs and 11 stolen bases. He had a similar slash line with a bit more pop, hitting 23 home runs, in 2024, which kept him above the waterline with a 101 WRC+ that season. That was not the case with last year’s 89 WRC+. Semien has a long way to go to reach quality, the days of 30+ home runs are long gone, even 20 seems like a stretch. While he may improve upon the ugly slash line of the past two seasons, a return to the days of .265/334/.538 (2021) are long gone.

Freddy Peralta – SP – Another major acquisition for this team in the offseason was ace Freddy Peralta, who should slot in atop the rotation. Peralta has elite Stuff+ marks across multiple offerings, and has put up strikeout marks ranging from 27.6% to 30.9% over the past three seasons. The lone hiccup with the high-upside righty tends to be walks, Peralta posted a 28.2% strikeout rate last season but his K-BB% was slightly underwhelming at just 19.1%. His peak came in 2023 with a 30.9% strikeout mark and 22.9% K-BB% over 30 starts. If Peralta can find that upside at his current ADP he is a premium buy in all formats, particularly for those who fade the early aces. The righty is among the best from a points-per-game or DFS perspective as well, given the premium stuff and strikeouts, but a couple clunkers should be expected along the way.

Luis Robert Jr. – OF

Jorge Polanco – IF

Devin Williams – RP

Luke Weaver – RP

Tobias Myers – SP –

Mike Tauchman – OF

Vidal Brujan – UTIL

MJ Melendez – OF

Ben Rortvedt – C

Subtractions

Pete Alonso – 1B – FA

Jeff McNeil – UTIL – traded

Brandon Nimmo – OF – traded

Edwin Diaz – RP – FA

Cedric Mullins II – OF – FA

Ryan Helsley – RP – FA

Luisangel Acuna – UTIL – traded

Brandon Sproat – SP – traded

Gregory Soto – RP – FA

Griffin Canning – SP – FA

Jesse Winker – OF – FA

Starling Marte – OF – FA

Ryne Stanek – RP – FA

Tyler Rogers – RP – FA

Outlook, Sleepers, and Busts

The Mets were once again one of the busiest teams of the offseason, bringing in six premium players but also losing star masher Pete Alonso to the Orioles. New York finished second to the Phillies in the NL East at just 83-79 last season, not the result for which they are budgeted. The free-spending franchise brought in numerous recognizable names for fantasy gamers, not the least of which is Bo Bichette, who will slot into the top three in the daily lineup while manning the hot corner for his new team. Lindor is coming off of a hamate bone injury that should be expected to sap some power but he is already getting Spring plate appearances at the end of camp, and should be ready to start the season. Expectations of a 25/25 campaign are not too much to ask for the leadoff-hitting shortstop. Soto is simply one of the best in the business. Even in a down season the star slashed .263/.396/.525 with a 156 WRC+. Soto blasted 43 home runs on the season, his .390 wOBA fell short of his expected mark of .429, which was in line with his actual number from the season before, playing across town.

Luis Robert Jr. is a wildcard in this lineup. Officially derailed from the track to superstardom that seemed likely on hitting 38 home runs with 20 stolen bases in his age-25 season in 2023, Robert is coming off of back-to-back seasons of under 435 plate appearances. The outfielder hit just 14 home runs each of the past two seasons, though he did pad fantasy scoring somewhat with 23 and 33 stolen bases in the moderately sized opportunity. Robert Jr. has one of the highest ceilings for a rebound or “sleeper” player on the board this season. Assuming a bit of luck with health, there is still good cause to think that he could get back to 20+ home runs and more than 30 stolen bases. If he can deliver more consistency than his atrocious .223/.288/.372 with a .302 xwOBA over the past two seasons in Chicago, Robert Jr. will deliver an upside season on his current ADP in most formats.

Jorge Polanco is another veteran piece that was added to the roster in the offseason. Polanco is a talented hitter who has put up strong seasons when he sees a full 500+ plate appearances. While his peak was almost certainly the 33 home runs that he hit in 644 chances in 2021, Polanco did mash 26 long balls in just 524 plate appearances last year. The part-time infielder part-time DH put up a bounce-back season with a 132 WRC+, he should offer second base eligibility with third base added for leagues with a 5-start qualifier. Semien slots in on the other side of the diamond from Lindor, he should be reliable for opportunities with flashes of upside but not much more. Francisco Alvarez has major pop in his bat but he has been limited to just 342 and 277 plate appearances the past two seasons. The catcher has a clear path to 450 if he can stay on the field, and thoughts of 20 or more homers are not entirely wild. Alvarez put up a 12.1% barrel and 54.3% hard-hit rate last season, nearly identical to the marks he posted in 2023 when he hit 25 homers in 423 plate appearances at just 21-years-old. Alvarez is a reasonable late-round catcher option in season-long formats but catchers are mostly devalued in best ball. He is a big name to remember as a cheap member of this Mets lineup in DFS stacking as the season gets started.

Another potentially inexpensive option to get to the Mets either late in a draft or in early season DFS action, Carson Benge is expected to make the team out of camp. Benge should see regular opportunities in the outfield, with a fair projection of 375-400 plate appearances and a ceiling for more if he performs. The top prospect should be expected to hit 10-12 home runs with a similar stolen base total in that type of sample. While these are not star-making numbers, Benge is a reasonable depth option who hit well in a quick run through the minors. He had 15 home runs and 22 stolen bases with a .281/.385/.472 slash line from high-A through 103 plate appearances in AAA as a 22-year-old last season. Benge projects for multi-category upside in the longer-term for those in keeper leagues.

After Peralta, Nolan McLean slots in above the other mostly average-but-talented options that round out the rotation, including Clay Holmes, David Peterson, Sean Manaea, and Kodai Senga. The Mets offer more depth of options than upside but between that and their probability of competing into October, they make for excellent filler in best ball formats and they offer a bit of playable upside. McLean stands apart from that group on talent and potential ceiling performances, as showcased in his WBC run. McLean is entering his first full season in the Show at age 24, he made eight starts last year and put up a 2.06 ERA with a 2.78 xFIP supporting the reality. The rookie hurler struck out 30.3% and had a sharp 21.8% K-BB% in the small sample. A glance at the minor league track record shows a bit more of an erratic pitcher who maintains the premium strikeout upside but is likely to walk a few more hitters along the way. At every stop in the minors, McLean was more in the 27-28% strikeouts and 16.5% K-BB% range. A dip in strikeout rate and a bump in walk rate should be expected in a full season, but this is a talented young upside pick from deep into drafts and a premium arm where available for any dynasty or keeper format.

Devin Williams is a premium closer option where the position matters. Williams and Luke Weaver (holds leagues) both changed boroughs this season, with Williams leaving the Yankees after one disappointing year. The reliever put up a 4.79 ERA and 2.95 xFIP that were both out of step with previous production. Most notably, Williams’ ERA, the actual scoring mark for most fantasy formats, was 1.25 over 22 appearances in 2024, 1.53 in 61 games in 2023, and 1.93 in 65 games in 2022. While the xFIP, the expected stat based on what the pitcher can actually control, was only off by about a half-run over previous seasons, Williams was simply off all year. The reliever posted an excellent 34.7% strikeout rate, but that was a far cry from the days of 40.0%, and he ended the season with only 18 saves after expectations of 30 or more as the primary closer. Williams became just one of several options at the back of the bullpen, though he was far more valuable in sv+hld leagues, where his 15 holds ended up mostly filling out expectations. Back in the expected closer role with the Mets, Williams is a fair bet to chase the 30+ saves and premium ratio seasons of the past, opportunities will be abundant with a strong offense but just a mid-level starting staff.

Update: Carson Benge is confirmed to have made the team.

Primary Lineup

 

Rotation & Primary Bullpen Arms

Philadelphia Phillies

Additions

Adolis Garcia – OF – We wrote this about Garcia in the Best Ball Rankings notes: Adoils Garcia is an intriguing option finding a new home in Philadelphia to start his age-33 season. Garcia disappointed with a mere 19 home runs and 13 stolen bases over 547 plate appearances last year. This came after a 25/11 season in 2024 and an elite 39HR season in 2023. Garcia still managed an 11.6% barrel rate and 46.7% hard-hit rate over 379 BBE last year, with a 92.1 mph average exit velocity that was identical to both the 39 and 25 home run seasons and an uptick after a dip to 91.0 in 2024. The outfielder was in and out of the lineup in an uneven final season in Texas, cutting into his overall chances to crack even 20 home runs, that should be very different in Philadelphia where defense will keep him in the outfield on a daily basis even if the bat lags behind. If he sees 600+ plate appearances, a return to the 25/15 range would not surprise, with upside for more. Garcia is one of the more worthwhile dart throw outfielders in this range.

Brad Keller – RP

Dylan Moore – UTIL

Bryan De La Cruz – OF

Liover Peguero  – IF

Subtractions

Ranger Suarez – SP – FA

Harrison Bader – OF – FA

Matt Strahm – RP – traded

Jordan Romano – RP – FA

Max Kepler – OF – FA

Nick Castellanos – OF – FA

Walker Buehler – SP – FA

David Robertson – RP – FA

Outlook, Sleepers, and Busts

Other than the noteworthy addition of Adolis Garcia and the subtraction of Nick Castellanos and Ranger Suarez, as well as a few incoming or outgoing pieces and parts, the Phillies bring back largely the same team that won the NL East last season. Philadelphia should be just as competitive in 2026, the team fields a deadly-good veteran lineup filled with talent. In addition to the prospects of an upside year for Garcia, Trea Turner is coming off of a productive .304/.355/.457 slash line with a 125 WRC+ in 639 plate appearances last year. Turner stole 36 bases, his highest total since 2018. The shortstop did dip for home runs last season, falling to just 15 on the year with his .321 xwOBA also lying somewhat in opposition of his excellent .352 actual mark. Still, Turner is in a premium spot hitting around Kyle Schwarber, who should be expected to see his fair share of leadoff chances, and Bryce Harper, both excellent power hitters who knock runs in consistently, helping to pad fantasy scoring and stacking. Schwarber erased 56 pitches from existence with his monstrous power last season, setting a new career high for home runs by nine in the process. The slugger is not power-or-bust, Schwarber is excellent at working walks and getting on base, his on-base percentage was above .360 for the second consecutive season and Schwarber posted a career-high .402 xwOBA under his excellent .391 actual. Harper made 580 plate appearances last season and hit just 27 home runs while stealing a dozen bases. The star slashed .261/.357/.487 with a .368 xwOBA and 131 WRC+ for the year, providing consistency and upside but falling slightly short of super-duper-star output. Harper is deservedly a rung below the extreme upside early picks, but he is well worth the selection at his current ADP in most formats and he is a crucial piece of stacking Phillies bats.

Alec Bohm makes for a quietly interesting hitter. We have previously referred to Bohm as a right-handed Vinnie Pasquantino for his consistently excellent ability to hit for average while putting bat-on-ball and keeping strikeouts to the lower-mid-teens. Bohm has been a .279/.328/.415 hitter with a .335 xwOBA lurking under the surface and a 103 WRC+ over 719 career games, now almost 30-years-old it seems a bit unfair to project a major power breakout, but Bohm did manage 20 home runs in 2023 and 15 in 2024 before slipping to only 11, in 102 fewer plate appearances, in 2025. The third baseman has been hot in Spring, hitting three home runs in 37 opportunities and posting a very strong slash line. We are looking for a bit more launch angle leading to barrel rate for a player who has consistently been around a 45.0% hard-hit rate for the last few seasons. Bohm is no star, and he is unlikely to crack the 20-homer mark, but he is a very stable option for batting average where that counts, and he has a strong chance at providing a quality season for counting stats into October in the heart of a productive competitive lineup.

Brandon Marsh and Bryson Stott are consistently in the lineup. Marsh hits the ball hard but sees limited production, while Stott fills out middle infield depth with plenty of upside for run scoring and stolen bases.

Justin Crawford is expected to start the season as Philadelphia’s starting centerfielder. The prospect consistently ranks in the top-3 organizationally, he is projected for average, speed, and on-base skills that should translate effectively to the Show, but he lacks the power upside that is demanded of highly valuable fantasy outfielders in most cases. Crawford is at least worthy of a selection late in keeper formats, and he is playable in DFS, particularly if he is cheap to start the season. As a depth outfielder in best ball he can provide big games via run scoring and stolen bases, his value may vary depending on how those score on your site of choice.

Aidan Miller will start the season on the injured list for AAA Lehigh Valley, but he is the team’s top prospect and one of the most highly regarded overall in baseball. Miller is an infielder without a current direct path to opportunities in the Show, the team is in no rush to bring him along and he would not have been part of the initial plans regardless of injury. Still, this is a name to know where depth matters, he will be a call away if something happens to Trea Turner or Alec Bohm on the left side of the infield and a strong season in the minors will press the issue late in the year.

Zack Wheeler is likely to start the season on the injured list, but he will make his first Spring start in the last week of camp and may not be as far behind as initially feared. Wheeler can be cautiously penciled in for 25 starts with the potential for a sub-3.00 ERA and upper-20s strikeout rate. The righty is excellent from a K-BB% perspective, posting better than a 21.3% rate in each of the last four seasons, including 21.9% last year and 22.0% the year before.

In Wheeler’s absence, the top of the rotation will be held down by premium southpaw Cristopher Sanchez, one of the most talented starters in the game. Sanchez made 32 starts last season, throwing 202.0 innings and putting up a fantastic 2.50 ERA with a 2.77 xFIP and a 20.8% K-BB%. The lefty made major strides for strikeouts, pushing his rate from 20.3% to a career-high 26.3% for the year while keeping walks to similar levels. Sanchez tied for first in the league with Logan Webb and Garrett Crochet with 22 quality starts but ended the season in a multi-way tie with 13 wins. There is additional upside for fantasy scoring if the team can manage to help him pick up a few additional W’s, given the frequency with which he pitches well. Jesus Luzardo and Aaron Nola should provide stability through the middle of the rotation. Luzardo struck out 28.5% last season while getting back to making 32 starts on the year. The lefty had a bumpy 3.92 ERA but his 3.25 xFIP tells the true story. Nola made just 17 starts and threw 94.1 ineffective innings on the surface. The veteran righty had an ugly 6.01 ERA that did not score well, but gamers should take heart in a 3.71 xFIP that defies that decline. The veteran made at least 32 starts for four straight seasons leading up to the downturn, including 199.1 innings with a 3.57 ERA and 3.44 xFIP as recently as two seasons ago. The days of massive ceiling performances may be gone, but Nola should at least provide playable depth in multiple fantasy formats this season, he is a buy from late in drafts, a sub-4.00 ERA would not surprise at all, though one should expect a strikeout rate in the 24-25% range, not the 29-30% from the past.

