Major League Baseball is back! Just because a player didn’t get half a billion dollars doesn’t mean there isn’t some fantasy relevance heading into 2022! Furthermore, just because a player signed before the MLB lockout or after, doesn't mean that there isn't significant ramifications for fantasy baseball and your upcoming fantasy baseball drafts. Below will be a living, updated list of notable MLB free agents, where they signed and some fantasy analysis for the 2022 season.
UPDATED: April 5 @ 9:32am EST
RELATED LINKS
Fantasy Baseball 2022
- The Ultimate Fantasy Baseball Cheat Sheet
- Late-Round Starting Pitchers to Consider When Drafting
- Draft Guide: When To Draft Starting Pitching
- Draft Guide: Streaming Strategies for Hitters & Pitchers
- Fantasy Baseball March 18 Round-Up: Ronald Acuna to Open Season on Injured List
Pos (Click to sort ascending) | Player (Click to sort ascending) | Old Team (Click to sort ascending) | New Team (Click to sort ascending) | Breakdown (Click to sort ascending) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LF | Tommy Pham | SD | CIN | Last year's .280 BABIP didn't do him any favors, and his .258 xBA looks far better than his .229 average. He posted a double-digit barrel rate for the first time since 2016, and his launch angle was above his career norm, which could play nicely in his new digs. His new home park is far more friendly for right-handed hitters than Petco Park, so Pham could enjoy a boost in his numbers. With a batting average north of .250 with double-digit home runs and steals, Pham's ADP is sure to rise given his friendly new home confines. |
| SS | Trevor Story | COL | BOS | Story has been excellent for fantasy over the years, and even though his batting average fell to .251 last year, a .293 BABIP didn’t do him any favors. He stole 15 bags in just 59 games in 2020, and in the last three full seasons, he has 20+ stolen bases in each season. One interesting thing to note from last season is that 17 of his 20 stolen bases came in the first 77 games of the season, meaning that he had just three stolen bases over the final 65 games. For his career, he’s a .241 hitter on the road with a .752 OPS, but he’s going to a lineup that has more talent than what he had in Colorado last season. His counting stats should be a nice boost, and he should enjoy some of those parks in the AL East. Also, he’s going to gain another position to his ledger, likely second base, making him more enticing in his new threads. |
| RF | Jorge Soler | ATL | MIA | Despite a dip in his average exit velocity, Soler remained well above average in that department, and he continued his solid walk rate from the last few years. Despite hitting just .223, he cut into his strikeout rate a bit, but his low .250 BABIP and xBA of .250 provide some optimism. He’s a career .251 hitter, and while it’s not the best home park, his raw power shouldn’t be a problem. After a rough start to the year, Soler was excellent over his last 67 games, helping cash in on a nice deal with the Marlins. |
| SS | Carlos Correa | HOU | MIN | Correa's 2021 season was his second-best season from a fantasy perspective as a pro. His 26 home runs, 92 RBI, and 104 runs scored were all career highs, and he decreased his strikeout rate for the third season in a row. Minnesota isn't a great park for righty power, and the lineup isn't as packed as Houston's, but as long as he stays healthy, he should be in line for another productive season. He will not run, so be careful pushing him up too high with this news. |
| RF | Nick Castellanos | CIN | PHI | Castellanos benefitted from a great home park, but Philadelphia plays well for hitters, too, so it's not a substantial downgrade by any means. He joins a lineup with Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber, so the counting stats should be good for Castellanos in 2022. He posted a sixth-straight season with a double-digit barrel rate, and his home/road splits from 2021 should be less concerning now that he's in a good hitter's park. While I have my doubts that he hits above .300 again, he's in line for a .290+ batting average with 30 home runs and will push for 200+ RBI+R. |
| RP | Kenley Jansen | LA | ATL | Jansen’s cutter is infamous among major league hitters, but he’s opted to use it less frequently in recent years. Jansen has an uncanny ability to minimize hard contact and he returned to keeping the ball on the ground (37.9 GB% in 2021) last year. Even if he isn't striking guys out at the same rate he was a few years ago, his 30 percent strikeout rate is still solid, and his contract says that he will immediately be the ninth inning man for a very, very good Atlanta team. |
| 1B | Freddie Freeman | ATL | LA | After spending the first decade, and then some, of his career in Atlanta, Freeman heads over to the Dodgers on a lucrative multi-year deal. The rich get richer here, as Freeman joins a lineup that already features Mookie Betts, Trea Turner, Will Smith, Justin Turner, Max Muncy and others. Freeman will continue to hit for a high average, but the supporting cast around him will push him to 100+ runs and 100+ RBI in a season for the second time in his career. His double-digit barrel rate and ability to consistently make hard contact should lead him to an excellent year with a .290+ batting average, 30+ home runs, over 200 RBI+R and even a handful of steals tacked on. |
| RF | Kris Bryant | SF | COL | While his .313 BABIP last season was still below his career norm, he enjoyed his highest marks in terms of average exit velocity (88.2 mph) and barrel rate (10.3%) since 2016. His trend line for his ground ball rate isn’t going in the right direction, and he posted a career low 39.2 percent fly ball rate last season. While the move is quite shocking in reality, it’s a fantasy manager’s dream, for a quality slugger to go to the game’s most prolific park for offensive production. Coors Field won’t mask all your flaws, but Bryant is in an excellent spot at the game’s best offensive park. His multi-positional eligibility is icing on the cake. If the stolen base from last year sticks around in 2022, he could be a member of the 30/10 club. |
| SP | Zack Greinke | HOU | KC | Turn back the clocks and party like it's 2004! Greinke began his career with the Royals, rocking a fastball in the mid-90s. Well, over a decade later since he last pitched for them, he's back, with a fastball in the upper-80s. Greinke has overcame dwindling velocity quite nicely throughout his career, using pinpoint command and an impressive ability to limit hard contact. Greinke doesn't strikeout many batters anymore, and now has an underwhelming offense supporting him. There's not a lot of fantasy appeal to be had here with Greinke, outside of your top five or so starters. |
| RP | David Robertson | TB | CHI | Robertson logged just 12 innings last year, and since the start of the 2019 season, he has just 18.2 innings under his belt due to having Tommy John surgery near the end of the 2019 season. However, from 2014-2017, over 258.1 innings of work, Robertson posted a 2.93 ERA, 2.83 FIP, 12.37 K/9 and 124 saves. If he can return to form prior to Tommy John surgery, Rowan Wick has legitimate competition for ninth inning duties. |
| LF | Eddie Rosario | ATL | ATL | When looking at Rosario's 2021 season, the 11 stolen bases were a nice touch, and quite frankly, rather unexpected from the two seasons prior. His batted ball profile remained intact, although the most noticeable changes came in a reduction of his fly ball rate from years past and a return to being more aggressive in the strike zone. Rosario was excellent in the postseason, but that performance doesn't likely translate over the course of a full season, but there should be more power from Rosario in a full season at Truist Park. |
| LF | Kyle Schwarber | BOS | PHI | Philadelphia adds one of the more prolific power bats available in free agency this offseason. Outside of 2020, Schwarber has 30 or more home runs in three of his last four seasons, and he continues to make hard contact often. Last year's 17.5 percent barrel rate was a career high, and while his 28.6 percent HR/FB rate is rather high, his career mark is 25.1 percent and goes to a good park for power. Compared to year's past, he did a much better job staying in the zone, and swung at more pitches in the zone than ever before. Strikeouts will be a part of his game, but he's going to a good home park, and will hit in a good lineup for fantasy purposes. Hopefully you got your shares of Schwarber already, because his ADP is about to skyrocket, and rightfully so, as he may flirt with 40+ homers this season. |
| 1B | Anthony Rizzo | NYY | NYY | A .258 BABIP didn’t do Rizzo any favors last year, but he largely remained the same player overall from a batted ball profile perspective. He made less hard contact in the pinstripes last season, but his xBA of .260 last season means some bad luck affected his overall numbers. Rizzo has always had great plate discipline, as we all know, and he’ll be well suited at the top of the Yankee lineup in 2022, which will help his counting stats. A good home stadium, not to mention other stadiums in the American League East, will help him get closer to the 30 home run barrier, but he profiles more as a 22-26 home run guy this season. His signing in New York will likely inflate his ADP a bit, but there’s still plenty of room for profit with the veteran first baseman. |
| LF | Andrew McCutchen | PHI | MIL | A good home park and an elevated HR/FB rate helped push McCutchen to 27 home runs, which was his most in a season since 2017. Milwaukee plays well for right-handed power, but last year's home run total was aided by some luck in the HR/FB department. Last year's 18.8 percent HR/FB rate was the second highest of his career (19.4% in 2012), and regression should be in store considering that there were no sizable gains in his average exit velocity or launch angle. Milwaukee offers a good lineup for his counting stats, and he should have the opportunity to be the team's DH more often than not, hopefully preserving his health. |
| DH | Nelson Cruz | TB | WSH | Cruz is aging like fine wine, as he continues to have immense power and leave the yard with regularity wherever he goes. His .232 ISO last season was his lowest mark since 2010, but he still hit 32 home runs across 140 games in 2021. The Nationals needed a big bopper in their lineup, and Cruz will be the team's everyday DH. He could even log some time at first when Josh Bell needs an off day. There were far more favorable stadiums he could have went to from a fantasy perspective, but he has enough raw power that it doesn't matter, and he continues to boast excellent hard contact and barrel rates into his 40s. |
| RP | Ian Kennedy | PHI | ARI | Kennedy went 26-for-30 in save opportunities last season and since starting to close in 2019, he's converted on 87.5 percent (56-for-64) of his save chances. Kennedy allows a good bit of hard contact, and last year's fly ball rate was astonishing, leading to a rather high 1.92 HR/9. He doesn't have great fastball velocity, but to his credit, he strikes out more guys than one would presume. Kennedy's fantasy value takes a hit, as he's likely sharing saves to begin the year, at best, with Mark Melancon in Arizona, but his closing experience should be valuable to Arizona. |
| RP | Jeurys Familia | NYM | PHI | After a down year in 2020 in the strikeout department, Familia's strikeout numbers returned, posting a 10.9 K/9, which was his best mark over a full season in his entire career. His sinker generates a ton of ground balls, while his slider has posted a whiff rate north of 38 percent in each fo the last two years. The walks are a problem, and he's posted a double-digit walk rate in four of the last five seasons, which could give Philadelphia some pause in the ninth inning of games. Familia won't open the year as the team's closer, but he would become one of the primary options should anything happen to Corey Knebel or Jose Alvarado. |
| SS | Niko Goodrum | DET | HOU | Goodrum can do it all for Houston, and his versatility will be greatly appreciated. In 2021, he logged time everywhere except pitcher, catcher, third base and right field. If the team opts to slow play Jeremy Pena, Goodrum could open the year as the everyday shortstop for a very potent offense. Yes, he has his issues at the dish, largely a 32.9 percent strikeout rate and 16 percent swinging strike rate dragging down his batting average. However, despite a .214 batting average, he hit nine home runs and stole 14 bags in 90 games for the Tigers last season. With regular playing time, he's easily a member of the 10/10 club, and while there's no guarantee of that in Houston, his versatility makes him the next man up at multiple positions. |
| 2B | Josh Harrison | OAK | CWS | This is a great signing for the White Sox, as Harrison will provide versatility off the bench, and if/when he starts, he's a more than serviceable option, especially against lefties. Harrison hit .295 with a 114 wRC+ against southpaws in 2021. He played all but three positions last season (P, C, 1B) and the White Sox needed a productive and versatile guy off the bench, and you are hard-pressed to find two words that describe Harrison more than those two. It's not great for his fantasy value unless an injury occurs and can step into an everyday role, but in reality, excellent signing by the White Sox. |
| RP | Alex Colomé | MIN | COL | Another year with a different team where Colome likely gets a good number of save chances. How does he do it!? Colome went just 17-for-24 in save chances last season, and a .305 BABIP was well above his career norm (.279). He's not elite in the strikeout department, and outside of 2020, he has routinely allowed a lot of hard contact, to the point of ranking in the 33rd percentile or lower in all but one season (2020) since 2015. A closer is a closer, so he has inherent value there, but his batted ball profile is a substantial risk at Coors Field. |
| SP | Yusei Kikuchi | SEA | TOR | Toronto makes an already deep rotation even deeper with this three-year deal for the southpaw. He’s enjoyed an uptick in his K/9 every year since being in the MLB, culminating in last year’s 9.34 K/9. He did allow a ton of hard contact, and his .289 BABIP isn’t as high as you thought it might be. Last year’s 20/6 HR/FB rate should drop a bit, and while there are some potent offenses in the division, there’s also big time strikeout potential in the AL East. This is a really good landing spot for Kikuchi, and he’s a solid value in drafts as a back-end fantasy starter. |
| RP | Steve Cishek | LAA | WSH | This is a solid move for the Nationals to bolster the depth in their bullpen. The veteran sidewinder has ample closing and high-leverage experience through out his career, and while his strikeout rate has dwindled in recent seasons, he continues to induce hard contact, and his 2021 performance was a nice rebound from his rough 2020 season. Cishek will be one of the options to close out games for the Nationals in 2022, but he likely is second or third on the totem pole for saves. |
| SP | Carlos Rodón | CWS | SF | The biggest concern with Rodon is his health as he's battled arm issues in the past, most recently his throwing shoulder. That being said, do we not think the Giants were satisfied enough by his medicals to give him $22M per year with an opt-out after year-one? This is a great landing spot for the lefty as the dimensions of Oracle Park and others in the NL West are significantly more favorable than the south side of Chicago. His current 108.8 ADP could start to climb with this landing spot. |
| SS | Andrelton Simmons | MIN | CHI | Simmons is a defensive wizard and a far better option in reality than in fantasy baseball. In recent memory, he's been good for a handful of stolen bases, but in his 32-year-old season, the amount he runs is likely minimal. When you pair that with just 10 home runs over his last 928 at-bats, you don't have the makings of a fantasy star. Again, he's far better in reality than fantasy. |
| SP | Clayton Kershaw | LA | LA | As if seeing Kershaw is anything other than Dodger blue was going to happen. Sure, there was a chance, but it didn't play out. Kershaw's strikeout rebounded in 2021 after three straight seasons before that with a K/9 below 10. He enjoyed a nice uptick in whiffs on his slider and curveball, while continuing to throw his four-seamer less. Durability is a big concern for Kershaw for fantasy purposes, as he hasn't made 30 starts in a season since 2015, but he remains solid on a per-inning basis, especially if last year's strikeout rate holds. He's not the fantasy ace he once was, but he's still a very serviceable option in the middle of your fantasy rotation, especially with that offense behind him. |
| RP | Martín Pérez | BOS | TEX | Texas adds to their rotation by bringing Perez back on a one-year deal. He figures to slot in the near top of the rotation and eat up innings for an improved Rangers squad. While he should provide a reasonable number of innings, health willing, his below average strikeout rate and elevated home run rate are causes of concern. Texas does pay more favorable to pitchers, but Perez shouldn't be viewed as anything more than a backend option to give your team some innings. |
| SS | Javier Báez | NYM | DET | The free swinging infielder has found a home in Detroit for the next half decade plus. He makes hard contact, with a barrel rate north of 12 percent in three of the past four seasons, and he’s posted double-digit home runs and stolen bases in every season he’s played more than 100 games. His free swinging nature makes him fun to watch, but his propensity to leave the zone isn’t doing his strikeout rate any favors, as it has increased in each of the past three seasons, peaking at least year’s ugly 33.6 percent mark. It’s not the best supporting cast in Detroit by any means, so his counting stats may not be as lucrative as recent memory. However, he’s a shoe-in for the 20/10 club, and his ability to steal bases will keep him valuable in fantasy formats, even as his strikeout rate continues to rise. |
| SP | José Berríos | TOR | TOR | After trading Austin Martin and Simeon Woods-Richardson at the trade deadline this past season, Toronto locks in the right-hander for the foreseeable future. Berrios went 5-4 with a 1.09 WHIP and 3.58 ERA across 70.1 innings of work after the trade last season, and his walk rate (4.5%) and strikeout rate (26.8%) with the Blue Jays would have been career-bests for the veteran right hander. His work in Toronto and Minnesota last season marked the third time since 2018 he surpassed 190 innings on the bump and Toronto is hoping that the right-hander can be a consistent force in its starting rotation for years to come. The upcoming season should see Berrios be a reliable arm, thanks to a loaded offense backing him. |
| SP | Noah Syndergaard | NYM | LAA | We all knew the Angels needed pitching badly, but this is rather risky. Not only did the Angels dole out $21 million for the former New York Met, but they forfeit a second-round pick since Syndergaard was tendered a qualifying offer from the Mets. Syndergaard has logged just 10 innings (2 IP in majors) since the end of the 2019 season, as he missed 2020 and 2021 due to Tommy John surgery and a myriad of setbacks along the way. When healthy, Syndergaard is one of the more electric pitchers in the entire game. From 2015-2019, Syndergaard posted a 3.31 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 49.1 percent ground ball rate and a 26.4 strikeout rate. It’s a good deal for Syndergaard as he gets a sizable one-year deal with the hopes of cashing in on a long term deal next offseason. The high-risk, high-reward move can be rationalized from the Angels’ perspective, to an extent, as they look to bolster its rotation to get Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani to the postseason. |
| RP | Andrew Heaney | NYY | LA | The Dodgers wanted a veteran arm in the rotation and Heaney is just that. There is some upside to be had with Heaney, especially if he can stay healthy and if Los Angeles can put his excellent stuff to use. Heaney has a career 9.22 K/9 and 3.63 K/BB ratio. However, after years in Los Angeles, he was traded to the Yankees, and he was a massive disappointment, allowing 13 home runs in just 35.2 innings of work. In 2021, he ranked in the 91st percentile in chase rate and 66th percentile in whiff rate, but that was vastly overshadowed by ranking in the 21st and 32nd percentile in barrel rate and hard hit rate respectively. Since the start of 2018, Heaney has the 10th-highest barrel rate amongst starters, and the 28th-highest hard hit rate. If Los Angeles can maximize Heaney’s stuff, 2022 should prove to be a nice rebound for the left-hander at a solid value for the National League powerhouse. He figures to open the year as one of the team’s starters and could help your team’s ratios. |
| SP | Eduardo Rodriguez | BOS | DET | It’s a five-year deal for a nice chunk of change, but there is an opt out after the second year of this deal. Overall, it’s a really good deal for Rodriguez, who can re-test the market prior to turning 30, but should injuries rear its ugly head again, he has plenty of guarantees to safeguard against that. Rodriguez didn’t pitch in 2020 due to a health issue, and despite a 4.74 ERA and 1.39 WHIP in 2021, it isn’t hard to see why Detroit heavily pursued the former Boston southpaw. He posted a 10.56 K/9 across 157.2 innings of work last season, and his 9.10 K/9 and 3.18 BB/9 career marks are solid. Detroit needed an established presence in their otherwise young rotation, and Rodriguez can fill that void. Wins might be a bit tougher to come by in 2022 for Rodriguez compared to his time in Boston, but he should enhance your team’s ratios. |
| 1B | Brandon Belt | SF | SF | Rumor has it that Belt and the Giants could still work something out on a long-term basis, but at the very least, Belt will stay in the Bay Area for another season. Prior to 2021, Belt never hit more than 18 home runs in a season, but in 2021, he parked 29 round-trippers in just 97 games! Those 29 home runs resulted in just 59 RBI, but his .975 OPS was the second-best mark of his career. Is the home run rate sustainable? His barrel rate was at a career best 17 percent last year, which was just slightly better than his 16.8 percent mark in 2020. Prior to the past two seasons, his previous career high was 11.3 percent back in 2016. He enjoyed a pretty sizable boost in his fly ball rate, and some regression to the mean could see Belt’s home run total closer to the mid-20s. Even so, Belt should be a stalwart in the upper-half of the San Francisco lineup in 2022. |
| C | Pedro Severino | BAL | MIL | Pedro Severino fills a void for the Milwaukee Brewers after Manny Piña signed with the Braves. Omar Narvaez will be the starting catcher for the Brewers, but his platoon splits align nicely with Severino’s. Narvaez hit lefties at just a .152 clip last season, not to mention a putrid .434 OPS. On the other hand, Severino hit lefties at a .293 clip with an .818 OPS. Defensively speaking, he won’t do the pitching staff any favors, as he ranked in the third percentile in framing, per Baseball Savant, and he threw out just 22.5 percent of base stealers last season. On a one-year deal, Severino will operate on the smaller side of a platoon behind the dish for Milwaukee, as the majority of his playing time in 2022 should come against southpaws. |
| RP | Aaron Loup | NYM | LAA | Loup is coming off a career year in 2021 where he posted a 0.95 ERA and 0.94 WHIP across 56.2 innings of work. He limited opponents to a 2.1 percent barrel rate last season, which was the best mark of his career, and the southpaw continued to be a menace to left-handed hitters. Since the start of 2020, Loup has allowed just a .179 batting average and .479 OPS to left-handed hitters. Loup will look to be the team’s high-leverage southpaw, and could even waltz into some closing opportunities as the season progresses. In 2021, the Los Angeles bullpen had the seventh-highest ERA (4.59), and allowed the third-highest batting average to left-handed hitters. Loup gets paid and the Angels add a quality arm to the pen. |
| RP | Kendall Graveman | HOU | CWS | Graveman decided to change his second pitch from a changeup to his slider, and it worked wonders. His slider registered just a .130 batting average against it, not to mention a 43.8 percent whiff rate. He pushed his ground ball rate north of 50 percent for the first time since 2018, en route to a statistically dominant season. Between his time in Seattle and Houston, Graveman posted a 1.77 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 27.5 percent strikeout rate and went 10-for-15 in save opportunities. The White Sox might look to trade Craig Kimbrel, and if that’s the case, Graveman figures to be the next man up for save opportunities for what should be a solid Chicago White Sox squad in 2022. Even if he’s not closing ball games, he should be quite valuable in leagues that value holds, as well as helping your team’s ratios. |
