Relief pitcher Kirby Yates is the newest member of the Atlanta Braves, joining the defending champions on a two-year deal worth $8.25 million dollars in guaranteed money. The contract includes a $5.75 million dollar club option for 2024 with a $1.25 million dollar buyout. Yates has been a top fantasy closer in the past, but he's coming off Tommy John surgery and won't be ready to pitch until midway through 2022. He only managed a total of 4 1/3 innings between the 2020 and 2021 seasons. With 57 saves and 400 strikeouts in 291 career games, Yates could challenge for the closer role if he stays on track with his rehab, but that's a significant if.
The Los Angeles Dodgers may have seen Max Scherzer and Corey Seager sign with other teams Monday, but they brought back an old friend in relief pitcher Daniel Hudson, who spent 2018 in Dodger blue. The contract is a one-year deal worth $7 million dollars. The 34-year-old Hudson has made 454 career appearances, recording a 3.86 ERA and 1.24 WHIP with 27 saves and 719 strikeouts in 765 innings. He is not expected to act as closer in Los Angeles, though he could play a role as a key setup man if he can limit home runs, as has been a challenge throughout his career. He will only hold value in the deepest holds leagues.
The San Francisco Giants are finalizing an agreement with starting pitcher Alex Cobb that will bring the 10-year veteran to the team. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle indicated that the team was making Cobb a priority earlier in the offseason, and now those efforts have paid off. Terms of the deal are not yet known. Cobb had perhaps the best season of his career in 2021, posting a 3.76 ERA and 2.92 FIP with 98 strikeouts in 93 1/3 innings before missing time with injury. He joins a rotation that includes Logan Webb, Anthony DeSclafani, and Alex Wood. Further additions are expected, though they may have to wait until after a new collective bargaining agreement is worked out.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have removed two notable players from their roster, designating first baseman Colin Moran and pitcher Steven Brault for assignment. The moves make room on the 40-man roster for pitcher Jose Quintana and the recently re-signed first baseman Yoshi Tsutsugo. Moran was the last remaining piece of the Gerrit Cole trade on Pittsburgh's roster. He's slashed .267/.329/.418 for his career, spending the past four seasons as a starter for the Pirates. He has had deep-league fantasy value at times and figures to play a role wherever he catches on. Tsutsugo should garner the vacated at-bats, and could be a late-round option in fantasy drafts.
The Miami Marlins have acquired catcher Jacob Stallings in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates, sending back starting pitcher Zach Thompson and two minor leaguers, pitcher Kyle Nicolas and outfielder Connor Scott. The 31-year-old Stallings is known for his defensive acumen, winning a Gold Glove in 2021. He's slashed .251/.331/.374 with 17 homers in 780 career plate appearances. Thompson has a shot to crack Pittsburgh's starting rotation after making 14 starts and posting a 3.24 ERA in 75 innings in 2021. Neither player should be drafted in standard formats, but each could become relevant as the season wears on.
Max Scherzer is the newest member of the New York Mets after agreeing to a three-year $130 million dollar contract with an opt-out after the first two seasons. The deal includes a record $43.333 million dollars per season, besting the previous average annual value high of $36 million per year for Gerrit Cole. Scherzer will also receive a full no-trade clause. The Mets will now enter the 2022 season with the best one-two starting pitching punch in the league, as Scherzer joins Jacob deGrom in Queens. Scherzer has led the league in pitching fWAR over the last six seasons at 33.2, and he'll look to build on his 2021 line of a 15-4 record with a 2.46 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, and 236 strikeouts in 179 1/3 innings.
The Texas Rangers agreed to sign free-agent shortstop Corey Seager for 10 years and $325 million dollars. The massive contract includes a $5 million signing bonus, a limited trade clause and no opt outs. It comes just a day after Texas landed middle infielder Marcus Semien for seven years and $175 million. Semien will presumably play the keystone, and Texas now has one of the most powerful middle-infield combinations in baseball at a hitter-friendly park. Seager, 27, hit .295/.364/.501 with 100 home runs in 609 games from 2016 to 2021 and is one of the best offensive shortstops in the game. However, he also had Tommy John surgery in 2018 and arthroscopic hip surgery three months later. He suffered a fractured hand in 2021 and missed nearly 11 weeks but finished with a strong .306/.394/.521 slash line.
Reigning American League Cy Young winner Robbie Ray and the Seattle Mariners are finalizing a five-year, $115 million deal on Monday that includes an opt-out after the third season, according to sources familiar with the deal. Seattle will have to give up a draft pick after the lefty declined Toronto's qualifying offer. Ray will give the M's a legitimate ace atop their starting rotation after coming off a career season in 2021 in which he led the AL in ERA (2.84) and innings (193 1/3) and became the first Jays pitcher to lead the league in strikeouts with 248. He had a league-leading 10 starts with double-digit strikeouts. Ray's career-best 6.9% walk rate was a sharp dropoff from his career 11% walk rate through 2020. The 30-year-old southpaw throws hard and has always generated a bunch of strikeouts, but fantasy managers will be banking on him maintaining the mechanics that led to better control and fewer free passes in 2021.
The New York Mets are finalizing a deal with free-agent right-hander Max Scherzer on Monday that will be for three years and around $130 million, according to a source. The deal isn't quite done yet, but it would be a record for average annual value in the major leagues. Scherzer has spent around half of his 14-year career in the National League East and won two of his three Cy Young awards and a World Series title with the Washington Nationals. The righty is 190-97 in his career with a 3.16 ERA for the Diamondbacks, Tigers, Nationals and Dodgers. At 37 years old, he has shown only small signs of slowing down, and his 2,536 2/3 innings rank fourth among active pitchers. Scherzer and Jacob deGrom will form one of the most feared pitching duos in the league.
The Texas Rangers agreed to a four-year, $56 million deal with free-agent right-hander Jon Gray on Sunday night, pending a physical, according to a source. In addition to inking Gray on Sunday, the Rangers also added middle infielder Marcus Semien to a big seven-year, $175 million deal and added outfielder Kole Calhoun. With no qualifying offer attached to him, the Rangers won't have to give up a draft pick to sign Gray. The 30-year-old right-hander had a 4.59 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 149 innings over 29 starts for the Colorado Rockies in 2021. Although Gray was actually better in his seven seasons at hitter-friendly Coors Field than on the road, the move out of Coors should make him more attractive in fantasy in a prominent role in Texas' rotation.
Sports Data APIs
Sports Odds APIs