Andrew Painter is officially slated to be a part of the rotation coming out of camp, per Rob Thompson on March 20th. The right-handed top prospect will celebrate his 23rd birthday with his new teammates on April 10th, he joins them with hefty expectations for immediate returns. Painter ranks second organizationally and in the top-30 overall in most prospect ranking reports. The 13th overall pick in the 2021 draft, Painter made 26 starts, with four in A-ball and 22 in AAA last season, totaling 118.0 innings with a 5.26 ERA and 4.20 xFIP and 23.7% strikeout rate that did not match previous production. Despite the slight downturn after bumping up a level, Painter has earned his shot in the Show. Projections should be more aligned to the AAA marks, potentially with fewer strikeouts and more walks to begin the MLB career, rather than the tremendous 1.56 ERA and 2.67 xFIP that he put up between high-A and AA in 2022 before missing the entirety of 2023-24 with Tommy John surgery.

Johan Duran is a premium option at the closer position, he had a 2.06 ERA and 2.59 xFIP with 32 saves a hold, and a 27.9% strikeout rate last season. Duran peaked in his first two seasons with a strikeout rate in the low-30s, he has traded some of that peak upside for a bit more command and consistency, lowering his walk rate to just 6.6% each of the past two seasons. Duran is one of the first closers off the board in most formats.

Primary Lineup

 

Rotation & Primary Bullpen Arms

Washington Nationals

Additions

Zack Littell – SP

Miles Mikolas – SP

Harry Ford – C

Foster Griffin – P

Joey Wiemer – OF

Matt Mervis – 1B

Subtractions

MacKenzie Gore – SP – traded

Josh Bell – 1B – FA

Jose A. Ferrer – RP – traded

Paul DeJong – IF – FA

Derek Law – RP – FA

Konnor Pilkington – RP

Jorge Alfaro – C

Outlook, Sleepers, and Busts

The Nationals sent out a bit more than they brought in this offseason, with the departure of MacKenzie Gore as the most noteworthy. Gore was traded to Texas in exchange for five prospects, something the team has been successful with in the past. Washington brings in a young lineup headlined once again by James Wood and CJ Abrams, now both established talents coming off of productive seasons. Wood cracked 31 home runs in 689 plate appearances and posted a 127 WRC+ with an underlying .361 xwOBA suggesting there may be even a bit more to give from the young talent. Abrams made 635 plate appearances, hitting 19 home runs and swiping 31 bags in posting a 107 WRC+. The shortstop slipped somewhat with just a .176 ISO and .309 xWOBA pointing toward some of the issues, his 7.6% barrel and 39.2% hard-hit rate are not premium marks for power so he will need to improve on the .257/.315/.433 slash line from last year. Luis Garcia, Dylan Crews, Daylen Lile, Brady House, Keibert Ruiz, and Jacob Young are all mix-and-match depth options with a range of talent. Crews was the second overall pick in the 2023 draft, taken after Paul Skenes, he is coming off of a .208/.280/.352 rookie season that he would probably rather forget. Crews posted a 77 WRC+ that does not match his talent. The outfielder should be expected to make regular contributions from the bottom-third of the lineup with a chance to move up, he has 15/25 upside if things break well. Lile posted an effective 132 WRC+ over 351 plate appearances last year, surprising with a .299/.347/.498 slash and a .348 xwOBA that says the production was real despite the lack of premium contact in his 5.2% barrel rate and 40.0% hard-hit.

Drafting starters from this team is probably a mistake. For one-off DFS purposes or interesting streaming weeks for two starts, options including Miles Mikolas, Cade Cavalli, and Josiah Gray may find a minor bit of production, but not one of the Nationals pitchers struck out even 20.0% of hitters or posted a sub-4.00 ERA last season, though Cavalli had a 3.90 xFIP and Brad Lord posted a 3.92 mark.

The Nationals are a virtual lock to finish at the bottom of the NL East again in 2026, improving on last season’s 66-96 record with this pitching staff seems unlikely.

Update: Dylan Crews will start the season in the minors.

Primary Lineup

 

Rotation & Primary Bullpen Arms

 

American League West

The Athletics

Additions

Jeff McNeil – UTIL – Anyone who has been around our takes for the past few years already knows we are not big Jeff McNeil fans. The former slap-hitter with a good average derived from lucky babip marks has become more of a low-end low-teens power hitter with a touch of on base ability and the knack for limiting strikeouts. McNeil traded his productive .300 averages and .380s on-base percentages for a .243/.335/.411 slash line last season, hitting a dozen home runs in the process to match his total from the year before. With 500+ plate appearances he may find his way to 15 home runs and a more productive year, but much of that will come down to dink-and-dunk luck.

Aaron Civale – SP – Civale flashed a bit of upside a few seasons back but has fallen to Earth over the past two seasons. The veteran righty had a 4.85 ERA with a 4.73 xFIP calling it real from just underneath, and he made just 18 starts in a lost 2025. Civale had a 4.36 ERA and 4.31 xFIP over a full 31 starts in 2024 but threw just 161.0 innings and had a 14.1% K-BB%.

Mark Leiter Jr. – RP

Andy Ibanez – IF

Scott Barlow – RP

Subtractions

JJ Bleday – OF – FA

Sean Newcomb – P – FA

Jese Leclerc – RP – FA

Max Schuermann – UTIL – traded

Mitch Spence – P – traded

Osvaldo Bido – P – waivers

Grant Holman – RP – waivers

Outlook, Sleepers, and Busts

The not ready for primetime in Vegas Athletics will slot in as just The Athletics while once again playing their games in Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park. The ballpark rated as the second-best for run production behind only Coors Field in 2025, with the uptick in doubles and singles outpacing the uptick in home runs, where it ranked just 11th-best while still showing an appreciable uptick. The Athletics bring a hard-hitting upside-laden lineup to the field, they should benefit from the quality environment on a regular basis.

Slated for the leadoff role in the projected version of the lineup, Nick Kurtz will be hard-pressed to replicate his jaw-dropping rookie season. Kurtz was a major prospect with one of the most highly-regarded power bats in the minors coming into last season and he somehow obliterated expectations. The rookie hit 36 home runs in a mere 489 plate appearances, posting a 17.9% barrel rate and 50.9% hard-hit with a 170 WRC+ for the year. Kurtz was not just fantastic for power, despite striking out at a 30.9% clip, he posted a .290/.383/.619 slash with a .372 xwOBA, this is an early rounds superstar talent and one of the top first basemen off the board in 2026, while 35 home runs is the more projectable expectation, a 40-homer season is certainly within reach if all goes to plan in year two.

Catcher Shea Langeliers was excellent last season. In addition to making 523 valuable plate appearances to rank among the positional leaders at a thin spot, the catcher blasted 31 homers while putting up a totally unexpected .277/.325/.536 slash with a 132 WRC+. Langeliers cut strikeouts by an incredible margin year-over-year, dropping from 27.2% in 2024 and 29.2% in 2023 to just 19.7% last season while maintaining an 11.0% barrel and 44.6% hard-hit rate. Tyler Soderstrom is another player who had a breakout in 2025. Soderstrom managed an 11.4% barrel rate with a 49.8% hard-hit mark on the season, posting a .341 xwOBA and 125 WRC+ over 624 plate appearances with first base and outfield eligibility in most formats. He hit 25 home runs and could improve slightly on the power output in 2026. Brent Rooker is no secret, but he is one of the most consistently improved players of the past few seasons. The stunning turnaround was initially a surprise, but Rooker revealed himself to be a true student of hitting and the modern approach, making immense gains in areas like whiff rate across every pitch type year-over-year. The slugger has hit at least 30 home runs in each of the past three seasons and is coming off of a .262/.335/.479 slash line with a .351 xwOBA and 122 WRC+ that are down somewhat year over year from his terrific 2024, but not because of any noteworthy flaws. In fact, Rooker made tremendous gains once again, cutting his strikeout rate from 28.8% in 2024 to just 22.2% last season. Jacob Wilson is another light-hitting infielder who can be expected to put up strong numbers for average and on-base skills, while mostly relying on his teammates to help him reach relevant counting stats. Wilson constantly puts the ball in play, he had a 7.5% strikeout rate and a  5.2% walk rate last season but he is very limited for premium contact and there is not much to like in his underlying metrics. Lawrence Butler had a 96 WRC+ in an ugly season that is topped with a 21/22 mark for homers and steals. The outfielder lacks consistency but can deliver quality in spots given the power and speed combination. While Butler is not consistent enough to be a true multi-category contributor he does have the talent to find his way to the scoreboard on one of several paths. Max Muncy and Denzel Clarke are mere filler options.

Luis Severino heads a problematic Athletics rotation that is in a bad home ballpark, this is not where we want to source pitching that needs to make every start. Even in road starts and plus matchups, only limited value can be found in Severino, who posted a 17.6% strikeout and 10.5% K-BB% with a 4.54 ERA and 4.63 xFIP in 29 starts last season. Jeffrey Springs and Civale were not much better, but the back-end is made up of interesting young starters in Jacob Lopez and Luis Morales. Lopez did put up an intriguing 28.3% strikeout rate and 19.0% K-BB% over 92.2 innings in 17 starts and 21 total outings last season, landing a 4.08 ERA and 4.13 xFIP for respectable marks, given the home ballpark. The southpaw should be penciled in for 25 starts and 125-140 innings this season, with strikeout expectations dipping closer to 25.0% than 30.0%. Still, this is probably the only true upside option to call a “sleeper” or late-blooming dynasty stash from very late rounds of large drafts. Morales made 14 starts and 23 appearances in the minors last season, pitching 89.1 innings with a 3.73 ERA and 4.04 xFIP while striking out 29.2% but walking 9.6%. He came up to the Show for 48.2 innings in nine starts and 10 total appearances, managing a sparkling 3.14 ERA but a more concerning 4.54 xFIP and 4.45 SIERA while striking out just 21.6% and posting a 12.6% K-BB%. Morales is a top-100 overall prospect and one of the top five in the organization, he has the talent to justify a dynasty pick and pay off cheap early-season DFS shares, if he is in the rotation breaking camp.

Primary Lineup

 

Rotation & Primary Bullpen Arms

 

Houston Astros

Additions

Tatsuya Imai – SP – Has already transitioned from sneaky upside play to popular “sleeper” candidate who may be suddenly going too soon in drafts of all kinds. Imai is a talented nearly 28-year-old MLB rookie with eight NPB seasons under his belt. The righty has been eilte in recent seasons, including a 1.92 ERA and 2.26 xFIP over 163.2 innings in 24 starts last year and a 2.34 ERA with a 2.51 xFIP in 173.1 in 25 starts the season before. Imai put up career-high numbers for strikeout rate in consecutive seasons, first with a 26.3% followed by a 27.8% last season. The latter mark resulted in a career-best 20.7% K-BB% for the year, with Imai winning 10 games for the third-straight NPB season. Given an uptick in ADP, Imai’s value is a judgement call, we have seen Japanese pitching talent go bust in the Show before, but the Spring has been encouraging over three very brief outings and the pitcher has significant upside in 28 starts.

Mike Burrows – SP – Burrows was quietly effective in 96.0 innings over 19 starts and 23 total appearances in 2025. The righty pitched to a 3.94 ERA and 3.86 xFIP while working to a 24.1% strikeout rate at the MLB level, though his 16.4% K-BB% could use work. Burrows struck out 31.5% with a tremendous 23.1% K-BB% in his 32.1 innings and seven starts in AAA last season and was consistently in the mid-to-high 20s for strikeouts in the lower minor league levels. Burrows offers one of the best changeups in baseball, a pitch that garnered a 43.1% whiff rate last season, and an underrated curveball that picked up a 33.3% whiff rate and ranked with one of the best vertical drops in the league. While his four-seamer averages 95.5 and does not blow hitters away, the balance created by his off-speed offerings is tremendous, and Burrows should offer fairly significant production for the cheap ADP or salary in his first year in Houston. Burrows has gone scoreless in four Spring starts, making it through 12.2 innings without allowing a run, and has seen an uptick to 30.6% strikeouts in the tiny meaningless sample.

Ryan Weiss – SP

Joey Loperfido – UTIL

Christian Vazquez – C

Nick Allen – IF

Kai-Wei Teng – P

Cavan Biggio – UTIL

Roddery Munoz – RP

Subtractions

Framber Valdez – SP – FA

Jesus Sanchez – OF – traded

Victor Caratini – C – FA

Ramon Urias – IF – FA

Mauricio Dubon – UTIL – traded

Jacob Melton – OF – traded

Chas McCormick – OF – FA

Craig Kimbrel – RP – FA

Luis Garcia – P – FA

Kaleb Ort – RP – waivers

Outlook, Sleepers, and Busts

The Astros took a hit with the loss of a quality left-handed starter in Framber Valdez, but covered it adequately with key additions including upside pick Mike Burrows. The team should be expected to better last year’s 87-75 record and push the Mariners for the top spot in the AL West this season. The primary difference-maker for a largely similar-looking Astros lineup will be a full year of Yordan Alvarez, one of the top overall hitters in the sport. Alvarez was relegated to just 199 plate appearances last year, slashing .273/.367/.430 with a 118 WRC+ in the small sample and posting a .393 xwOBA under the surface that is just screaming to be unleashed once again this season. Alvarez is a no-doubter superstar who is probably a bit disrespected in this year’s ADP. The outfielder came into last season with four straight years of 3o+ home runs, including 35 in 635 plate appearances in 2024. A career .297/.389/.573 hitter with a .402 wOBA and .419 xwOBA over 2867 plate appearances, the lefty masher is one of the peak performers for fantasy baseball and he is still in the heart of his prime at just 29-years-old. Snatch Alvarez after others leave him hanging for too long in early rounds of drafts in all formats, he is a major star and people seem to have somewhat forgotten.

Veteran Jose Altuve should leadoff for most of the season once again. Altuve hit 26 home runs and stole 10 bases from atop the lineup last year, posting a productive 113 WRC+ but a limited .300 xwOBA under the surface. Altuve’s power output has always defied his batted ball and general physical size profile but that will eventually end, now almost 36-years-old, Altuve splits eligibility between the outfield and second base for fantasy purposes, giving him a touch of additional upside in different formats. Isaac Paredes is a specialized home run hitter who lives in the left field corner and plays in a ballpark ideally suited to his swing. Paredes hit 20 home runs in 438 plate appearances last season and has upside for a few more in a full campaign, he is “fine” as a mid-late round option but expecting 30+ home runs is pie-in-the-sky. Carlos Correa revealed that he nearly drowned in a Minnesota lake recently, which would have been bad for his fantasy production. Back in Houston where it all started, the infielder still makes for a playable fantasy pick with mid-teens power and the ability to derive production from consistently hitting the ball hard. Christian Walker hit 36 homers in 2022 and 33 in 2023 before slipping to the 26 and 27 of the past two seasons. His first year in Houston was marred by a .238/.297/.421 slash line and 99 WRC+, well off the pace for a player who posted a 120 or better WRC+ for three straight seasons before arriving with the Astros. Joey Loperfido brings a bit of power potential to the plate, though it is yet to translate to this level. Yainer Diaz is a premium catcher who scuffled somewhat over 567 plate appearances last year. Diaz struck out just 16.8% of the time and hit 20 home runs but fell to just .254/.284/.417 with a 92 WRC+ on the year. The backstop will provide significant opportunity for redemption with another 550+ chances this year, he is one of the better options at the position in season-long formats simply based on opportunity. Zach Cole and Jake Meyers round out the projected daily lineup, Cole hit 19 home runs and stole 18 bases in 416 chances across AA and AAA last season, he has light appeal in the deepest leagues but is not a truly top-ranked prospect.