| RP | Jose Quintana | SF | PIT | The veteran southpaw posted a 6.43 ERA (4.66 FIP) across 63 innings last year for the Angels and Giants, and there were more negatives than positives to say the least. He posted career-worst marks in walk rate (11.8%), HR/9 (1.71) and barrel rate (11.9%). Quintana was far better as a reliever last season, posting a 4.18 ERA, but he figures to have a good chance to beginning the year in Pittsburgh’s starting rotation. If he can stay healthy, and can perform like he did earlier in his career, he would be a logical trade chip at the deadline. However, to begin the year, in Pittsburgh, he won’t be all that valuable for fantasy purposes, unless you are desperate for innings, or his increased usage of his changeup results in a sizable uptick in strikeouts. |
| RP | Jhoulys Chacín | COL | COL | The Rockies were hoping that Chacin’s return to Colorado would be much like his time from 2009-2014 with the club. However, it didn’t quite turn out like that, but Chacin was more than serviceable in 2021, posting a 4.34 ERA and 1.26 WHIP across 64.1 innings on the bump. Chacin figures to serve as an innings eater out of the pen, but the veteran right-hander can start in a pinch if needed. Chacin won’t be owned outside of the deepest of deep leagues, as he doesn’t offer enough strikeouts or complimentary stats to boost ratios. |
| C | Manny Piña | MIL | ATL | Hey, eight million dollars over the next two years — and a club option for a third-year in 2024 — to serve as the team’s backup catcher isn’t a bad gig for the former Milwaukee Brewer. Despite hitting just .189 in 2021, Pina hit 13 home runs in 75 games, not to mention a .439 slugging percentage. He threw out just under 30 percent of attempting base stealers last season, and will slot in as the backup backstop in Atlanta in 2022. |
| 3B | Eduardo Escobar | MIL | NYM | The power numbers continued for Escobar after a horrific 2020 campaign, which we’ll just chalk up to the pandemic-shortened season. Last year, Escobar slashed .253/.314/.472 with 28 home runs and 90 RBI as a member of the Diamondbacks and Brewers. The Mets will come to love his versatility, as he can play anywhere in the infield, and last season, he made double-digit starts at first base, second base, third base and even logged two innings at shortstop. His versatility will keep him in the lineup everyday, and fantasy managers should expect nothing less than another 20+ home run season with 80+ RBI and a .260ish batting average, especially in a revamped New York lineup. |
| SP | Michael Wacha | TB | BOS | Boston is looking to add arms to help the rotation, and the Red Sox are hoping to do just that with Wacha for seven million dollars this season. Wacha logged 124.2 innings for the Rays last season, posting a 5.05 ERA. Optimists will ignore the ERA north of 5.00, and point out the fact that his 4.47 FIP and 3.91 xFIP indicate that he pitches better than his earned run average indicates. Realists will see that he suffered career worsts in barrel rate (10.5%) and average exit velocity (89.9 mph) last season, leading to another season of home runs derailing his outings. In 2021, Wacha posted a 1.66 HR/9 mark, and since the start of 2019, it rests at 1.83 HR/9. His fastball usage continues to dwindle, as his cutter and changeup are beginning to be featured more prominently, but it could all be null and void if he can’t limit hard contact and keep the ball in the park. The American League East is not friendly to homer-prone pitchers. |
| CF | Starling Marte | OAK | NYM | The 2021 season was another productive year despite a trip to the injured list for Marte. Across 120 games for Miami and Oakland last year, Marte hit .310 with 12 home runs, 89 runs scored and 47 stolen bases. Since the start of the 2019 season, Marte leads all of baseball with 82 stolen bases, and he’s one of just two players in that timeframe to have at least 40 home runs, 40 stolen bases and a .298 batting average (Trea Turner). To say Marte fills a void is an understatement. Last season, the Mets had the seventh fewest stolen bases in the MLB, and the fourth-fewest runs scored. Since the start of 2019, Marte has 82 stolen bases, and the Mets as a team have just 130 in that same span. The Mets are looking to revamp its offense this offseason, and Marte will certainly help, but he will need to stay healthy. The veteran outfielder has served a stint on the injured list in three of the past four seasons, and he has played in more than 140 games just once (2018) since logging 153 games back in 2015. |
| LF | Mark Canha | OAK | NYM | Canha is an underrated and underappreciated player that the Mets should come to love in short time. Sure, he’s far from flashy, but he gets on base, and does it incredibly well. As a member of the Oakland Athletics in recent years, Canha has posted a double-digit walk rate in each of the past three seasons, and in that span, he has a solid .377 on-base percentage (OBP). Why was this a good move by the Mets? Well, for starters, in all of baseball last season, the Mets’ outfielders posted the sixth-lowest OPS, seventh-lowest wOBA and a collective .319 OBP. Canha can play all three spots in the outfield, but with Starling Marte in center, he’ll primarily play at the corner spots, but can also slide into first base in a pinch. Canha’s fantasy value is boosted significantly in leagues that value OBP compared to batting average, but if the revamped Mets lineup performs as expected, he might be a guy you want on your team regardless of format. |
| SP | Anthony DeSclafani | SF | SF | The Giants must have liked what they saw from DeSclafani last season, or liked it enough to offer him $36M over the next three seasons. In 167.2 innings on the bump for the Giants in 2021, the right-hander posted a 3.17 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. His new home compared to his old home park helped with his home run issues, but he did his part as well by registering a 44.3 percent ground ball rate. From 2018-2020, his HR/9 sat at a whopping 1.71, but it was just 1.02 HR/9 last season. He used his fastball less last season, relying on his slider and changeup to do the lion’s share of the work. The biggest concerns heading into 2022 for DeSclafani are that his .265 BABIP last year was below his career average (.293), and his .223 BAA last season is a far cry from his .242 xBA. Was he more lucky than good? It seems to be a bit of both, but he has a good home park to pitch in, and while some regression may be in store this season, the right-hander should remain a viable back end fantasy starter. |
| RF | Yoshi Tsutsugo | PIT | PIT | Tsutsugo made quite an impression on the Pirates’ brass to earn a contract for four million dollars! In just 43 games with the Pirates last year, he hit .268 with eight home runs, 32 RBI and an .883 OPS. In fact, since the date he donned the Pittsburgh jersey, Tsutsugo had the 36th-best OPS in baseball. He logged time at first base and both corner outfield spots last season, and should be deployed in a similar fashion in 2022. That flexibility should keep him in the lineup on a near-everyday basis, and he could make for a low-risk, late-round flier in fantasy baseball drafts. |
| SP | Steven Matz | TOR | STL | Was Matz’s 2021 season extraordinary by any means? Not really, but he did win 14 games and post a 3.82 ERA and 1.33 WHIP across 150.2 innings. The southpaw wasn’t dominant, but he did a good job as a steady presence in the middle of the Toronto rotation. However, perhaps the best thing from his 2021 season is that it confirmed that his horrific 2020 campaign was an outlier and not a sign of things to come. Matz isn’t a big strikeout guy, though his K/9 will hang out just below an even 9.00, but his sinking fastball loves inducing ground balls and the St. Louis infield should do him more favors than Toronto’s. The Blue Jays ranked in the bottom-third of the league in fielding percentage, whereas the Cardinals and Nolan Arenado were slightly better than league average. Matz should enjoy being out of the American League, and American League East, and if he keeps the ball on the ground, should be a reliable back end starter for fantasy purposes. |
| RP | Héctor Neris | PHI | HOU | Last year, the Houston Astros’ bullpen was right around the league average in terms of ERA, and that included Ryan Pressly’s 2.25 ERA for the season. Houston won the Hector Neris sweepstakes, as the team looks to fortify the transition from starter to closer (Pressly). Neris posted a 3.63 ERA with a 1.17 WHIP and quality 31.6 percent strikeout rate last season. However, he blew seven saves (12-for-19 in save chances) and posted his second-straight season with a double-digit walk rate (10.3% in 2021). If Houston can optimize Neris’ stuff, led by his splitter, Neris can be incredibly value as the setup man to Pressly in fantasy leagues. If that is going to happen though, Neris will need to cut down on the walks and keep the strikeout rate north of 30 percent. In that hypothetical, it’s not the latter that has me skeptical. |
| CF | Byron Buxton | MIN | MIN | This is quite an interesting deal for a myriad of reasons. From Buxton’s side, he cashes in on an incentive-laden deal, headlined by bonuses at certain thresholds for number of plate appearances and MVP finishes. From the Twins’ perspective, paying nine figures for a guy who has only played in more than 100 games just once in his career is going to raise some eyebrows. When healthy, Buxton is a star at all facets of the game. He’s an incredible defender and can wreak havoc on the base paths. Over the last three seasons, his 162 game average results in a .277 batting average with 36 home runs, 22 stolen bases, 101 runs scored and 91 RBI. Buxton hit 19 home runs with a .306 batting average in just 65 games last season, and the biggest hurdle for Buxton to fantasy stardom is whether or not he can stay healthy. |
| 2B | Marcus Semien | TOR | TEX | Playing in a loaded Toronto offense in 2021, Semien had a career year, slashing .265/.334/.538 with 45 home runs, 115 runs scored and 102 RBI. It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that he enjoyed a career best barrel rate and launch angle in 2021, and his shift to second base resulted in a Gold Glove for the former shortstop. However, from a fantasy perspective, this is a rough landing spot for Semien. Not only does the current Texas roster lack offensive firepower, but the Rangers’ home park is far from lucrative for right-handed hitters. Sure, it’s not horrible, but it doesn’t provide any sizable advantage. At 31 years old, Semien is far from a spring chicken, and even though he almost certainly won’t match his 2021 numbers, he should provide quality power numbers at the second base position. |
| SP | Corey Kluber | NYY | TB | The Rays add to their rotation by inking Corey Kluber to a one-year deal. Kluber was limited to just 80 innings last year with the Yankees due to shoulder strain, but when he was on the bump, he posted a 5-3 record with a 3.83 ERA and 1.34 WHIP. His 9.7 percent walk rate last year was his worst mark in the past decade, and his velocity was down across the board, and most notably on his fastball. Kluber knows that, hence the increased usage of his cutter. The 35-year-old right-hander has logged just 116 innings over the last three seasons, and he’s made a trip to the injured list in four of the last five seasons. He likely figures to be a middle of the rotation arm for the Rays this season, but declining velocity and staying in the American League East doesn’t provide an overwhelmingly positive outlook for his fantasy value. |
| RF | Avisaíl García | MIL | MIA | Garcia is a streaky hitter to say the least, but 2021 was a quality season for the veteran slugger. He slashed .262/.330/.490 with career-highs in home runs (29) and RBI (86). Garcia is a free-swinging slugger that has immense raw power and while he may lose some homers in his spacious new home park, he has enough power to make it work. His 12.2 percent barrel rate last season was excellent, coming in at the 80th percentile, while his max exit velocity and hard hit rate clocked in at the 98th and 78th percentile respectively. On the other hand, his free-swinging nature gets him into trouble at times, seeing as his whiff rate and chase rate were in the sixth and fourth percentile respectively. The Marlins have been adamant about adding some bats to their lineup, and any quantifiable upgrades should help a team that scored the second-fewest runs in all of baseball last year. For Garcia’s fantasy value, Miami is going to need to add some pieces to help his counting stats. |
| SP | Kevin Gausman | SF | TOR | Gausman’s career has been equivalent to a roller coaster to say the least. He was supposed to be the future ace for the Baltimore Orioles, and that didn’t pan out. He was excellent for Atlanta for half of a season before imploding the next year for the Braves. Then, after a cup of coffee in Cincinnati, Gausman’s career was revitalized in San Francisco and 2021 was a career year for the righty. He posted a 2.81 ERA and 1.04 WHIP across a career-high 192 innings of work. Gausman recorded a strikeout rate north of 29 percent the second straight season, and the Giants unlocked his arsenal to its fullest, as he recorded a 30 percent strikeout rate across two years in San Francisco. How did this happen? His splitter took a big step forward, and was actually tied for the second-best pitch value at Baseball Savant. From a fantasy perspective, there were far better spots than going back to the American League East, but at least he benefits from having the most potent offense backing him instead of opposing him in the batter’s box. It’s not the friendliest division to pitchers, as it is loaded with hitter’s parks and good lineups, but as long as he rides his splitter and keeps the ball on the ground, he will fare much better this time in the division. Even if he doesn’t post a sub-3.00 ERA for the second straight season, he can miss enough bats to remain a top fantasy starter. |
| SP | Jon Gray | COL | TEX | Gray rebounded quite well after a disastrous 2020 season, and his 3.98 xERA, 4.22 FIP and 4.04 xFIP are far more attractive than his 4.59 ERA for the 2021 season. The right-hander also posted a 1.33 WHIP, struck out over one batter per inning alongside a 48.4 percent ground ball rate. He’s using his fastball less, but perhaps a move to a home park that isn’t Coors Field will allow him to use his fastball more, and more comfortably. Despite actually being better at home than on the road from an ERA perspective, getting away from Coors Field should be a net positive for the 30-year-old. His 9.47 K/9 and 1.09 HR/9 for his career on the road spark further optimism, as both of those numbers trump his home marks of 8.96 K/9 and 1.19 HR/9. While us fantasy managers shouldn’t expect a fantasy ace-like season from Gray, he should be a solid source of strikeouts and perhaps post an ERA somewhere in the mid-to-upper 3s. Texas has bolstered their lineup, which should help Gray, and again, he’s out of Coors! |
| RP | Michael Lorenzen | CIN | LAA | Lorenzen has aspirations and desires of being deployed like Shohei Ohtani, and perhaps even getting some time in the outfield. Could it happen? Sure. Would it make for some really fun lineup configurations and in-game switches? Absolutely. However, Lorenzen’s biggest contributions to the overall success of the Angels will come on the mound, assuming he can produce. His 5.59 ERA was a bit unlucky in 2021, especially when you see his xERA (4.04) and FIP (4.17). He does a good job of keeping the ball in the ball park, as seen by posting a career 0.99 HR/9 mark and 0.62 HR/9 in 2021 with the Reds. He’ll have a chance to win a spot in the rotation, but it’s worth noting that he has made just five starts since the end of 2015. Despite being profiled as one of the better hitting pitchers in baseball, the Angels need his arm to solidify the rotation, more so than his bat to solidify the lineup. |
| RF | Kole Calhoun | ARI | TEX | Calhoun had a meniscus tear in the offseason and served two separate stints on the IL for hamstring issues, limiting him to just 51 games last year. He was rather underwhelming to say the least, hitting just .235 with a .297 on-base percentage. Furthermore, his barrel rate was in the single digits for the first time since 2018, his average exit velocity declined for the third straight season and his 69.7 percent contact rate was well below his career average (74.6%). Lastly, he left the strike zone more often, en route to seeing his swinging strike rate increase for the fourth straight season. If he can bounce back, he could be a nice addition to the Texas lineup, but fantasy owners shouldn’t hang their hat on Calhoun being anything more than some cheap power later in drafts. |
| SS | Corey Seager | LA | TEX | To Texas’ credit, they added Jon Gray to help their starting rotation, but it appears to be that Texas is willing to attempt to just outscore everyone, rather than trying to reduce the opposition’s run output on a nightly basis. Corey Seager will pair with Marcus Semien to form a legit duo up the middle for the Rangers for years to come. Injuries have derailed recent seasons for Seager, and the talented shortstop has played in more than 100 games just once in the past four seasons. When healthy, he’s one of the best hitters at his position, and over the last three seasons, he has a quality .290/.360/.516 slash line. It’s not the best landing spot, but Texas is adding some reinforcements to its lineup to help the supporting cast. However, a lack of stolen bases will likely keep Seager outside of the top seven or eight players at his position in fantasy drafts. |
| SP | Robbie Ray | TOR | SEA | It finally happened. We finally saw what Ray could be when he cut the walks for an extended period of time. Who knew it would result in a Cy Young award!? Across 193.1 innings of work for the Blue Jays last season, Ray posted a 2.84 ERA, struck out 248 batters (32.1 K%) and posted a career best 6.7 percent walk rate. His previous career best was 8.1 percent back in 2014! How did he do it? Well, for starters, he threw a first pitch strike 61.6 percent of the time, and was in the zone 43.8 percent of time. Also, it doesn’t help when you generate more swings out of the zone than ever before and a career best swinging strike rate. Some regression is likely in store for Ray in 2022, and even if he maintains his sub-seven percent walk rate, it’s unlikely he enjoys a BABIP at .268 after that mark sat at .310 from 2016-2020. Even with some regression, he is elite in the strikeout department, and that certainly won’t change. He heads to Seattle on a five-year deal with an opt out after the 2024 season. |
| SP | Max Scherzer | LA | NYM | The Mets are going all in this offseason, but no deal is greater than this mega-deal for a proven arm to pair alongside Jacob deGrom at the top of the rotation. Scherzer and deGrom will form a lethal 1-2 punch and Scherzer has proven to be one of the game’s most dominant workhorse. What is there to really say about Scherzer at this point? He strikes out a lot of batters, hardly walks anyone (5.2 BB% in 2021) and has posted a CSW% north of 30 percent in six of the last seven seasons. Scherzer is 37-years-old, so he’s no spring chicken, and he has over 2,500 regular season innings on that right arm of his. It’s an expensive, bold move, but the Mets are committed to push for a World Series banner in 2022, or at least finish better than third in the NL East for the first time since 2016. |
| RP | Yimi García | HOU | TOR | Contending teams need depth in the bullpen, and Garcia will do exactly that for the Blue Jays. Recency bias has knocked some of the shine off Garcia, as his 5.48 ERA after the trade to Houston last year may have cast a negative light on Garcia heading into 2022. However, he had some bad luck in Houston, but he was excellent in 2020 for the Marlins, and went 15-for-18 in save opportunities last season. For best results in Toronto, he’ll need to limit hard contact and keep the ball in the park, which is easier said than done in the American League East. However, it’s a very affordable deal for a contending Toronto team that needs depth in the pen. |
| RF | Ben Gamel | PIT | PIT | Gamel figures to get plenty of playing time for an offensively-challenged Pittsburgh Pirates. In 2021, Gamel hit .247 with eight home runs, 43 runs scored and 26 RBI. The Pirates let him run, which is good for fantasy purposes, but he went just 3-for-9 on stolen base attempts, and since going 7-for-10 on attempts back in 2018, Gamel is just 5-for-15 the past three seasons. For fantasy purposes, he’ll cost you nothing, but outside of a flier on a couple stolen bases late in drafts, Gamel won’t be on your radar. |
| SP | Alex Wood | SF | SF | The Giants will keep a piece of their rotation, and Wood as advertised last year. He struck out over one batter per inning, which is actually better than expected and kept the Giants in games. Aside from the elevated strikeout rate, his launch angle dropped to just 7.1 degrees, and his ground ball rate eclipsed 50 percent for the first time since 2017. Pitching in a good home park for pitchers, if Wood can punch out over one batter per inning, and keep the ground ball rate at or above 50 percent, his 2021 season is very repeatable, which would be welcomed with open arms by fantasy managers. |
| C | Yan Gomes | OAK | CHI | Gomes is enjoying a nice little two year run here. He was quite solid in the pandemic-shortened season in 2020 and then put together a nice stat line for the 2021 season, despite being better with Washington than Oakland. Over the last two seasons (133 games), Gomes has hit .260 with 18 home runs, 63 runs scored and 65 RBI while throwing out just over 27 percent of would-be base-stealers. His fantasy value takes a hit, however, as he will serve as Willson Contreras’ backup. |
| C | Roberto Pérez | CLE | PIT | After trading Jacob Stallings to Miami, Pittsburgh needed someone to slot in behind the dish, and it appears that Perez will be that guy. Perez did pretty good for himself, as he has hit under the Mendoza line in three of the past four years and gets five million dollars to catch for the Pirates. To his credit, he has some pop in his bat and is solid defensively, so his best contributions to the Pirates might be helping the young pitchers. He won’t be on the radar for many outside of 15-team leagues where you have to start two catchers. |
| RP | Raisel Iglesias | LAA | LAA | This move seemed inevitable. Iglesias was solid for the team last year, striking out an impressive 37.7 percent of batters in 2021, and converting 34-of-39 save opportunities. He gets batters out of the zone with regularity, and he posted a massive 20.6 SwStr% last season. Also, batters made contact just 61.6 percent of the time, and that mark has decreased every year of his professional career. The Angels have bolstered their starting rotation this offseason, and added Aaron Loup to pitch ahead of Iglesias, hopefully leading to more wins for the team and saves for Iglesias. |
| RP | Brooks Raley | HOU | TB | Tampa Bay needed some lefty relievers in the bullpen and Raley is going to be a good one. Despite lackluster velocity, his fastball and curveball boast elite spin rates, and his average exit velocity last year was the best in baseball, coming in at the 100th percentile. Oh, his hard hit rate was also the best last year. What’s scary is when you pair his elite ability to limit hard contact, with the fact that his strikeout rate, whiff rate and chase rate ranked in the 92nd, 87th, and 70th percentile respectively. His arsenal goes six pitches deep, five of which posted a whiff rate of at least 20 percent last year. He’s an excellent upside arm to target later in drafts this year. |
| RP | Daniel Hudson | SD | LA | Hudson had a lot of really good things from his 2021 season, and also some aspects that are a cause of concern. The two-pitch righty posted a career best 35.7 percent strikeout rate, marking the second year he’s been north of 30 percent. His slider was even better last season, resulting in a .136 batting average and 50 percent whiff rate! He has great fastball velocity, but given that he’s a fly ball pitcher, home runs have hurt him over the past two years, to the tune of a 1.74 HR/9. The biggest cause for concern is the fact that Hudson is a fly ball pitcher that allows a good bit of hard contact. Hudson’s barrel rate has been in the bottom three percent of the league each of the past two seasons and an average exit velocity in the bottom 13th percentile the past two years. However, he’s escaped for the most part, thanks to striking out a lot of batters. Home runs will likely be a part of his game, given his fly ball tendencies, but he could find himself getting save opportunities for the Dodgers in 2022. |
