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Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bold Fantasy Baseball Predictions for the 2025 MLB season
MLB Opening Day has arrived, and our fantasy baseball analysts are ready to fire off their hottest final takes for the season. Check out what they think will happen on both the pitching and hitting side for 2025. To be honest, I'm not sure if this prediction is bold or tepid or just mildly unlikely. We know beyond any doubt that Scott possesses the wheels and base-stealing acumen necessary to get this done. He has 99th percentile sprint speed and he swiped a ridiculous 94 bags in the minors back in 2023. Scott won the Opening Day centerfield job in St. Louis, thanks to a scorching-hot spring in which he delivered seven extra-base hits and five steals while hitting .349. But he's been a mostly unremarkable hitter in the minors who happens to have one elite trait: blistering speed. If Scott can simply hold onto an everyday role in the majors, he's fully capable of producing an Esteury Ruiz-style season in which he almost single-handedly wins a category for you. Obviously, we want talent at all positions, but fantasy baseball is also a game of volume. Wells is going to enjoy that volume, parked at the top of the New York batting order to start the year. It's the catbird seat, working in front of Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger. Wells has an excellent walk rate and a tenable strikeout rate, and last year's slugging percentage was unlucky against his batted-ball profile. There's no reason to draft a catcher early in one-fill leagues, with a player like Wells generally available between pick 150 and 200. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for the 2025 MLB season] And just for fun, I'll offer a bonus prediction. Xavier Edwards will steal at least 50 bases. The Marlins need something to promote, Edwards knows how to get on base and his light is going to be green for six months. Rabbit, run. Chourio, who posted a 150 wRC+ after the All-Star break as a 20-year-old last season, is on the fast track to superstardom. If we prorated Chourio's final 250 ABs last season over a 600-AB pace, we get: .310-93-29-105-29. And he was too young to order a drink! Shohei Ohtani enters the obvious MVP favorite, but he's due for regression, is coming off major surgery and will lose at-bats while now having to focus on pitching again this year. Voters may also experience some fatigue after Ohtani has won three of the past four years. Chourio recorded a 222 wRC+ with a 13.2 K% during spring, so he's ready for a monster 2025. Chourio takes home MVP as a long shot (35/1). Ichiro Suzuki won a batting title when he hit .350 in his rookie year, but he entered the majors as a 27-year-old with several seasons of professional experience. Leaving Ichiro out of the equation, Wilson is about to join Tony Oliva (1964) as the only rookie in over a century to lead their league in batting average. This prediction goes way out on a limb, as Wilson hit .250 in 92 at-bats last year and is going undrafted in virtually every Yahoo league. But if there's one thing the soon-to-be 23-year-old knows how to do, it's collect base knocks. Wilson hit .401 in 79 games in the minors, and he struck out just 26 times in 337 plate appearances. The shortstop can be a .300 hitter right away (some popular projection systems already have Wilson hitting over .280) and last year, just three men in the AL reached the .300 plateau. Wilson, who still doesn't have an MLB homer or steal, will be a mediocre but useful fantasy asset in the mold of Luis Arráez, who has an ADP of 140.8. Cleveland's Opening Day starter is already basically a secret ace. He has a deep arsenal of pitches that range in effectiveness from quite good to pure evil, and he's coming off a year in which he struck out 9.7 batters per nine innings while pitching through minor health issues. At 26, fresh off a multi-year extension, he's a clear candidate to make a leap. Bibee will also benefit from a lights-out bullpen that can be trusted with even the most fragile lead. It's not difficult to imagine him reaching 16 wins and 200 Ks while producing excellent ratios. I've seen a bunch of IP projections for Ohtani, and they all seem wildly optimistic to me. The Dodgers are not going to force Ohtani back to the mound, especially in the early season. His bat is too valuable. He hasn't pitched in over a year, of course, after elbow surgery. The Dodgers know they're in the playoffs already, which means all of their pitchers (and some of their everyday players) will be handled especially carefully. Drafting Ohtani as a hitter is always a blast, but he's essentially not on my pitching board. His pitching return is not an immediate priority for the