At the top of the Houston rotation, righty Hunter Brown is an ace who one can find at a somewhat cheaper price than some of the more well-established early-round options. Brown has appeared in 31 games each of the past three seasons, including 31 starts and a career-high 185.1 innings in 2025. He put up a lights out 2.43 ERA and a quality 3.19 xFIP while striking out 28.3% and working a 20.4% K-BB% on the year. Brown brings a tremendous arsenal that features four above-average pitches by Stuff+ measurements, including a 96.6 mph fastball and 95.7 mph sinker that set up lethal breaking stuff, his Statcast rankings board is a sea of red (a good thing in this context). Given the moderate ADP discount, Brown is a pitcher worth considering at the top of a fantasy roster.

After the upside of Imai and Burrows, the rotation offers an average Cristian Javier and a wildcard Lance McCullers Jr. in addition to a premium bullpen that will be lacking closer Josh Hader to start the season. That should thrust Bryan Abreu into the prime role for part of the season, padding his upside in sv+holds leagues. Hader could see a bit of a discount in ADP as well, given the expectation of missed time, when he makes it back he will presumably be up to his old tricks in working excellent save, strikeout, and ratio numbers on the mound.

Update: Mike Burrows is confirmed for the second spot in the rotation breaking camp, the righty has fairly significant value as a later-round pick who may still be on waivers in a variety of formats. Josh Hader will start the season on the IL with Bryan Abreu picking up primary closer duties in his absence.

Primary Lineup

 

Rotation & Primary Bullpen Arms

 

Los Angeles Angels

Additions

Grayson Rodriguez – SP – The Angels took a shot adding Rodriguez, just a year or two removed from top prospect buzz, but it looks as though it may not pay off as the oft-injured righty is already dealing with a dead arm at the end of camp. Rodriguez made 20 starts in his last active season, working 116.2 innings with a 3.86 ERA and 3.57 xFIP while striking out 26.5% of hitters in 2024. The lost 2025 campaign and the current injury woes put a major question mark on any ideas of upside even late in drafts.

Josh Lowe – OF – Limited to just 435 plate appearances last season, Lowe managed a .220/.283/.366 slash line with a 79 WRC+ and a .298 xwOBA that does not add encouragement. The outfielder did steal 18 bases while hitting 11 home runs but those marks are far from his peak of 20 homers and 32 stolen bases over 501 plate appearances in a breakout 2023. Lowe has been off the mark for two seasons and seems more like a backup than a regular performer.

Drew Pomeranz – RP

Kirby Yates – RP

Alek Manoah – SP

Jordan Romano – RP

Jose Siri – OF

Trey Mancini – 1B/OF

Kale Ort – RP

Brent Suter – RP

Adam Frazier – UTIL

Jeimer Candelario – 1B/3B

Subtractions

Taylor Ward – OF – traded

Luis Rengifo – IF – FA

Tyler Anderson – SP – FA

Kenley Jansen – RP – FA

Brock Burke – RP – FA

Andrew Chafin – RP – FA

Carson Fulmer – P – FA

Carter Kieboom – IF – FA

Kyle Hendricks – SP – FA

Jose Urena – P – FA

Outlook, Sleepers, and Busts

The Angels finished 72-90 at the bottom of the AL West last season, looked at the roster and said “yep, we can run that right back.” Coming into 2026, the team offers nearly no signs of improvement outside of just another year of Zach Neto, a quality infielder who had a 26/26 season in 554 plate appearances while managing a 116 WRC+ last year. Nolan Schanuel slots in behind Neto in the day-to-day lineup, he is a light-hitting option who can be relied upon to reach first base and help pad some counting stats for surrounding players. Schanuel’s .353 on-base percentage helped him reach a 109 WRC+ last year.

Mike Trout is no one’s idea of a sleeper, but given the current ADP it is anyone’s game taking him a round early and betting on one of the best baseball talents of his generation. Trout flipped the script somewhat in 2025, his 556 plate appearances were by far the most he has made since 2019, and his 26 homers were a high point since hitting 40 in 499 chances in 2022, but his .232/.359/.439 slash line left a bit to be desired for those expecting a return to the glory days if he just got the chance. Now 34-almost-35, Trout is unlikely to reach 30 home runs or more than a handful of stolen bases, but his ability to get to first base and create runs has not diminished as much, he had a 120 WRC+ last season and could easily beat that mark this year. A .358 xwOBA under his .343 actual mark tells us that Trout did get somewhat unlucky, so a more productive overall season would not be shocking. Given his 15.8% barrel rate and 115.4 mph max exit velocity marks from last season, would it truly be surprising to see the former superstar mount one more strong fantasy campaign from a truly discounted draft slot?

Yoan Moncada drew 289 plate appearances and returned a dozen home runs with a 117 WRC+, marking an excellent 14.3% barrel rate and an 11.1% walk rate along the way. Jo Adell mashed his way to 37 home runs, more than fulfilling last year’s offseason promises of a breakout, though his stolen bases unexpectedly fell from 15 to just five in what was a very fair trade. Adell is an all-or-nothing power bat who is unlikely to change much heading into his age-27 season, the slugger managed just a .236/.293/.485 slash line but had a 112 WRC+ and .365 xwOBA under the surface last season. Veteran Jorge Soler could provide better than last year’s hugely disappointing 12 home runs over 315 plate appearances, he hit 21 in a full season in 2024 and walloped 36 in 580 chances the year before but is now 34-years-old and on the final downslope of a career of ups and downs. Christian Moore will have to improve upon last season’s .198/.284/.370 slash line with a .282 xwOBA saying that he might not. Moore is a flier of an infield pick at this point, he rocketed through the minor leagues after the Angels drafted him eighth overall in 2024, and is still just a young 23. Moore is an upside and dynasty rebuilding pick who might reach 12 home runs in a full season this year.

In addition to the wildcard that is now Grayson Allen, the Angels rotation features usable parts in Yusei Kikuchi and Jose Soriano, the latter of whom is the far more trendy fantasy upside pick from later rounds of drafts of all types. Soriano is a flamethrower who is tremendous at inducing ground balls and keeping the ball in the park. The ability to get out of trouble via the ground ball or limit damage by keeping home runs in check helps pitchers tremendously, if Soriano can find a bit of strikeout upside in his second full season as a starter he could really deliver on current ADP. The righty managed  just a 20.7% strikeout rate and 11.1% K-BB% with a minor uptick to 21.0% but a slip to 10.2% K-BB% year-over-year the past two seasons as a starter after posting a 30.3% strikeout mark in his lone season of relief work as a rookie. Soriano’s sinker averages 97.2 mph with a slightly faster four-seam variant that he deploys less often. The righty has an effective breaking ball that induced a 42.9% whiff rate last season, he has all of the requisite tools to find more strikeouts in 2026. Kikuchi remains a roller coaster. The southpaw made 33 starts in 2025, throwing a career-high 178.1 innings with a 3.99 ERA but a 4.28 xFIP under the surface. Kikuchi tends to be as good as his strikeout rate allows, he slid to just a 22.5% mark with a 13.0% K-BB% last season, his worst in several years. In 2024 the lefty was at a 28.0% strikeout and 22.0% K-BB% level despite pitching to a 4.05 ERA that was slightly worse on the surface, underperformance that was easily noted in his 3.20 xFIP that season. The erratic lefty is best utilized as a depth piece, he has plenty of potential in the right spots but even those can be difficult to nail down, making him perhaps most useful in a best ball format where only good days matter.

No one else in the Angels rotation is relevant and the bullpen leaves much to be desired. This is a bottom-of-the-barrel team again in 2026 but they offer at least a few interesting options at the plate and on the mound for fantasy gamers, all of whom come with low draft values that are easy to take off the board as desired.

Update: Grayson Rodriguez will begin the season on the IL with what is being called a dead arm, not a great start for someone with his injury history.

Primary Lineup

 

Rotation & Primary Bullpen Arms

Seattle Mariners

Additions

Brendan Donovan – UTIL – Donovan fills at least three positions, depending on your league, he is a premium utility option if you can get him into a bench or depth role, depending on format. The utility man hit 10 home runs with a .287/.353/.422 slash and .346 xwOBA while creating runs 19 points above average by WRC+. Donovan has never had a below-average season for run creation, the 119 from last season is an exact match for his career mark over 492 games. While it seems like he has been around far longer, Donovan debuted with St. Louis in just 2022, he has never cracked the 15-homer mark but he has consistently provided quality while playing a variety of roles.

Jose A. Ferrer – RP – should slot into a premium Seattle pitching staff with a strong bullpen and provide setup support with 15-20 holds and reasonable ratios, but he is not a major source of RP strikeouts.

Rob Refsnyder – OF – the ultimate platoon player, Refsnyder always finds his way to inexpensive DFS relevance when a lefty is on the mound.

Andrew Knizner – C

Cooper Criswell – P

Dane Dunning – P

Patrick Wisdom – UTIL

Subtractions

Eugenio Suarez – 3B – FA

Jorge Polanco – IF – FA

Harry Ford – C – traded

Ben Williamson – IF – traded

Caleb Ferguson – RP – FA

Gregory Santos – RP – FA

Samad Taylor – UTIL – FA

Trent Thornton – RP – FA

Outlook, Sleepers, and Busts

The Mariners lost more than they brought in this offseason, with Eugenio Suarez departing yet again in free agency, and Jorge Polanco shipping out to join the Mets. Suarez was re-acquired for the stretch run along with Josh Naylor who will remain a fixture in the heart of this lineup. Naylor is slated for cleanup duties in the current version of the projected daily lineup, he is coming off of a solid .295/.353/.462 season with a 128 WRC+ in a 20/30 campaign. While the home run total did not live up to the 31 he mashed in a career-best 2024, Naylor was excellent across the board, cutting his already low strikeout rate to just 13.7% and putting up a .351 wOBA, though that mark is betrayed somewhat by the underlying .335 xwOBA. A slip from 8.4 to 6.6% barrels is partly to blame for the loss of power output, Naylor’s 89.2 mph average exit velocity was exactly in-line with every other season in his career and he actually reached a new high with a 117.9 mph batted ball event in 2025. Of course, the real story for Seattle was the absurd all-time-great catcher season put up by Cal Raleigh. The backstop hit 60 home runs, the most ever at the position and tied with Babe Ruth for ninth all-time in a single season. Raleigh is unlikely to reach those same heights, but a 40+ home run season is clearly visible on the horizon. The star catcher hit 34 homers in 628 plate appearances in 2024 and 30 in 569 chances in 2023, he has major per-game upside in any format and is one of few catchers in play for best ball where the position is not required. Toolsy star Julio Rodriguez hit 32 home runs and stole 30 bases, posting his second 30/30 season in the last three years. Rodriguez got off to a slightly slower start before heating up at the midway point and carrying excellent numbers at season’s end, though one could ask for a better on-base percentage. Rodriguez has a career .274/.331/.469 slash but managed to get on at just a .325 and .324 clip the past two seasons. His career 129 WRC+ would inflate with a bit of a push for on-base, which could easily be found in drawing a few more walks. Rodriguez has managed just a 6.2% walk rate each of the past two years and has a 6.5% rate for his career.

Randy Arozarena is a high-quality player at a cheap ADP in most formats. Arozarena is coming off of a 27/31 season in which he put up a 120 WRC+ and posted an 11.5% barrel and 50.6% hard-hit rate for the year. His .327 xwOBA is only hovering around league average, so expecting much more production in the slash line seems unlikely but the counting stats are very real and Arozarena has a high-end role in this lineup. The outfielder has hit at least 20 home runs and stolen at least 20 bases for five straight seasons, he is worth taking slightly ahead of his later-mid round draft values.

Dominic Canzone is another player who finds premium contact regularly for Seattle. Canzone put up a 14.5% barrel and 50.0% hard-hit rate over his 268 plate appearances last year, translating the quality contact into a .300/.358/.481 slash with a .376 xwOBA under the surace. Given a run to 400+ plate appearances it is entirely within reason to project Canzone for 15 home runs, though his consistency across a full line is much more in question, his slash line is unlikely to hold up over a full season. JP Crawford got on base at a .352 clip over 654 plate appearances last season, though that was hovering at a fantastic .391 for the first half before falling badly through the dog days. Getting to first base and setting the table is the shortstop’s primary attribute at the plate but he did add a dozen homers and eight stolen bases to help contribute a bit for daily or best ball formats. Victor Robles and Cole Young round out the lineup, it would not surprise to see Robles steal his share of bases if he can get on with any regularity after a mostly lost 114 plate appearances in 2025. Young left a lot to be desired with an 80 WRC+ over 257 plate appearances last season but the former 21st overall pick in the 2022 draft has a better pedigree than that and a clear path to 400+ plate appearances at second base. Young is no more than a mixer, but he is a developing talent in just his age-22 season, there is dynasty upside if he is available, though it comes more in the form of a to-be-seen hit tool than a power bat.

The strength of the Mariners lies in their superb rotation, if they are able to keep everyone on the mound. Health has been the challenge for Seattle’s deep staff, on paper they will have multiple right-handed aces in the rotation, including breakout Bryan Woo who ranks as one of the top starters in most formats. Woo was tremendous in his first full season, putting up a 2.94 ERA with a 3.33 xFIP over 30 starts. The second-year righty pushed his strikeout rate from 21.4% in 20 rookie starts to 27.1% while keeping walks at just 4.9%. Like all of the Mariners’ starters, Woo finds success from a tremendous K-BB%, he is perfectly aligned to work 195-200 innings for the first time this season, if he can make all of his starts. Logan Gilbert was limited to just 25 outings last season, though he worked to a 3.44 ERA and even better 2.95 xFIP while striking out hitters at a career-best 32.3% rate and posting a 26.5% K-BB% that was also a career-high by several points. Gilbert has all the makings of a fantasy ace, he is terrific at limiting walks and the uptick in strikeouts is entirely believable. The righty dealt with elbow trouble early last season but is healthy going into 2026 and should be an excellent mid-round target for strikeouts and upside in any format. 28-year-old George Kirby slides into the middle of the rotation after a 23-start 126-inning season that was a bit of a letdown following back-to-back 190+ inning seasons. Kirby pitched to a 4.21 ERA but had a 3.25 xFIP under the surface last season to keep the faith. The excellent righty had ERAs of 3.39, 3.35, and 3.53 from 2022-24 with solid mid-20s strikeout rates. Kirby has never posted a K-BB% of less than 20.1%, he is another pitcher directly out of the Seattle mold. Bryce Miller is the wildcard in the rotation, he made just 18 starts while dealing with injuries throughout the season last year and has been limited to just 1.1 innings and some bullpen work in the Spring. Miller was excellent over 31 starts and 180.1 innings as a 25-year-old in 2024, putting up a 2.94 ERA but a less appealing 3.85 xFIP. The righty was good-not-great for strikeouts that season at 24.3% with a 17.9% K-BB% and he slipped badly to just 18.9% strikeouts with a 10.2% K-BB% in last year’s limited action. Meanwhile, veteran Luis Castillo rounds out the righty party. Castillo made 32 starts last season, his third straight year with at least 30. He put up a 3.54 ERA but had a 4.09 xFIP under the surface that is worthy of concern, or at least attention. Castillo fell to a career-low 21.7% strikeout rate with a 6.2% walk rate last year, limiting the upside in most of his outings while not totally destroying quality. With limited expectations in a premium pitching environment, it would not be at all surprising to see Castillo beat his ADP by a fair margin if he can manage to claw back even a 24.0% strikeout rate. Castillo still wields an upside fastball-slider combination that has not lost as much luster as otherwise advertised.

