Fantasy baseball is a game for casual fans who enjoy the draft, free agency and managing rosters. With variations in scoring systems that cater to different levels of expertise or spending limits, Fantasy Baseball has become one of America’s most popular sports activities. But there are still some drawbacks with current formats- namely how much time it takes to set up your league.
The “fantasy baseball yahoo” is a website that allows users to create their own fantasy league. It’s a great way to stay in touch with your friends during the off-season.
Eric Karabell and Tristan H. Cockcroft will examine and present a view for all of the main players involved in the offseason MLB transactions and signings with fantasy baseball ramifications for 2022. Keep checking back when stars like Carlos Correa, Freddie Freeman, and Trevor Story begin to look for new teams in 2022.
Within each positional category, players will be divided by position and then ranked in order of fantasy significance. Links to any stand-alone analytical reports on free-agent signings and trades are also provided. Players who re-sign with their old club will be excluded from the draft.
Jump to: Catcher, First Base, Second Base, Shortstop, Third Base, Outfield, Starting Pitcher, Relief Pitcher
1 Related
The second baseman
The Texas Rangers have added a second baseman to their roster. Marcus Semien is the first big-name free agent shortstop — or, in this instance, second baseman, since it was his main position in 2021 — to sign. Cockcroft’s words
The Seattle Mariners have made a deal for a second baseman. Frazier, Adam: Last season, two middle infielders were in the top ten in terms of hits. Are you able to figure out who they were? Trea Turner, the powerful base stealer who might go first overall in fantasy drafts in 2022, is one of them. Turner is a fantastic fantasy hero! The other was obtained in a trade by a competing club hoping for a deep playoff run last season. It did not go as planned.
Nonetheless, Adam Frazier deserves a lot of credit for having his greatest season. The Padres acquired the veteran Pirates second baseman in a trade and used him as a utility player. They’ve traded him to the Mariners for a couple prospects, eight weeks after missing the playoffs. In 2021, Frazier hit.305, which was about all he accomplished for fantasy managers, outside from scoring runs.
The customer-focused Frazier has never hit more than 10 home runs in a season, and he’s never stolen more than 10 bases, so he’s more valuable in points formats than in roto. Still, batting average counts in virtually every league, and Frazier is safe there, but his order placement will play a huge factor in his value. Let’s assume/hope it’s at the top, where he’ll most likely be working with new double-play partner J.P. Crawford, who is also a singles hitter. Nonetheless, valuing any of these Mariners as fantasy building bricks is difficult. Late in the drafts, get them. Karabell’s words
The third baseman
The New York Mets have signed a third baseman. Eduardo Escobar: I’m Eduardo Escobar, and I’m Escobar provides the Mets a second and third base option, as well as a shortstop option in a pinch (albeit with mediocre defense there). His background of “lefty mashing” might come in helpful on a squad that has been so left-handed in previous years. He has a wOBA 19 points better against southpaws than righties in his career, and that disparity was 28 points from 2019 to 21. Expect the Mets to use him similarly to his former club, the Brewers, shifting him around and exploiting everyday pitching matchups, which is something his fantasy managers should do as well. — Cockcroft
Outfield
OF Starling Marte signs with the New York Mets: The Mets have finally found their center fielder! Marte will provide the Mets with respectable defense, strong hitting, and exceptional base stealing abilities in center field after four seasons of fielding defensive-only guys or batters effectively playing out of position. Marte’s new teammates will benefit more from having a complete player in place than Marte himself, since his hitting enhances the lineup without removing any critical players, and his glove gives the pitching staff higher chances of favorable outcomes on balls in play. With his arrival, I’m a touch more optimistic on Mets pitchers, even if it’ll just earn them an extra penny in salary-cap drafts or a few ranking points, and I’m definitely more interested by their lineup.
In fantasy, Marte’s speed is crucial. He was the only player in history to steal 20 or more bags in both leagues in a single season, leading the majors in stolen bases (47) by seven. He came within 10 thefts of leading the National League and 15 steals of leading the American League in the category. Much of it was due to an increase in the frequency of green lights on the base paths, but Marte’s growing accuracy on his efforts is also promising, especially given his slowing speed over the last four seasons — his 28.4 mph Statcast average sprint speed in 2021 was a career low. He’s as good a bet as anyone to lead the majors in stolen bases, and although 33-year-olds’ numbers tend to drop rather than grow, the identity of the Mets’ manager may ultimately determine whether he’s more of a 30-SB candidate than a 40-SB candidate. The difference is significant, but in this fantasy world where thefts are few, it’s worth paying a premium for the shot at the latter.
