2015 MLB Free Agent Tracker

Whether it was by your own doing or just some unfortunate luck, for many of you, there are no fantasy football playoffs.  The gridiron means absolutely nothing to you and all that truly matters is that pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training is less than three months away. That’s right, baby! Fantasy baseball is back!

The long, cold winter is upon us, but nothing warms us best like a little MLB hot stove action. Free agents have been making the rounds and while many have already signed on and are set to join their new homes, there are still plenty of marquee names out there looking for long-term deals and fat pay days. Not to mention, the winter GM meeting are upon us this week and if you thought things got exciting when the Yankees, Tigers and Diamondbacks got together for yet another three-team deal, just wait until the big bosses are sitting together at the conference table. It’s about to get real hot, real fast.

And what better way for you fantasy baseball folk to whet your whistle than to keep a running tally of all the latest free agent and trade action right here on one page? We here at Fantasy Alarm know how important it is for you fantasy baseball owners, especially those in keeper and dynasty leagues, to have all the latest information on signings and player movement, so to help you along, we’re going to have a running list right here for you to keep track of all the latest news and rumors. And even better than that – we’re going to have continuous updates and commentary throughout each day  from none other than The Oracle himself, Ray Flowers. Sure, I’m going to give my take on a number of players as well and we may even have a Jeff Mans sighting here and there, but those of you whose fantasy baseball world lives and dies by the analysis of Ray, your dream free agent tracker has arrived.

So join us here each day as Ray and I track all the latest MLB hot stove action and get an early leg up on your 2015 fantasy baseball competition.

TRADES

A’s acquire RHP Chris Bassitt, C Josh Phegley and INFs Rangel Ravelo and Marcus Semien from White Sox for Jeff Samardzija and Michael Ynoa.

The A's continue to sell off veterans as they attempt to rebuild with cheaper youth. The Shark has a 49 percent ground ball rate the last two seasons, so the move from a pitcher friendly envionrment in Oakland to a homer booster in Chicago shouldn't be too detrimental to his outlook. Semien seems likely to take over at shortstop for the Athletics with Jed Lowrie heading out of town.

Dodgers trade OF Matt Kemp and $30 million to the Padres for Yasmani Grandal, Joe Wieland and Zach Eflin.
Yet another blockbuster by the Dodgers. Kemp is sent packing, along with $30-32 million (depending on reports), to help offset the $107 million he is due over the next five years. The Padres pick up a once elite hitter who has struggled with health of late. Kemp may never be the 30/30 threat he once was, but it should be noted that he hit .309 with 17 homers an a .971 OPS in the second half of last season. The bat looks like it's back. The move to Petco in San Diego won't be a big booster for his value, but don't forget it's not like Dodgers Stadium is a launching pad either though he certainly enters a less productive lineup without the weapons of the Dodgers. If healthy, Kemp can still be one of the better hitters in the NL. The deal gives the Padres five outfielders - Kemp, Cameron Maybin, Seth Smith, Will Venable and Carlos Quentin - could another deal be coming? Who do the Dodgers receive? Grandal has dealt with PED issues off the field and injuries on it, but he still has the bat to hit .250 with 20 homers making him, potentially, one of the upper half of backstops with the bat. If it all came together for Grandal he has the talent to even suprass those numbers. Wieland, a 24 year old, threw just 11.1 big league innings in 2014 in his return from Tommy John surgery in 2012. He likely to settle in as a 4/5 starter in the big. Eflin doesn't turn 21 until April. The 33rd overall selection in the 2012 draft, the 6'4" Eflin has a bright future. He threw 128 inings at High-A ball last year going 10-7 with a 3.80 ERA and 1.32 WHIP.

FOR MORE ON THE PADRES MOVES IN THE OUTFIELD - Kemp, Justin Upton and Wil Myers - see this Around the Horn video. 