Andres Munoz is a premium option at closer where the position is required, though matching last season’s 38 saves may be a tall order. The Mariners offer a stacked bullpen that includes Munoz, Ferrer, and Matt Brash, who should be aligned for the lead setup role and a fair chunk of holds. Brash struck out 29.1% with a 20.1% K-BB% while racking up 21 holds and four saves last season and had similar numbers with 24 holds and four saves the year before.

Primary Lineup

 

Rotation & Primary Bullpen Arms

Texas Rangers

Additions

MacKenzie Gore – SP – After ripping off a few excellent starts early last year, MacKenzie Gore finished the season at a 4.17 ERA with a better-looking 3.78 xFIP and a career-best 27.2% strikeout rate and 17.8% K-BB%. The latter number needs improvement in the long-run but it was a career best and a jump of nearly two percentage points year-over-year for the young southpaw in just his third full season. Gore just turned 27, he is entering his prime on a better ballclub where he does not have to lead the rotation. Comfortably slotting in behind, and learning from, the likes of Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi should work wonders for Gore’s upside, he is a targetable mid-round option in most fantasy formats and one to remember the first few times through the rotation in DFS lineups.

Brandon Nimmo – OF – For reasons we will not explain here, Brandon Nimmo should be far happier in Texas than he was in New York. Nimmo is a quality stick, he has hit at least 23 home runs for three straight seasons, including a career-high 25 in 652 plate appearances last year. The outfielder managed a .262/.324/.436 slash line with an underlying .321 xwOBA and 114 WRC+, a nice recovery from a more limited slash line the year before. Nimmo is about to turn 33, he is not likely to outpace the production of years gone by, but he has lingering upside from the later-mid rounds in most formats and should surpass 625 plate appearances for the fifth straight season.

Danny Jansen – C – Jansen lands with the Rangers after productive years in Toronto and stops in Tampa Bay, Milwaukee, and Boston over the past two seasons. The backstop should be expected to provide 325-350 plate appearances of medium quality. Jansen hit 14 home runs with a 103 WRC+ but a limited .300 xwOBA in 337 plate appearances last season, he hit 17 in 301 chances in his last full season in Toronto in 2023 but only nine in between in 2024.

Andrew McCutchen – OF – It mostly seemed like Andrew McCutchen was going to retire as a member of the Pirates after spending the past three seasons back with his original club. As fate would have it, the veteran former star outfielder will celebrate his 40th birthday with the Rangers after signing a new free agent deal this offseason. McCutchen is likely slated for a backup role and something like 200 plate appearances with limited fantasy value unless roles change significantly. He hit 13 home runs in 551 chances last season but had 20 in just 515 in 2024. While the premium contact has diminished somewhat, McCutchen still has a tremendous ability to get on base via the walk, which can help support run creation.

Mark Canha – UTIL

Dairon Blanco – OF

Jordan Montgomery – SP –

Chris Martin – RP –

Tyler Alexander – P

Jalen Beeks – P

Austin Gomber – SP

Subtractions

Marcus Semien – 2B – traded

Merrill Kelly – SP – FA

Adolis Garcia – OF – FA

Tyler Mahle – SP – FA

Chris Martin – RP – FA

Patrick Corbin – SP – FA

Jon Gray – SP – FA

Jonah Heim – C – FA

Dylan Moore – UTIL – FA

Rowdy Tellez – 1B – FA

Donovan Solano – IF – FA

Billy McKinney – OF – FA

Outlook, Sleepers, and Busts

The Rangers managed to lose multiple relevant players in Adolis Garcia and Marcus Semien but still bring back a lineup that looks and feels nearly identical to the last few seasons. Texas should have Nimmo in the leadoff role with young upside outfielder Wyatt Langford following up. Langford went 22/22 last season with a 118 WRC+ and a .346 xwOBA under the surface in 573 plate appearances last year. The robust 14.0% barrel and 48.4% hard-hit rates working in tandem with a 12.9% walk rate reveal a star in the making as Langford enters his third full season at just 24-years-old.

Corey Seager mashes baseballs, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Seager had a tremendous 15.3% barrel rate and a 53.6% hard-hit rate last season but it amounted to just 21 home runs in 445 plate appearances. The shortstop put up a terrific .365 wOBA but had an even better .391 xwOBA while creating runs 42.0% better than average by WRC+. Seager’s xwOBA ranked sixth in the league among players with more than 400 plate appearances last year. Not yet 32, Seager is still in the back-end of his prime years, a return to his run of 30-homer seasons (three straight before last year) seems easy to see, if not likely, if he manages 550+ plate appearances. Seager is an excellent upside play with star-caliber talent from a few pegs down the draft board than his true peers by raw talent.

Joc Pederson and Jake Burger were both letdowns in the power department last season and neither has the ability to make it up in ratios or other production. Neither is a relevant fantasy draft pick but either could provide any-given-slate upside for home runs, and of course there is cheap stacking value in DFS. Evan Carter is a potential later round upside pick. The former top prospect hit just five home runs but did manage to steal 14 bases in just 220 plate appearances in an otherwise lost 2025 season. Carter has 15/25 upside if things break correctly but expectations should be held in check until he proves he can stay on the field and impactful. Josh Jung had a 46.7% hard-hit rate that did not translate to production or underlying quality, his .304 xwOBA is well below average, as was his 91 WRC+. Josh Smith is no more than a multi-position mixer on a day-to-day basis.

Sebastian Walcott is an interesting stash in keeper and best ball formats. The top prospect will be out until August after surgery on his right elbow, he is unlikely to make a dent until 2027 but has plenty of upside for multi-category contributions once he arrives.

After years away with a variety of ailments, Jacob deGrom made 30 starts in 2025. While the pitcher popped up here and there over the past few seasons, his peak was just 15 starts and even that was way back in 2021. deGrom last made 30+ starts in 2019, so this was a major return to quality in opportunities alone. The right-handed best-of-his-generation talent threw 172.2 innings last year, pitching to a 2.97 ERA and 3.37 xFIP that, while not exactly vintage, were sparkling marks that defied expectations. The veteran’s days of cracking the 30.0% strikeout rate level are probably gone, he had a 27.7% mark last season, but he remains a premium K-BB% option, posting a 22.1% rate last year. deGrom is a quality performer on a points-per-game basis with plenty of upside in both daily and season-long formats, his discounted ADP considered, this is a strong buy particularly when fading the very top of the pitching board.

Nathan Eovaldi checks in after an eye-popping 22 starts and 130.0 innings in 2025. Eovaldi was derailed by an injury 2/3 of the way through the season but his 1.73 ERA and 3.03 xFIP were tremendous. The veteran righty found his old form for strikeouts as well, pushing up from a 23.9% rate in 2024 and lower marks the two previous seasons back to a 26.0% rate with a 21.8% K-BB% that was the second-best of his long career. Eovaldi enters his age-36 season with plenty of expectations as the Opening Day starter for Texas, while he is unlikely to match last year’s form exactly, this is a good starter who should be expected to land in the 3.60-3.75 ERA range with a fair K-BB%.

The Rangers rotation is rounded out by Jack Leiter and Jacob Latz, the latter of whom does not offer much fantasy relevance. Leiter, on the other hand, is coming off of a 151.2-inning rookie season that saw him put up a 3.86 ERA that is mostly betrayed by an ugly 4.53 xFIP under the surface. Leiter has plenty of pedigree, the righty was the second overall pick in the 2021 draft and he found plenty of success on his way through the minors, despite struggling somewhat with walks. The young starter has a 97.3 mph four-seamer and a changeup that induced a 32.2% whiff rate last season, if he can put the pieces together over 30 starts there is a touch of late-round appeal with a bit more value in dynasty and keeper formats or best ball, where only the good starts will matter.

Primary Lineup

 

Rotation & Primary Bullpen Arms

 

American League Central

Chicago White Sox

Additions

Munetaka Murakami – CI – Murakami was the big prize free agent from Japan’s NPB at the plate this season. The corner infielder is expected to settle in at first base for the Pale Hose, and he should be counted on to provide at least power right away. Despite his seven full seasons of professional play in NPB, Murakami only just turned 26, he is a player about to enter his prime. Prior to his departure, Murakami blasted 245 NPB home runs with the profile of an on-base and power slugger with a projectably high strikeout rate. Murakami should hit 25+ home runs, with thoughts of getting above 30, his quality beyond that will come down to his ability to reach first base at this level.

Anthony Kay – SP

Luisangel Acuna – UTIL – Acuna is the brother of Braves superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. and yet another member of the small town in WBC-winning Venezuela that has provided a stunning number of MLB talents, many from the Acuna extended family. This member of the family is expected to play his first full season in the Show after making 193 plate appearances last year and 40 in 2024 while in the Mets organization. Acuna has not impressed in the tiny sample, over 233 MLB plate appearances he has an 83 WRC+ with a .248/.299/.341 slash line, three home runs, and 16 stolen bases. The bonus for Acuna will be flexibility for fantasy purposes and a fairly regular spot in the lineup as he adds centerfield to his list of infield positions. Acuna has speed, the hit tool is yet to reveal itself.

Austin Hays – OF – Hays is an average right-handed hitter with 15-20 homer power and otherwise middling numbers. Projected for around 475 plate appearances in the heart of the lineup, an expectation of a WRC+ a couple of points above average and 15 home runs is not out of line, but anything beyond that should be considered fortunate.

Seranthony Dominguez – RP – Dominguez will get the first crack at the closer job in Chicago’s developing bullpen. The righty put up a 30.3% strikeout rate while booking a pair of saves and 20 holds over 62.2 innings in an effective 2025, his 3.71 xFIP sits significantly above his 3.16 ERA but it is still a fairly effective mark. Dominguez is a back-end closer selection overall, and the White Sox have options behind him.

Erick Fedde – SP

Reese McGuire – C

LaMonte Wade Jr. – 1B/OF

Jordan Hicks – RP

Subtractions

Luis Robert Jr. – OF – traded

Martin Perez – SP – FA

Mike Tauchman – OF – FA

Tyler Alexander – RP – FA

Bryan Ramos – IF – traded

Bryan Hudson – RP – traded

Michael A. Taylor – OF – FA

Outlook, Sleepers, and Busts

The White Sox are a team in transition, expecting improvement from last year’s 60-102 and last place finish in the AL Central would be overly optimistic. That does not mean that the team will be uninteresting for fantasy purposes throughout the season. Particularly in DFS play, Chicago may provide a source of cheap upside, given some of the talent in the current form of the lineup. One of the major moves that the team made this offseason was sending Luis Robert Jr. to the Mets in a deal for Acuna and a pitching prospect, given the lack of production from Robert Jr. over the past few seasons it seems like a worthwhile move. Chase Meidroth should not be mistaken for a premium option in formats that favor power, but he has a developing hit tool that could potentially be elite in the long-term, and he could provide enough on-base ability to produce an inexpensive positive WRC+ season atop the daily lineup. Meidroth slashed .253/.329/.320 with a sub-par .300 xwOBA and 87 WRC+ over 505 rookie plate appearances last season but consistently hit for average while getting on base at tremendous rates at every stop in the minors. Meidroth only walked at an 8.9% rate last season, essentially nearly halving of his minor league walk rates, though he did limit strikeouts to just 14.3%. In a positive sign, the young infielder is walking at a 16.4% clip over a very small and ultimately meaningless sample of 67 Spring plate appearances. If the on-base production translates to the regular season this is an interesting cheap infield click in DFS contests.

Colson Montgomery should hit in the second or third spot in the daily lineup. The shortstop had an incredible outburst for power on his arrival in the Show last season, hitting 21 home runs in just 284 plate appearances while slashing .239/.311/.529 with a .341 xwOBA. Montgomery has multi-position eligibility on most season-long sites, slotting in at shortstop and third base. The infielder should be a terrific early-season upside option when looking to this team and the hope is that his power will continue. Given a 14.4% barrel rate and the reasonably strong expected marks, Montgomery is a good bet for a productive year, but a lot of zeros will come along with that in daily formats, given an aggressively-high strikeout rate. Miguel Vargas hit 16 home runs but had just a .319 xwOBA and 101 WRC+ over 569 plate appearances, he should mostly be regarded as playable but not ideal in fantasy games of all types but is best for DFS or best ball. Murakami should slot into the three or cleanup roles on most days unless his power does not come through in early games. Austin Hays and Andrew Benintendi will fill out the heart of the lineup while the bottom end will frequently be occupied by Lenyn Sosa, Edgar Quero, and Acuna, who creates an interesting wrap-around play if he is able to get on base.

The underwhelming White Sox rotation is headed by right-handed Shane Smith and southpaw Anthony Kay, neither of whom should be expected to beat the mid-fours marks for runs that we have seen in the past or provide much upside for strikeouts. Davis Martin, Sean Burke, and Erick Fedde are not a reassuring back-end, the trio of righties carry ERA marks in the mid-high fours with limited strikeout numbers, there is not much difference from top-to-bottom in one of the league’s worst rotations. Only Smith and Burke project for even league-average strikeout rates.

In addition to Dominguez in the closer role, the White Sox have a somewhat formidable bullpen that includes depth options like Jordan Hicks, Sean Newcomb, and Chris Murphy, and features high-leverage righties Jordan Leasure and Grant Taylor. Leasure made 68 appearances in 2025, throwing 64.1 innings in his second MLB season. He worked to a 3.92 ERA with a nearly-matching 3.91 xFIP and struck out 30.1% with a 19.0% K-BB%. Leasure had seven saves and 14 holds and picked up five wins, giving him cross-category value in season-long and best ball formats. Taylor may go even further this season. The righty made 36 appearances and threw 36.2 innings in 2025, pitching to a 4.91 ERA that obscures a sterling 2.34 xFIP to go with his tremendous 34.4% strikeout rate and 24.8% K-BB%. Taylor is reportedly planning to pitch 100 innings in a role that will bounce between high-leverage setup spots where he can book holds, to multi-inning long relief appearances, to a few starts, with the team expected to stretch him out to begin next season in the rotation. Taylor is a former second-round pick and top-100 overall prospect who was derailed in his final college season in 2023 before being drafted, and undergoing Tommy John surgery. The righty has strong upside for multi-category fantasy contributions, particularly if he sniffs 100 innings, and he doubles as a prime stash for keeper and dynasty formats. Taylor will be a very cheap upside option for DFS if he sees a few spot starts.