Marte will likely start at first base, second base, or fourth base, depending on the manager’s identity. With the Mets’ other offseason transactions, their projected 2022 roster offers a lot more platoon-advantage opportunities, moving them closer to the Dodgers/Rays approach of purely constructing around matchups. That’s wonderful news for Marte, who has played for teams that have been 45 games below.500 in each of the last three seasons and who projects as an everyday player regardless of the Mets’ eventual lineup approach. He might be on pace for his first career 100-run season, making his argument for a spot among the top-25 fantasy players a no-brainer.
There’s just one league format where such a case might be made, and that’s ESPN’s regular points leagues, where he finished 91st overall (compared to third in rotisserie) and 54th among hitters, thanks in part to his lack of extra-base hits and a history of low walk rates. There, he’s more top-50 deserving. Cockcroft’s words
Avisail Garcia has been signed by the Miami Marlins. He’s a particular favorite, thanks in part to his “Statcast darling” characteristics, as seen by his sprint speed that never falls below the 78th percentile (or 88th if we ignore the 60-game 2020) and his solid-yet-overlooked Barrel rates and maximum exit-velocity stats. Garcia has shown us why scouring the bargain bin using Statcast metrics is a great idea when filling out the back end of your mixed-league roster in two of the last three seasons (2019 and 2021), and it’s reasonable to believe he’s the.267-25-90, 10-steal player that his three-year average prorated to a full schedule indicates.
The issues are that he’s already 30 years old, which means we’ve probably already seen his best year, and he’ll be joining a Marlins club that plays in one of the worst power environments in baseball. Because of his three-year average for homers and RBIs, Garcia will most likely be a reliable-but-unspectacular mixed-league OF5 type in fantasy baseball. Cockcroft’s words
Mark Canha has been signed by the New York Mets. Canha can play both outfield corners and first base, as well as center field in a pinch, and he might be the franchise’s perfect designated hitter if the team is returned to the National League in 2022. Formerly known as a lefty masher, he has actually balanced his platoon splits to the point where he has performed better against righties (.343 wOBA vs..325 against lefties) in his career, and his keen batting eye could make him a perfect complement to Brandon Nimmo in a potential leadoff-spot platoon.
Canha isn’t going to be the 12-SB hitter he was in 2021 (which surpassed his entire 2016-20 total of 10) and he’s a little too fly ball-oriented to improve his.244 career batting average, but he’s a useful daily matchups play who could be a sneaky-good mixed league No. 5 outfielder if the Mets make him their everyday left fielder and leadoff man. Cockcroft’s words
Pitcher in the lead
The Toronto Blue Jays have signed SP Kevin Gausman (Kevin Gausman) When I watched now-established right-hander Gausman sign a five-year contract with the Blue Jays, the first and possibly only thing that sprang to mind was the vast disparity between his former and new home ballparks. We make a huge deal out of it, but it’s really rather significant. So, okay, let’s make it a huge thing. Gausman pitched well for the Giants in 2021, ending as our Player Rater’s No. 9 pitcher and No. 7 in points leagues, but now he has to throw half of the season in a hitter’s paradise! What will he do, oh, what will he do?
Gausman, for the record, won six of his fourteen home starts last season, with a 3.44 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. He won eight games with a 2.33 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 19 road starts away from Oracle Park. The’s the end of that story! Gausman is simply a great pitcher, owing to his ability to develop his split-finger pitch in tandem with his four-seam fastball after leaving the Baltimore organization.
Pitching in San Francisco certainly helped. In two years with the Giants, he threw 251 2/3 innings with a 3.00 ERA and 10.9 K/9, earning a $110 million agreement with the Blue Jays. We shouldn’t anticipate a sub-3.00 ERA again, especially in such a hitter-friendly stadium and division, but he is a top-20 pitcher in our rankings, and he seems to be safe as he approaches his age-31 season. Gausman has a fresh story to tell. He’s very excellent. Karabell’s words
SP is signed by the New York Mets. If you can’t beat ’em, sign ’em,’ says Max Scherzer. That seems to be the Mets’ plan — Cockcroft.
Eduardo Rodriguez has been signed by the Detroit Tigers as a pitcher. If one just considers the ERA, Rodriguez seems to be coming off a bad year in 2021. After all, his 4.74 ERA was the eighth-worst among the 55 starting pitchers who had thrown at least 150 innings. However, according to Fangraphs’ anticipated ERA, Rodriguez has a 3.55 xERA, which is good for 20th place (and tied with the awesome Robbie Ray). He was also tied with Ray in terms of fWAR. In 2021, Rodriguez was not at all awful.
