Fantasy Baseball
Eric Karabell and Tristan H. Cockcroft will assess and offer a prognosis for each of the significant players engaged in the offseason MLB transactions and signings with fantasy baseball implications for the upcoming season.
Players will first be grouped by position, and then within each positional category, they will be ranked in order of fantasy significance.
Sign 1B with Houston Astros Javier Abreu Abreu is a terrific match for Houston, as he should maintain his position as a top-10 1B option and put up comparable numbers to last year. He will have lots of chances to score RBIs because he is batting at No. 6.
Baseball signings
Signed by Pittsburgh Pirates, 1B Chris Brown: Santana was a legendary points-league powerhouse who consistently ranked among the top 50 hitters in terms of points scored from 2013 to 20.
However, “the shift” has contributed to a decline in Santana’s roto-relevant batting average (he batted sub-.185 from the left side in each of 2020-22). However, the rebuilding Pirates aren’t the best place for an offensive comeback, keeping him more in line with being a fantasy corner-infield filler. It’s possible that the new shift regulations in 2023 will stabilize his downward aging curve.
Outfield
OF is acquired by Los Angeles Angel’s Mr. Hunter Renfroe After hearing this news, don’t panic, because since the Angels lowered the right-field barrier in 2018, Angel Stadium has played similarly HR-friendly to Milwaukee’s American Family Field (oddly, including for right-handed hitters).
Renfroe should continue to produce his 30-home run output, which is relatively one-dimensional. If the Angels lineup can stay healthy, he might see a slight increase in his RBI totals as a middle-of-the-order bat.
Signed by Chicago White Sox SP Clevinger, Mike The recovery following Tommy John surgery is not always easy for patients, and Clevinger’s 2022 recovery wasn’t the easiest. His season was ruined by a number of scrapes and bruises, and his average fastball velocity went down by almost 2 mph (consistently the entire year).
He’s a valuable speculative addition for the White Sox, but to be more than a mixed-league dart throw in fantasy, he’d need to demonstrate either a return to his former velocity or previous ferocity with his slider throughout spring training.
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