Dodgers. Schwellenbach was a second-round pick in the MLB draft, but he's pitched like a top prospect since returning from Tommy John surgery in 2022. He experienced a big jump in innings last year, but Schwellenbach was especially impressive over the second half, when he posted a 2.73 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP with a 23.3 K-BB% that would've ranked fifth on the season. Schwellenbach offers six different pitches and owned a Chase% and BB% in the top five percentiles last season. Schwellenbach will also benefit from pitching for the Braves for several reasons; Atlanta starters recorded 29% more wins than Detroit's SPs last season despite both staffs finishing with similar ERAs (3.58 vs. 3.69). The Braves offense comically underperformed and/or got injured last season, so run support should be even greater. Schwellenbach recorded a 2.27 FIP and a 0.95 WHIP with a 28:3 K:BB ratio over 21.0 spring innings, so he looks like a top 12 fantasy pitcher and a strong long-shot (30/1) bet to win the Cy Young this season. Currently being selected on average as the 30th starter in Yahoo drafts, Gallen has greater ace potential than many men who are being tabbed ahead of him. Despite missing a few starts last year, the right-hander does not have a long injury history, and he showed workhorse capabilities when he threw 184 innings in 2022 and 210 frames in 2023. Across that two-year stretch, Gallen logged ace-like ratios (3.04 ERA, 1.02 WHIP) and maintained a healthy 9.4 K/9 rate. Gallen also has strong win potential, as he accumulated 31 victories across the past two years and is backed by an offense that led the majors in scoring last season. Pitchers tend to rise and fall in a hurry, as was evidenced when a rookie (Paul Skenes) and an oft-injured veteran (Chris Sale) finished as top-five arms last year.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
2025 MLB bold predictions, Gunnar Henderson talks MLB The Show & awards + postseason picks!
Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman give one bold prediction per team heading into the 2025 season. What craziness will the 2025 season have in store? Jake and Jordan then bring on Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson to chat being on the cover of MLB The Show as well as his predictions for the upcoming season. Later, Jake and Jordan bring back the MLB opening day starter draft. They also give us their predictions for MLB season awards as well as postseason winners. Advertisement (2:00) - Jake's MLB offseason recap (6:35) - 30 bold predictions for 2025 season (47:05) - Gunnar Henderson joins the show (1:02:10) - Opening day MLB starter draft (1:19:00) - Playoff and Awards predictions 2025 MLB [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for the 2025 MLB season] Follow the show on X at @CespedesBBQ Follow Jake @Jake_Mintz Follow Jordan @J_Shusterman_ 🖥️ Watch this full episode on YouTube Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at or at Yahoo Sports Podcasts
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Entertainment
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LeBron claps back at Stephen A., Damian Lillard out indefinitely and Jimmy's return to Miami
LeBron claps back at Stephen A., Damian Lillard out indefinitely and Jimmy's return to Miami On this episode of Good Word with Goodwill, Vince and Dan Titus react to the unfortunate news about Damian Willard being out indefinitely due to a blood clot. Next, Vince and Dan unpack LeBron James candid interview on Pat McAfee where he expresses his interest in having a relationship with Michael Jordan and claps back at Stephen A. Smith for his remarks about Bronny James. Later, Vince and Dan discuss Jimmy Butler's return to South Beach and why Heat culture is dead. Advertisement (01:26) Damian Lillard out indefinitely (4:07) What's next for the Milwaukee Bucks? (13:29) LeBron want relationship with Michael Jordan (21:39) LeBron says Giannis could dominate the 70's (28:08) LeBron claps back at Stephen A Smith (34:36) Conversations surrounding Bronny James (39:29) Jimmy Butler return to Miami (43:56) Heat culture is dead (46:01) Jimmy Butler doing it his way LeBron James clapped back at Stephen A. Smith for his comments about Bronny James. (AP Photo/John Raoux) (AP Photo/John Raoux) [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for the 2025 MLB season] 🖥️ Watch this full episode on YouTube Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at or at Yahoo Sports Podcasts
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Top 50 people who will impact the 2025 MLB season: Nos. 50-26