Update: Luisangel Acuna will open the season in center field.

Primary Lineup

 

Rotation & Primary Bullpen Arms

 

Cleveland Guardians

Additions

Rhys Hoskins – 1B/DH – minor league deal

Shawn Armstrong – RP

Pedro Avila – P – minor league deal

Stuart Fairchild – OF – minor league deal

Carter Kieboom – IF – minor league deal

Subtractions

Will Brennan – OF – FA

Sam Hentges – RP – FA

Jhonkensy Noel – OF/1B – waivers

Outlook, Sleepers, and Busts

If you liked the Guardians last year, you’ll like them again this year. Cleveland brought back almost exactly the same team, with the addition of veteran Rhys Hoskins, who joins the projected daily lineup in a power-hitting role in the heart of the order. Hoskins has mostly a non-factor in 2025, hitting just a dozen home runs in his 328 plate appearances. The veteran has a long way to go to find any quality in Cleveland. Steven Kwan is projected to lead off for the Guardians, the reliable outfielder put up an OK fantasy campaign with an 11/21 season and a decent day-to-day slash line but his numbers ultimately amounted to just a 99 WRC+ for the season. Kwan should get back to positive marks with a bit of good fortune this season, he is incredibly effective at limiting strikeouts and putting the ball in play ahead of the team’s run-creation engine. Angel Martinez is one of the options for the second spot in the lineup, the outfielder hit 11 home runs and stole eight bases in a .224/.269/.359 season with a 74 WRC+ in 2025, he will need to make major strides to find true relevance. Jose Ramirez is no sleeper, but he is the team’s superstar and worthy of his ADP or high salary in all formats. Ramirez slashed .283/.360/.503 with a .342 xwOBA and 133 WRC+ while hitting another 30 homers and stealing 44 bags last year. The switch-hitting third baseman is a fantasy stud who fills every category. Kyle Manzardo does not pop off of fantasy draft boards like his profile might suggest he could. This is a left-handed power-hitting first baseman going into his age-25 season after hitting 27 home runs in 531 plate appearances in his first full campaign. Manzardo drew an adequate 9.0% walk rate and kept strikeouts to 25.4% and is projected to improve in both categories, which should push his run creation to even better marks than the 113 WRC+ he put up in 2025. The one negative mark of note in last year’s numbers is a surprisingly-low .322 xwOBA, given Manzardo’s production and 11.5% barrel rate with a 43.8% hard-hit mark. With a late-round ADP in many formats, this is an interesting upside play. Manzardo is worth remembering in early-season DFS where he will be relatively inexpensive with premium upside in stacks built around Jose Ramirez.

Rookie Chase DeLauter is expected to fit into the daily plans in Cleveland in 2026. The outfielder generally ranks as a top-50 prospect around baseball, he was taken 16th overall in 2022 but has not filled-out a large sample of minor league plate appearances since. DeLauter played in parts of three minor league seasons in the Cleveland system but did not make even 250 plate appearances in any of them, as he dealt with a variety of injuries including a fracture of his hamate bone, which can sap power, and surgery for a sports hernia. Over 177 plate appearances last season, 149 of which came at AAA, DeLauter hit seven home runs while posting a 128 WRC+. He hit eight home runs and had a 133 WRC+ in a similar sample of 164 plate appearances, primarily in AA, in 2024. Overall, an expectation of 12-15 home runs and a .250/.325/.405 type of slash-line with a somewhat above-average WRC+ under 110 should be the expectation, with room for more if the rookie’s .459/.535/.838 Spring (three homers) translates at all.

Gabriel Arias hits the ball hard, putting up nearly identical barrel and hard-hit rates to Manzardo, but managed just 11 home runs over 471 plate appearances last year. Arias is wildly inconsistent but it is not because he is unlucky, as a .286 xwOBA will indicate. The shortstop is best deployed as a cheap DFS mixer to catch the any-given-slate upside created by his premium contact but he is not a good everyday option. Bo Naylor and Brayan Rocchio round up the daily lineup with a thud.

The Guardians have an interesting rotation replete with third-starter caliber options who can be utilized in a variety of fantasy formats depending on matchup. Tanner Bibee and Gavin Williams are the top two arms in the rotation, the pair of righties offer above-average Stuff+ marks across several pitches in their repertoires but failed to truly dazzle last season. Bibee made 31 starts and threw 182.1 innings with a 4.24 ERA and 4.17 xFIP, OK numbers that do not make him a true number one in most groups. The starter was limited with just a 21.3% strikeout rate and 14.2% K-BB% but it should be noted that he was at a 26.3% strikeout and 20.1% K-BB% the previous season. Bibee failed to get his mid-90s fastball by hitters effectively last season, despite not seeing much of a dip in velocity or spin rate year-over-year. He was similarly less effective with the cutter, while finding more quality with his breaking and off-speed stuff. Williams, meanwhile, had an excellent 3.06 ERA on the surface but a more honest 4.08 xFIP under the covers. The former top prospect worked 31 starts for the first time in his young career, he had an above-average 24.6% strikeout rate but an ugly 11.8% walk rate over 167.2 innings. Williams is arguably the top arm in this rotation, he is a fair option on a day-to-day basis but unlikely to pitch at ace levels consistently enough to be truly relied upon in every start. Slade Cecconi and Logan Allen are mix-and-match pieces who can find effective cheap outings here and there against the right opponent, they are not go-to plays and neither should be expected to post more than four or five strikeouts in any given outing. Allen is currently at AAA as camp ends, but is likely to make his way back during the year.

In the final spots, both Joey Cantillo and Parker Messick offer interesting potential from the back-end of the rotation. Cantillo worked in a hybrid role last season, making 13 starts and appearing in another 21 games out of the bullpen for a collective 95.1 innings over which he worked to an excellent 3.21 ERA and sharp 3.66 xFIP. Cantillo provided an above-average strikeout rate at 26.9% but his 10.5% walk rate was too high for comfort. Messick, meanwhile, had a strong cup of coffee with the big club down the stretch last year, pitching 39.2 innings over seven starts and working up a terrific 2.72 ERA with a 3.15 xFIP almost entirely in support. The righty is a high-end prospect who is expected to stick in the rotation long-term, where Logan Allen is more of a below replacement-level option. Messick’s main limitation last season was a strikeout rate that sat at just 23.0% at the MLB level, but he was a 29-30% strikeout pitcher in the minors and was at least excellent at managing walks in the small MLB sample at just 3.6%. In a full season, expectations of a 25% strikeout rate and 8-10% walks are fair, the walks could be the deciding point in how effective the young righty is overall. Messick has good upside for dynasty and keeper formats and will make a great lower-cost DFS option the first couple of times through the rotation.

Update: Parker Messick and Joey Cantillo have won the final two spots in the rotation with lefty Logan Allen starting the season in the minors. Messick is an intriguing upside pick.

Primary Lineup

 

Rotation & Primary Bullpen Arms

 

Detroit Tigers

Additions

Framber Valdez – SP – The lefty, long been a favorite in this space, has found his way to an excellent spot in the Detroit rotation. Valdez is a competitive pitcher known for his knack for inducing ground balls, slicing through launch angle, and keeping the ball in the yard. The southpaw can also find effective strikeout numbers and is a strong option for depth with his ability to book quick outs. Valdez should help the Tigers to the top of the AL Central this season.

Justin Verlander – SP – Sometimes you can go home again. Verlander returns to where it all got started, rejoining Detroit after 10 years traveling through the league. The righty is not the ace he once was, but he should provide stable-to-effective back-end innings in a veteran rotation. Verlander made 29 starts and threw 152.0 innings for San Francisco last season, putting up a 3.85 ERA with a less impressive 4.57 xFIP lurking under the surface. Verlander’s strikeout rate has been consistently around or below league average for several seasons, 2025 was no different at just 20.7% with a 12.8% K-BB%. This is a spot starter and a cheap DFS option, but Verlander should find his way to 8-10 wins and a 4-ish ERA this season.

Drew Anderson – P –

Kenley Jansen – RP – takes over the closer role after saving 23 games f0r the Angels last season. Jansen has been effectively lucky over the past few seasons, consistently posting ERA marks a run or two below his xFIP with diminishing returns for strikeouts. It is possible that the righty cracks the 30-save mark for the first time since 2022, given the talent in play for Detroit, but expectations should be set more around a repeat of last year’s OK numbers.

Austin Slater – OF – minor league deal

Scott Effross – RP – minor league deal

Corey Julks – OF – minor league deal

Subtractions

Chris Paddack – SP – FA

Andy Ibanez – IF – FA

Paul Sewald – RP – FA

Tommy Kahnle – RP – FA

Jose Urquidy – SP – FA

Justyn-Henry Malloy – OF – traded

Jason Foley – RP – FA

Outlook, Sleepers, and Busts

The primary addition for the Tigers was not listed above, Kevin McGonigle was already with the organization and is now a proud member of the big league club. The top organizational prospect and consensus top-10 overall prospect in the game has officially made the team after a .250/.411/.477 Spring with a 135 WRC+, with a pair of home runs, and a matching stolen base total. McGonigle hit 19 homers and stole 10 bases while slashing .305/.408/.583 from low-A through AA last season, he will skip AAA entirely. Expectations for McGonigle are sky-high, the infielder has a tremendous hit tool and adequate power, he has consistently succeeded in keeping his strikeout rate to around-or-below the 10.0% level while drawing a mid-teens walk rate at every stop in the minors, but it is important that he has only seen 206 plate appearances of anything approaching advanced pitching (AA). Bumps in the road should be expected but McGonigle has the highest ceiling of this year’s prime rookies.

Underrated second baseman Gleyber Torres has dealt with nagging soreness but is expected to be ready for Opening Day. Torres is widely perceived to be a bust or, at best, an average player who was once a top prospect. This is ultimately fairly far from the truth, making Torres a bit of a late rounds sleeper at a somewhat thin second base. The right-handed hitter had a successful but unlucky 2025 season, he put up a very good 113 WRC+ over 628 plate appearances while slashing .256/.358/.387, and lowering his strikeout rate to just 16.1% while pushing walks to 13.5%. Torres put just average contact on the ball last season, his 8.2% barrel and 39.0% hard-hit rates were not special but his quality can be seen in a .363 xwOBA that far outpaced the .332 actual mark that he put up. Torres has far more upside than his ADP and he will be a sleeper DFS value throughout the season, he is a good trade target for season-long teams thin on second base potential.

The combination of McGonigle and Torres at the top of this lineup should be a nightmare for pitchers, given the tremendous shared ability to limit strikeouts and draw double-digit walk rates. That pairing should yield unending opportunities for run creation to the team’s power bats, including Kerry Carpenter, Riley Greene, and Spencer Torkelson in any order. The trio mashed a combined 93 home runs last season, with Carpenter only needing 464 plate appearances to get to his 26. Greene and Torkelson see more reliable playing time but Carpenter makes contact at similarly high levels, he is a good play in DFS or best ball formats. Greene and Torkelson both cracked more than 30 homers last season, with the lefty outfielder posting a 121 WRC+ and Torkelson coming away with a 118 mark. The Tigers were a productive bunch from top-to-bottom in 2025, the same should be true this season as the lineup is loaded with quality including Colt Keith, who had a .341 xwOBA and 109 WRC+ last season, Parker Meadows, catcher Dillon Dingler, Javier Baez, and Zach McKinstry.

The Tigers rotation is headed by the best starter on the planet, Tarik Skubal. The southpaw had a 2.21 ERA and 2.66 xFIP with a 2.71 SIERA last season, putting up a microscopic 0.89 WHIP with a 32.2% strikeout rate and 27.8% K-BB%. Skubal is a no-brainer first off the board starter, the only question is a strategic one regarding draft values, given a first-round ADP in all formats. Particularly in best ball, our recommendation is waiting for depth starters rather than taking an early ace, but this is one to take when choosing the other path. Skubal is joined by Valdez, Verlander, and veterans Jack Flaherty and Casey Mize. Flaherty made 31 starts and threw 161.0 innings in 2025, putting up a 4.64 ERA that was more in-line with his ugly 2022-23 seasons than 2024. The righty did have an effective 3.69 ERA under the surface however, meaning he got at least somewhat unlucky in the surface mark. Strikeouts were down slightly, dipping from 29.9% to 27.6% year-over-year, while walks were up from 5.9% to 8.7%, creating a big overall dip in Flaherty’s K-BB%. Given the upside of the team, at the absolute worst this is an OK option for season-long win-chasing. Flaherty has the upside for a sub-4.00 ERA campaign with an upper-20s strikeout rate, if he can wrangle walks like he did in 2024 there is more ceiling available. Mize was one of our sleeper picks going into 2025, the former first overall pick (2018) began the season fully healthy after a long road and he made 28 starts, throwing a career-high 149.0 innings. Mize was good-not-great for the full season, putting up a 3.87 ERA and 3.97 xFIP with 22.2% strikeout and 5.7% walk rates. The righty projects for a similar season and should provide a consistent source of wins and quality starts, with a bit of strikeout potential as well. While he did not overwhelm last season in the final numbers, Mize had six starts of more than eight strikeouts, including a 10 strikeout game against the Twins, and finished the year very strong with three eight strikeout games coming in his last four starts.

Will Vest is a good right-handed reliever who had a 26.4% strikeout rate while booking 23 saves and three holds but blowing seven saves last season. Vest had a 3.01 ERA and 3.03 xFIP last year and stands a chance to be more effective in a setup and high-leverage role behind Jansen, with the ability to step in to book saves as-needed. Vest is a playable RP in formats that value holds and ratios.

Update: McGonigle is projected to hit further down the lineup than initially anticipated but that may change over time, given the skillset. Regardless of the batting order, he will see everyday opportunities starting on Opening Day.

Primary Lineup

 

Rotation & Primary Bullpen Arms

 

Kansas City Royals

Additions

Isaac Collins – OF – After hitting nine home runs and stealing 16 bases for the Brewers in a surprisingly effective season, Collins should fill a similar bottom-third role as a starting outfielder for the Royals. The righty slashed .263/.368/.411 with a .344 wOBA but a .322 xwOBA on the way to his tremendous 122 WRC+. Much of the on-base quality was derived from a 12.9% walk rate that is in-line with expectations for the player but some of his luck is clear in a .326 babip. Collins is a day-to-day mixer but not an everyday fantasy asset, putting him more in the best ball and DFS conversations than true season-long.

Matt Strahm – RP – The effective lefty books solid innings with strong strikeout numbers and an upside for holds with the ability to make cross-category contributions in season-long formats. Strahm can work high-leverage or long relief innings, he threw 62.1 in 66 appearances last season while picking up 22 holds and six saves, blowing four along the way, and working to a 2.74 ERA that masked a 4.22 xFIP. The southpaw was perhaps at his best in 2023 when he worked 87.2 innings in 66 appearances while picking up nine wins, 11 holds, and a pair of saves with effective strikeouts and ratios. Strahm struck out 27.3% in last year’s slightly diminished season, ending his run of back-to-back campaigns with better than a 30.0% strikeout rate.