True, the underlying data reveal that he is a great pitcher in his prime, with good strikeout, walk, and HR rates, who has simply been severely harmed by Boston’s poor defense. Rodriguez’s BABIP against was an eye-popping.363 — the next-worst among starters was.326, which happened to be another Boston pitcher (Nathan Eovaldi). The Tigers’ infield is still a work in progress, but Tucker Barnhart, who was acquired from the Reds lately, is a capable catcher, and a big-money SS deal seems to be on the way. Rodriguez should benefit from this defense in 2022 and beyond.
E-Rod was building up to become a desirable asset a few years ago, and when he won 19 games with a 3.81 ERA and 213 strikeouts in 2019, fantasy managers delighted. Maybe that’s the ceiling. Rodriguez has a 4.16 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP in his career. He isn’t referred to be an ace, but he has a penchant for missing bats. In 2021, he struck out 27.4 percent of batters faced, ranking 15th among starters and almost tying with Cy Young contender Lance Lynn in that metric.
Finally, it’s time to take another look at Rodriguez. He missed the 2020 season due to myocarditis, and it seems that his 2021 season may suffer as well. It did not, in fact. He is now leaving the difficult AL East for a division that is simpler to navigate and a larger home stadium. Do it again if you thought Rodriguez was a top-40 starter coming off his 2019 season. The Tigers are on the rise and have certainly spent money in the summer. Rodriguez’s worth should be similar to what he was in 2019. Karabell’s words
SP is signed by the Texas Rangers. Gray, Jon: After seven seasons of wondering, “What would Jon Gray do outside of Coors Field?” we’ll finally have an answer now that he’s signed a four-year, $56 million deal with the Rangers. Many fantasy baseball fans expect pitchers will be terrific as soon as they leave the Rockies, but the sample size is minimal, with Ubaldo Jimenez, who was moved as a 27-year-old (Gray is 30, by contrast), likely being the only reasonable comparable. Jimenez’s stuff wasn’t quite as excellent by the time he was dealt as it had been during his Rockies peak, just as Gray’s isn’t quite as terrific now as it was four years ago, and Jimenez’s post-Rockies career was a letdown. Despite this, Gray is leaving Coors for a Texas stadium that is much more pitching-friendly than its predecessor, grading as nearly neutral but with a tiny pitching lean over its first two years.
Here’s the issue with slashing Gray’s ERA and WHIP by an arbitrary amount as a result of his Coors departure: His home/road splits have been inconsistent in the past, with him pitching much better at Coors than away from it in 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2021, with his 2020 firmly in the get-me-out-of-Coors!!! camp. Gray’s start-over-start patterns have also been uneven in the past, and although part of it may have been due to Coors, I believe it’s more due to a need to modify some of his pitches than the stadium. He’s in a much better position to succeed now, but I’m wondering if a post-Coors adjustment, such as adjusting to the lower altitude, is in order, making him much more of a dream candidate for getting for a song come May than someone worth drafting for the potential premium of being a top-60 fantasy starter. I’d classify him as an SP75-80. Cockcroft’s words
SP is signed by the Los Angeles Angels. Noah Syndergaard: I’m Noah Syndergaard, and I’m The Angels should be commended for taking the one-year risk. Maybe it’s a good thing. What are the chances? Do the Angels consider themselves fortunate? Syndergaard was a standout pitcher for the Mets in his early years, and even more recently in 2018, when he had a 3.03 ERA and fanned a batter per inning. In 2019, he made 32 starts and surpassed 200 strikeouts, but he also led the National League in earned runs. Falling velocity (not only on his fastball) and spin rates were also evident warning indicators. He is, after all, Thor! He’s fantastic! Well, maybe he is.
Syndergaard missed the 2020 season due to Tommy John surgery, but he returned late in 2021 for a few one-inning appearances that revealed nothing since he disregarded his off-speed pitches. If he stays healthy, he has a high potential and upside, as we know he may miss a lot of bats, and a fantasy manager must account for everything, regardless of league type. If his velocity and health improve, he may be a top-20 starter! He could be able to make seven starts again. Do you consider yourself fortunate?