| SP | Alex Cobb | LAA | SF | His signing in Baltimore seemed like the kiss of death for Cobb, and it nearly was, as his already low strikeout rate dropped further, home runs were a major issue and his ground ball rate plummeted. However, he goes to Los Angeles, nearly throws his splitter more than his sinker and mixes in a regular four-seamer every now and again. His sinker enjoyed a nice jump in whiff rate, as did his curveball. What happened? Well, he posted a miniscule 0.48 HR/9 mark, a ground ball rate north of 50 percent, and his slightly adjusted arsenal resulted in career bests in barrel rate (4.2%), strikeout rate (24.9%) and an average exit velocity that was below 90 miles per hour for the first time since 2018. He’s going to a good park for pitchers, and there’s reason to believe that he could be even better than 2021. He could prove to be a nice draft day value, especially if his ERA drops closer to the mid-3s. |
| 2B | César Hernández | CWS | WSH | Hernandez always ends up being this guy that gets hot and you couldn’t imagine your fantasy team’s middle infield depth without him. However, then the streak ends, and he’s dropped, but somehow still ends the year with a quality batting average. Prior to last year’s disappointing .232 mark, Hernandez hit at least .275 in four out of five seasons. His offensive profile has shifted, too. From 2015-2019, he stole 70 bases and hit 44 home runs. However, in the past two seasons, he has 24 homers, but just one stolen base. He should see regular playing time to begin the season, but he’s certainly far less appealing in fantasy if he’s not running, and he’s now multiple years removed from stealing double-digit bases. |
| 2B | Leury García | CWS | CWS | Garcia doesn’t spark much fantasy appeal at the dish, aside from the fact that sheer volume could potentially push him to double-digit home runs and stolen bases at a cheap price. His batted ball profile is quite interesting, given that his average exit velocity ranked in the sixth percentile and his hard hit rate came in at the 14th percentile. However, his max exit velocity was at the 66th percentile! If only he could harness that more often, but the odds are stacked against him, given that his barrel rate has been under four percent in each of the last four seasons. He’s a far more useful player in reality, given that he logged time at six positions for the White Sox in 2021. |
| RP | Joely Rodríguez | NYY | NYY | Rodriguez’s 3.43 FIP is well under his 4.66 ERA, and a .355 BABIP certainly isn’t going to help anything. With his sinking fastball serving as his primary pitch, it’s no surprise that he has a career 57.7 percent ground ball rate, and his mark last year sat at 58.4 percent. He still struck out over one batter per inning last year, but with a 97th percentile chase rate and his changeup registering a 40.9 percent whiff rate last year, one would think more strikeouts could be in store for 2022. If he does have that uptick in strikeouts, he could be a nice late-round arm to help your team’s ratios and provide some nice value in leagues that value solds. |
| SP | Marcus Stroman | NYM | CHI | After opting out of the 2020 season, Stroman was excellent for the Mets in the 2021. Sure, a .286 BABIP helped, but it doesn’t scream regression for 2022, given that his career mark is just .304. He’s a perennial outperformer of his FIP, doing so in three of the last four years. However, could this be the end of the stretch? His GB/FB ratio was 2.80 from 2014-2018, but over his last two seasons, it’s down to just 1.99. Stroman has a deep arsenal that got deeper with the addition of a splitter this past year, giving him multiple weapons to put the baseball on the ground. The move to Wrigley doesn’t do much from a ballpark standpoint for Stroman, and there’s no reason to believe that Stroman shouldn’t continue his recent run of success. He’ll be a fine rotation arm for fantasy managers this season. |
| LF | Chris Taylor | LA | LA | No one will confuse Taylor as the best player in baseball, but he’s been excellent for the Dodgers. Given the overhaul from last year’s roster, the Los Angeles faithful should be happy to be bringing back Taylor to the lineup. Over the last five years, Taylor’s 162 game average results in a .265/.343/.461 slash line with 20 home runs, 76 RBI, 89 runs and 13 stolen bases. He’s a “jack of all trades, master of none” for fantasy, as he contributes across the board, but doesn’t dominate any one particular category. This is a great move in reality for the Dodgers, as Taylor logged time at six positions last year for the team, and will allow them significant lineup flexibility. Hopefully it won’t rear its ugly head in 2022, but one thing to note is that Taylor’s contact rate has slowly been dropping, resulting in a 69.4 percent in 2021, which is the first time he dropped below the 70 percent threshold. |
| LF | Clint Frazier | NYY | CHI | What a world. Remember when the Yankees wouldn’t trade Frazier when they needed pitching for a postseason run, but also wouldn’t play Frazier? Crazy times. Perhaps a change of scenery and fresh start will be best for Frazier. He has a pretty selective approach, which has almost acted like a double-edged sword. Yes, he’s posted a walk rate north of 14 percent in each of the past two seasons, but he’s never posted a strikeout rate lower than 27 percent. Perhaps free swinging a bit more could help? I mean, if you’re going to strikeout a lot, just start swinging! He’s a low-risk option later in drafts for fantasy baseball, and just as likely as he could go on a tear and prove the Yankees wrong, he could also be dropped in 82 percent of leagues after opening the year with a 36 percent strikeout rate and .188 batting average. |
| RP | Luis García | STL | SD | Garcia was excellent for the Cardinals last season, and parlayed that success into a deal with the Padres. Over 33.1 innings in 2021, Garcia struck out 34 batters and posted a career-best 14.9 swinging strike rate. Furthermore, his 69.5 percent contact rate last year was the second-best mark of his career, and Garcia will add much needed depth to the San Diego pen. If the strikeouts remain, and he keeps the walks down, he should be in line to rack up some holds, and even if he doesn’t get to the ninth inning role, which seems unlikely at the start of the season, he has some late-round appeal in fantasy formats as an upside reliever. |
| RP | Mark Melancon | SD | ARI | Melancon figures to open the year as the team’s closer, and despite being far from the prototypical closer, Melancon does get the job done. He doesn’t win with overpowering velocity or elevated strikeout rates, and while the ground ball rates have dropped in recent memory, his launch angle has remained in the negatives. If he’s not in line to get saves, he’s a hard sell in fantasy baseball formats, as a 22.3 percent strikeout rate last year with an 8.7 percent swinging strike rate won’t get many excited. Even though he’s leaving a pitcher-friendly park for one that is, well, not, he’s the guy in line for saves with a lack of closing experience in the pen with him. Even if he’s allowing more contact, and his home park doesn’t do him any favors, if he’s racking up saves, he’s useful in fantasy formats. |
| SP | Rich Hill | NYM | BOS | At this point, if you aren’t a Rich Hill truther or Rich Hill stan, you likely won’t be considering him at this point in his career. The allure with Hill in recent years is that, when healthy, he was an excellent performer on a per-inning basis. However, when healthy is the operative phrase. His 158.2 innings and 31 starts in 2021 were the most Hill has made in a regular season since the 2007 season. That’s a decade and a half ago! His per-inning dominance has dwindled recently, too, because his strikeout marks have been down the past couple of seasons. If you buy into the American League East helping his strikeout numbers, you can take a chance late on the oft-injured southpaw, but it’s a division littered with powerful offenses and hitter-friendly parks. I find it hard to believe that Hill is healthy for the majority of the 2022 season. |
| RP | Corey Knebel | LA | PHI | Knebel will be another power arm in the Philadelphia pen. He has a very lively fastball and a nasty curveball that he relies on to miss bats. If you look at his heat map from last year, his curveball hung out in the middle of the plate too often. That pitch absolutely needs to get to the lower-third of the zone, and perhaps lower, for optimal results. His fastball velocity rebounded in 2021, which is great to see, and at the very least, he should split closing duties with Jose Alvarado to begin the year. He’s a high strikeout reliever that can boost your team’s ratios, and perhaps even add some saves to sweeten the pot. |
| SP | Jordan Lyles | TEX | BAL | Lyles’ home run problems (1.90 HR/9 in 2021) aren’t going to get any better in Baltimore, that’s for sure. In 2020, he posted career-worsts in max exit velocity (115.5 mph), launch angle (15.3 degrees), and barrel rate (9.1%). Now, he goes to the American League East and the Baltimore Orioles. Yikes. His ground ball rate has dropped for five straight seasons, and if he’s going to continue to be hit hard, it’s going to be a long, grueling 2022 campaign for Lyles. Unless you desperately need innings, Lyles is going to be someone you’re excited to roster this year. |
| SP | Dylan Bundy | LAA | MIN | Unfortunately, it’s appearing that Bundy’s solid 2020 season is more of an outlier than a precursor for years to come. His 1.99 HR/9 was just the start of it, as his strikeouts dropped, walks increased, and barrel rate spiked all the way up to 10.3 percent, nearly four percent higher than his career average. Opponents made contact 78.6 percent of the time, so it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that his 9.5 swinging strike rate was the lowest mark of his career. Drafting Bundy is a low-risk flier in the later rounds, especially if he can return to form in 2020. However, it seems that 2020 was an outlier, considering we have 65.2 great innings from Bundy, compared to 705 subpar innings in his career. |
| RP | T.J. McFarland | STL | STL | Is there such a thing as a lefty specialist anymore? If so, McFarland is that. Lefties posted a .184 OBP against him last year, compared to righties posting a .337 OBP. McFarland posted a 62.9 percent ground ball rate in 2021, but his dearth of strikeouts (14.6 K% in 2021, 13.7 career K%) keeps him off the fantasy radar. |
| RP | Danny Coulombe | MIN | MIN | Minnesota brings back Coulombe on a minor league deal that includes an invite to spring training. His 42.3 percent ground ball rate was a far cry from his 53.6 percent career rate, and keeping the ball on the ground will be key. He threw his slider more than ever before last year, posting a solid 35.1 percent O-Swing rate, and punching out 33 batters across 34.1 innings. He won’t be drafted in fantasy drafts this season. |
| RP | Darren O’Day | NYY | ATL | O’Day inks a minor league deal with the Braves following a 2021 season that saw him on the mound for just 32 outs. His fastball continues to lose velocity, and at the ripe age of 39, he’ll need his slider to be effective and limit hard contact. If his fly ball rate is going to stay in the mid-to-upper 40 percent range, he’ll need to limit hard contact to keep the home runs down. He could end up closing as the year goes on, but that isn’t what the Braves are signing him for. Unless he gets to closing, he’s not on the fantasy radar for 2022 drafts. |
| RP | Rex Brothers | CHI | MIL | This could turn out to be a sneaky-good signing by Milwaukee. Brothers came out in 2021 like a bat out of hell, posting an excellent 2.63 ERA across his first 27.1 innings. Well, it went downhill from there to say the least. Brothers struggles with his command, and walks have always been a serious problem for him. Equipped with a deadly slider, when Brothers gets ahead of batters, things tend to work out well. However, when he doesn’t strike them out, it’s either a walk or they hit him hard. His average exit velocity, max evit velocity, hard hit rate and barrel rate were in the 3rd, 13th, 9th, and 5th percentile respectively. His walk rate was in the 2nd percentile, but the upside lies in his 92nd percentile strikeout and whiff rate. |
| C | Sandy León | MIA | CLE | Leon’s minor league deal includes an invite to spring training and the opportunity to serve as the team’s backup behind Austin Hedges. Leon doesn’t spark much confidence with his bat, given that he’s a .212 hitter for his career. However, he has thrown out nearly one-third of would-be base stealers in his career, and his signing does give some of the team’s catching prospects more seasoning in the minors. For fantasy purposes, Leon is a non-factor in 2022. |
| C | Andrew Knapp | PHI | CIN | Knapp inked a minor league deal with the Reds and will compete for the team’s backup gig. He’s a career .214 hitter with a strikeout rate above 31 percent for his career. He won’t log enough at-bats, or be productive enough with said at-bats, to warrant any serious fantasy consideration. |
| SP | Justin Verlander | HOU | HOU | Verlander inks a 1-year deal worth $25M and a player option for a second year to return to his former club. We haven’t seen Verlander since July of 2020 as he missed 2021 recovering from Tommy John surgery. The veteran right-hander has had an exceptional career, but he’s been magnificent for Houston, posting a 43-15 record with a 2.45 ERA and 12.08 K/9 since being traded to Houston in 2017. There’s some concern with the right-hander recovering from surgery, but Houston hopes that he will return to his dominant self, and sit atop the team’s starting rotation. For fantasy purposes, it could be a slower start for Verlander as he shakes off some rust, but even prior to the forearm strain that led to Tommy John surgery, he looked as advertised. He’ll continue to be a solid source of strikeouts, but he may be a bit more homer-prone than what he was in his earlier years (1.34 HR/9 over last 443 IP in regular season). |
| RP | Kirby Yates | TOR | ATL | Contenders need quality bullpen help, and Atlanta will hope that Yates can return to his glory days with the Padres. Yates is currently recovering from Tommy John surgery, and shouldn’t be counted upon until midway through the 2022 season. When healthy, Yates has excellent stuff and can miss bats with the best relievers in the game, even at the ripe age of 34 (turns 35 in March). He could be an impactful add in fantasy down the stretch, assuming he returns to form following his procedure. |
| CF | Ender Inciarte | ATL | NYY | Typically, we like more fly balls, but for a guy that lacks pop and barrels, fly balls might not do him a ton of favors. However, in Yankee Stadium, it could work for Inciarte, but he’s never been a big time pull-hitter. His speed is waning, and Inciarte needs at-bats to accumulate his statistics, and that just doesn’t figure to happen in New York unless several injuries occur in the outfield. |
| 3B | Maikel Franco | BAL | WSH | Franco didn’t quite produce as many would have expected with his batted ball metrics in the hitter friendly Baltimore stadium. His launch angle wasn’t the most conducive to home runs, his 1.49 GB/FB ratio was the highest mark of his entire career, and his hard hit rate plummeted. Washington inked Franco to a minor league deal, and best case scenario for the former Oriole is to break camp as a bench bat for the Nationals. |
| RF | Nomar Mazara | DET | SD | From 2016-2019, Mazara had at least 19 home runs each season with a .253 or better batting average. It’s been a rough go of things over the past two years, as his strikeout rate has been north of 24 percent each season, and interestingly enough, he’s been swinging at the first pitch far more often, at least compared to the early seasons in his career. San Diego is hoping Mazara can figure things out on the west coast and return to the play he displayed in Texas. |
| 1B | Jake Bauers | SEA | CIN | Bauers cut into that strikeout rate from years past, which is excellent, and more contact should let his max exit velocity shine. His max exit velocity in 2021 was in the 85th percentile, so the pop is there, but a .213 career batting average hasn’t helped his case. He’s good for a couple stolen bases each year, and his efficiency has been far better in recent years since posting a 50 percent success rate back in 2018. Bauers is going to a great hitter’s park that could showcase his power, but playing time is going to be a concern, given Joey Votto’s everyday presence at first base and a wealth of outfielders already in Cincinnati. |
| RP | Drew VerHagen | DET | STL | VerHagen was solid overseas last season, posting a 3.80 ERA in 97 innings of work. He likely figures to be a multi-inning reliever, and in a pinch could make a spot start if needed. From a fantasy perspective, he’ll need the stirkeouts from overseas to carry over to the MLB, but from 2014-2019 with the Tigers he posted only a 7.06 K/9. |
| C | Robinson Chirinos | CHI | BAL | Chirinos has some pop in his bat, and could provide some cheap power in the earlier parts of the 2022 season if Adley Rutschman isn’t ready to go from Opening Day. Chirinos will provide the Orioles with some extra time with Rutschman if they choose, Unless you completely wait on catcher, you can ignore Chirinos in drafts at this juncture. |
| RP | Joe Kelly | LA | CWS | Chicago continues to add flamethrowers into its bullpen. After his command got away from him in 2020, he posted a respectable 3.1 BB/9 mark, which was his lowest mark over a full season since 2012. His arsenal is still predicated on high curveball usage, but he’s throwing a sinking fastball more, which has helped maintain an elite ground ball rate. The path to saves in Chicago is quite crowded, but if he can continue to keep the ball on the ground and maintain last year’s 27+ percent strikeout rate, he could be a valuable asset in leagues that value holds. |
| RP | Andrew Vasquez | LA | TOR | Vazquez threw just 1.2 innings last year for the Dodgers, but Toronto is going to take a shot on the 28-year-old southpaw and his impressive strikeout numbers in the minors. Despite having just 6.2 innings under his belt at the big league level, in Triple-A last year, across 48.1 innings of work, he amassed a whopping 79 strikeouts. He remains off the fantasy radar for now, but if he earns a spot in the pen and the strikeouts remain high, he could become quite interesting as the year rolls on. |
| C | Kurt Suzuki | LAA | LAA | The Angels bring back Suzuki to back up Max Stassi behind the dish. This is a solid move in reality, but it doesn't move the needle much in fantasy. Even if Suzuki's batting average returns to what it was back in 2017-2019, Stassi is LA's catcher, so playing time won't be there for Suzuki. |
| SS | Jose Iglesias | BOS | COL | Iglesias is an excellent defender and a .356 batting average over the final 23 games of the season is something to build upon for 2022. He very well could be the everyday shortstop in the game's best offensive park, and that shouldn't go unnoticed. However, don't go crazy, as Garrett Hampson and Brendan Rodgers can both play short as needed, and Iglesias' career 84.2 mph average exit velocity and 1.5 percent barrel rate won't magically be cured by Coors. The ballpark boost will help, but he's still a below average fantasy asset, outside of maybe a .270+ batting average and a couple of steals. |
| RF | Ehire Adrianza | ATL | WSH | While Adrianza's batted ball profile, largely his average exit velocity, won't wow anyone, he doesn't miss often in the zone, and while the trend line for his contact rate is trending down, it's still been above 80 percent in every year of his career. He stays in the zone, doesn't strikeout a ton and has shown an improved willingness to take a walk in recent seasons (8.0 BB% for his career, but 9.5 BB% since 2019). He doesn't have a starting spot with the team at time of signing, but his flexibility and versatility will give him options, should the likes of Victor Robles, Carter Kieboom or Cesar Hernandez fail to meet expectations. |
| RP | Nick Wittgren | CLE | STL | Well, the 2021 season for Wittgren was incredibly unlucky to say the least. Despite inducing fewer fly balls that he ever has in his career, resulting in a career-low launch angle, increased hard contact and a massive outlier of a HR/FB rate (24.5%) pushed his home run rate up to 1.88. Home runs have been an issue since heading to Cleveland in 2019 for Wittgren, but there's reason to believe that that mark should dip a bit in 2022. However, he's not in line for save chances, and outside of his 2020 season, he's never been a big time strikeout arm. There's not much fantasy appeal here, but in reality, St. Louis continues to load up their bullpen with proven experience. |
| LF | Tim Locastro | NYY | NYY | Locastro can flat out fly, as seen by his 100th percentile sprint speed in 2019, 2020 and 2021. However, there's not much else. He's your typical speedster with an underwhelming batted ball profile and outside of 2020, he doesn't walk a ton. Playing time is going to be hard to come by with the state of the Yankees at this juncture, likely relegating him to a fourth or fifth outfielder and pinch-running role. |
| RP | Adam Ottavino | BOS | NYM | Command is an issue for Ottavino, but his stuff is so filthy that his biggest strength can also be his biggest demise. Regardless of a double-digit walk rate each of the past five seasons, he's an above-average strikeout guy with an insane ability to limit hard contact. The landing spot is a bit underwhelming for fantasy, since it will take a collapse from Edwin Diaz to get saves, but Ottavino has proven that he can be immensely valuable in solds leagues, especially if he can either enjoy an uptick in punch outs or cut back on the walks. |
| 3B | Hanser Alberto | KC | LA | Alberto provides the Dodgers with some depth and versatility off the bench, as the former Royal played second, short and third for Kansas City in 2021. He hit .286 against southpaws last season, so he could find himself on a smaller side of a platoon with a fully healthy Dodgers team. His versatility should give him plenty of options to crack the lineup on any given day, especially when the opposition trots out a southpaw. His best fantasy asset will be his ability to hit for a decent average. |
| RP | Matt Strahm | SD | BOS | Strahm was excellent in 2018, posting a 2.05 ERA with a 10.13 K/9 across 61.1 innings of work. However, since the end of the 2018 season, he's spent time on the injured list for multiple patella tendon issues, a rib strain and knee inflammation. Boston is buying into the potential upside with Strahm if he can stay healthy. |
| RP | Jake Diekman | OAK | BOS | For his career, Diekman has reverse splits, in that he fares better against righties than lefties, and when facing righties for his career, he has a 30.6 percent strikeout rate. For the majority of his career, he's been a ground ball menace, but last year's 36.2 percent ground ball rate was the first time in the past half decade that he's dropped below 48 percent in that department. He threw his sinker more in 2021, but the heat map for the pitch was too high in the zone. Further refinement of that pitch should help induce more ground balls and avoid a repeat of last year's career-worst 1.48 HR/9. If things pan out for Diekman, he could push for saves in the Boston pen. |
| RP | Brad Boxberger | MIL | MIL | While Boxberger was unable to replicate his ground ball prowess from the 2020 season, he enjoyed a sizable uptick in strikeouts thanks to a jump in whiff rate with all three of his pitches. Outside of 2020, he's typically been solid in terms of strikeouts and whiffs, so there's no reason to believe that the strikeouts won't be there again for Boxberger in 2022. Josh Hader is the man closing games in Milwaukee, but one would believe that he's the next man up, along with Devin Williams should anything happen to Hader. He could even see a few more strikeouts in 2022 if he can get more swings out of the zone, and push closer to his career mark of 26 percent (just 21.9 percent in 2021). |
| SP | Vince Velasquez | SD | CWS | By signing Velasquez, Chicago is going to hope that the strikeouts and upside are on display with improved command and good health. Velasquez's career high workload is back in 2018 when he fired 146.2 innings, but he amassed that over 31 appearances. Efficiency isn't a part of his game for the most part, but Chicago is hoping that he can flourish in a long reliever role. |