Lane Thomas – OF – Thomas has not been able to replicate the quality of his 2023 season in Washington. The right-handed-hitting outfielder went 28/20 over 682 plate appearances that season, posting a 109 WRC+ but also a glaring .319 xwOBA that betrayed the likely regression. Over 528 plate appearances in 2024 he hit just 15 home runs but did swipe another 32 bases while slipping to just 99 WRC+. Thomas only made 142 plate appearances in his last season with the Nationals, he hit four home runs and had a matching stolen base total in a forgotten year. Thomas is not an up-and-comer who had a bumpy season and will get back on track, this is his age-30 season and he tracks for a reserve or platoon role.

Starling Marte – OF –

Alex Lange – RP

Mitch Spence – P

Elias Diaz – C

Josh Rojas – IF

Kevin Newman – IF

Hector Neris – RP

Jorge Alfaro – C

Aaron Sanchez – P

Subtractions

Mike Yastrzemski – OF – FA

Michael Lorenzen – SP – FA

Hunter Harvey – RP – fA

Angel Zerpa – RP – traded

Randal Grichuk – OF – FA

Dairon Blanco – OF – waivers

MJ Melendez – OF – FA

Adam Frazier – UTIL – FA

Kyle Wright – SP – FA

Outlook, Sleepers, and Busts

The Royals finished 82-80 in third place in a competitive AL Central last season, they bring back largely the same squad this year but should benefit offensively from the fences moving in significantly in what was previously a very bad stadium for power. Given that change, expectations for the team’s primary power bats should be high, and the Royals field a high-quality run making machine most days. Kansas City’s lineup is topped by Maikel Garcia, one of our 2025 favorites after leading “sleeper” candidates for the season. The versatile player slashed .286/.351/.449 with a 121 WRC+ while hitting 16 home runs and stealing 23 bases in a robust overall season. Garcia offers multi-position eligibility between the infield and outfield in most formats, making him even more valuable atop the lineup. Bobby Witt Jr. is an established star at shortstop. Witt Jr. hit 23 home runs and stole 38 bases while limiting strikeouts to just 18.2% last season. The shortstop’s .360 wOBA was a near match for his expected mark of .365 but both were a slip from the outrageous .410/.407 season he had in 2024. Witt Jr. posted a 169 WRC+ over 709 plate appearances that season but fell to 130 in 687 chances last year as his overall power output was diminished. While he lost almost two percentage points off of his barrel rate year-over-year, everything else in Witt Jr.’s contact profile was intact, his average and maximum exit velocities even went up, from 92.7 to 93.3 on average and from 116.9 to 117.5 at the apex. Even with the dip in xwOBA, Witt Jr.’s .365 was several ticks above the next-highest (Perdomo .356) among qualified shortstops last season.

Vinnie Pasquantino was another of our big breakout picks who delivered in 2025. We wrote this about Pasquantino in this year’s best ball rankings: “One of our favorite hitters over the past few seasons, Pasquantino more than fulfilled our breakout promises with 32 home runs in a massive 2025 campaign. Pasquantino has fantastic bat-on-ball skills, his 15.7% strikeout rate was simultaneously tremendous and a career-high, he was at just 12.8% the year before but struggled a bit with a new approach early in the season. The first baseman played in 160 games and made 682 plate appearances last year, he is an asset on opportunities alone if he plays as much in 2026.” With support in the heart of the lineup from veteran backstop Salvador Perez and young outfielder JAC Caglianone, further improvement would not be surprising from this excellent hitter. Perez should continue to mash, he hit 30 home runs and it is easy to see him exceeding that total with the fences moving closer in his home park.

“JAC” is an acronym for Jeffrey Alan Caglianone, which means we’re calling him “Jeffrey Allen Caglianone Caglianone” but that’s OK. The outfielder played a partial season in the Show last year, after rocketing through the minors off of a 2024 sixth-overall pick. Caglianone hit seven home runs in the Majors last season but slashed a lowly .157/.237/.295 with a 46 WRC+ in his 232 chances. In 304 opportunities split between AA and AAA last year, Caglianone hit 20 home runs while slashing .337/.408/.617 with a 170 WRC+. It is fair to say that the player we saw last season is not the one to expect when fully cooked. Caglianone has major breakout potential in his first full season, expectations of 20+ home runs are not unfair.

Jonathan India was a disappointment in year one in Kansas City after seemingly fitting perfectly atop the lineup with his ability to reach first base. India slashed .233/.323/.346 with an 89 WRC+ and has a long way to go to return to quality. Collins, Kyle Isbel, and rookie Carter Jensen round out the projected lineup. Jensen made 69 plate appearances in the Show last season, slashing .300/.391/.550 with three home runs and a 159 WRC+ in the tiny sample. A catcher by trade, the rookie should be a competitive bench option in fantasy leagues this season and a playable DFS component in stacks at a cheap price when Perez either does not start or does not fit. Jensen should be projected for 350-400 plate appearances with 10-12 home runs and a strong walk rate with a 100-105 WRC+.

As their offensive capabilities grow, the Royals truly need to address their flagging rotation. The injury-marred 2025 that ace Cole Ragans posted was no help in figuring things out, his 13 starts and 61.2 innings were marred on the surface by a 4.67 ERA but his 2.45 xFIP that came with an eye-popping 38.1% strikeout rate and 30.4% K-BB% is closer to the real number. Ragans is among the best in the business when fully healthy, but his ability to work consistently deep into ballgames can slightly impact his game-to-game upside. 28 starts and 150 innings seem like fair benchmarks for a good season in terms of depth, if he makes those the rest will fall into place with ease. Ragans tends to slide down most draft boards and it is possible that he will start the season a bit cheap, or at least under-owned relative to his ceiling, for DFS gamers.

The balance of the Royals rotation is comprised of roughly average options including Michael Wacha, Seth Lugo, Kris Bubic, and Noah Cameron, all of whom can be utilized for streaming, best ball, and/or DFS purposes, but none of whom belong in what anyone would refer to as their core group of starters. Bubic was the most effective of the group overall with a 24.4% strikeout rate and a 2.55 ERA with a 3.63 xFIP last season. The southpaw made 20 starts and posted 11 quality starts while booking eight wins.

Primary Lineup

 

Rotation & Primary Bullpen Arms

 

Minnesota Twins

Additions

Victor Caratini – C/1B

Josh Bell – 1B/DH –

Taylor Rogers – RP

Eric Wagaman – UTIL

Alex Jackson – C

Orlando Arcia – IF

Gio Urshela – IF

Tristan Gray – IF

Liam Hendriks – RP

Andrew Chafin – RP

Anthony Banda – RP

Subtractions

Edouard Julien – IF – traded

Christian Vazquez – C – FA

Jose Miranda – 1B/3B – FA

DaShawn Keirsey Jr. – OF – FA

Ryan Fitgerald – IF – waivers

Carson McCusker – OF – FA

Outlook, Sleepers, and Busts

The Twins look guilty of doing almost nothing to improve this team in the offseason. Minnesota went 70-92 and finished next-to-last in the AL Central last season only because the White Sox were so bad. The best things that happened for the Twins last year were the emergence of Luke Keaschall and the presence of Byron Buxton. The superstar outfielder made 542 plate appearances last season, a career-high and his first time over 500 chances since the 2017 season. Buxton turned the career-best availability into 35 home runs and 24 stolen bases with a 136 WRC+ and .287 ISO. Now 32, the outfielder will look to continue the trend of health, he successfully navigated the Spring and the WBC and arrives with plenty of expectations in 2026. Buxton is probably under-appreciated in drafts and most fantasy formats compared to his talent and last year’s production, the only point of doubt is in his ability to be on the field.

Keaschall was the 49th overall pick, a second-rounder in 2023, who needed just 118 plate appearances in AAA to prove himself ready for the Show. The second baseman made 207 plate appearances and slashed .302/.382/.445 with a 134 WRC+, four home runs, and 14 stolen bases in his partial-season rookie campaign. Keaschall should be expected to come up a bit light on power, but a 12-homer season is reasonable and expectations for about 25 stolen bases are not wild. The infielder is mostly regarded for his plate discipline, hit tool, and ability to get on base. Despite the lack of true power, Keaschall should limit strikeouts, push walks, and capitalize on line drives with a fair number of doubles and come away with an OPS in the mid-700s this year.

Josh Bell lands in Minnesota after an OK season in Washington last year. Now 33, Bell checks in with a career .256/.341/.443 slash line with a .337 wOBA and .344 xwOBA, a 112 WRC+, 18.6% strikeout and 11.2% walk rates, and 193 home runs. While falling short of lofty expectations from the far-flung days of 2016 when he made his debut with the Pirates, that is not a bad career. Bell hit 22 home runs while slashing just .237/.325/.417 but had a .359 xwOBA and still created runs at a 107 WRC+ in 533 chances last year. While this is not a draft target, nor even a true sleeper, there is sneaky potential for a high-quality season in the mid-range from Bell, he is not a bad player but he will age-out over the next few seasons. Matt Wallner is an interesting option from the heart of the order who can be had toward the end of most fantasy drafts and at cheap DFS prices to start the season. Wallner has major power upside based on excellent premium contact marks including a 13.8% barrel and 45.5% last year and a 17.5%/53.2% season in those categories the year before. Wallner is inconsistent, he hit 22 home runs in just 392 platea ppearances from that premium contact and had a 114 WRC+ last season, but that came with a .202/.311/.464 slash line and just a .327 xwOBA. Victor Caratini has always been an interesting mixer and part-time player but is he is likely to ultimately disappoint in a full season. Caratini slots into the Twins lineup after hitting a dozen home runs in 386 plate appearances last season. The switch-hitter continued his trend of underwhelming barrel rates but reasonable hard-hit rates at 7.4% and 40.7% last season but those fail to set expectations ablaze. Royce Lewis failed to reach 500 plate appearances or provide much of a spark in the lineup at a sub-standard 85 WRC+ last season. Lewis flashed impressive upside once-upon-a-time, but we are further and further removed from those days. Ryan Jeffers and Brooks Lee round out the lineup. Lee makes for playable filler at an extremely thin third base this season, where eligible. Just turned 25, the shortstop by trade was the eighth overall pick in the 2022 draft. He hit 16 home runs but put up just an 81 WRC+ on an unacceptable .236/.285/.370 slash line over 527 plate appearances with the big club last year but was better on his run through the minors. Lee is an OK prospect option who can be claimed if he is on waivers following your fantasy draft, relying on him at third is reasonable given the simple lack of quality at the position but he is a bottom-end option there and even less of one at shortstop.

The top-heavy Twins rotation features ace Joe Ryan, who can be claimed for a fair pick several rounds after equally talented pitchers come off of the board in many fantasy drafts this season. Ryan made 14 quality starts over 30 outings last season, going 13-10 for the lousy ballclub while pitching to a 3.42 ERA with a 3.70 xFIP that was only slightly off-center. The righty is a good option for ratios, given the sub-4 ERA potential and his ability to excel from a K-BB% perspective. Ryan struck out 28.2% last season and had a 22.5% K-BB% despite his walk rate jumping from 4.3% to 5.7% year-over-year. If he can maintain his gains in strikeouts and shed a few walks, improving on the 0.99 and 1.04 WHIPs that he posted over the past two seasons would not be shocking. Ryan will turn 30 this season, he is no longer a young interesting dynasty option but is now a  high-end starter in the middle of his prime. Veteran Bailey Ober had a bumpy 2025 with a 5.10 ERA and a 4.75 xFIP that was not much better under the surface. The righty lost significant upside as strikeouts plummeted from an above-average 26.9% to a sub-standard 19.2% year-over-year. Ober’s fastball velocity was down by 1.4 mph and induced less whiff in opposing hitters in 2025, creating a downstream impact on the rest of his arsenal. While his limited strikeout numbers in 13.0 Spring innings are ultimately meaningless, the last thing they should create is optimism. Taj Bradley joins the rotation with Zebby Matthews disappointingly heading to the minors as camp breaks. Bradley is just not a very good MLB starter. The righty had a 5.05 ERA and 4.37 xFIP over 27 starts last season. In 142.2 innings, Bradley managed just a 21.0% strikeout rate and 11.7% K-BB%. The strikeouts were a notable dip from his previous mid-20s marks, Bradley has rebounded in five Spring starts, posting an electric 31.1% strikeout rate in those 17.1 innings against, as Lou Brown put it in Major League II, “guys who will be bagging groceries in a couple of weeks.” If Bradley finds that kind of form in the regular season he will be a major source of early value, we are betting against that outcome. Simeon Woods Richardson is a below replacement-level righty with limited potential in any situation. Mick Abel, on the other hand, has been a buzzy name to watch this Spring, posting a 2.00 ERA and 2.43 xFIP over 18.0 innings in his five starts. Abel struck out a whopping 34.8% in the tiny sample and had a superstar-level 30.3% K-BB% but expectations should probably be far closer to his 22.4% strikeout and 9.4% walk rate from last season’s small 39.0-inning sample over eight starts and 10 total appearances at the MLB level. Abel made another 18 starts at AAA between the Phillies and Twins systems in 2025, putting up a 2.20 ERA but a 3.78 xFIP with a 28.6% strikeout rate and 18.6% K-BB%. Abel is highly unlikely to continue this Spring’s incredible run in full but some of the quality could translate to a mid-20s strikeout rate and incremental improvements overall. Not yet 25-years-old, Abel is an OK option for keeper formats and surely someone to keep in mind in good early-season streaming starts and DFS play.

Primary Lineup

 

Rotation & Primary Bullpen Arms

 

American League East

Baltimore Orioles

Additions

Pete Alonso – 1B – The star power-hitting first baseman brings his talent from New York to Baltimore, landing as one of the biggest free agent splashes of the offseason. Alonso is coming off of another strong season, he hit 38 home runs and had an entirely unexpected .272/.347/.524 slash line that was a return to form after two years of hitting for far less average and failing to get on base as regularly. Alonso has hit at least 34 home runs in every full season of his career (16 in 2020), but has never returned quite to the level of the 53 he mashed as a rookie in 2019. If the more complete version of Alonso that we saw in 2025 arrives for Baltimore this year, they get a great player with upside to carry the team for long stretches, at worst they have 35 home runs from the right side inbound.

Taylor Ward – OF – Another major right-handed power hitter added this offseason, Ward is starting to look like a steal given the injury status of Grayson Rodriguez in his first year with the Angels. Ward hit a career-high 36 home runs in 663 plate appearances last season, putting up a 117 WRC+ and a .333 xwOBA. While he should never be expected to hit for average or post much of an on-base percentage, Ward is a strong source of power from the right side and he has shown he can be more effective than last season’s 26.4% strikeout rate.

Chris Bassitt – SP – The roller-coaster veteran will pitch his age-37 season for Baltimore, he is likely to post familiarly adequate but not exceptional numbers across a full season. Bassitt can be useful as a cheap/mid-board option for DFS purposes and is a fair option for streaming in season-long formats.