I’m not sure what more to say. The Angels, more than others, have a significant rotational need, and he might fill it. It is, nevertheless, quite simple to be distrustful. In most fantasy leagues, take a gamble late — like top-40 SP late — and hope for the best. Karabell’s words
SP gets signed by the St. Louis Cardinals. Matz, Steven: If we discount the shortened 2020 season, the left-handed Matz has been a precisely average depth starter for fantasy purposes in 2018, 2019, and 2021, with an even 4.00 ERA. Forget about the year 2020. Oh crap, another home run has been hit! Matz misses enough bats and has averaged 30 starts for the Mets and Blue Jays over the last three seasons, making him a viable streaming or fill-in option for fantasy managers. Matz is now a Cardinals possibility, and although “safety” isn’t the ideal phrase to use and he’s not a must-draft, he still has value in the National League. There is some worth.
Matz has recovered well from a dreadful 2020 season. Okay, I’ll stop bringing it up now. In terms of strikeout rate, walk rate, ground-ball rate, and barrel %, he reverted to career norms. Matz is fine when he stops opposing batters from hitting off-speed stuff 500 feet with his various pitch offerings. Everything is good. In 2021, he won 14 games, but don’t anticipate it to continue in the future. That was run assistance. Matz is a five-inning pitcher who gave up a.871 OPS in his third at-bat in 2021. In regular leagues, he should only be used as your last starting. Karabell’s words
The Tampa Bay Rays have signed SP Corey Kluber (Corey Kluber): Wow, the Rays signed former Cy Young Award winner and two-time Cy Young Award winner Kluber! If the Rays are doing it, you had to think it’s a great idea, right? Although there are few drawbacks to the move, fantasy managers should be aware that Kluber, 35, is unlikely to reach 30 starts or win 15 games. Kluber made 16 starts with the New York Yankees in 2021, all of which were reasonable. With a good changeup, he missed bats, avoided home runs, and kept batters off balance. Kluber hardly throws a fastball that reaches 90 mph, but this is the Rays, so they must know what they’re doing, right?
Good for the Rays and Kluber at this point in his career. He’s scarcely a top-40 fantasy starter, owing to the fact that the durability and consistency that distinguished him with Cleveland are long gone. His 2020 campaign was canceled, and he was hampered last season due to shoulder issues. The Rays did not qualify a single pitcher for the ERA championship in 2021, and they are likely to treat Kluber with extreme caution, whether it involves tandem starts and/or unexpected IL stays. This might be aggravating for a fantasy manager. Kluber is unlikely to appear in more than 20 games. At the very least, they should be respectable. Karabell’s words
SP is signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Andrew Heaney: Thanks, Andrew. Teams are always looking for the “next Robbie Ray,” and Heaney’s 26.9% strikeout rate, workload relative to his peers last season, and left-handedness are all eerily similar to Ray (who had a 27.1 percent strikeout rate as he approached free agency in 2020), so it’s no surprise to see him on such a list. It’s not a perfect comparison since Heaney has a significantly superior control record (6.7 percent lifetime walk rate vs. 12.2 percent for Ray). Heaney also lacks Ray’s historically high strikeout percentages, as Ray possesses an electrifying, put-’em-away slider while Heaney does not.
Heaney is also a more aggressive fly-baller, which accounts for all of his home runs. Despite this, Heaney’s fastball spin rate is in the 90th percentile, and the Dodgers are a strong match for him. He might be in line for a great bounce-back season if he and/or the club can improve their location throughout the summer.
However, few pitchers can match Ray’s performance, so don’t get too excited and lock Heaney into your normal fantasy rotation, as a streamer’s value point is more probable in standard mixed leagues. Drew Smyly, for example, is another left-handed pitcher who had intriguing underlying numbers as a free agency in each of the previous two off-seasons, but only delivered fantasy value infrequently in what seemed to be comfortable landing positions. Cockcroft’s words
Pitcher (relief)
Kendall Graveman has been signed by the Chicago White Sox. He was a sensation for a Seattle club that swiftly dealt him at the deadline last year — in 30 games, he posted a 0.82 ERA and 10 saves! — Graveman has returned to the Astros as a reliable, though sometimes erratic, setup man. He’ll play that position in Chicago, but his presence complicates bullpen planning since the White Sox had earlier picked up closer-turned-setup-man Craig Kimbrel’s 2022 option with the stated intention of trading him. Graveman is now third in line for saves, but he’ll likely start next season as one of the more appealing, hold-getting setup men and/or closer insurance policy, even if the only time we’ll see Graveman saves is if Liam Hendriks misses time due to injury. Cockcroft’s words
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