Red Sox trade OF Yoenis Cespedes, RHP Alex Wilson and RHP Gabe Speier to the Tigers for RHP Rick Porcello
How does this sound - Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez and Cespedes as the heart of your order? If J.D. Martinez can offer a follow up the power potential of the Tigers will be significant in 2015. Make no mistake here. Cespedes has power, but little else, and that means his fantasy value is likely less than you would think. In fact, his power isn't that impressive either, in terms of the level of production. Did you know that Cespedes has never hit 27 homers in a season? Did you know that only once in three seasons has he had more than 82 RBIs? Did you know only once in three years has he scored 75 runs? Did you know that after stealing 16 bags as a rookie that the 29 year old has stolen a total of 14 bases the last two years? Oh yeah, there's also the issue of that .263 career batting average. A strong power bat but not as good as most people think. Porcello won 15 games last season, a sixth straight season of double-digit wins. He also posted his first ERA under 4.32 in five seasons at 3.43. That's nearly a full run down. Can he sustain that? Porcello also posted a 1.23 WHIP, his second season in a row under his 1.36 career mark. Porcello struck out 129 batters last season, and that was the second best mark of his career. Think about that. In six seasons he's had a K/9 rate over 5.70 just once. That fact keeps the fantasy value of Porcello lower than his real world value.

Reds trade Alfredo Simon to the Tigers for INF Eugenio Suarez and RHP Jonathon Crawford 
Well, there is your Rick Porcello replacement. Simon had a 3.44 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in 196.1 innings last season but what should be expected from the 33 year old in 2015? (1) Moving to the AL will not help. (2) Last season was his first big league season over 116 innings (he threw a total of 148.2 innings in 2012-13). (3) He faded badly down the stretch posting a 4.69 ERA, 1.44 WHIP an a 1.79 K/BB ratio over his last 11 starts. The Tigers shouldn't expect a repeat of his overall performance from 2014, and fantasy leaguers should avoid spending heavily on Simon, even in AL-only leagues. As for the Red haul... Crawford was the 20th selection in the 2013 MLB Draft and has the upside of a 2/3 starter in the big leagues with the potential to lead a staff with his power arsenal. His heater regularly sits at 95 mph and he can carry that velocity deep into games. He had 123 innings at Single-A ball last season going 8-3 with a 2.85 ERA and 1.16 WHIP. Suarez hit .242 with a .652 OPS over 85 games last year with the Tigers. He offers little with the bat in terms of power, and he's not a big stolen base threat, but there is little doubt that he could at least match the offensive contributions of Zack Cozart. 

Reds trade RHP Mat Latos to the Marlins for RHP Anthony DeSclafani and C Chad Wallach
Latos has long been one of the most consistent pitchers in baseball, but that changed a bit in 2014 for the 27 year old. Latos had bone chips removed from his elbow in 2013 and this offseason he had stem cell surgery to stimulate tissue and cartilage growth. The expectation is that he will be fine for 2015. Still, after 4-straight years of at least 180 innings pitched and 185 strikeouts, Latos fell to 74 punchouts in 102.1 innings. The loss of strikeouts was huge, down a batter an a half from his career mark of 8.12 per nine innings, and that's an issue. Also concerning is the fact that his ground ball rate fell to 37.7 percent, well below his career 43 percent mark. Miami is a better place to pitch than Cincinnati, so as long as he's healthy - a certain if - Latos should be good to go. DeSclafani was awful last season in 33 innings with the Marlins (6.27 ERA), but he only walked five men leading to an impressive 1.36 BB/9 mark. His arsenal likely points to him having more success as a reliever since he really only features to pitches. Wallach is 23 years old and will obviously be blocked by Devin Mesoraco. He hit .322 with a .431 OBP and .888 OPS over 97 games at Low and High-A ball in 2014.

Marlins trade LHP Andrew Heaney, Kike Hernandez, Austin Barnes and Chris Hatcher to the Dodgers for 2B/SS Dee Gordon and RHP Dan Haren

With the apparentl acquisition of Jimmy Rollins and the impending arrival of Alex Guerrero to the majors, the Dodgers sent Gordon packing after a breakout season. There were definitely questions as to whether or not Gordon would be able to improve on or, at the least, mainatin his plate discipline and on-base numbers, so this was a classic sell-high move. Heaney is an outstanding young, lefty who has a ton of upside. His K:BB throughout the minors was fantastic and he moved through the Marlins system quickly. maybe even a little too quickly. He'll have a chance to earn the fourth or fifth spot in the rotation with Haren gone, but even if he doesn't get it, the Dodgers will have him up in a reqasonable amount of time. He could be a real nice late-round sleeper for the second half of the season. Haren will look to ressurect his declining career with the Marlins, but he's unlikely to do more than what he did last season. As for the fringe players, we'll get to them soon enough when the MLB Draft Guide comes out.