| RP | Brad Hand | NYM | PHI | Hand's 2021 season was one to forget for the most part, outside of a smidge of time in Washington and his final appearances with the Mets. He bounced back at the end of the year, especially by keeping the ball in the ball park. He joins a very crowded Philadelphia bullpen where his path to saves is incredibly muddled. If the strikeout rate returns, he could be a good option for solds. |
| CF | Odúbel Herrera | PHI | PHI | Philadelphia needed outfield help, but if Herrera was the plan, why not just let Mickey Moniak play? Herrera hasn't been useful in fantasy baseball for long stints outside of his first couple years in the league. He doesn't strikeout a ton. but over the last three years, he has a .308 OBP and just 1.6 WAR. He'll start the year as an everyday outfielder, but his fantasy value is marginal at best. |
| SP | Jakob Junis | KC | SF | This is about a good of landing spot as Junis could have hoped for all things considered. He'll serve as the team's sixth starter, although there are some health concerns in the San Fran rotation, so he could become a nice streamer throughout the course of the year. San Francisco has worked wonders with pitchers of late, and if Junis can get even just slightly better against left-handed hitters, he could be in store for a nice year as a streamer, especially if last year's career-best strikeout rate (24.4%) sticks around. |
| RP | Chad Kuhl | PIT | COL | Kuhl is going to struggle in Colorado. He allows a good bit of hard contact, and over the last three years, he's posted a 16.7 percent HR/FB rate, 1.49 HR/9 and 9.5 percent barrel rate. If Colorado doesn't push him to use his sinking fastball more to generate more grounders, his ERA just might be north of five this year. |
| RP | Heath Hembree | CIN | PIT | Hembree opened the year strong with New York, but after going to the Reds, despite notching eight saves, the wheels came off a bit. For the season as a whole, his 4.34 FIP and 3.84 xFIP look far better than his 5.59 ERA. He was solid in the strikeout department, posting a career best 34.2 percent strikeout rate. He didn't induce as many ground balls as years past, leading to an inflated 1.86 HR/9. Home runs have been a problem for Hembree for most of his career, but he could become an interesting reliever mid-season if the Pirates trade David Bednar and his strikeout rate in 2022 is over a batter per inning. |
| 1B | Daniel Vogelbach | MIL | PIT | Pittsburgh desperately need a big bopper in the lineup, and Vogelbach will slide in at first base and DH while hitting in the middle of the Pittsburgh lineup. Back in 2019 he hit 30 home runs, and he does have 15 home runs over his last 132 games. He should get ample playing time in an offensively-challenged Pittsburgh lineup, providing fantasy managers with some cheap pop late in drafts. |
| RP | Chris Martin | ATL | CHI | From 2019-2020, Martin was a solid source of strikeouts, posting a 30 percent or higher strikeout rate in those two seasons. Last year, it plummeted to a career-low 18.2 percent. Well, for starters, his whiff rate plummeted to 20.9 percent, which is closer to his 2018 mark, and he induced fewer swings out of the zone. Furthermore, when they did swing at pitches out of the zone, there was more contact made. If the strikeout rate is there, and he’s missing bats or keeping the ball on the ground, he should see some save opportunities in a wide open Chicago bullpen. |
| RP | Jimmy Nelson | LA | LA | After a few years starting in Milwaukee, and a couple of injuries along the way, Nelson flourished as a reliever for the Dodgers last season. He posted a 37.9 percent strikeout rate over 28 appearances, while posting a career best 3.6 percent barrel rate. He had Tommy John surgery late last season, so we won’t see Nelson until the very later parts of the regular season, or perhaps even the postseason as the earliest. Health has been a major issue for Nelson the last handful of years, and this most recent surgery to fix his UCL and flexor tendon is just the latest in the string of bad luck for Nelson. |
| RP | Collin McHugh | TB | ATL | What happened with McHugh lats season? He dropped the fastball usage and massively increased his slider usage, throwing it more than half of the time in 2021. His slider has always been quite good, but in a relief role, it flourished, posting a .177 batting average against and 30.8 whiff rate. It might not all be related to the slider, but the shift in his mix up of pitches resulted in all four of his pitches notching a whiff rate of at least 30 percent. He might see a couple save chances, but he’ll likely be placed in high-leverage situations and tasked to extinguish fires. He should be solid for fantasy managers, especially in NL-only formats, who need a healthy number of innings with a plus strikeout rate and some solds. |
| RP | Andrew Chafin | OAK | DET | The Tigers have made a lot of improvements this offseason and Chafin's signing shouldn't be overlooked. Despite a reduction in strikeouts, Chafin posted a career best 86.1 percent strand rate and 2.49 BB/9. He's losing fastball velocity as he's getting older, but he continues to be a menace against left-handed hitters, allowing a .190 batting average and .242 wOBA over the last two seasons. He'll operate as one of the primary setup men to Gregory Soto, and if Detroit is as improved as they appear to be on paper, he should be a nice source of holds in 2022. |
| LF | Alex Dickerson | SF | ATL | Back in 2020, when Dickerson cut into his strikeout rate a bit, he hit 10 home runs in just 52 games alongside a .298 batting average for the Giants. In 2021, the strikeouts returned, and his average exit velocity dropped over three miles per hour, leading to a down year in a rather strict platoon. San Francisco limited his exposure to lefties in 2021, even though he posted a respectable .286 batting average against them. Dickerson does have some pop, but even if he breaks camp with the team, there's no spot for him in this talented Atlanta lineup. |
| 2B | Donovan Solano | SF | CIN | If Cincinnati continues shipping pieces out, Solano could find himself in a regular role at a very hitter friendly stadium. Over the last three years, he's been a nice source of batting average, but that's really the only meaningful contribution he's made for fantasy purposes. He doesn't have much pop, doesn't run a lot, and prior to last year, hardly took a walk. He could be a cheap source of batting average in Cincinnati if he were to get to a full time role. Over the last years, Solano hit .308. |
| LF | Charlie Culberson | TEX | TEX | Culberson's already underwhelming batted ball profile disappointed even more in 2021, as he posted the second-lowest average exit velocity in his last six seasons and a measly 3.2 percent barrel rate. He can run a little bit, but with the offensive overhaul the Texas Rangers have made this season, a regular role in the lineup is likely out of the question for Culberson. |
| RP | Greg Holland | KC | TEX | Holland posted a career low 8.6 K/9 last year, and home runs were a problem for the veteran right-hander. His 1.46 HR/9 was boosted by a 14.8 percent HR/FB rate and insane 14.1 percent barrel rate. One would think those numbers would even out a bit here in 2022, but it’s not a risk worth taking in fantasy on draft night. He could work his way into saves, as the Texas bullpen is far from a sure thing, but he’ll operate as either the seventh or eighth inning guy. |
| CF | Joc Pederson | ATL | SF | Pederson is who he is and he doesn’t waver from it. When he makes contact, it’s usually solid, as he has top end max exit velocity and a double-digit barrel rate in each of the last three seasons. His average exit velocity doesn’t drop below the 80th percentile, but strikeouts are a part of his game. To his credit, he’s gotten better over the years, as he is now in the mid-20s compared to upper-20s in terms of strikeout rate. He’ll be swinging for McCovey Cove more often than not, and he’ll add some thump to the San Fran lineup. |
| SP | Matthew Boyd | DET | SF | Despite the 3-8 record, Boyd posted a career low 3.89 ERA over 78.2 innings last year, along with the second-lowest WHIP of his career and career best 1.0 HR/9. Keeping the ball in the stadium had been an issue for Boyd, as prior to 2021, that mark was all the way up at 1.7 HR/9. Compared to years prior, he induced less hard contact, while posting a ground ball rate that was three percentage points above his career norm. Recency bias wiped some of the shine off his season, as he missed time with elbow ailments, but up until his injury, he had a 3.44 ERA and 1.20 WHIP across 70.2 innings of work. This a nice upside signing for the Giants’ rotation, as Boyd can work as a long reliever, or fill in for a spot start if needed. |
| 2B | Matt Duffy | CHI | LAA | Duffy’s .351 BABIP was a bit above his career norm, but there shouldn’t be much regression in his batting average. He’s a .283 career hitter, so it would be shocking if his average dropped below .270 in a good Angels lineup. His batted ball profile won’t win any awards, but he makes a lot of hard contact, and has posted a swinging strike rate less than seven percent in each of his last two seasons. The Angels get a serviceable option in the middle of their infield, and those in AL-only formats can utilize Duffy as a cheap source of batting average and speed. |
| CF | Corey Dickerson | TOR | STL | Dickerson will provide some pop in the St. Louis lineup, mostly against righties, as he's hit below .235 each of the last two years against southpaws. Thanks to the universal DH, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Dickerson get a good chunk of at-bats in the DH spot, again, against righties in particular. For the best fantasy results, he will need to improve last year's measly 3.0 percent barrel rate, and cut into his 50 percent ground ball rate over the last two seasons. |
| 3B | Jonathan Villar | NYM | CHI | No matter where he is, Villar is a nice power-speed option for fantasy purposes. He's played on four teams in the past three seasons, and outside of the 2020 season, he's posted double-digit home runs and stolen bases in every season dating back to 2016! His speed helps him outproduce his xBA metrics, and his versatility allows him to crack the lineup at multiple spots. Whether it's at second, third, shortstop or DH, he's going to play a lot for Chicago in 2022. |
| RP | Sean Doolittle | SEA | WSH | Doolittle and Washington go way back. Well, a couple of seasons for the most part. From 2018-2020 with the Nationals, Doolittle posted a 28.8 percent strikeout rate, 5.4 percent walk rate, 54 saves and a 3.20 ERA. The Washington bullpen needed a lefty in there, and Doolittle is just that. He will need to harness command issues that have plagued him the last two years, and if he's able to do that, he could develop into an option in the ninth. |
| RP | Jason Adam | CHI | TB | Tampa Bay has a good track record with pitchers, and there's two things we know about Adam. He can strikeout batters with the best of them, and command is an issue. If Tampa Bay can harness his command and not sacrifice the strikeouts in doing so, watch out. He boasted an elite spin rate on his fastball last season, while his curveball and slider were elite in the whiffs department. It's small sample sizes, sure, but over the past two years, he's posted a 41.7 percent and 34 percent whiff rate. |
| RP | Archie Bradley | PHI | LAA | After five straight years with a strikeout rate north of 22 percent, Bradley's strikeout rate tumbled to just 17.9 percent last year. His swinging strike rate fell to seven percent, which is his lowest since 2015, but while his O-Swing rate remained stable, his O-Contact rate jumped to 78.9 percent. The strikeout rate should bounce back a bit in 2022, and ideally, he maintains last year's ground ball rate, too. |
| RP | Ryan Tepera | CWS | LAA | Tepera was solid last year, posting a 30+ percent strikeout rate for the second straight year and bringing his walk rate down to 7.9 percent, which is lower than his career average (8.9%). His last couple of years in Toronto were riddled with home run problems, but they have straightened out over the last two seasons. However, despite allowing a career high fly ball rate last season, a low 6.6 percent HR/FB rate helped him out a good bit. His expected statistics were excellent last season, and have been good in years past. While he won't close for the Angels, he could provide plenty of holds for a team that looks to be better on paper than 2021. |
| 1B | Colin Moran | PIT | CIN | Moran’s power never quite developed in Pittsburgh, as his best season from a power standpoint was 13 home runs in 149 games back in 2019. There was reason to be excited in 2021 for Moran, as his 2020 season looked to be a turning point for his power numbers, as he enjoyed a bump in his average exit velocity and barrel rate. It appears that the 2020 season was an outlier, as he returned to more normal marks for him in 2021. He’s going to a great hitter’s park and should get some meaningful at-bats against right-handers, but from a fantasy standpoint, he needs to get the ball in the air more. A 1.90 GB/FB ratio and a 52.1 percent ground ball rate are inhibitors to increased power production. |
| 3B | Brad Miller | PHI | TEX | Miller’s impressive batted ball profile over the past couple seasons remained steady in 2021, as he posted a double-digit barrel rate for the third-straight season. Playing half of your games in Philadelphia helps, too, as he posted a 25 percent HR/FB rate for the season, and a 27.8 percent mark at home specifically. He hit .244 with an .842 OPS against righties, and he’s been far better against righties compared to southpaws for his career. Texas signed him to a two-year deal and should get the larger side of any platoon at third base in the Texas infield. |
| RP | Daniel Norris | MIL | CHI | It’s easy to see why Norris struggled in 2021. His average exit velocity and hard hit rate came in the first and sixth percentile and if you look at his pitching heatmap, his fastball lived in the middle of the zone. His weak contact rates were below league average, but the upside is that most of his expected statistics say he should have been at least slightly better than what he actually was, as indicated by his 4.33 xERA and 4.27 xFIP. He won’t be fantasy relevant in 2022, especially if he doesn’t cut into last year’s walk rate and induce more weak contact. |
| RP | Mychal Givens | CIN | CHI | Despite his home run rate being higher than what you would want for a reliever in the later innings of games, Givens was exceptional last year at limiting hard contact. He threw his changeup more than ever before, and it posted a .129 batting average against. After an odd 2020 season where he allowed way more fly balls than usual, it was great to see his ground ball rate closer to 40 percent than 20 percent. With a strong spring and early start to the year, his closing experience should prove valuable to the Cubs. |
| RP | Garrett Richards | BOS | TEX | Injuries have hampered Richards' career, and his most productive outings alst year came as a reliever. Texas will be best suited to let him work out of the pen in 2022, as his 3.42 ERA as a reliever was far better than his 5.22 ERA as a starter. Beyond that, as a reliever, he posted a 24.8 percent strikeout rate, and 2.90 FIP. Sure, he can make a spot start if needed, but Texas would be wise to use him as a reliever. |
| SP | Danny Duffy | KC | LA | Duffy should be ready somewhere in the middle of the season after getting flexor tendon surgery in October. Duffy made just 12 starts last season, but he was off to an excellent start, posting a 2.51 ERA and 25.8 percent strikeout rate prior to getting injured. He missed some time during the year, too, but the Dodgers will be hoping that upon his return, he can be a solid lefty for the team, whether it be as a back end starter or long reliever. |
| SP | Michael Pineda | MIN | DET | Pineda was excellent for the Twins last year, when healthy, in terms of being a steady presence in the rotation. His 3.62 ERA was good, though his 4.21 FIP and 4.96 xERA may point to some luck. My biggest concerns with Pineda are health, his diminishing strikeout rate, and at some point, his propensity to allow hard contact will catch up with him. He'll be a stalwart in the Detroit rotation, which is good for innings, but his fantasy upside is capped. |
| SP | Tyler Anderson | SEA | LA | For his entire career, he posted a 4.12 ERA at Coors Field, compared to a 4.92 ERA at every other stadium. He harnessed his command last year, posting a career best 5.4 percent walk rate, but an increase in his swinging strikeout rate from the past two years didn't create a jump in strikeout rate that you might expect. If the Dodgers can fine tune a couple of things with his arsenal, if he can replicate 2021's O-Swing rate and swinging strike rate, he could become fantasy viable as a starter in deeper formats. |
| SP | Drew Smyly | ATL | CHI | Smyly dropped his walk rate for the second straight season and was quite good for Atlanta, winning 11 games over 29 appearances (23 starts). Home runs were a problem last year, both at home (1.94 HR/9) and on the road (1.90 HR/9). If he can get the home runs in check, and maintain last year’s K-BB%, he could be a serviceable arm in fantasy for those in deeper mixed setups, or NL-only formats. |
| RP | Joe Smith | SEA | MIN | Even as he continues to age, Smith does a good job of limiting hard contact, specifically missing the opposition’s barrel. His sinking fastball is a ground ball machine, posting a -8 degree launch angle last season. Other than posting a 33.2 percent strikeout rate back in 2017, he’s never been a massive strikeout guy, and his arsenal lends itself to more ground balls and weak contact compared to swings and misses. He’ll be a solid arm in the pen for Minnesota, but his fantasy value is minimal. |
| SP | Zach Davies | CHI | ARI | In recent years, Davies has become a guy that allows a lot of hard contact, and it bottomed out last year with a career worst 1.52 HR/9. The strikeout rate fell back to more normal marks, but fewer swings out of the zone and a career worst first strike percentage led to a career high walk rate for Davies. His rough second half of the year ballooned his numbers, so Arizona is hoping he can return, at least, to his ways through the first 92.2 innings of the year, and not the last 55.1. |
| RP | Hunter Strickland | MIL | CIN | Lucas Sims' delayed start to the season only hurts an already thin bullpen, so signing Strickland provides some much needed experience in the Cincinnati bullpen. Strickland may only have 21 career saves, but he has 72 holds for his career. His strikeout rate has been solid the last two seasons, but if he doesn't minimize hard contact like he's done the last few years, his fly ball tendencies could be problematic in Great American Small Park. |
| CF | Kevin Pillar | NYM | LA | With a fully healthy LA squad, Pillar will be a role player and could be used as a late game defensive replacement if necessary. However, with some regulars for the Dodgers likely getting a slow start to the season, Pillar could see some added playing time early on. There's enough pop in his bat and speed in his legs to be fantasy relevant, but again, when the Dodgers are healthy, his role from a fantasy perspective is minimal. |
| RP | Bryan Shaw | CLE | CLE | Shaw logged an impressive 81 appearances last season for Cleveland, and his experience is much needed in the Cleveland pen. His strikeout rate returned to 20+ percent after a two year hiatus, and his 11.2 percent swinging strike rate was solid. There could be some holds leagues appeal with Shaw, especially if his fastball velocity stays where it was last year and he continues to work his arsenal. Saves are likely out of the question for the most part, so unless your league values holds, and likely is AL-only, Shaw will be off your radar. |
| C | Stephen Vogt | ATL | OAK | Vogt has really struggled the last two years, posting a .188 batting average and .261 wOBA over his last 319 plate appearances. Oakland is hoping to recapture his 2015 and 2016 seasons with the team, but for a reloading Oakland team, Vogt will primarily serve as a bench bat for this team. If he gets regular playing time, there could be some cheap pop, but his batting average has to improve to make the juice worth the squeeze. |
| RP | Sergio Romo | OAK | SEA | Romo is a serviceable bullpen arm that has remained steady through the years, despite losing steam on his fastball. The stirkeout rate has fluctuated, and while he isn't the fantasy asset he used to be, he brings plenty of relief experience to a major league bullpen. He allows a good number of fly balls, but he minimizes hard contact exceptionally well, and he's posted an xERA below 3.50 in six of the past seven seasons. He could see some save opportunities as the year progresses, but it will take some faltering from the guys ahead of him for that to happen. |
| 2B | Jed Lowrie | OAK | OAK | At 37 years young, Lowrie had a solid first half, posting a .263 average with 10 home runs across his first 300 at-bats. Well, over the last half of the season, he hit just .210 and his BABIP dropped by nearly 60 points. Father Time always wins out, and since Lowrie doesn’t run at all anymore, he becomes a low power guy with no speed. He should get plenty of at-bats in a weak Oakland lineup, and there’s some optimism following last year’s increase in average exit velocity and barrel rate, but he’s nothing more than a late-round flier at best. |
| 1B | Albert Pujols | LA | STL | It looked like Pujols was on a very quiet path out of the league, but a trade to the Dodgers sent the future Hall of Famer right to the fountain of youth. He hit 12 home runs in 85 games with the team, hitting .254 with a .206 ISO. He posted a .939 OPS against southpaws, compared to a measly .500 OPS versus righties. Over the last three seasons, Pujols' .219 batting average pales in comparison to his .268 mark against southpaws. He could play the occasional first base to give Paul Goldschmidt a break, but the majority of his at-bats should come against southpaws as the DH for the Cardinals. |
| SP | Chris Archer | TB | MIN | Archer made just five starts and missed over four months of the season. Upon his return from the IL, he posted a respectable 9.00 K/9 and 4.20 ERA. Home runs have been a major problem the last couple of seasons for Archer, and he's struggled getting deep into games, in large part due to allowing a 5.21 ERA and .361 wOBA the second time through the order. Minnesota will hope that a good defense behind Archer can ignite a bounce back year for a guy with pretty good stuff, but don't be too quick to forget that his fastball velocity has been trending down, and he's allowed a 4.70 ERA over his last 287.1 innings. Yes, in that span, he does have a 10.21 K/9, but as nice as that is, that 1.47 HR/9 is worrisome. |
| SP | Johnny Cueto | SF | CWS | At 36 years young, Cueto heads to Chicago (on a minor league deal) to add a reliable arm to a rotation that will be without Lance Lynn for quite some time. Cueto doesn't strike many guys out any more, but he continues to display excellent command and his antics on the mound can throw off the rhythm of the batter. He's posted a barrel rate below seven percent in each of the pat two seasons, and he enjoyed his home park last year, posting a 3.78 ERA at home. Cueto will likely enter the rotation at some point in the early part of the 2022 season, but he's an innings eater in deeper formats at best. |
LF | Tommy Pham | SD | CIN | Last year's .280 BABIP didn't do him any favors, and his .258 xBA looks far better than his .229 average. He posted a double-digit barrel rate for the first time since 2016, and his launch angle was above his career norm, which could play nicely in his new digs. His new home park is far more friendly for right-handed hitters than Petco Park, so Pham could enjoy a boost in his numbers. With a batting average north of .250 with double-digit home runs and steals, Pham's ADP is sure to rise given his friendly new home confines. |
SS | Trevor Story | COL | BOS | Story has been excellent for fantasy over the years, and even though his batting average fell to .251 last year, a .293 BABIP didn’t do him any favors. He stole 15 bags in just 59 games in 2020, and in the last three full seasons, he has 20+ stolen bases in each season. One interesting thing to note from last season is that 17 of his 20 stolen bases came in the first 77 games of the season, meaning that he had just three stolen bases over the final 65 games. For his career, he’s a .241 hitter on the road with a .752 OPS, but he’s going to a lineup that has more talent than what he had in Colorado last season. His counting stats should be a nice boost, and he should enjoy some of those parks in the AL East. Also, he’s going to gain another position to his ledger, likely second base, making him more enticing in his new threads. |