Shane Baz – SP – Baz made 31 starts and threw 166.1 innings, some of which were stacked against him while pitching at Steinbrenner Field, a minor-league ballpark, for Tampa Bay last season. Baz had an ugly 4.87 ERA but a solid 3.88 xFIP under the surface, pointing to things out of his control as the likely culprits for the added runs. The righty struck out 24.8% but had a limited 15.8% K-BB%. In brief Spring work, Baz has a 24.4% K-BB% over 10.1 innings in three appearances, but that is an irrelevant sample. The 26-year-old has upside and some keeper appeal, expectations for excellence should be held in check however, particularly with the brutal division opponents in play. Baz is fine for spot starts and DFS action in the immediate sense.

Ryan Helsley – RP – Helsley will take on primary closer duties after posting just a 15.1% K-BB% with a 4.50 ERA and 3.79 xFIP over 56.0 innings in his final season with the Cardinals and two months with the Mets.

Blaze Alexander – UTIL

Andrew Kittredge – RP

Leody Taveras – OF

Thairo Estrada – IF

Bryan Ramos – 3B

Jhonkensy Noel – OF/1B

Sam Huff – C

Subtractions

Grayson Rodriguez – SP – traded

Tomyuki Sugano – SP – FA

Gary Sanchez – C – FA

Jorge Mateo – UTIL – FA

Alex Jackson – C – traded

Pedro Leon – OF – waivers

Outlook, Sleepers, and Busts

The Orioles finished a disappointing last in a hyper-competitive AL East last season, going 75-87 to drop two games behind the Rays. The Orioles renaissance has been delayed by underperformance, injuries, and a lack of pitching, bu the team remains young and talented, with plenty of upside for fantasy purposes.

Coming off of what can be called a disappointing season, Gunnar Henderson has far more upside than his 17/30 totals and 120 WRC+ over 651 plate appearances last season. Still just 24, Henderson is entering his fourth full season and he should be expected to return to the form that saw him hit 28 home runs as a rookie and 37 in a tremendous second season. Expectations of a 25/25 season are entirely fair and there is room for 30/30 and beyond for the star shortstop. As such, it seems that Henderson was a bit light on expectations in ADP throughout the offseason, he is a priority in any stack of Orioles for DFS.

The acquisition of Ward and Alonso greatly resolves the lack of power in the heart of the lineup for Baltimore and should take some weight off of Adley Rutschman when it comes to offense. Rutschman cratered at just .220/.307/.366 with a .325 xwOBA and 91 WRC+ over 365 plate appearances last season. The backstop has maintained his excellence in drawing walks and limiting strikeouts or things would have gotten even worse, a return to his previous 20-homer form would not surprise in 2026. Tyler O’Neill had another lost season in 2025, managing just 209 plate appearances and checking in below the Mendoza Line at .199/.292/.392 in the small sample. O’Neill is just one season removed from a 31-homer season, the second 30+ home run season of his up-and-down career. When healthy, the outfielder is a masher with a bit of quality for on-base skills and even a dash of speed, though he should never be allowed to run with his injury history. Assuming 375-450 plate appearances, O’Neill should land in the low-20s for home runs, if he sees more opportunities he should deliver more long balls, talent and upside have never been the issue and he is still in his late prime at 31. Rookie Samuel Basallo slots in as one of baseball’s top prospects after slugging 23 home runs in 321 AAA plate appearances and another four in 118 chances in the Show at just 20-years-old. Basallo will see regular chances behind the plate with additional opportunities coming as he rotates through DH and the infrequent first base foray. Coby Mayo slashed just .217/.299/.388 with 11 home runs and a 95 WRC+ along with a concerning .287 xwOBA last season, and will get regular reps at third base after mostly manning first base last season. Colton Cowser is a fair late round or depth option for power. The lefty outfielder was limited to just 360 plate appearances last season and was a major disappointment at .196/.269/.385 with 16 home runs after posting a .242/.321/.447 slash line and .333 xwOBA with a 119 WRC+ and 24 home runs in 2024. Cowser actually improved both his barrel rate and hard-hit rate year-over-year, but that was the only improvement across the board in a season that saw him strike out at an atrocious 35.6% clip. Blaze Alexander slots in with a bit of upside for premium contact at the bottom of the projected lineup.

Lefty Trevor Rogers was outstanding in a half-season last year, putting up an elite 1.81 ERA over 18 starts and 109.2 innings. Of course, the 3.64 xFIP is the more accurate number to what the starter actually controlled on the mound. Rogers is likely to take a big step back for anyone expecting a repeat of last year’s sub-2.00 ERA, but even if he matches the xFIP from last season he will provide quality. The lefty had a 24.3% strikeout rate against a 6.9% walk rate last season, his second in three years striking out better than 24.0%. 29-year-0ld Kyle Bradish is a popular upside starter who has been largely absent for the past two seasons. Bradish threw just 32.0 innings last year and 39.1 the season before, making 14 combined starts over which he had a terrific 2.65 ERA and 2.81 xFIP with a 34.6% strikeout rate and 26.0% K-BB%. Bradish looks like a pitcher whose upside depends entirely on his availability, when he actually pitches he has a huge ceiling. In his last full season, in 2023, Bradish had a 2.83 ERA and 3.53 xFIP over 168.2 innings and 30 starts. The buzz has outpaced the probability of a monster season in many ways, Bradish is likely to be a popular and expensive early-season DFS option and he is long gone in any draft format. Zach Eflin is the final pitcher to cover in this five-man group. Eflin should fill out the fifth spot after Baz and Bassitt take their turns, the veteran righty had a lousy 5.93 ERA and 4.37 xFIP in 14 starts last season but he was an effective option for two straight years with a 3.50 ERA/3.12 xFIP in 31 starts in 2023 and a 3.59/3.81 mark over 28 starts in 2024. Eflin is just a cheap mixer for spot starts and low-owned DFS darts.

Primary Lineup

 

Rotation & Primary Bullpen Arms

 

Boston Red Sox

Additions

Sonny Gray – SP – Now 36, Gray is winding down a highly effective career as a gun-for-hire. The righty makes his way to Boston to slot in second in the rotation for his seventh organization. Gray made 32 starts in his final season in St. Louis, putting up an adequate 4.28 ERA with a far superior 3.07 xFIP that shows just how good he still can be. His 26.7% strikeout rate was a tick down from the 30.3% mark that he set in 2024, the second-highest rate of his career, but it was still effective for a 21.6% K-BB% overall. Gray should bring quality to the mound for Boston every five days, but he has had problematic runs through this division in the past and will eventually hit the end of the line.

Ranger Suarez – SP – Suarez carries a lot of expectations going into 2026. The southpaw won 12 games in back-to-back seasons for Philadelphia, making 27 starts in 2024 and 26 last season and falling short of 160.0 innings in both campaigns. Suarez worked to a 3.20 ERA with a 3.61 xFIP in his effective age-29 season last year, he succeeded in limiting home runs once again despite a significant uptick in average launch angle allowed throughout the season. Suarez is good at inducing weak and medium contact and can be impactful when he keeps the ball on the ground, but he is not a strikeout pitcher. The 22.1% rate at which he has struck hitters out throughout his career should be the ceiling expectation for this season.

Caleb Durbin – IF – The prime acquisition in a potentially questionable trade for former top left-handed pitching prospect Kyle Harrison, Durbin has the profile of somewhat of a lightweight at the plate. The semi-popular fantasy sleeper can fill categories, given his ability to steal bases, he is an OK cheap middle infield option, fantasy bench asset, or any-given-slate piece for best ball or DFS, but those expecting a big breakout may be disappointed. Durbin slashed .256/.334/.387 with 11 home runs and 18 stolen bases in 506 plate appearances for Milwaukee last year. The infielder peaked at 10 home runs in a season on his four-year journey through the minors but he did steal more than 30 bases three times with solid slash lines. Durbin is simply not a power hitter, he had a .319 wOBA with a .312 xWOBA last season while creating runs five percent above average by WRC+. Durbin’s prime asset at the plate is his elite ability to put the ball in play, he struck out at just a 9.9% clip and walked in merely 5.9% of his plate appearances but had a babip of just .265. Durbin had a tremendous Spring, slashing .356/.453/.511 with a 152 WRC+ over 53 plate appearances, he will look good if those trends continue but he is far more likely to hit doubles than homers while playing half his games at Fenway.

Willson Contreras – 1B – Another piece landing from St. Louis, Willson Contreras is a still-capable veteran stick who slashed .257/.344/.447 with a 124 WRC+ and put up a .358 xwOBA that outpaced his actual mark of .344. Contreras should chase 20+ home runs, he has gotten there in four of the past five seasons and he remains a premium option for on-base skills and run creation in an otherwise young developing offense.

Johan Oviedo – SP

Danny Coulombe – RP

Isiah Kiner-Falefa – IF

Andruw Monasterio – IF

Matt Thaiss – C

Subtractions

Alex Bregman – 3B – FA

Steven Matz – RP – FA

Dustin May – SP – FA

Lucas Giolito – SP – FA

Kyle Harrison – SP – traded

Richard Fitts – SP – traded

David Hamilton – IF – traded

Hunter Dobbins – SP – traded

Rob Refsnyder – OF – FA

Justin Wilson – RP – FA

Nathaniel Lowe – 1B – FA

Jordan Hicks – RP – traded

Cooper Criswell – P – waivers

Jhostynxon Garcia – OF – traded

Tristan Gray – IF – traded

Brennan Bernardino – RP – traded

Liam Hendriks – RP – FA

Outlook, Sleepers, and Busts

One of the more popular, and obvious, picks for a major outburst across fantasy baseball is Roman Anthony who “only” slashed .292/.396/.463 with a 140 WRC+ and .372 xwOBA over 303 plate appearances as a rookie last season. Anthony hit eight home runs and had a .171 ISO, both marks defy the titanic 15.5% barrel and 60.3% hard-hit rates that he delivered, there is massive power lurking here, and the disciplined hitter already drew a 13.2% walk rate as a rookie. Anthony has a premium blend of patience and plate discipline to go with the outrageous potential for power, he is a strong buy at his ADP and a major source of quality when stacking the Red Sox or building any fantasy lineup. Expectations of a 20-homer season are not outrageous, given the premium contact on display last year, Anthony is a star even if he falls short of that mark.

Strong evidence for those chasing the theory that time is broken: Trevor Story made 654 plate appearances in the same year that Byron Buxton made 542, and the year was 2025! Story was finally the upside player that Boston was chasing for the past few seasons, he hit 25 home runs and stole 31 bases while slashing .263/.308/.433 with a .320 wOBA but just a .311 expected mark. The infielder had just a 101 WRC+ on the season, putting him slightly above average in real baseball. The fantast quality is easy to see in the counting stats, in two other entirely non-predictive areas, Story also scored 91 and drove in 96 runs last season, providing a regularly inexpensive source of fantasy points in Red Sox stacks. Jarren Duran had a 111 WRC+ in a 16/24 season that was fine by any measure but stood out by none. Contreras should clean up on a regular basis, while power-hitting outfielder Wilyer Abreu can provide major upside on the strong-side of his platoon role. Abreu is elite against right-handed pitching, he had a 12.3% barrel and 44.9% hard-hit rate overall last season, hitting 22 home runs with a .223 ISO and .335 xwOBA over 417 chances at the plate. Durbin is joined in the second-half of the lineup by Marcelo Mayer, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Carlos Narvaez, all of whom were well below par last season at 80, 91, and 97 WRC+ respectively. Among them, Rafaela offers fantasy positional flexibility and cross-category contributions. Even in a statistically poor season overall, he hit 16 home runs and stole 20 bases while adding 84 runs to his countable totals.

Ace lefty Garrett Crochet is chasing Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes atop the list of starters who are drafted either too early or in the right spot in the early rounds, depending on your perspective. Crochet blew past expectations with 146.0 premium innings in 32 starts for the White Sox in 2024 then repeated the trick with a ridiculous climb to 205.1 innings in 32 outings in 2025. He had a 35.1% strikeout rate and 29.6% K-BB% in 2024 but slipped to a still-elite 31.3% strikeout and 25.7% K-BB% in 2025. The primary concern with the lefty is in cost, his ADP is extremely aggressive, his price in DFS competition will be as well. The primary concern is in the workload, the Red Sox were stunningly, almost obnoxiously aggressive with the prized lefty in a somewhat meaningless season last year. Crochet is piling an unholy uptick in innings on his rebuilt elbow but he has held up to this point and he is one of the best in the business as things currently stand.

Mixing in with Gray and Suarez behind Crochet, rookie Connelly Early could provide quiet quality early in the season. Early made four appearances in the Show last season, pitching 19.1 innings and striking out MLB hitters at a 36.7% clip with a 31.6% K-BB% in the tiny sample. The southpaw had a 2.60 ERA and 2.95 xFIP with a 31.9% strikeout rate in 100.1 innings over 18 starts and 21 appearances between AA and AAA last year as well, he is a peak organizational prospect and a top-50 overall prospect. Righty Brayan Bello rounds out the rotation as a lightly playable mix-and-match option.

Aroldis Chapman had a feel-good throwback season for Boston in 2025, saving 32 games to get over the 30-mark for the first time since 2021. The flamethrowing righty had a 1.17 ERA and 2.53 xFIP with a 37.3% strikeout rate and 30.7% K-BB%. Chapman has a 39.8% strikeout rate for his career and remains a premium reliever in any format where it matters. Garrett Whitlock joins him as a draftable or claimable option who should throw more than 70.0 innings out of the pen with the upside for a few saves, wins, and holds where they matter.

Primary Lineup

 

Rotation & Primary Bullpen Arms

 

New York Yankees

Additions

Ryan Weathers – SP – An upside dice roll with strikeout stuff and a blazing fastball, the lefty managed just eight starts last season and has never been healthy for a full campaign. Weathers is an interesting buy-low pitcher with significant potential and a secured spot in a short-handed Yankees rotation.

Randal Grichuk – OF – The outfielder made the team out of camp, he will be a backup with limited fantasy appeal to start the season but remains a capable hitter who can fill all three outfield roles as-needed. Grichuk’s days of hitting 20+ home runs are well past, he last hit 20 in 2021 and had 19 in 2022, he will not see enough opportunities this season unless things go very wrong in the Yankees outfield.

Paul DeJong – IF

Max Schuemann – UTIL

Osvaldo Bido – P

Angel Chivilli – RP

Rafael Montero – RP

Seth Brown – OF/1B

Subtractions

Devin Williams – RP – FA

Mark Leiter Jr. – RP – FA

Luke Weaver – RP – FA

Jonathan Loaisiga – RP – FA

Ian Hamilton – RP – FA

Austin Slater – OF – FA

Scott Effross – RP – FA

Outlook, Sleepers, and Busts

The Yankees had a stunningly quiet offseason, doing very little to bolster a team that fell short of championship expectations again in 2025. New York lost in the World Series in 2024, they were defeated in the Division Series last season, a downturn that typically would have resulted in a splurge. Instead, the team made small moves, adding Weathers and shifting a few bench pieces, bringing back Cody Bellinger instead of chasing Kyle Tucker, and most importantly, relying on the impending return of ace Gerrit Cole rather than paying for premium pitching acquisitions. With a bit of luck and some health for slugger Giancarlo Stanton, the team could outperform last year’s model but they are a somewhat fragile bunch with question marks in the rotation and a lot to ask for some players to repeat their 2025 seasons.