Dodgers trade LHP Andrew Heaney to the Angels for 2B Howie Kendrick.
Either the Dodgers have no faith in Alex Guerrero or they just feel like he needs to stay down in the minors for at least another full season as they flip Heaney to replace Dee Gordon at second. Since this column is being shared, I'll identify that this is Howard and I don't really love this move for Heaney. I don't totally hate it, but I just don't love it. I would have preferred he stay in the National League to help keep that K-rate moving in the right direction. As for Kendrick, you know exactly what you're getting from him -- .290-ish average will close to 10 home runs and a dozen stolen bases. That won't change with a move to the Dodgers and neither should his fantasy value.

Diamondbacks trade LHP Wade Miley to the Red Sox for RHP Rubby De La Rosa and RHP Allen Webster
In a guest analysis, Fantasy Alarm's Jon Impemba writes, "In Miley the Red Sox are getting a starter who has thrown no less than 194 innings over the past three seasons and has a career 3.79 ERA and should be a reliable No.3 starter for the Red Sox as they look to rebuild their rotation. The Diamondbacks are getting Allen Webster and Ruby De La Rosa who the Sox had acquired in the blockbuster deal that sent Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett to the Dodgers a few seasons ago. Webster has struggled during his stints with the Red Sox while De La Rose has found varying degrees of success but has struggled with consistency."

The Rockies trade SS Josh Rutledge to the Angels for RHP Jairo Diaz

After dealing Howie Kendrick to the Dodgers, the Angels pick up another middle infielder in Rutledge. His bat isan't as consistent as Kendrick's nor has he shown more power at all either. But he can play shortstop as well as second and will give the Angels a little more lineup flexibility. Diaz has shown strong promise recently and thanks to a double-digit K/9 with a respectful walk rate, Diaz made the jump from Double-A to the majors. He threw 5.2 innings and held his own fairly well, posting a 3.18 ERA with a 8:3 K:BB. He could actually have a spot in the pen by Openming Day.

Cubs acquire C Miguel Montero in exchange for Zack Godley and Jefferson Mejia.

Owed $40 million the next three years, Montero slumped to a mere .234/.329/.379 line in 2014 after being one of the better hitting catchers in baseball the previous few seasons. This deal likely means that Welington Castillo will be dealt from the Cubs to another team.

The Angels acquired catcher Drew Butera from the Dodgers for a Player To Be Named Later and cash.

Can't say there's much in the way here of fantasy value or even relevance. Butera is nothing more than a back-up option and is probably only worth a roster spot in the very deepest of two catcher AL-only leagues.

The Phillies trade RHP Antonio Bastardo to the Pirates for LHP Joely Rodriguez.

It's an interesting swap of lefties for both teams. The Pirates get a major-league proven southpaw to set up for Mark Melancon who should be closing for the Buccos this season. He did have some command issues, but his 11.39 K/9 does a good job erasing some of the free poasses he can dole out. Rodriguez struggled in his first move to Double-A last year, but has shown some real nice promise with both velocity and command. He's definitely a weork in progress though.

The Astros trade OF Dexter Fowler to the Cubs for 3B Luis Valbuena and RHP Dan Straily

For fantasy purposes here, this looks like a good move for those who are eyeing Fowler for 2015. Injuries continue to be an issue for him, but he's cut back on the strikeouts over the last two years while still maintaining walk rate in excess of 13-percent. He should embrace the return to the National League as well as feed off the energy and enthusiasm of the youngsters who make up the Cubs offense. As for Valbuena, he moves back to a utility role which cuts his value from where it was last year and Straily, who has solid talent lurking underneath, still has a lot to prove before being considered for a big league roster spot. The path is a little easier for him with the Astros, but there's still a ways to go.