RF | Jorge Soler | ATL | MIA | Despite a dip in his average exit velocity, Soler remained well above average in that department, and he continued his solid walk rate from the last few years. Despite hitting just .223, he cut into his strikeout rate a bit, but his low .250 BABIP and xBA of .250 provide some optimism. He’s a career .251 hitter, and while it’s not the best home park, his raw power shouldn’t be a problem. After a rough start to the year, Soler was excellent over his last 67 games, helping cash in on a nice deal with the Marlins. |
SS | Carlos Correa | HOU | MIN | Correa's 2021 season was his second-best season from a fantasy perspective as a pro. His 26 home runs, 92 RBI, and 104 runs scored were all career highs, and he decreased his strikeout rate for the third season in a row. Minnesota isn't a great park for righty power, and the lineup isn't as packed as Houston's, but as long as he stays healthy, he should be in line for another productive season. He will not run, so be careful pushing him up too high with this news. |
RF | Nick Castellanos | CIN | PHI | Castellanos benefitted from a great home park, but Philadelphia plays well for hitters, too, so it's not a substantial downgrade by any means. He joins a lineup with Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber, so the counting stats should be good for Castellanos in 2022. He posted a sixth-straight season with a double-digit barrel rate, and his home/road splits from 2021 should be less concerning now that he's in a good hitter's park. While I have my doubts that he hits above .300 again, he's in line for a .290+ batting average with 30 home runs and will push for 200+ RBI+R. |
RP | Kenley Jansen | LA | ATL | Jansen’s cutter is infamous among major league hitters, but he’s opted to use it less frequently in recent years. Jansen has an uncanny ability to minimize hard contact and he returned to keeping the ball on the ground (37.9 GB% in 2021) last year. Even if he isn't striking guys out at the same rate he was a few years ago, his 30 percent strikeout rate is still solid, and his contract says that he will immediately be the ninth inning man for a very, very good Atlanta team. |
1B | Freddie Freeman | ATL | LA | After spending the first decade, and then some, of his career in Atlanta, Freeman heads over to the Dodgers on a lucrative multi-year deal. The rich get richer here, as Freeman joins a lineup that already features Mookie Betts, Trea Turner, Will Smith, Justin Turner, Max Muncy and others. Freeman will continue to hit for a high average, but the supporting cast around him will push him to 100+ runs and 100+ RBI in a season for the second time in his career. His double-digit barrel rate and ability to consistently make hard contact should lead him to an excellent year with a .290+ batting average, 30+ home runs, over 200 RBI+R and even a handful of steals tacked on. |
RF | Kris Bryant | SF | COL | While his .313 BABIP last season was still below his career norm, he enjoyed his highest marks in terms of average exit velocity (88.2 mph) and barrel rate (10.3%) since 2016. His trend line for his ground ball rate isn’t going in the right direction, and he posted a career low 39.2 percent fly ball rate last season. While the move is quite shocking in reality, it’s a fantasy manager’s dream, for a quality slugger to go to the game’s most prolific park for offensive production. Coors Field won’t mask all your flaws, but Bryant is in an excellent spot at the game’s best offensive park. His multi-positional eligibility is icing on the cake. If the stolen base from last year sticks around in 2022, he could be a member of the 30/10 club. |
SP | Zack Greinke | HOU | KC | Turn back the clocks and party like it's 2004! Greinke began his career with the Royals, rocking a fastball in the mid-90s. Well, over a decade later since he last pitched for them, he's back, with a fastball in the upper-80s. Greinke has overcame dwindling velocity quite nicely throughout his career, using pinpoint command and an impressive ability to limit hard contact. Greinke doesn't strikeout many batters anymore, and now has an underwhelming offense supporting him. There's not a lot of fantasy appeal to be had here with Greinke, outside of your top five or so starters. |
RP | David Robertson | TB | CHI | Robertson logged just 12 innings last year, and since the start of the 2019 season, he has just 18.2 innings under his belt due to having Tommy John surgery near the end of the 2019 season. However, from 2014-2017, over 258.1 innings of work, Robertson posted a 2.93 ERA, 2.83 FIP, 12.37 K/9 and 124 saves. If he can return to form prior to Tommy John surgery, Rowan Wick has legitimate competition for ninth inning duties. |
LF | Eddie Rosario | ATL | ATL | When looking at Rosario's 2021 season, the 11 stolen bases were a nice touch, and quite frankly, rather unexpected from the two seasons prior. His batted ball profile remained intact, although the most noticeable changes came in a reduction of his fly ball rate from years past and a return to being more aggressive in the strike zone. Rosario was excellent in the postseason, but that performance doesn't likely translate over the course of a full season, but there should be more power from Rosario in a full season at Truist Park. |
LF | Kyle Schwarber | BOS | PHI | Philadelphia adds one of the more prolific power bats available in free agency this offseason. Outside of 2020, Schwarber has 30 or more home runs in three of his last four seasons, and he continues to make hard contact often. Last year's 17.5 percent barrel rate was a career high, and while his 28.6 percent HR/FB rate is rather high, his career mark is 25.1 percent and goes to a good park for power. Compared to year's past, he did a much better job staying in the zone, and swung at more pitches in the zone than ever before. Strikeouts will be a part of his game, but he's going to a good home park, and will hit in a good lineup for fantasy purposes. Hopefully you got your shares of Schwarber already, because his ADP is about to skyrocket, and rightfully so, as he may flirt with 40+ homers this season. |
1B | Anthony Rizzo | NYY | NYY | A .258 BABIP didn’t do Rizzo any favors last year, but he largely remained the same player overall from a batted ball profile perspective. He made less hard contact in the pinstripes last season, but his xBA of .260 last season means some bad luck affected his overall numbers. Rizzo has always had great plate discipline, as we all know, and he’ll be well suited at the top of the Yankee lineup in 2022, which will help his counting stats. A good home stadium, not to mention other stadiums in the American League East, will help him get closer to the 30 home run barrier, but he profiles more as a 22-26 home run guy this season. His signing in New York will likely inflate his ADP a bit, but there’s still plenty of room for profit with the veteran first baseman. |
LF | Andrew McCutchen | PHI | MIL | A good home park and an elevated HR/FB rate helped push McCutchen to 27 home runs, which was his most in a season since 2017. Milwaukee plays well for right-handed power, but last year's home run total was aided by some luck in the HR/FB department. Last year's 18.8 percent HR/FB rate was the second highest of his career (19.4% in 2012), and regression should be in store considering that there were no sizable gains in his average exit velocity or launch angle. Milwaukee offers a good lineup for his counting stats, and he should have the opportunity to be the team's DH more often than not, hopefully preserving his health. |
DH | Nelson Cruz | TB | WSH | Cruz is aging like fine wine, as he continues to have immense power and leave the yard with regularity wherever he goes. His .232 ISO last season was his lowest mark since 2010, but he still hit 32 home runs across 140 games in 2021. The Nationals needed a big bopper in their lineup, and Cruz will be the team's everyday DH. He could even log some time at first when Josh Bell needs an off day. There were far more favorable stadiums he could have went to from a fantasy perspective, but he has enough raw power that it doesn't matter, and he continues to boast excellent hard contact and barrel rates into his 40s. |
RP | Ian Kennedy | PHI | ARI | Kennedy went 26-for-30 in save opportunities last season and since starting to close in 2019, he's converted on 87.5 percent (56-for-64) of his save chances. Kennedy allows a good bit of hard contact, and last year's fly ball rate was astonishing, leading to a rather high 1.92 HR/9. He doesn't have great fastball velocity, but to his credit, he strikes out more guys than one would presume. Kennedy's fantasy value takes a hit, as he's likely sharing saves to begin the year, at best, with Mark Melancon in Arizona, but his closing experience should be valuable to Arizona. |
RP | Jeurys Familia | NYM | PHI | After a down year in 2020 in the strikeout department, Familia's strikeout numbers returned, posting a 10.9 K/9, which was his best mark over a full season in his entire career. His sinker generates a ton of ground balls, while his slider has posted a whiff rate north of 38 percent in each fo the last two years. The walks are a problem, and he's posted a double-digit walk rate in four of the last five seasons, which could give Philadelphia some pause in the ninth inning of games. Familia won't open the year as the team's closer, but he would become one of the primary options should anything happen to Corey Knebel or Jose Alvarado. |
SS | Niko Goodrum | DET | HOU | Goodrum can do it all for Houston, and his versatility will be greatly appreciated. In 2021, he logged time everywhere except pitcher, catcher, third base and right field. If the team opts to slow play Jeremy Pena, Goodrum could open the year as the everyday shortstop for a very potent offense. Yes, he has his issues at the dish, largely a 32.9 percent strikeout rate and 16 percent swinging strike rate dragging down his batting average. However, despite a .214 batting average, he hit nine home runs and stole 14 bags in 90 games for the Tigers last season. With regular playing time, he's easily a member of the 10/10 club, and while there's no guarantee of that in Houston, his versatility makes him the next man up at multiple positions. |
2B | Josh Harrison | OAK | CWS | This is a great signing for the White Sox, as Harrison will provide versatility off the bench, and if/when he starts, he's a more than serviceable option, especially against lefties. Harrison hit .295 with a 114 wRC+ against southpaws in 2021. He played all but three positions last season (P, C, 1B) and the White Sox needed a productive and versatile guy off the bench, and you are hard-pressed to find two words that describe Harrison more than those two. It's not great for his fantasy value unless an injury occurs and can step into an everyday role, but in reality, excellent signing by the White Sox. |
RP | Alex Colomé | MIN | COL | Another year with a different team where Colome likely gets a good number of save chances. How does he do it!? Colome went just 17-for-24 in save chances last season, and a .305 BABIP was well above his career norm (.279). He's not elite in the strikeout department, and outside of 2020, he has routinely allowed a lot of hard contact, to the point of ranking in the 33rd percentile or lower in all but one season (2020) since 2015. A closer is a closer, so he has inherent value there, but his batted ball profile is a substantial risk at Coors Field. |
SP | Yusei Kikuchi | SEA | TOR | Toronto makes an already deep rotation even deeper with this three-year deal for the southpaw. He’s enjoyed an uptick in his K/9 every year since being in the MLB, culminating in last year’s 9.34 K/9. He did allow a ton of hard contact, and his .289 BABIP isn’t as high as you thought it might be. Last year’s 20/6 HR/FB rate should drop a bit, and while there are some potent offenses in the division, there’s also big time strikeout potential in the AL East. This is a really good landing spot for Kikuchi, and he’s a solid value in drafts as a back-end fantasy starter. |
RP | Steve Cishek | LAA | WSH | This is a solid move for the Nationals to bolster the depth in their bullpen. The veteran sidewinder has ample closing and high-leverage experience through out his career, and while his strikeout rate has dwindled in recent seasons, he continues to induce hard contact, and his 2021 performance was a nice rebound from his rough 2020 season. Cishek will be one of the options to close out games for the Nationals in 2022, but he likely is second or third on the totem pole for saves. |
SP | Carlos Rodón | CWS | SF | The biggest concern with Rodon is his health as he's battled arm issues in the past, most recently his throwing shoulder. That being said, do we not think the Giants were satisfied enough by his medicals to give him $22M per year with an opt-out after year-one? This is a great landing spot for the lefty as the dimensions of Oracle Park and others in the NL West are significantly more favorable than the south side of Chicago. His current 108.8 ADP could start to climb with this landing spot. |
SS | Andrelton Simmons | MIN | CHI | Simmons is a defensive wizard and a far better option in reality than in fantasy baseball. In recent memory, he's been good for a handful of stolen bases, but in his 32-year-old season, the amount he runs is likely minimal. When you pair that with just 10 home runs over his last 928 at-bats, you don't have the makings of a fantasy star. Again, he's far better in reality than fantasy. |
SP | Clayton Kershaw | LA | LA | As if seeing Kershaw is anything other than Dodger blue was going to happen. Sure, there was a chance, but it didn't play out. Kershaw's strikeout rebounded in 2021 after three straight seasons before that with a K/9 below 10. He enjoyed a nice uptick in whiffs on his slider and curveball, while continuing to throw his four-seamer less. Durability is a big concern for Kershaw for fantasy purposes, as he hasn't made 30 starts in a season since 2015, but he remains solid on a per-inning basis, especially if last year's strikeout rate holds. He's not the fantasy ace he once was, but he's still a very serviceable option in the middle of your fantasy rotation, especially with that offense behind him. |
RP | Martín Pérez | BOS | TEX | Texas adds to their rotation by bringing Perez back on a one-year deal. He figures to slot in the near top of the rotation and eat up innings for an improved Rangers squad. While he should provide a reasonable number of innings, health willing, his below average strikeout rate and elevated home run rate are causes of concern. Texas does pay more favorable to pitchers, but Perez shouldn't be viewed as anything more than a backend option to give your team some innings. |
SS | Javier Báez | NYM | DET | The free swinging infielder has found a home in Detroit for the next half decade plus. He makes hard contact, with a barrel rate north of 12 percent in three of the past four seasons, and he’s posted double-digit home runs and stolen bases in every season he’s played more than 100 games. His free swinging nature makes him fun to watch, but his propensity to leave the zone isn’t doing his strikeout rate any favors, as it has increased in each of the past three seasons, peaking at least year’s ugly 33.6 percent mark. It’s not the best supporting cast in Detroit by any means, so his counting stats may not be as lucrative as recent memory. However, he’s a shoe-in for the 20/10 club, and his ability to steal bases will keep him valuable in fantasy formats, even as his strikeout rate continues to rise. |
SP | José Berríos | TOR | TOR | After trading Austin Martin and Simeon Woods-Richardson at the trade deadline this past season, Toronto locks in the right-hander for the foreseeable future. Berrios went 5-4 with a 1.09 WHIP and 3.58 ERA across 70.1 innings of work after the trade last season, and his walk rate (4.5%) and strikeout rate (26.8%) with the Blue Jays would have been career-bests for the veteran right hander.
His work in Toronto and Minnesota last season marked the third time since 2018 he surpassed 190 innings on the bump and Toronto is hoping that the right-hander can be a consistent force in its starting rotation for years to come. The upcoming season should see Berrios be a reliable arm, thanks to a loaded offense backing him. |
SP | Noah Syndergaard | NYM | LAA | We all knew the Angels needed pitching badly, but this is rather risky. Not only did the Angels dole out $21 million for the former New York Met, but they forfeit a second-round pick since Syndergaard was tendered a qualifying offer from the Mets. Syndergaard has logged just 10 innings (2 IP in majors) since the end of the 2019 season, as he missed 2020 and 2021 due to Tommy John surgery and a myriad of setbacks along the way.
When healthy, Syndergaard is one of the more electric pitchers in the entire game. From 2015-2019, Syndergaard posted a 3.31 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 49.1 percent ground ball rate and a 26.4 strikeout rate. It’s a good deal for Syndergaard as he gets a sizable one-year deal with the hopes of cashing in on a long term deal next offseason. The high-risk, high-reward move can be rationalized from the Angels’ perspective, to an extent, as they look to bolster its rotation to get Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani to the postseason. |
RP | Andrew Heaney | NYY | LA | The Dodgers wanted a veteran arm in the rotation and Heaney is just that. There is some upside to be had with Heaney, especially if he can stay healthy and if Los Angeles can put his excellent stuff to use. Heaney has a career 9.22 K/9 and 3.63 K/BB ratio. However, after years in Los Angeles, he was traded to the Yankees, and he was a massive disappointment, allowing 13 home runs in just 35.2 innings of work. In 2021, he ranked in the 91st percentile in chase rate and 66th percentile in whiff rate, but that was vastly overshadowed by ranking in the 21st and 32nd percentile in barrel rate and hard hit rate respectively. Since the start of 2018, Heaney has the 10th-highest barrel rate amongst starters, and the 28th-highest hard hit rate.
If Los Angeles can maximize Heaney’s stuff, 2022 should prove to be a nice rebound for the left-hander at a solid value for the National League powerhouse. He figures to open the year as one of the team’s starters and could help your team’s ratios. |
SP | Eduardo Rodriguez | BOS | DET | It’s a five-year deal for a nice chunk of change, but there is an opt out after the second year of this deal. Overall, it’s a really good deal for Rodriguez, who can re-test the market prior to turning 30, but should injuries rear its ugly head again, he has plenty of guarantees to safeguard against that.
Rodriguez didn’t pitch in 2020 due to a health issue, and despite a 4.74 ERA and 1.39 WHIP in 2021, it isn’t hard to see why Detroit heavily pursued the former Boston southpaw. He posted a 10.56 K/9 across 157.2 innings of work last season, and his 9.10 K/9 and 3.18 BB/9 career marks are solid. Detroit needed an established presence in their otherwise young rotation, and Rodriguez can fill that void. Wins might be a bit tougher to come by in 2022 for Rodriguez compared to his time in Boston, but he should enhance your team’s ratios. |
1B | Brandon Belt | SF | SF | Rumor has it that Belt and the Giants could still work something out on a long-term basis, but at the very least, Belt will stay in the Bay Area for another season. Prior to 2021, Belt never hit more than 18 home runs in a season, but in 2021, he parked 29 round-trippers in just 97 games! Those 29 home runs resulted in just 59 RBI, but his .975 OPS was the second-best mark of his career.
Is the home run rate sustainable? His barrel rate was at a career best 17 percent last year, which was just slightly better than his 16.8 percent mark in 2020. Prior to the past two seasons, his previous career high was 11.3 percent back in 2016. He enjoyed a pretty sizable boost in his fly ball rate, and some regression to the mean could see Belt’s home run total closer to the mid-20s. Even so, Belt should be a stalwart in the upper-half of the San Francisco lineup in 2022. |
C | Pedro Severino | BAL | MIL | Pedro Severino fills a void for the Milwaukee Brewers after Manny Piña signed with the Braves. Omar Narvaez will be the starting catcher for the Brewers, but his platoon splits align nicely with Severino’s. Narvaez hit lefties at just a .152 clip last season, not to mention a putrid .434 OPS. On the other hand, Severino hit lefties at a .293 clip with an .818 OPS.
Defensively speaking, he won’t do the pitching staff any favors, as he ranked in the third percentile in framing, per Baseball Savant, and he threw out just 22.5 percent of base stealers last season. On a one-year deal, Severino will operate on the smaller side of a platoon behind the dish for Milwaukee, as the majority of his playing time in 2022 should come against southpaws. |
RP | Aaron Loup | NYM | LAA | Loup is coming off a career year in 2021 where he posted a 0.95 ERA and 0.94 WHIP across 56.2 innings of work. He limited opponents to a 2.1 percent barrel rate last season, which was the best mark of his career, and the southpaw continued to be a menace to left-handed hitters. Since the start of 2020, Loup has allowed just a .179 batting average and .479 OPS to left-handed hitters.
Loup will look to be the team’s high-leverage southpaw, and could even waltz into some closing opportunities as the season progresses. In 2021, the Los Angeles bullpen had the seventh-highest ERA (4.59), and allowed the third-highest batting average to left-handed hitters. Loup gets paid and the Angels add a quality arm to the pen. |
RP | Kendall Graveman | HOU | CWS | Graveman decided to change his second pitch from a changeup to his slider, and it worked wonders. His slider registered just a .130 batting average against it, not to mention a 43.8 percent whiff rate. He pushed his ground ball rate north of 50 percent for the first time since 2018, en route to a statistically dominant season. Between his time in Seattle and Houston, Graveman posted a 1.77 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 27.5 percent strikeout rate and went 10-for-15 in save opportunities.
The White Sox might look to trade Craig Kimbrel, and if that’s the case, Graveman figures to be the next man up for save opportunities for what should be a solid Chicago White Sox squad in 2022. Even if he’s not closing ball games, he should be quite valuable in leagues that value holds, as well as helping your team’s ratios. |
RP | Jose Quintana | SF | PIT | The veteran southpaw posted a 6.43 ERA (4.66 FIP) across 63 innings last year for the Angels and Giants, and there were more negatives than positives to say the least. He posted career-worst marks in walk rate (11.8%), HR/9 (1.71) and barrel rate (11.9%). Quintana was far better as a reliever last season, posting a 4.18 ERA, but he figures to have a good chance to beginning the year in Pittsburgh’s starting rotation. If he can stay healthy, and can perform like he did earlier in his career, he would be a logical trade chip at the deadline. However, to begin the year, in Pittsburgh, he won’t be all that valuable for fantasy purposes, unless you are desperate for innings, or his increased usage of his changeup results in a sizable uptick in strikeouts. |
RP | Jhoulys Chacín | COL | COL | The Rockies were hoping that Chacin’s return to Colorado would be much like his time from 2009-2014 with the club. However, it didn’t quite turn out like that, but Chacin was more than serviceable in 2021, posting a 4.34 ERA and 1.26 WHIP across 64.1 innings on the bump. Chacin figures to serve as an innings eater out of the pen, but the veteran right-hander can start in a pinch if needed. Chacin won’t be owned outside of the deepest of deep leagues, as he doesn’t offer enough strikeouts or complimentary stats to boost ratios. |
C | Manny Piña | MIL | ATL | Hey, eight million dollars over the next two years — and a club option for a third-year in 2024 — to serve as the team’s backup catcher isn’t a bad gig for the former Milwaukee Brewer. Despite hitting just .189 in 2021, Pina hit 13 home runs in 75 games, not to mention a .439 slugging percentage. He threw out just under 30 percent of attempting base stealers last season, and will slot in as the backup backstop in Atlanta in 2022. |
3B | Eduardo Escobar | MIL | NYM | The power numbers continued for Escobar after a horrific 2020 campaign, which we’ll just chalk up to the pandemic-shortened season. Last year, Escobar slashed .253/.314/.472 with 28 home runs and 90 RBI as a member of the Diamondbacks and Brewers. The Mets will come to love his versatility, as he can play anywhere in the infield, and last season, he made double-digit starts at first base, second base, third base and even logged two innings at shortstop.