Trent Grisham was outstanding with 34 home runs and a .370 xwOBA last season, the lefty outfielder had a 14.2% barrel rate and 46.4% hard-hit while drawing walks at a 14.1% clip to pad his on-base skills. Grisham will be challenged to repeat the home run total, getting beyond 25 would be in defiance of even the most aggressive projections systems, but his on-base skills and run creation ability from the top of the lineup should continue. Aaron Judge is a modern day titan of baseball, able to stand toe-to-toe with the very best the game has ever seen. Judge hit 53 home runs and had a 204 WRC+ last season, meaning he created runs 104% better than the average player, essentially eating for two. Judge has unrivaled batted ball events, clubbing his way to a 24.7% barrel and 58.2% hard-hit rate last season while striking out just 23.6% of the time and drawing a walk at an 18.3% clip. The superstar is not an all-or-nothing free-swinger, he is utterly elite at the plate and slashed .331/.457/.688 last season with a league-high .459 xwOBA. Judge is the first or second pick off the board in any fantasy format, the first click in an anything goes game, and a premium asset in any stack of Yankees hitters, almost regardless of cost. Bellinger slots in with reasonable upside after a 29-homer season with a 125 WRC+. The left-handed former NL MVP stole 13 bases to pad fantasy scoring and put up his power and a decent slash line in spite of just a 7.5% barrel and 37.9% hard-hit rate, once again defying the actual nature of his premium contact. Ben Rice had no such trouble, turning a 14.8% barrel and 55.8% hard-hit rate into 26 home runs over 530 plate appearances and putting up a .394 xwOBA that suggests there could be even more to come. Rice is a major candidate for upside in the heart of what should be a productive Yankees lineup and with the promise of a full season of plate appearances. He is a sleeper option who should help with flexibility where he still carries catcher eligibility after appearing 36 times at the position in 2025.

Giancarlo Stanton is barely on the radar for season-long formats and he is likely to be a underpriced and under-owned in Yankees stacks to start the DFS season. The slugger hit 24 home runs in just 281 chances last season, posting a .321 ISO on a 21.9% barrel rate and 54.8% hard-hit rate that close in on rivaling Judge’s “unrivaled” numbers. Stanton has a purely elite swing, his outrageous bat speed can create massive batted ball events that get out of the ballpark in a blink, availability is his only challenge. Stanton last made 500+ plate appearances in 2021, hitting 35 home runs over 579 opportunities that year. While he has been absent for chunks of many recent seasons, it should be noted that last year is actually a bit of an outlier with just 281 plate appearances. Stanton made at least 400, including two seasons over 450, in all of the 2022-24 seasons and he has hit at least 24 home runs a year for three seasons and 141 over the past five seasons. Jazz Chisholm Jr. is another major source of fantasy scoring in this lineup. Chisholm has his sites set on another 30/30 season after going 31/31 last year and creating runs 26% better than average by WRC+. The infielder has major upside from the left side of the plate with half of his starts coming in Yankee Stadium, he is a premium player and one of the first names off the board at second base with added third base eligibility in many formats. Ryan McMahon plays elite defense and has a bit of pop from the left side of the plate, he will be a mixer for cheaper prices at worst throughout the season when stacking Yankees. Jose Caballero stole a ridiculous 49 bases in just 370 plate appearances while getting on at a .339 clip last season, he is expected to supplant Anthony Volpe at shortstop to begin the season and offers plenty of positional flexibility for fantasy purposes. Caballero will play a bit of a utility role with Oswaldo Cabrera demoted to the minors as well. Austin Wells provides some power from the catcher spot, he hit 21 home runs with a .217 ISO but had an otherwise forgettable year at the plate with just a 94 WRC+.

In the absence of Gerrit Cole, the Yankees rotation will once again be headed by lefty Max Fried, who will be followed by Cam Schlittler, Will Warren, Weathers, and at least to start the season probably Ryan Yarbrough, as the rotation deals with injuries. Luis Gil was sent to the minors, and the Yankees are waiting on Carlos Rodon and Clarke Schmidt to return from their respective rehabs, with Rodon out until early May. In the interim, the Yankees lack depth up but offer four intriguing arms in the short rotation. Fried made 32 starts and had a 3.41 xFIP with a 23.6% strikeout rate over 195.1 innings. Schlittler was a breakout starter down the stretch, posting a 27.6% strikeout rate but an less impressive K-BB% in 14 starts. Will Warren was a breakout contender for us going into last season, he was just OK with a 24.1% strikeout rate but only a 14.9% K-BB%. Weathers should have upside as a cheap lefty with strikeout quality. Yarbrough is a candidate to occupy the fifth spot in a short-start or opener role until Gil is recalled.

Primary Lineup

 

Rotation & Primary Bullpen Arms

Tampa Bay Rays

Additions

Cedric Mullins – OF – Mullins looks like the main “get” in a weak offseason for the Rays. The outfielder is a strong source of homers and stolen bases, given the ADP or average DFS costs involved. Mullins swiped 22 bases last season and 32 the year before, hitting 17 home runs in 498 plate appearances last year and 18 in 499 the season before. While he is unlikely to get back to the 30/30 campaign he put up in 675 chances in 2021, the veteran left-handed hitter could approach a 15/20 season or better in Tampa Bay.

Steven Matz – P – After working mostly in a bullpen role for 53 games last season, Matz will step back into the starting rotation for his age-35 season as a member of the Rays. The lefty had an effective year with a 3.05 ERA and 3.71 xFIP over 76.2 innings but he failed to chalk up a noteworthy strikeout rate or provide anything on which to base optimism for a late-career outburst of quality.

Nick Martinez – SP

Gavin Lux – IF

Jake Fraley – OF

Ben Williamson – IF

Justyn-Henry Malloy – OF

Victor Mesa Jr. – OF

Subtractions

Shane Baz – SP – traded

Brandon Lowe – 2B – traded

Pete Fairbanks – RP – FA

Adrian Houser – SP – FA

Jake Mangum – OF – traded

Christopher Morel – OF – FA

Everson Pereira – OF – traded

Mason Montgomery – RP – traded

Stuart Fairchild – OF – FA

Bob Seymour – 1B – FA

Outlook, Sleepers, and Busts

The Rays lost more than they gained in the offseason, with Brandon Lowe, Shane Baz, and a host of others headed in various directions out of town. Tampa Bay remains fun to watch and playable up top for DFS because of the presence of Junior Caminero in the heart of the lineup. Last year’s breakout sensation rampaged his way to 45 home runs in 653 plate appearances, posting a .346 xwOBA and 129 WRC+ in his first full season at just 21-years-old. Caminero is a major star, he had a 14.0% barrel rate and 51.4% hard-hit last season and struck out just 19.1% of the time with plenty of room for growth in the walks department. The hitter has a huge ceiling but only limited support in the lineup. The presence of Yandy Diaz and Jonathan Aranda ahead of him provides quality, the duo were excellent at reaching first base with .366 and .393 on-base marks over more than 1,000 combined plate appearances last season. Diaz hit 25 home runs while Aranda added 14, and both hitters went over .300 on the front-end of their slash line while putting up 135 and 146 WRC+ marks. Mullins should add a bit of power and speed with spare parts and one-category contributors filling out the rest of the lineup. Jake Fraley has multi-category upside in a full season but struggles to stay on the field, he hit just six home runs and stole four bases in 217 chances last year. The most interesting later-lineup option for this team is Chandler Simpson, who has elite speed and base stealing ability to go with a good hit tool that sets him apart from similar 100-steal potential options we have collectively dreamed about over the past few decades of baseball. Simpson swiped more than 100 bases in his final minor league season and picked up 44 steals in 441 MLB plate appearances last season while slashing .295/.326/.345. While he has no power whatsoever, Simpson should hit enough to keep his speed relevant, he is an interesting click in Rays stacks for DFS this season. Richie Palacios, Nick Fortes, and Carson Williams round out the projected daily lineup.

Ryan Pepiot will unfortunately miss time with an injury to start the season. The righty was slated to top the Rays rotation this year but instead that role will fall to Drew Rasmussen, who was simply “fine” over 31 starts in 2025. Rasmussen provided strong ratios and an average strikeout rate and should be expected to do the same this season. Joe Boyle is an upside righty with strikeout stuff but he lacks the consistency and control to put it all together. Boyle should see plenty of chances and will spike a few games for big strikeout totals during the season, he is a wildcard DFS option as the year opens. Shane McClanahan, Matz, and Nick Martinez round out the rotation for Tampa Bay. Martinez made 26 starts for Cincinnati last season and worked up a 4.45 ERA and 4.54 xFIP with no strikeout appeal. McClanahan pitched to a 3.29 ERA and 3.84 xFIP while making 21 starts and throwing 115.0 innings of 17.1% K-BB% ball. The southpaw is probably the best starter in the Opening Day rotation, his availability has been the primary challenge in recent seasons and he is generally projected for 20-24 starts this year, leaving him short of many better options. McClanahan is more in play in best ball formats and DFS contests where his downside and limited outings will not be as impactful. The Rays bullpen is there strength when it comes to the pitching staff. Griffin Jax should have a bounce-back season after scuffling somewhat on the surface in 2025 and is the leading candidate for saves as the season commences. Jax had a 4.23 ERA but a 2.19 xFIP while striking out 35.0% and walking 7.4% last season, he has a high ceiling where relief work counts. Bullpen quality will be furthered by Garrett Cleavinger, who will compete for late-inning work, and Edwin Uceta, a premium strikeout-focused righty with strong ratios, when he returns from injury.

Primary Lineup

 

Rotation & Primary Bullpen Arms

Toronto Blue Jays

Additions

Dylan Cease – SP – After two seasons in San Diego, the elite strikeout artist brings his game to Toronto to bolster a rotation for a team with World Series aspirations. Cease had a 29.8% strikeout rate and 19.9% K-BB% in 32 starts last season but missed the mark with a 4.55 ERA. The righty’s xFIP was nearly a full run lower at just 3.56 and in-line with career numbers, so the added runs were not the starter’s fault. Cease is down slightly from his peak form over the past few seasons, he has not cracked the 30.0% strikeout rate mark since 2022 but was at 29.4% and 29.8% the past two seasons. Walks are always an issue with the starter, despite the strong K-BB% games can get away from him from time to time, but Cease is a strong top option for Toronto and in any fantasy format where he will cost less than similarly talented top-end aces.

Kazuma Okamoto – 3B/1B – A less-heralded but still potentially impactful arrival from NPB, Okamoto is expected to see the bulk of the action at the hot corner for his new team. Entering his age-30 season, Okamoto is a veteran of eight NPB seasons, hitting 247 home runs in his career. Okamoto limited strikeouts and drew walks effectively while posting strong slash lines and well above-average WRC+ marks in every season, he was a star there and could become a star here, though expectations should be held in check at about 22 home runs with good strikeout and walk rates supporting run production.

Cody Ponce – P – 31-year-old Cody Ponce returns to MLB action after three seasons of NPB and one of KBO action. Ponce excelled in 29 KBO starts last season, posting a 1.89 ERA and 2.30 xFIP that run contrary to previous MLB experience as well as his NPB numbers. Ponce gained a bit of velocity in his KBO starts, working around 95.5 on average and touching the upper-90s at times and worked an impressive kick-change off of it to create disparity in velocity and vertical movement. Ponce was a buzzy pick who was probably taken too early in many fantasy drafts. The righty has already shown a dip in a meaningless sample of 13.2 innings over five Spring starts, while he did post a microscopic 0.66 ERA, his 3.87 xFIP is closer to the mark. Ponce struck out just 24.0% with a 16.0% K-BB% in Spring action, far off of the KBO numbers but still better than anything he did in NPB.

Jesus Sanchez – OF – An interesting lefty-hitter with the potential for a 20-homer breakout based on his ongoing ability to find barrels. Sanchez had an 11.1% barrel rate in 497 plate appearances last year and posted matching 12.2% rates for each of the two seasons before that, hitting 14, 18, and 14 home runs.

Tyler Rogers – RP

Chase Lee – RP

Subtractions

Bo Bichette – IF – FA

Chris Bassitt – SP – FA

Seranthony Domingueez – RP – FA

Joey Loperfido – OF/1B – traded

Ty France – 1B – FA

Isiah Kiner-Falefa – IF – FA

Outlook, Sleepers, and Busts

Toronto took the champion Dodgers as far as they could in last year’s World Series, they will look to return to complete the task after ultimately losing in seven games. The Blue Jays lost a bit of talent with Bo Bichette’s exit, but they replace him with quality options and bring back a strong lineup. George Springer had an unexpected return to form with 32 home runs and 18 stolen bases while mashing his way to a 166 WRC+ and .404 xwOBA that says it was entirely real. The veteran outfielder had a 15.6% barrel rate and 46.7% hard-hit rate while limiting strikeouts, drawing walks, and doing everything at an exceptional level, a major change from the dead .220/.303/.371 slash line he posted over 614 plate appearances in 2024. The truth for this season lies somewhere in the middle, Springer is not a prime target but he should provide ongoing quality in a good lineup and is a key player in stacking this team for DFS. A full season of quality from Daulton Varsho would also bolster the Blue Jays lineup somewhat, he hit 20 home runs and had a .310 ISO with a 123 WRC+ in just 271 chances last season. The outfielder made major gains for premium contact that may not stick, he spiked a 15.9% barrel rate, up from just 6.2% in 2024 and 7.3% in 2023, and had just a .327 xwOBA.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. slashed .292/.381/.467 with a 137 WRC+ and a .384 xwOBA while hitting 23 home runs and people take exception to the quality. Guerrero Jr. is a star by any measure. While we expect additional power, the numbers do too and we have seen it before, he is a prime candidate to come roaring back to form for home runs and none of his other attributes have dipped significantly. Addison Barger offers third base and outfield eligibility in many formats where the former is a short-handed position. Barger had a breakout season in 502 plate appearances last year, hitting 21 home runs with a robust .211 ISO and a 107 WRC+ supported by his .331 xwOBA. The lefty had an 11.1% barrel rate and 50.9% hard-hit mark, fitting him snugly into the team theme in Toronto. Barger has the potential to hit 25 home runs in a full season of work this year but went at the end of most fantasy drafts, he should be a strong source of sneaky DFS potential early in the season. The lineup is rounded out by Alejandro Kirk, a highly-capable catcher who had a 116 WRC+ over 506 plate appearances last year, and infielders Ernie Clement and Andres Gimenez. Clement has excellent positional flexibility, Yahoo season-long formats allow him to fill every position on the board in the infield, making him an excellent backup for those who look to run thin with bench bats to pad depth-focused pitching.

Primary Lineup

 

Rotation & Primary Bullpen Arms

 

 

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