Marlins trade LHP Dan Jennings to the White Sox for RHP Andre Rienzo
Jennings had a 1.34 ERA in 40.1 innings for the Sox bullpen last season which went along with a solid 8.5 K/9 mark an a 49 percent ground ball rate. That 1.54 WHIP is a concern because it resulted largely from a 3.8 BB/9 ratio. Rienzo has a 5.89 ERA for his career over 21 starts and seven relief appearances. Until he brings the walks down - 4.55 walks per nine - none of the rest of it matters.

Nationals trade LHP Ross Detwiler to the Texas Rangers for INF Chris Bostick and RHP Abel de los Santos

Detwiler has long been a reliever/spot starter for the Nationals, though back in 2012 he did throw 164 innings and made 33 starts for the club. His career 3.82 ERA isn't exactly mind-blowing and he rarely strikes people out. He's not a bad guy for middle relief purposes, but that's real life. His fantasy value as a reliever is pretty low and he's not the type of player you seek out. Waiver material at best, and that's only iuf he gets work as a starter. As for Bostick and de los Santos, well, you're probably never going to hear their names in fantasy circles at all

The Angels have traded RHP Kevin Jepsen to the Rays for OF Matt Joyce..

It's a lateral move for Jepsen who will remain in a similar set-up role he filled for the Angels but it could be a decrease in overall value for Joyce. He moves to the Angels now where he will serve as a fourth/fifth outfielder and a part-time DH. Joyce will share designated hitter responsibilities with C.J. Cron and migh tnot always get the call in the outfield as Colin Cowgill serves as a better defensive option. He still has decent power upside, but might not see as many at-bats this season.

The Brewers trade RHP Yovani Gallardo and cash to the Rangers for RHP Corey Knebel, INF Luis Sardinas and RHP Marcos Diplan

Plain and simple, this move does absolutely nothing for the fantasy community. While gallardo has seen a steady rise in his ground ball rate, something that usually offsets pitching in such a hitter-friendly environment, his strikeout rate has dropped for three-straight seasons and the contact that he does pitch to has been fierce. Add into that the move to the American League and you've got a recipe for some serious disaster. Knebel is still working his way back from elbow surgery but showed real nice potential with a 1.65 ERA and 12.30 K/9 for his career in the minors. No need to worry about Sardinas or Diplan.

The Braves trade C/OF Evan Gattis to the Astros for RHP Mike Foltynewicz, RHP Andrew Thurman and INF Rio Ruiz

For the fantasy outlook on this trade, check out Ray Flowers' Player Profile on Gattis.

The Rays trade 2B Ben Zobrist and SS Yunel Escobar to the Athletics for catcher John Jaso, INF Daniel Robertson, OF Boog Powell and cash

Zobrist moves over to Oakland and slots in immediately as the starting second baseman. The concerns over his power ever returning persist, so the value there is minimal for fantasy owners. However, he still holds multi-position eligibility which adds to his overall fantasy value. Escobar is set to be flipped (see below). As for the Rays' end, well, Jaso comes back home and should be in-line for a starting role. Love that OBP! Robertson is a solid prospect who slashed .310/.402/.471 with 15 homers and four steals as a 20-year-old at High-A last season, but isn't going to be fast-tracked, so his value remains strong only in dynasty leagues right now. Powell , on the other hand, does not have the skill sto even come close to his namesake. He can be ignored, even in the deep dynasty play.

The Nationals trade RHP Tyler Clippard to the Athletics for SS Yunel Escobar

While Escobar doesn't offer much in the way of power or speed, he does have some fantasy value in deeper mixed leagues as well as NL-only play. He's going to add second base eligibility to his repertoire by early to mid April as well which obviously offers more roster flexibility. Clippard will fill the same late-inning role with Oakland that he has with the Nationals. He's a decent win-vulture with a reasonably helpful strikeout rate. He could also get into the mix for saves should Sean Doolittle falter.

MLB Free Agent Tracker