His versatility will keep him in the lineup everyday, and fantasy managers should expect nothing less than another 20+ home run season with 80+ RBI and a .260ish batting average, especially in a revamped New York lineup. |
SP | Michael Wacha | TB | BOS | Boston is looking to add arms to help the rotation, and the Red Sox are hoping to do just that with Wacha for seven million dollars this season. Wacha logged 124.2 innings for the Rays last season, posting a 5.05 ERA. Optimists will ignore the ERA north of 5.00, and point out the fact that his 4.47 FIP and 3.91 xFIP indicate that he pitches better than his earned run average indicates. Realists will see that he suffered career worsts in barrel rate (10.5%) and average exit velocity (89.9 mph) last season, leading to another season of home runs derailing his outings. In 2021, Wacha posted a 1.66 HR/9 mark, and since the start of 2019, it rests at 1.83 HR/9.
His fastball usage continues to dwindle, as his cutter and changeup are beginning to be featured more prominently, but it could all be null and void if he can’t limit hard contact and keep the ball in the park. The American League East is not friendly to homer-prone pitchers. |
CF | Starling Marte | OAK | NYM | The 2021 season was another productive year despite a trip to the injured list for Marte. Across 120 games for Miami and Oakland last year, Marte hit .310 with 12 home runs, 89 runs scored and 47 stolen bases. Since the start of the 2019 season, Marte leads all of baseball with 82 stolen bases, and he’s one of just two players in that timeframe to have at least 40 home runs, 40 stolen bases and a .298 batting average (Trea Turner).
To say Marte fills a void is an understatement. Last season, the Mets had the seventh fewest stolen bases in the MLB, and the fourth-fewest runs scored. Since the start of 2019, Marte has 82 stolen bases, and the Mets as a team have just 130 in that same span. The Mets are looking to revamp its offense this offseason, and Marte will certainly help, but he will need to stay healthy. The veteran outfielder has served a stint on the injured list in three of the past four seasons, and he has played in more than 140 games just once (2018) since logging 153 games back in 2015. |
LF | Mark Canha | OAK | NYM | Canha is an underrated and underappreciated player that the Mets should come to love in short time. Sure, he’s far from flashy, but he gets on base, and does it incredibly well. As a member of the Oakland Athletics in recent years, Canha has posted a double-digit walk rate in each of the past three seasons, and in that span, he has a solid .377 on-base percentage (OBP). Why was this a good move by the Mets? Well, for starters, in all of baseball last season, the Mets’ outfielders posted the sixth-lowest OPS, seventh-lowest wOBA and a collective .319 OBP. Canha can play all three spots in the outfield, but with Starling Marte in center, he’ll primarily play at the corner spots, but can also slide into first base in a pinch. Canha’s fantasy value is boosted significantly in leagues that value OBP compared to batting average, but if the revamped Mets lineup performs as expected, he might be a guy you want on your team regardless of format. |
SP | Anthony DeSclafani | SF | SF | The Giants must have liked what they saw from DeSclafani last season, or liked it enough to offer him $36M over the next three seasons. In 167.2 innings on the bump for the Giants in 2021, the right-hander posted a 3.17 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. His new home compared to his old home park helped with his home run issues, but he did his part as well by registering a 44.3 percent ground ball rate. From 2018-2020, his HR/9 sat at a whopping 1.71, but it was just 1.02 HR/9 last season. He used his fastball less last season, relying on his slider and changeup to do the lion’s share of the work.
The biggest concerns heading into 2022 for DeSclafani are that his .265 BABIP last year was below his career average (.293), and his .223 BAA last season is a far cry from his .242 xBA. Was he more lucky than good? It seems to be a bit of both, but he has a good home park to pitch in, and while some regression may be in store this season, the right-hander should remain a viable back end fantasy starter. |
RF | Yoshi Tsutsugo | PIT | PIT | Tsutsugo made quite an impression on the Pirates’ brass to earn a contract for four million dollars! In just 43 games with the Pirates last year, he hit .268 with eight home runs, 32 RBI and an .883 OPS. In fact, since the date he donned the Pittsburgh jersey, Tsutsugo had the 36th-best OPS in baseball. He logged time at first base and both corner outfield spots last season, and should be deployed in a similar fashion in 2022. That flexibility should keep him in the lineup on a near-everyday basis, and he could make for a low-risk, late-round flier in fantasy baseball drafts. |
SP | Steven Matz | TOR | STL | Was Matz’s 2021 season extraordinary by any means? Not really, but he did win 14 games and post a 3.82 ERA and 1.33 WHIP across 150.2 innings. The southpaw wasn’t dominant, but he did a good job as a steady presence in the middle of the Toronto rotation. However, perhaps the best thing from his 2021 season is that it confirmed that his horrific 2020 campaign was an outlier and not a sign of things to come.
Matz isn’t a big strikeout guy, though his K/9 will hang out just below an even 9.00, but his sinking fastball loves inducing ground balls and the St. Louis infield should do him more favors than Toronto’s. The Blue Jays ranked in the bottom-third of the league in fielding percentage, whereas the Cardinals and Nolan Arenado were slightly better than league average. Matz should enjoy being out of the American League, and American League East, and if he keeps the ball on the ground, should be a reliable back end starter for fantasy purposes. |
RP | Héctor Neris | PHI | HOU | Last year, the Houston Astros’ bullpen was right around the league average in terms of ERA, and that included Ryan Pressly’s 2.25 ERA for the season. Houston won the Hector Neris sweepstakes, as the team looks to fortify the transition from starter to closer (Pressly). Neris posted a 3.63 ERA with a 1.17 WHIP and quality 31.6 percent strikeout rate last season. However, he blew seven saves (12-for-19 in save chances) and posted his second-straight season with a double-digit walk rate (10.3% in 2021). If Houston can optimize Neris’ stuff, led by his splitter, Neris can be incredibly value as the setup man to Pressly in fantasy leagues. If that is going to happen though, Neris will need to cut down on the walks and keep the strikeout rate north of 30 percent. In that hypothetical, it’s not the latter that has me skeptical. |
CF | Byron Buxton | MIN | MIN | This is quite an interesting deal for a myriad of reasons. From Buxton’s side, he cashes in on an incentive-laden deal, headlined by bonuses at certain thresholds for number of plate appearances and MVP finishes. From the Twins’ perspective, paying nine figures for a guy who has only played in more than 100 games just once in his career is going to raise some eyebrows. When healthy, Buxton is a star at all facets of the game. He’s an incredible defender and can wreak havoc on the base paths. Over the last three seasons, his 162 game average results in a .277 batting average with 36 home runs, 22 stolen bases, 101 runs scored and 91 RBI. Buxton hit 19 home runs with a .306 batting average in just 65 games last season, and the biggest hurdle for Buxton to fantasy stardom is whether or not he can stay healthy. |
2B | Marcus Semien | TOR | TEX | Playing in a loaded Toronto offense in 2021, Semien had a career year, slashing .265/.334/.538 with 45 home runs, 115 runs scored and 102 RBI. It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that he enjoyed a career best barrel rate and launch angle in 2021, and his shift to second base resulted in a Gold Glove for the former shortstop. However, from a fantasy perspective, this is a rough landing spot for Semien. Not only does the current Texas roster lack offensive firepower, but the Rangers’ home park is far from lucrative for right-handed hitters. Sure, it’s not horrible, but it doesn’t provide any sizable advantage. At 31 years old, Semien is far from a spring chicken, and even though he almost certainly won’t match his 2021 numbers, he should provide quality power numbers at the second base position. |
SP | Corey Kluber | NYY | TB | The Rays add to their rotation by inking Corey Kluber to a one-year deal. Kluber was limited to just 80 innings last year with the Yankees due to shoulder strain, but when he was on the bump, he posted a 5-3 record with a 3.83 ERA and 1.34 WHIP. His 9.7 percent walk rate last year was his worst mark in the past decade, and his velocity was down across the board, and most notably on his fastball. Kluber knows that, hence the increased usage of his cutter. The 35-year-old right-hander has logged just 116 innings over the last three seasons, and he’s made a trip to the injured list in four of the last five seasons. He likely figures to be a middle of the rotation arm for the Rays this season, but declining velocity and staying in the American League East doesn’t provide an overwhelmingly positive outlook for his fantasy value. |
RF | Avisaíl García | MIL | MIA | Garcia is a streaky hitter to say the least, but 2021 was a quality season for the veteran slugger. He slashed .262/.330/.490 with career-highs in home runs (29) and RBI (86). Garcia is a free-swinging slugger that has immense raw power and while he may lose some homers in his spacious new home park, he has enough power to make it work. His 12.2 percent barrel rate last season was excellent, coming in at the 80th percentile, while his max exit velocity and hard hit rate clocked in at the 98th and 78th percentile respectively. On the other hand, his free-swinging nature gets him into trouble at times, seeing as his whiff rate and chase rate were in the sixth and fourth percentile respectively. The Marlins have been adamant about adding some bats to their lineup, and any quantifiable upgrades should help a team that scored the second-fewest runs in all of baseball last year. For Garcia’s fantasy value, Miami is going to need to add some pieces to help his counting stats. |
SP | Kevin Gausman | SF | TOR | Gausman’s career has been equivalent to a roller coaster to say the least. He was supposed to be the future ace for the Baltimore Orioles, and that didn’t pan out. He was excellent for Atlanta for half of a season before imploding the next year for the Braves. Then, after a cup of coffee in Cincinnati, Gausman’s career was revitalized in San Francisco and 2021 was a career year for the righty. He posted a 2.81 ERA and 1.04 WHIP across a career-high 192 innings of work. Gausman recorded a strikeout rate north of 29 percent the second straight season, and the Giants unlocked his arsenal to its fullest, as he recorded a 30 percent strikeout rate across two years in San Francisco. How did this happen? His splitter took a big step forward, and was actually tied for the second-best pitch value at Baseball Savant.
From a fantasy perspective, there were far better spots than going back to the American League East, but at least he benefits from having the most potent offense backing him instead of opposing him in the batter’s box. It’s not the friendliest division to pitchers, as it is loaded with hitter’s parks and good lineups, but as long as he rides his splitter and keeps the ball on the ground, he will fare much better this time in the division. Even if he doesn’t post a sub-3.00 ERA for the second straight season, he can miss enough bats to remain a top fantasy starter. |
SP | Jon Gray | COL | TEX | Gray rebounded quite well after a disastrous 2020 season, and his 3.98 xERA, 4.22 FIP and 4.04 xFIP are far more attractive than his 4.59 ERA for the 2021 season. The right-hander also posted a 1.33 WHIP, struck out over one batter per inning alongside a 48.4 percent ground ball rate. He’s using his fastball less, but perhaps a move to a home park that isn’t Coors Field will allow him to use his fastball more, and more comfortably.
Despite actually being better at home than on the road from an ERA perspective, getting away from Coors Field should be a net positive for the 30-year-old. His 9.47 K/9 and 1.09 HR/9 for his career on the road spark further optimism, as both of those numbers trump his home marks of 8.96 K/9 and 1.19 HR/9. While us fantasy managers shouldn’t expect a fantasy ace-like season from Gray, he should be a solid source of strikeouts and perhaps post an ERA somewhere in the mid-to-upper 3s. Texas has bolstered their lineup, which should help Gray, and again, he’s out of Coors! |
RP | Michael Lorenzen | CIN | LAA | Lorenzen has aspirations and desires of being deployed like Shohei Ohtani, and perhaps even getting some time in the outfield. Could it happen? Sure. Would it make for some really fun lineup configurations and in-game switches? Absolutely. However, Lorenzen’s biggest contributions to the overall success of the Angels will come on the mound, assuming he can produce.
His 5.59 ERA was a bit unlucky in 2021, especially when you see his xERA (4.04) and FIP (4.17). He does a good job of keeping the ball in the ball park, as seen by posting a career 0.99 HR/9 mark and 0.62 HR/9 in 2021 with the Reds. He’ll have a chance to win a spot in the rotation, but it’s worth noting that he has made just five starts since the end of 2015. Despite being profiled as one of the better hitting pitchers in baseball, the Angels need his arm to solidify the rotation, more so than his bat to solidify the lineup. |
RF | Kole Calhoun | ARI | TEX | Calhoun had a meniscus tear in the offseason and served two separate stints on the IL for hamstring issues, limiting him to just 51 games last year. He was rather underwhelming to say the least, hitting just .235 with a .297 on-base percentage. Furthermore, his barrel rate was in the single digits for the first time since 2018, his average exit velocity declined for the third straight season and his 69.7 percent contact rate was well below his career average (74.6%). Lastly, he left the strike zone more often, en route to seeing his swinging strike rate increase for the fourth straight season.
If he can bounce back, he could be a nice addition to the Texas lineup, but fantasy owners shouldn’t hang their hat on Calhoun being anything more than some cheap power later in drafts. |
SS | Corey Seager | LA | TEX | To Texas’ credit, they added Jon Gray to help their starting rotation, but it appears to be that Texas is willing to attempt to just outscore everyone, rather than trying to reduce the opposition’s run output on a nightly basis. Corey Seager will pair with Marcus Semien to form a legit duo up the middle for the Rangers for years to come. Injuries have derailed recent seasons for Seager, and the talented shortstop has played in more than 100 games just once in the past four seasons.
When healthy, he’s one of the best hitters at his position, and over the last three seasons, he has a quality .290/.360/.516 slash line. It’s not the best landing spot, but Texas is adding some reinforcements to its lineup to help the supporting cast. However, a lack of stolen bases will likely keep Seager outside of the top seven or eight players at his position in fantasy drafts. |
SP | Robbie Ray | TOR | SEA | It finally happened. We finally saw what Ray could be when he cut the walks for an extended period of time. Who knew it would result in a Cy Young award!? Across 193.1 innings of work for the Blue Jays last season, Ray posted a 2.84 ERA, struck out 248 batters (32.1 K%) and posted a career best 6.7 percent walk rate. His previous career best was 8.1 percent back in 2014! How did he do it? Well, for starters, he threw a first pitch strike 61.6 percent of the time, and was in the zone 43.8 percent of time. Also, it doesn’t help when you generate more swings out of the zone than ever before and a career best swinging strike rate. Some regression is likely in store for Ray in 2022, and even if he maintains his sub-seven percent walk rate, it’s unlikely he enjoys a BABIP at .268 after that mark sat at .310 from 2016-2020. Even with some regression, he is elite in the strikeout department, and that certainly won’t change. He heads to Seattle on a five-year deal with an opt out after the 2024 season. |
SP | Max Scherzer | LA | NYM | The Mets are going all in this offseason, but no deal is greater than this mega-deal for a proven arm to pair alongside Jacob deGrom at the top of the rotation. Scherzer and deGrom will form a lethal 1-2 punch and Scherzer has proven to be one of the game’s most dominant workhorse. What is there to really say about Scherzer at this point? He strikes out a lot of batters, hardly walks anyone (5.2 BB% in 2021) and has posted a CSW% north of 30 percent in six of the last seven seasons.
Scherzer is 37-years-old, so he’s no spring chicken, and he has over 2,500 regular season innings on that right arm of his. It’s an expensive, bold move, but the Mets are committed to push for a World Series banner in 2022, or at least finish better than third in the NL East for the first time since 2016. |
RP | Yimi García | HOU | TOR | Contending teams need depth in the bullpen, and Garcia will do exactly that for the Blue Jays. Recency bias has knocked some of the shine off Garcia, as his 5.48 ERA after the trade to Houston last year may have cast a negative light on Garcia heading into 2022. However, he had some bad luck in Houston, but he was excellent in 2020 for the Marlins, and went 15-for-18 in save opportunities last season.
For best results in Toronto, he’ll need to limit hard contact and keep the ball in the park, which is easier said than done in the American League East. However, it’s a very affordable deal for a contending Toronto team that needs depth in the pen. |
RF | Ben Gamel | PIT | PIT | Gamel figures to get plenty of playing time for an offensively-challenged Pittsburgh Pirates. In 2021, Gamel hit .247 with eight home runs, 43 runs scored and 26 RBI. The Pirates let him run, which is good for fantasy purposes, but he went just 3-for-9 on stolen base attempts, and since going 7-for-10 on attempts back in 2018, Gamel is just 5-for-15 the past three seasons. For fantasy purposes, he’ll cost you nothing, but outside of a flier on a couple stolen bases late in drafts, Gamel won’t be on your radar. |
SP | Alex Wood | SF | SF | The Giants will keep a piece of their rotation, and Wood as advertised last year. He struck out over one batter per inning, which is actually better than expected and kept the Giants in games. Aside from the elevated strikeout rate, his launch angle dropped to just 7.1 degrees, and his ground ball rate eclipsed 50 percent for the first time since 2017. Pitching in a good home park for pitchers, if Wood can punch out over one batter per inning, and keep the ground ball rate at or above 50 percent, his 2021 season is very repeatable, which would be welcomed with open arms by fantasy managers.
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C | Yan Gomes | OAK | CHI | Gomes is enjoying a nice little two year run here. He was quite solid in the pandemic-shortened season in 2020 and then put together a nice stat line for the 2021 season, despite being better with Washington than Oakland. Over the last two seasons (133 games), Gomes has hit .260 with 18 home runs, 63 runs scored and 65 RBI while throwing out just over 27 percent of would-be base-stealers. His fantasy value takes a hit, however, as he will serve as Willson Contreras’ backup. |
C | Roberto Pérez | CLE | PIT | After trading Jacob Stallings to Miami, Pittsburgh needed someone to slot in behind the dish, and it appears that Perez will be that guy. Perez did pretty good for himself, as he has hit under the Mendoza line in three of the past four years and gets five million dollars to catch for the Pirates. To his credit, he has some pop in his bat and is solid defensively, so his best contributions to the Pirates might be helping the young pitchers. He won’t be on the radar for many outside of 15-team leagues where you have to start two catchers. |
RP | Raisel Iglesias | LAA | LAA | This move seemed inevitable. Iglesias was solid for the team last year, striking out an impressive 37.7 percent of batters in 2021, and converting 34-of-39 save opportunities. He gets batters out of the zone with regularity, and he posted a massive 20.6 SwStr% last season. Also, batters made contact just 61.6 percent of the time, and that mark has decreased every year of his professional career. The Angels have bolstered their starting rotation this offseason, and added Aaron Loup to pitch ahead of Iglesias, hopefully leading to more wins for the team and saves for Iglesias. |
RP | Brooks Raley | HOU | TB | Tampa Bay needed some lefty relievers in the bullpen and Raley is going to be a good one. Despite lackluster velocity, his fastball and curveball boast elite spin rates, and his average exit velocity last year was the best in baseball, coming in at the 100th percentile. Oh, his hard hit rate was also the best last year. What’s scary is when you pair his elite ability to limit hard contact, with the fact that his strikeout rate, whiff rate and chase rate ranked in the 92nd, 87th, and 70th percentile respectively. His arsenal goes six pitches deep, five of which posted a whiff rate of at least 20 percent last year. He’s an excellent upside arm to target later in drafts this year.
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RP | Daniel Hudson | SD | LA | Hudson had a lot of really good things from his 2021 season, and also some aspects that are a cause of concern. The two-pitch righty posted a career best 35.7 percent strikeout rate, marking the second year he’s been north of 30 percent. His slider was even better last season, resulting in a .136 batting average and 50 percent whiff rate! He has great fastball velocity, but given that he’s a fly ball pitcher, home runs have hurt him over the past two years, to the tune of a 1.74 HR/9. The biggest cause for concern is the fact that Hudson is a fly ball pitcher that allows a good bit of hard contact. Hudson’s barrel rate has been in the bottom three percent of the league each of the past two seasons and an average exit velocity in the bottom 13th percentile the past two years. However, he’s escaped for the most part, thanks to striking out a lot of batters. Home runs will likely be a part of his game, given his fly ball tendencies, but he could find himself getting save opportunities for the Dodgers in 2022. |
SP | Alex Cobb | LAA | SF | His signing in Baltimore seemed like the kiss of death for Cobb, and it nearly was, as his already low strikeout rate dropped further, home runs were a major issue and his ground ball rate plummeted. However, he goes to Los Angeles, nearly throws his splitter more than his sinker and mixes in a regular four-seamer every now and again. His sinker enjoyed a nice jump in whiff rate, as did his curveball. What happened? Well, he posted a miniscule 0.48 HR/9 mark, a ground ball rate north of 50 percent, and his slightly adjusted arsenal resulted in career bests in barrel rate (4.2%), strikeout rate (24.9%) and an average exit velocity that was below 90 miles per hour for the first time since 2018. He’s going to a good park for pitchers, and there’s reason to believe that he could be even better than 2021. He could prove to be a nice draft day value, especially if his ERA drops closer to the mid-3s. |
2B | César Hernández | CWS | WSH | Hernandez always ends up being this guy that gets hot and you couldn’t imagine your fantasy team’s middle infield depth without him. However, then the streak ends, and he’s dropped, but somehow still ends the year with a quality batting average. Prior to last year’s disappointing .232 mark, Hernandez hit at least .275 in four out of five seasons. His offensive profile has shifted, too. From 2015-2019, he stole 70 bases and hit 44 home runs. However, in the past two seasons, he has 24 homers, but just one stolen base. He should see regular playing time to begin the season, but he’s certainly far less appealing in fantasy if he’s not running, and he’s now multiple years removed from stealing double-digit bases. |
2B | Leury García | CWS | CWS | Garcia doesn’t spark much fantasy appeal at the dish, aside from the fact that sheer volume could potentially push him to double-digit home runs and stolen bases at a cheap price. His batted ball profile is quite interesting, given that his average exit velocity ranked in the sixth percentile and his hard hit rate came in at the 14th percentile. However, his max exit velocity was at the 66th percentile! If only he could harness that more often, but the odds are stacked against him, given that his barrel rate has been under four percent in each of the last four seasons. He’s a far more useful player in reality, given that he logged time at six positions for the White Sox in 2021. |
RP | Joely Rodríguez | NYY | NYY | Rodriguez’s 3.43 FIP is well under his 4.66 ERA, and a .355 BABIP certainly isn’t going to help anything. With his sinking fastball serving as his primary pitch, it’s no surprise that he has a career 57.7 percent ground ball rate, and his mark last year sat at 58.4 percent. He still struck out over one batter per inning last year, but with a 97th percentile chase rate and his changeup registering a 40.9 percent whiff rate last year, one would think more strikeouts could be in store for 2022. If he does have that uptick in strikeouts, he could be a nice late-round arm to help your team’s ratios and provide some nice value in leagues that value solds. |
SP | Marcus Stroman | NYM | CHI | After opting out of the 2020 season, Stroman was excellent for the Mets in the 2021. Sure, a .286 BABIP helped, but it doesn’t scream regression for 2022, given that his career mark is just .304. He’s a perennial outperformer of his FIP, doing so in three of the last four years. However, could this be the end of the stretch? His GB/FB ratio was 2.80 from 2014-2018, but over his last two seasons, it’s down to just 1.99. Stroman has a deep arsenal that got deeper with the addition of a splitter this past year, giving him multiple weapons to put the baseball on the ground. The move to Wrigley doesn’t do much from a ballpark standpoint for Stroman, and there’s no reason to believe that Stroman shouldn’t continue his recent run of success. He’ll be a fine rotation arm for fantasy managers this season. |
LF | Chris Taylor | LA | LA | No one will confuse Taylor as the best player in baseball, but he’s been excellent for the Dodgers. Given the overhaul from last year’s roster, the Los Angeles faithful should be happy to be bringing back Taylor to the lineup. Over the last five years, Taylor’s 162 game average results in a .265/.343/.461 slash line with 20 home runs, 76 RBI, 89 runs and 13 stolen bases. He’s a “jack of all trades, master of none” for fantasy, as he contributes across the board, but doesn’t dominate any one particular category. This is a great move in reality for the Dodgers, as Taylor logged time at six positions last year for the team, and will allow them significant lineup flexibility. Hopefully it won’t rear its ugly head in 2022, but one thing to note is that Taylor’s contact rate has slowly been dropping, resulting in a 69.4 percent in 2021, which is the first time he dropped below the 70 percent threshold. |
LF | Clint Frazier | NYY | CHI | What a world. Remember when the Yankees wouldn’t trade Frazier when they needed pitching for a postseason run, but also wouldn’t play Frazier? Crazy times. Perhaps a change of scenery and fresh start will be best for Frazier. He has a pretty selective approach, which has almost acted like a double-edged sword. Yes, he’s posted a walk rate north of 14 percent in each of the past two seasons, but he’s never posted a strikeout rate lower than 27 percent. Perhaps free swinging a bit more could help? I mean, if you’re going to strikeout a lot, just start swinging! He’s a low-risk option later in drafts for fantasy baseball, and just as likely as he could go on a tear and prove the Yankees wrong, he could also be dropped in 82 percent of leagues after opening the year with a 36 percent strikeout rate and .188 batting average. |
RP | Luis García | STL | SD | Garcia was excellent for the Cardinals last season, and parlayed that success into a deal with the Padres. Over 33.1 innings in 2021, Garcia struck out 34 batters and posted a career-best 14.9 swinging strike rate. Furthermore, his 69.5 percent contact rate last year was the second-best mark of his career, and Garcia will add much needed depth to the San Diego pen. If the strikeouts remain, and he keeps the walks down, he should be in line to rack up some holds, and even if he doesn’t get to the ninth inning role, which seems unlikely at the start of the season, he has some late-round appeal in fantasy formats as an upside reliever. |
RP | Mark Melancon | SD | ARI | Melancon figures to open the year as the team’s closer, and despite being far from the prototypical closer, Melancon does get the job done. He doesn’t win with overpowering velocity or elevated strikeout rates, and while the ground ball rates have dropped in recent memory, his launch angle has remained in the negatives. If he’s not in line to get saves, he’s a hard sell in fantasy baseball formats, as a 22.3 percent strikeout rate last year with an 8.7 percent swinging strike rate won’t get many excited. Even though he’s leaving a pitcher-friendly park for one that is, well, not, he’s the guy in line for saves with a lack of closing experience in the pen with him. Even if he’s allowing more contact, and his home park doesn’t do him any favors, if he’s racking up saves, he’s useful in fantasy formats. |
SP | Rich Hill | NYM | BOS | At this point, if you aren’t a Rich Hill truther or Rich Hill stan, you likely won’t be considering him at this point in his career. The allure with Hill in recent years is that, when healthy, he was an excellent performer on a per-inning basis. However, when healthy is the operative phrase. His 158.2 innings and 31 starts in 2021 were the most Hill has made in a regular season since the 2007 season. That’s a decade and a half ago! His per-inning dominance has dwindled recently, too, because his strikeout marks have been down the past couple of seasons. If you buy into the American League East helping his strikeout numbers, you can take a chance late on the oft-injured southpaw, but it’s a division littered with powerful offenses and hitter-friendly parks. I find it hard to believe that Hill is healthy for the majority of the 2022 season. |
RP | Corey Knebel | LA | PHI | Knebel will be another power arm in the Philadelphia pen. He has a very lively fastball and a nasty curveball that he relies on to miss bats. If you look at his heat map from last year, his curveball hung out in the middle of the plate too often. That pitch absolutely needs to get to the lower-third of the zone, and perhaps lower, for optimal results. His fastball velocity rebounded in 2021, which is great to see, and at the very least, he should split closing duties with Jose Alvarado to begin the year. He’s a high strikeout reliever that can boost your team’s ratios, and perhaps even add some saves to sweeten the pot. |
SP | Jordan Lyles | TEX | BAL | Lyles’ home run problems (1.90 HR/9 in 2021) aren’t going to get any better in Baltimore, that’s for sure. In 2020, he posted career-worsts in max exit velocity (115.5 mph), launch angle (15.3 degrees), and barrel rate (9.1%). Now, he goes to the American League East and the Baltimore Orioles. Yikes. His ground ball rate has dropped for five straight seasons, and if he’s going to continue to be hit hard, it’s going to be a long, grueling 2022 campaign for Lyles. Unless you desperately need innings, Lyles is going to be someone you’re excited to roster this year. |
SP | Dylan Bundy | LAA | MIN | Unfortunately, it’s appearing that Bundy’s solid 2020 season is more of an outlier than a precursor for years to come. His 1.99 HR/9 was just the start of it, as his strikeouts dropped, walks increased, and barrel rate spiked all the way up to 10.3 percent, nearly four percent higher than his career average. Opponents made contact 78.6 percent of the time, so it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that his 9.5 swinging strike rate was the lowest mark of his career. Drafting Bundy is a low-risk flier in the later rounds, especially if he can return to form in 2020. However, it seems that 2020 was an outlier, considering we have 65.2 great innings from Bundy, compared to 705 subpar innings in his career. |
RP | T.J. McFarland | STL | STL | Is there such a thing as a lefty specialist anymore? If so, McFarland is that. Lefties posted a .184 OBP against him last year, compared to righties posting a .337 OBP. McFarland posted a 62.9 percent ground ball rate in 2021, but his dearth of strikeouts (14.6 K% in 2021, 13.7 career K%) keeps him off the fantasy radar. |
RP | Danny Coulombe | MIN | MIN | Minnesota brings back Coulombe on a minor league deal that includes an invite to spring training. His 42.3 percent ground ball rate was a far cry from his 53.6 percent career rate, and keeping the ball on the ground will be key. He threw his slider more than ever before last year, posting a solid 35.1 percent O-Swing rate, and punching out 33 batters across 34.1 innings. He won’t be drafted in fantasy drafts this season. |
RP | Darren O’Day | NYY | ATL | O’Day inks a minor league deal with the Braves following a 2021 season that saw him on the mound for just 32 outs. His fastball continues to lose velocity, and at the ripe age of 39, he’ll need his slider to be effective and limit hard contact. If his fly ball rate is going to stay in the mid-to-upper 40 percent range, he’ll need to limit hard contact to keep the home runs down. He could end up closing as the year goes on, but that isn’t what the Braves are signing him for. Unless he gets to closing, he’s not on the fantasy radar for 2022 drafts. |
RP | Rex Brothers | CHI | MIL | This could turn out to be a sneaky-good signing by Milwaukee. Brothers came out in 2021 like a bat out of hell, posting an excellent 2.63 ERA across his first 27.1 innings. Well, it went downhill from there to say the least. Brothers struggles with his command, and walks have always been a serious problem for him. Equipped with a deadly slider, when Brothers gets ahead of batters, things tend to work out well. However, when he doesn’t strike them out, it’s either a walk or they hit him hard. His average exit velocity, max evit velocity, hard hit rate and barrel rate were in the 3rd, 13th, 9th, and 5th percentile respectively. His walk rate was in the 2nd percentile, but the upside lies in his 92nd percentile strikeout and whiff rate. |
C | Sandy León | MIA | CLE | Leon’s minor league deal includes an invite to spring training and the opportunity to serve as the team’s backup behind Austin Hedges. Leon doesn’t spark much confidence with his bat, given that he’s a .212 hitter for his career. However, he has thrown out nearly one-third of would-be base stealers in his career, and his signing does give some of the team’s catching prospects more seasoning in the minors. For fantasy purposes, Leon is a non-factor in 2022. |
C | Andrew Knapp | PHI | CIN | Knapp inked a minor league deal with the Reds and will compete for the team’s backup gig. He’s a career .214 hitter with a strikeout rate above 31 percent for his career. He won’t log enough at-bats, or be productive enough with said at-bats, to warrant any serious fantasy consideration. |
SP | Justin Verlander | HOU | HOU | Verlander inks a 1-year deal worth $25M and a player option for a second year to return to his former club. We haven’t seen Verlander since July of 2020 as he missed 2021 recovering from Tommy John surgery. The veteran right-hander has had an exceptional career, but he’s been magnificent for Houston, posting a 43-15 record with a 2.45 ERA and 12.08 K/9 since being traded to Houston in 2017. There’s some concern with the right-hander recovering from surgery, but Houston hopes that he will return to his dominant self, and sit atop the team’s starting rotation.
For fantasy purposes, it could be a slower start for Verlander as he shakes off some rust, but even prior to the forearm strain that led to Tommy John surgery, he looked as advertised. He’ll continue to be a solid source of strikeouts, but he may be a bit more homer-prone than what he was in his earlier years (1.34 HR/9 over last 443 IP in regular season). |
RP | Kirby Yates | TOR | ATL | Contenders need quality bullpen help, and Atlanta will hope that Yates can return to his glory days with the Padres. Yates is currently recovering from Tommy John surgery, and shouldn’t be counted upon until midway through the 2022 season. When healthy, Yates has excellent stuff and can miss bats with the best relievers in the game, even at the ripe age of 34 (turns 35 in March). He could be an impactful add in fantasy down the stretch, assuming he returns to form following his procedure. |
CF | Ender Inciarte | ATL | NYY | Typically, we like more fly balls, but for a guy that lacks pop and barrels, fly balls might not do him a ton of favors. However, in Yankee Stadium, it could work for Inciarte, but he’s never been a big time pull-hitter. His speed is waning, and Inciarte needs at-bats to accumulate his statistics, and that just doesn’t figure to happen in New York unless several injuries occur in the outfield. |
3B | Maikel Franco | BAL | WSH | Franco didn’t quite produce as many would have expected with his batted ball metrics in the hitter friendly Baltimore stadium. His launch angle wasn’t the most conducive to home runs, his 1.49 GB/FB ratio was the highest mark of his entire career, and his hard hit rate plummeted. Washington inked Franco to a minor league deal, and best case scenario for the former Oriole is to break camp as a bench bat for the Nationals. |
RF | Nomar Mazara | DET | SD | From 2016-2019, Mazara had at least 19 home runs each season with a .253 or better batting average. It’s been a rough go of things over the past two years, as his strikeout rate has been north of 24 percent each season, and interestingly enough, he’s been swinging at the first pitch far more often, at least compared to the early seasons in his career. San Diego is hoping Mazara can figure things out on the west coast and return to the play he displayed in Texas. |
1B | Jake Bauers | SEA | CIN | Bauers cut into that strikeout rate from years past, which is excellent, and more contact should let his max exit velocity shine. His max exit velocity in 2021 was in the 85th percentile, so the pop is there, but a .213 career batting average hasn’t helped his case. He’s good for a couple stolen bases each year, and his efficiency has been far better in recent years since posting a 50 percent success rate back in 2018. Bauers is going to a great hitter’s park that could showcase his power, but playing time is going to be a concern, given Joey Votto’s everyday presence at first base and a wealth of outfielders already in Cincinnati. |
RP | Drew VerHagen | DET | STL | VerHagen was solid overseas last season, posting a 3.80 ERA in 97 innings of work. He likely figures to be a multi-inning reliever, and in a pinch could make a spot start if needed. From a fantasy perspective, he’ll need the stirkeouts from overseas to carry over to the MLB, but from 2014-2019 with the Tigers he posted only a 7.06 K/9. |
C | Robinson Chirinos | CHI | BAL | Chirinos has some pop in his bat, and could provide some cheap power in the earlier parts of the 2022 season if Adley Rutschman isn’t ready to go from Opening Day. Chirinos will provide the Orioles with some extra time with Rutschman if they choose, Unless you completely wait on catcher, you can ignore Chirinos in drafts at this juncture. |
RP | Joe Kelly | LA | CWS | Chicago continues to add flamethrowers into its bullpen. After his command got away from him in 2020, he posted a respectable 3.1 BB/9 mark, which was his lowest mark over a full season since 2012. His arsenal is still predicated on high curveball usage, but he’s throwing a sinking fastball more, which has helped maintain an elite ground ball rate. The path to saves in Chicago is quite crowded, but if he can continue to keep the ball on the ground and maintain last year’s 27+ percent strikeout rate, he could be a valuable asset in leagues that value holds. |
RP | Andrew Vasquez | LA | TOR | Vazquez threw just 1.2 innings last year for the Dodgers, but Toronto is going to take a shot on the 28-year-old southpaw and his impressive strikeout numbers in the minors. Despite having just 6.2 innings under his belt at the big league level, in Triple-A last year, across 48.1 innings of work, he amassed a whopping 79 strikeouts. He remains off the fantasy radar for now, but if he earns a spot in the pen and the strikeouts remain high, he could become quite interesting as the year rolls on. |
C | Kurt Suzuki | LAA | LAA | The Angels bring back Suzuki to back up Max Stassi behind the dish. This is a solid move in reality, but it doesn't move the needle much in fantasy. Even if Suzuki's batting average returns to what it was back in 2017-2019, Stassi is LA's catcher, so playing time won't be there for Suzuki. |
SS | Jose Iglesias | BOS | COL | Iglesias is an excellent defender and a .356 batting average over the final 23 games of the season is something to build upon for 2022. He very well could be the everyday shortstop in the game's best offensive park, and that shouldn't go unnoticed. However, don't go crazy, as Garrett Hampson and Brendan Rodgers can both play short as needed, and Iglesias' career 84.2 mph average exit velocity and 1.5 percent barrel rate won't magically be cured by Coors. The ballpark boost will help, but he's still a below average fantasy asset, outside of maybe a .270+ batting average and a couple of steals. |
RF | Ehire Adrianza | ATL | WSH | While Adrianza's batted ball profile, largely his average exit velocity, won't wow anyone, he doesn't miss often in the zone, and while the trend line for his contact rate is trending down, it's still been above 80 percent in every year of his career. He stays in the zone, doesn't strikeout a ton and has shown an improved willingness to take a walk in recent seasons (8.0 BB% for his career, but 9.5 BB% since 2019). He doesn't have a starting spot with the team at time of signing, but his flexibility and versatility will give him options, should the likes of Victor Robles, Carter Kieboom or Cesar Hernandez fail to meet expectations. |
RP | Nick Wittgren | CLE | STL | Well, the 2021 season for Wittgren was incredibly unlucky to say the least. Despite inducing fewer fly balls that he ever has in his career, resulting in a career-low launch angle, increased hard contact and a massive outlier of a HR/FB rate (24.5%) pushed his home run rate up to 1.88. Home runs have been an issue since heading to Cleveland in 2019 for Wittgren, but there's reason to believe that that mark should dip a bit in 2022. However, he's not in line for save chances, and outside of his 2020 season, he's never been a big time strikeout arm. There's not much fantasy appeal here, but in reality, St. Louis continues to load up their bullpen with proven experience. |
LF | Tim Locastro | NYY | NYY | Locastro can flat out fly, as seen by his 100th percentile sprint speed in 2019, 2020 and 2021. However, there's not much else. He's your typical speedster with an underwhelming batted ball profile and outside of 2020, he doesn't walk a ton. Playing time is going to be hard to come by with the state of the Yankees at this juncture, likely relegating him to a fourth or fifth outfielder and pinch-running role. |
RP | Adam Ottavino | BOS | NYM | Command is an issue for Ottavino, but his stuff is so filthy that his biggest strength can also be his biggest demise. Regardless of a double-digit walk rate each of the past five seasons, he's an above-average strikeout guy with an insane ability to limit hard contact. The landing spot is a bit underwhelming for fantasy, since it will take a collapse from Edwin Diaz to get saves, but Ottavino has proven that he can be immensely valuable in solds leagues, especially if he can either enjoy an uptick in punch outs or cut back on the walks. |
3B | Hanser Alberto | KC | LA | Alberto provides the Dodgers with some depth and versatility off the bench, as the former Royal played second, short and third for Kansas City in 2021. He hit .286 against southpaws last season, so he could find himself on a smaller side of a platoon with a fully healthy Dodgers team. His versatility should give him plenty of options to crack the lineup on any given day, especially when the opposition trots out a southpaw. His best fantasy asset will be his ability to hit for a decent average. |
RP | Matt Strahm | SD | BOS | Strahm was excellent in 2018, posting a 2.05 ERA with a 10.13 K/9 across 61.1 innings of work. However, since the end of the 2018 season, he's spent time on the injured list for multiple patella tendon issues, a rib strain and knee inflammation. Boston is buying into the potential upside with Strahm if he can stay healthy. |
RP | Jake Diekman | OAK | BOS | For his career, Diekman has reverse splits, in that he fares better against righties than lefties, and when facing righties for his career, he has a 30.6 percent strikeout rate. For the majority of his career, he's been a ground ball menace, but last year's 36.2 percent ground ball rate was the first time in the past half decade that he's dropped below 48 percent in that department. He threw his sinker more in 2021, but the heat map for the pitch was too high in the zone. Further refinement of that pitch should help induce more ground balls and avoid a repeat of last year's career-worst 1.48 HR/9. If things pan out for Diekman, he could push for saves in the Boston pen. |
RP | Brad Boxberger | MIL | MIL | While Boxberger was unable to replicate his ground ball prowess from the 2020 season, he enjoyed a sizable uptick in strikeouts thanks to a jump in whiff rate with all three of his pitches. Outside of 2020, he's typically been solid in terms of strikeouts and whiffs, so there's no reason to believe that the strikeouts won't be there again for Boxberger in 2022. Josh Hader is the man closing games in Milwaukee, but one would believe that he's the next man up, along with Devin Williams should anything happen to Hader. He could even see a few more strikeouts in 2022 if he can get more swings out of the zone, and push closer to his career mark of 26 percent (just 21.9 percent in 2021). |
SP | Vince Velasquez | SD | CWS | By signing Velasquez, Chicago is going to hope that the strikeouts and upside are on display with improved command and good health. Velasquez's career high workload is back in 2018 when he fired 146.2 innings, but he amassed that over 31 appearances. Efficiency isn't a part of his game for the most part, but Chicago is hoping that he can flourish in a long reliever role. |
RP | Brad Hand | NYM | PHI | Hand's 2021 season was one to forget for the most part, outside of a smidge of time in Washington and his final appearances with the Mets. He bounced back at the end of the year, especially by keeping the ball in the ball park. He joins a very crowded Philadelphia bullpen where his path to saves is incredibly muddled. If the strikeout rate returns, he could be a good option for solds. |
CF | Odúbel Herrera | PHI | PHI | Philadelphia needed outfield help, but if Herrera was the plan, why not just let Mickey Moniak play? Herrera hasn't been useful in fantasy baseball for long stints outside of his first couple years in the league. He doesn't strikeout a ton. but over the last three years, he has a .308 OBP and just 1.6 WAR. He'll start the year as an everyday outfielder, but his fantasy value is marginal at best. |
SP | Jakob Junis | KC | SF | This is about a good of landing spot as Junis could have hoped for all things considered. He'll serve as the team's sixth starter, although there are some health concerns in the San Fran rotation, so he could become a nice streamer throughout the course of the year. San Francisco has worked wonders with pitchers of late, and if Junis can get even just slightly better against left-handed hitters, he could be in store for a nice year as a streamer, especially if last year's career-best strikeout rate (24.4%) sticks around. |
RP | Chad Kuhl | PIT | COL | Kuhl is going to struggle in Colorado. He allows a good bit of hard contact, and over the last three years, he's posted a 16.7 percent HR/FB rate, 1.49 HR/9 and 9.5 percent barrel rate. If Colorado doesn't push him to use his sinking fastball more to generate more grounders, his ERA just might be north of five this year. |
RP | Heath Hembree | CIN | PIT | Hembree opened the year strong with New York, but after going to the Reds, despite notching eight saves, the wheels came off a bit. For the season as a whole, his 4.34 FIP and 3.84 xFIP look far better than his 5.59 ERA. He was solid in the strikeout department, posting a career best 34.2 percent strikeout rate. He didn't induce as many ground balls as years past, leading to an inflated 1.86 HR/9. Home runs have been a problem for Hembree for most of his career, but he could become an interesting reliever mid-season if the Pirates trade David Bednar and his strikeout rate in 2022 is over a batter per inning. |
1B | Daniel Vogelbach | MIL | PIT | Pittsburgh desperately need a big bopper in the lineup, and Vogelbach will slide in at first base and DH while hitting in the middle of the Pittsburgh lineup. Back in 2019 he hit 30 home runs, and he does have 15 home runs over his last 132 games. He should get ample playing time in an offensively-challenged Pittsburgh lineup, providing fantasy managers with some cheap pop late in drafts. |
RP | Chris Martin | ATL | CHI | From 2019-2020, Martin was a solid source of strikeouts, posting a 30 percent or higher strikeout rate in those two seasons. Last year, it plummeted to a career-low 18.2 percent. Well, for starters, his whiff rate plummeted to 20.9 percent, which is closer to his 2018 mark, and he induced fewer swings out of the zone. Furthermore, when they did swing at pitches out of the zone, there was more contact made. If the strikeout rate is there, and he’s missing bats or keeping the ball on the ground, he should see some save opportunities in a wide open Chicago bullpen. |
RP | Jimmy Nelson | LA | LA | After a few years starting in Milwaukee, and a couple of injuries along the way, Nelson flourished as a reliever for the Dodgers last season. He posted a 37.9 percent strikeout rate over 28 appearances, while posting a career best 3.6 percent barrel rate. He had Tommy John surgery late last season, so we won’t see Nelson until the very later parts of the regular season, or perhaps even the postseason as the earliest. Health has been a major issue for Nelson the last handful of years, and this most recent surgery to fix his UCL and flexor tendon is just the latest in the string of bad luck for Nelson. |
RP | Collin McHugh | TB | ATL | What happened with McHugh lats season? He dropped the fastball usage and massively increased his slider usage, throwing it more than half of the time in 2021. His slider has always been quite good, but in a relief role, it flourished, posting a .177 batting average against and 30.8 whiff rate. It might not all be related to the slider, but the shift in his mix up of pitches resulted in all four of his pitches notching a whiff rate of at least 30 percent. He might see a couple save chances, but he’ll likely be placed in high-leverage situations and tasked to extinguish fires. He should be solid for fantasy managers, especially in NL-only formats, who need a healthy number of innings with a plus strikeout rate and some solds. |
RP | Andrew Chafin | OAK | DET | The Tigers have made a lot of improvements this offseason and Chafin's signing shouldn't be overlooked. Despite a reduction in strikeouts, Chafin posted a career best 86.1 percent strand rate and 2.49 BB/9. He's losing fastball velocity as he's getting older, but he continues to be a menace against left-handed hitters, allowing a .190 batting average and .242 wOBA over the last two seasons. He'll operate as one of the primary setup men to Gregory Soto, and if Detroit is as improved as they appear to be on paper, he should be a nice source of holds in 2022. |
LF | Alex Dickerson | SF | ATL | Back in 2020, when Dickerson cut into his strikeout rate a bit, he hit 10 home runs in just 52 games alongside a .298 batting average for the Giants. In 2021, the strikeouts returned, and his average exit velocity dropped over three miles per hour, leading to a down year in a rather strict platoon. San Francisco limited his exposure to lefties in 2021, even though he posted a respectable .286 batting average against them. Dickerson does have some pop, but even if he breaks camp with the team, there's no spot for him in this talented Atlanta lineup. |
2B | Donovan Solano | SF | CIN | If Cincinnati continues shipping pieces out, Solano could find himself in a regular role at a very hitter friendly stadium. Over the last three years, he's been a nice source of batting average, but that's really the only meaningful contribution he's made for fantasy purposes. He doesn't have much pop, doesn't run a lot, and prior to last year, hardly took a walk. He could be a cheap source of batting average in Cincinnati if he were to get to a full time role. Over the last years, Solano hit .308. |
LF | Charlie Culberson | TEX | TEX | Culberson's already underwhelming batted ball profile disappointed even more in 2021, as he posted the second-lowest average exit velocity in his last six seasons and a measly 3.2 percent barrel rate. He can run a little bit, but with the offensive overhaul the Texas Rangers have made this season, a regular role in the lineup is likely out of the question for Culberson. |
RP | Greg Holland | KC | TEX | Holland posted a career low 8.6 K/9 last year, and home runs were a problem for the veteran right-hander. His 1.46 HR/9 was boosted by a 14.8 percent HR/FB rate and insane 14.1 percent barrel rate. One would think those numbers would even out a bit here in 2022, but it’s not a risk worth taking in fantasy on draft night. He could work his way into saves, as the Texas bullpen is far from a sure thing, but he’ll operate as either the seventh or eighth inning guy. |
CF | Joc Pederson | ATL | SF | Pederson is who he is and he doesn’t waver from it. When he makes contact, it’s usually solid, as he has top end max exit velocity and a double-digit barrel rate in each of the last three seasons. His average exit velocity doesn’t drop below the 80th percentile, but strikeouts are a part of his game. To his credit, he’s gotten better over the years, as he is now in the mid-20s compared to upper-20s in terms of strikeout rate. He’ll be swinging for McCovey Cove more often than not, and he’ll add some thump to the San Fran lineup. |
SP | Matthew Boyd | DET | SF | Despite the 3-8 record, Boyd posted a career low 3.89 ERA over 78.2 innings last year, along with the second-lowest WHIP of his career and career best 1.0 HR/9. Keeping the ball in the stadium had been an issue for Boyd, as prior to 2021, that mark was all the way up at 1.7 HR/9. Compared to years prior, he induced less hard contact, while posting a ground ball rate that was three percentage points above his career norm. Recency bias wiped some of the shine off his season, as he missed time with elbow ailments, but up until his injury, he had a 3.44 ERA and 1.20 WHIP across 70.2 innings of work. This a nice upside signing for the Giants’ rotation, as Boyd can work as a long reliever, or fill in for a spot start if needed. |
2B | Matt Duffy | CHI | LAA | Duffy’s .351 BABIP was a bit above his career norm, but there shouldn’t be much regression in his batting average. He’s a .283 career hitter, so it would be shocking if his average dropped below .270 in a good Angels lineup. His batted ball profile won’t win any awards, but he makes a lot of hard contact, and has posted a swinging strike rate less than seven percent in each of his last two seasons. The Angels get a serviceable option in the middle of their infield, and those in AL-only formats can utilize Duffy as a cheap source of batting average and speed. |
CF | Corey Dickerson | TOR | STL | Dickerson will provide some pop in the St. Louis lineup, mostly against righties, as he's hit below .235 each of the last two years against southpaws. Thanks to the universal DH, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Dickerson get a good chunk of at-bats in the DH spot, again, against righties in particular. For the best fantasy results, he will need to improve last year's measly 3.0 percent barrel rate, and cut into his 50 percent ground ball rate over the last two seasons. |
3B | Jonathan Villar | NYM | CHI | No matter where he is, Villar is a nice power-speed option for fantasy purposes. He's played on four teams in the past three seasons, and outside of the 2020 season, he's posted double-digit home runs and stolen bases in every season dating back to 2016! His speed helps him outproduce his xBA metrics, and his versatility allows him to crack the lineup at multiple spots. Whether it's at second, third, shortstop or DH, he's going to play a lot for Chicago in 2022. |
RP | Sean Doolittle | SEA | WSH | Doolittle and Washington go way back. Well, a couple of seasons for the most part. From 2018-2020 with the Nationals, Doolittle posted a 28.8 percent strikeout rate, 5.4 percent walk rate, 54 saves and a 3.20 ERA. The Washington bullpen needed a lefty in there, and Doolittle is just that. He will need to harness command issues that have plagued him the last two years, and if he's able to do that, he could develop into an option in the ninth. |
RP | Jason Adam | CHI | TB | Tampa Bay has a good track record with pitchers, and there's two things we know about Adam. He can strikeout batters with the best of them, and command is an issue. If Tampa Bay can harness his command and not sacrifice the strikeouts in doing so, watch out. He boasted an elite spin rate on his fastball last season, while his curveball and slider were elite in the whiffs department. It's small sample sizes, sure, but over the past two years, he's posted a 41.7 percent and 34 percent whiff rate. |
RP | Archie Bradley | PHI | LAA | After five straight years with a strikeout rate north of 22 percent, Bradley's strikeout rate tumbled to just 17.9 percent last year. His swinging strike rate fell to seven percent, which is his lowest since 2015, but while his O-Swing rate remained stable, his O-Contact rate jumped to 78.9 percent. The strikeout rate should bounce back a bit in 2022, and ideally, he maintains last year's ground ball rate, too. |
RP | Ryan Tepera | CWS | LAA | Tepera was solid last year, posting a 30+ percent strikeout rate for the second straight year and bringing his walk rate down to 7.9 percent, which is lower than his career average (8.9%). His last couple of years in Toronto were riddled with home run problems, but they have straightened out over the last two seasons. However, despite allowing a career high fly ball rate last season, a low 6.6 percent HR/FB rate helped him out a good bit. His expected statistics were excellent last season, and have been good in years past. While he won't close for the Angels, he could provide plenty of holds for a team that looks to be better on paper than 2021. |
1B | Colin Moran | PIT | CIN | Moran’s power never quite developed in Pittsburgh, as his best season from a power standpoint was 13 home runs in 149 games back in 2019. There was reason to be excited in 2021 for Moran, as his 2020 season looked to be a turning point for his power numbers, as he enjoyed a bump in his average exit velocity and barrel rate. It appears that the 2020 season was an outlier, as he returned to more normal marks for him in 2021. He’s going to a great hitter’s park and should get some meaningful at-bats against right-handers, but from a fantasy standpoint, he needs to get the ball in the air more. A 1.90 GB/FB ratio and a 52.1 percent ground ball rate are inhibitors to increased power production. |
3B | Brad Miller | PHI | TEX | Miller’s impressive batted ball profile over the past couple seasons remained steady in 2021, as he posted a double-digit barrel rate for the third-straight season. Playing half of your games in Philadelphia helps, too, as he posted a 25 percent HR/FB rate for the season, and a 27.8 percent mark at home specifically. He hit .244 with an .842 OPS against righties, and he’s been far better against righties compared to southpaws for his career. Texas signed him to a two-year deal and should get the larger side of any platoon at third base in the Texas infield. |
RP | Daniel Norris | MIL | CHI | It’s easy to see why Norris struggled in 2021. His average exit velocity and hard hit rate came in the first and sixth percentile and if you look at his pitching heatmap, his fastball lived in the middle of the zone. His weak contact rates were below league average, but the upside is that most of his expected statistics say he should have been at least slightly better than what he actually was, as indicated by his 4.33 xERA and 4.27 xFIP. He won’t be fantasy relevant in 2022, especially if he doesn’t cut into last year’s walk rate and induce more weak contact. |
RP | Mychal Givens | CIN | CHI | Despite his home run rate being higher than what you would want for a reliever in the later innings of games, Givens was exceptional last year at limiting hard contact. He threw his changeup more than ever before, and it posted a .129 batting average against. After an odd 2020 season where he allowed way more fly balls than usual, it was great to see his ground ball rate closer to 40 percent than 20 percent. With a strong spring and early start to the year, his closing experience should prove valuable to the Cubs. |
RP | Garrett Richards | BOS | TEX | Injuries have hampered Richards' career, and his most productive outings alst year came as a reliever. Texas will be best suited to let him work out of the pen in 2022, as his 3.42 ERA as a reliever was far better than his 5.22 ERA as a starter. Beyond that, as a reliever, he posted a 24.8 percent strikeout rate, and 2.90 FIP. Sure, he can make a spot start if needed, but Texas would be wise to use him as a reliever. |
SP | Danny Duffy | KC | LA | Duffy should be ready somewhere in the middle of the season after getting flexor tendon surgery in October. Duffy made just 12 starts last season, but he was off to an excellent start, posting a 2.51 ERA and 25.8 percent strikeout rate prior to getting injured. He missed some time during the year, too, but the Dodgers will be hoping that upon his return, he can be a solid lefty for the team, whether it be as a back end starter or long reliever. |
SP | Michael Pineda | MIN | DET | Pineda was excellent for the Twins last year, when healthy, in terms of being a steady presence in the rotation. His 3.62 ERA was good, though his 4.21 FIP and 4.96 xERA may point to some luck. My biggest concerns with Pineda are health, his diminishing strikeout rate, and at some point, his propensity to allow hard contact will catch up with him. He'll be a stalwart in the Detroit rotation, which is good for innings, but his fantasy upside is capped. |
SP | Tyler Anderson | SEA | LA | For his entire career, he posted a 4.12 ERA at Coors Field, compared to a 4.92 ERA at every other stadium. He harnessed his command last year, posting a career best 5.4 percent walk rate, but an increase in his swinging strikeout rate from the past two years didn't create a jump in strikeout rate that you might expect. If the Dodgers can fine tune a couple of things with his arsenal, if he can replicate 2021's O-Swing rate and swinging strike rate, he could become fantasy viable as a starter in deeper formats. |
SP | Drew Smyly | ATL | CHI | Smyly dropped his walk rate for the second straight season and was quite good for Atlanta, winning 11 games over 29 appearances (23 starts). Home runs were a problem last year, both at home (1.94 HR/9) and on the road (1.90 HR/9). If he can get the home runs in check, and maintain last year’s K-BB%, he could be a serviceable arm in fantasy for those in deeper mixed setups, or NL-only formats.
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RP | Joe Smith | SEA | MIN | Even as he continues to age, Smith does a good job of limiting hard contact, specifically missing the opposition’s barrel. His sinking fastball is a ground ball machine, posting a -8 degree launch angle last season. Other than posting a 33.2 percent strikeout rate back in 2017, he’s never been a massive strikeout guy, and his arsenal lends itself to more ground balls and weak contact compared to swings and misses. He’ll be a solid arm in the pen for Minnesota, but his fantasy value is minimal. |
SP | Zach Davies | CHI | ARI | In recent years, Davies has become a guy that allows a lot of hard contact, and it bottomed out last year with a career worst 1.52 HR/9. The strikeout rate fell back to more normal marks, but fewer swings out of the zone and a career worst first strike percentage led to a career high walk rate for Davies. His rough second half of the year ballooned his numbers, so Arizona is hoping he can return, at least, to his ways through the first 92.2 innings of the year, and not the last 55.1. |
RP | Hunter Strickland | MIL | CIN | Lucas Sims' delayed start to the season only hurts an already thin bullpen, so signing Strickland provides some much needed experience in the Cincinnati bullpen. Strickland may only have 21 career saves, but he has 72 holds for his career. His strikeout rate has been solid the last two seasons, but if he doesn't minimize hard contact like he's done the last few years, his fly ball tendencies could be problematic in Great American Small Park. |
CF | Kevin Pillar | NYM | LA | With a fully healthy LA squad, Pillar will be a role player and could be used as a late game defensive replacement if necessary. However, with some regulars for the Dodgers likely getting a slow start to the season, Pillar could see some added playing time early on. There's enough pop in his bat and speed in his legs to be fantasy relevant, but again, when the Dodgers are healthy, his role from a fantasy perspective is minimal. |
RP | Bryan Shaw | CLE | CLE | Shaw logged an impressive 81 appearances last season for Cleveland, and his experience is much needed in the Cleveland pen. His strikeout rate returned to 20+ percent after a two year hiatus, and his 11.2 percent swinging strike rate was solid. There could be some holds leagues appeal with Shaw, especially if his fastball velocity stays where it was last year and he continues to work his arsenal. Saves are likely out of the question for the most part, so unless your league values holds, and likely is AL-only, Shaw will be off your radar. |
C | Stephen Vogt | ATL | OAK | Vogt has really struggled the last two years, posting a .188 batting average and .261 wOBA over his last 319 plate appearances. Oakland is hoping to recapture his 2015 and 2016 seasons with the team, but for a reloading Oakland team, Vogt will primarily serve as a bench bat for this team. If he gets regular playing time, there could be some cheap pop, but his batting average has to improve to make the juice worth the squeeze. |
RP | Sergio Romo | OAK | SEA | Romo is a serviceable bullpen arm that has remained steady through the years, despite losing steam on his fastball. The stirkeout rate has fluctuated, and while he isn't the fantasy asset he used to be, he brings plenty of relief experience to a major league bullpen. He allows a good number of fly balls, but he minimizes hard contact exceptionally well, and he's posted an xERA below 3.50 in six of the past seven seasons. He could see some save opportunities as the year progresses, but it will take some faltering from the guys ahead of him for that to happen. |
2B | Jed Lowrie | OAK | OAK | At 37 years young, Lowrie had a solid first half, posting a .263 average with 10 home runs across his first 300 at-bats. Well, over the last half of the season, he hit just .210 and his BABIP dropped by nearly 60 points. Father Time always wins out, and since Lowrie doesn’t run at all anymore, he becomes a low power guy with no speed. He should get plenty of at-bats in a weak Oakland lineup, and there’s some optimism following last year’s increase in average exit velocity and barrel rate, but he’s nothing more than a late-round flier at best. |
1B | Albert Pujols | LA | STL | It looked like Pujols was on a very quiet path out of the league, but a trade to the Dodgers sent the future Hall of Famer right to the fountain of youth. He hit 12 home runs in 85 games with the team, hitting .254 with a .206 ISO. He posted a .939 OPS against southpaws, compared to a measly .500 OPS versus righties. Over the last three seasons, Pujols' .219 batting average pales in comparison to his .268 mark against southpaws. He could play the occasional first base to give Paul Goldschmidt a break, but the majority of his at-bats should come against southpaws as the DH for the Cardinals. |
SP | Chris Archer | TB | MIN | Archer made just five starts and missed over four months of the season. Upon his return from the IL, he posted a respectable 9.00 K/9 and 4.20 ERA. Home runs have been a major problem the last couple of seasons for Archer, and he's struggled getting deep into games, in large part due to allowing a 5.21 ERA and .361 wOBA the second time through the order. Minnesota will hope that a good defense behind Archer can ignite a bounce back year for a guy with pretty good stuff, but don't be too quick to forget that his fastball velocity has been trending down, and he's allowed a 4.70 ERA over his last 287.1 innings. Yes, in that span, he does have a 10.21 K/9, but as nice as that is, that 1.47 HR/9 is worrisome. |
SP | Johnny Cueto | SF | CWS | At 36 years young, Cueto heads to Chicago (on a minor league deal) to add a reliable arm to a rotation that will be without Lance Lynn for quite some time. Cueto doesn't strike many guys out any more, but he continues to display excellent command and his antics on the mound can throw off the rhythm of the batter. He's posted a barrel rate below seven percent in each of the pat two seasons, and he enjoyed his home park last year, posting a 3.78 ERA at home. Cueto will likely enter the rotation at some point in the early part of the 2022 season, but he's an innings eater in deeper formats at best. |
Player News
Nick Kurtz is not in the lineup for Wednesday’s game against the Mariners.
2 minutes ago
Kurtz gets the matinee off even with right-hander Bryan Woo on the mound for Seattle. The 22-year-old rookie will take a seat with Seth Brown in the lineup in Kurtz’s absence.
2025-05-07 1:12:18 (ET)
Gabriel Moreno (side) is not in the starting lineup for Wednesday’s game against the mets.
18 minutes ago
Moreno was scratched Tuesday due to soreness in his side, and the Diamondbacks will have him begin Wednesday’s contest on the bench again. He was available off the bench Tuesday, so there’s a chance he’ll be available for this one, as well. In the meantime, Jose Herrera gets the start behind the plate.
2025-05-07 12:56:38 (ET)
Aaron Civale (hamstring) will make a rehab start Thursday for Triple-A Nashville.
1 hour ago
Civale suffered a setback from his strained hamstring in the middle of April, but the 29-year-old has progressed enough to get back on the mound. The right-hander will assuredly need multiple outings before coming back to the majors, but he should be ready for the rotation by the end of May if he doesn’t have another setback.
2025-05-07 12:14:25 (ET)
William Contreras is playing with a fractured middle finger on his catching hand.
1 hour ago
Contreras had X-rays last night, which revealed the fracture. It is reportedly an old fracture that “has bothered him for some time.” Contreras has played through it and will continue to do so. However, his catching hand is also the lead hand for his swing, so the fracture may be impacting some of his quality of contact. His barrel rate is just 3.1 percent on the season, and his average exit velocity is down almost three mph while posting a career-low hard hit rate. His bat speed has also fallen, with him ranking in the 65th percentile with an average bat speed of 72.8 mph after posting a 74.7 mph mark last year.
2025-05-07 11:56:01 (ET)
Rangers signed RHP Cory Abbott to a minor league contract.
1 hour ago
Abbott had a 2.40 ERA in 15 innings for los Tecos de los Dos Laredos in the Mexican Independent League, striking out 15 batters and walking eight in an extremely hitter-friendly environment. He’s the third player signed out of the Mexican Independent League this week, with the Rangers also signing Robert Dugger and the Dodgers signing Nick Senzel. Abbott figures to join the starting rotation for Triple-A Round Rock.
2025-05-07 11:48:43 (ET)
Yordan Alvarez (hand) was diagnosed with a muscle strain on the top of his right hand.
1 hour ago
The injury was previously reported as “inflammation,” but now we know that the inflammation is the result of a strain. Astros manager Joe Espada said the diagnosis was “good news,” and the team still hopes Alvarez will have a minimum stint on the IL, but he’ll obviously need to wait for the strained muscle or tendon to heal, which might take more than a week depending on the severity of the strain.
2025-05-07 11:45:00 (ET)