This is a list not of the 50 best players in MLB — Buster Posey is no longer one of the best hitters in our sport — but, rather, of the top 50 people set to influence the 2025 MLB season. Think of these individuals as the predominant characters in your favorite TV show, with the season premiere airing on Thursday. On this list are All-Stars, prospects and some players you've maybe never heard of, as well as owners, managers, front-office execs and four guys named Jackson (that's one more than last year). The hope is that this list helps you sort out what to know and whom to care about as the 2025 MLB season begins. (Stay tuned for the top half of the list on Wednesday.) [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for the 2025 MLB season] Meet the fastest man in baseball. Simpson is a burner, a comet, a cheetah on rocket fuel, Usain Bolt in baseball pants. Across 110 minor-league games last year, the fleet-footed Atlantan nabbed 104 bases. His .355 batting average was buoyed by that outrageous speed, which allowed him to turn infield nubbers and routine grounders into base hits. Simply by existing, Simpson puts immense pressure on pitchers, infielders, catchers and slow people who hate themselves. And while he's relatively new to center field, his speed will also lead to some eye-popping catches. Chandler Simpson's speed on full display here. — Evan Closky (@ECloskyWTSP) February 21, 2025 Simpson does not have an over-the-fence homer as a pro, and he had just one in three college seasons, but he has elite bat-to-ball skills. The 24-year-old ran a 93% contact rate last year — Luis Arraez and Steven Kwan were the only qualified big leaguers above 90 — which lets his wheels do the talking. Simpson will start the year in Triple-A, but at some point this season, this dude is going to show up and conjure a run of jaw-dropping, viral baserunning moments. All those tall tales about Cool Papa Bell? How he'd flip the switch and jump into bed before the lights went out? About Chandler Simpson, it's all true. Neither of these guys can claim rookie status anymore, but effectively, they're still unproven newbies, baby deer with enormous potential, slumbering superstars waiting to explode. Wood, 6-foot-7 with spindly limbs, is built like an NBA wing. He debuted last July, and in 336 plate appearances, he showcased a phenomenal understanding of the strike zone; posting a 96th-percentile chase rate is a preposterous accomplishment for a rookie. But that selectiveness often led to passiveness. And considering that Wood has huge juice, the Nats want him to be more aggressive when he gets something to drive. Caminero is a very different player. He's like a thicker version of young Javy Baez, but without the defensive wizardry. Still, we're talking about generational bat speed here, bat speed that lets Caminero do things other players can't. Simply put: If Wood and Caminero play at an All-Star level, there's a good chance their teams are in the playoff hunt. More notably for casual fans, the best versions of Wood and Caminero are highlight-reel heroes capable of jaw-dropping baseball moments. The Mets spent a small fortune on Juan Soto, but the rest of their roster, as evidenced by a $332 million payroll, isn't exactly bargain-bin fodder. New York should have a fantastic lineup, helmed by Soto, Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso. The pitching, however, is far from a sure thing. The Mets' rotation, which seemed light entering spring training, is now without Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas, both of whom suffered injuries early in camp. Enter Holmes, who spent most of the past three seasons closing games for the Yankees. The Mets saw something in the 32-year-old sinkerballer, signing him to a three-year deal with the intention of converting him to a starter. Early returns have been stellar. Holmes looked sensational in spring training, even earning the nod to start on Opening Day. Whether he can sustain this success into the season as his workload grows remains to be seen, but he is suddenly a very important person for a Mets team with very large dreams. An aside: Imagine telling Yankees fans last summer that Clay Holmes would be starting on Opening Day for the Mets and that Mets fans would be stoked about it. Time moves fast. The nomadic A's enter Year One in Sacramento as something of a cheeky playoff dark horse. That's because after leaving Oakland in the lurch, the Athletics spent some real money this winter. A good chunk of that ($65.5 million over three years) went to Butler, who had a breakout second half in 2024, including the league's 10th-highest wRC+ after the All-Star break. That was enough to convince this organization to give the 24-year-old slugger an extension, essentially making him the face of the post-Oakland A's alongside fellow extended slugger Brent Rooker. But Butler is much younger than Rooker and has a much, much higher ceiling. Whether the 2025 A's are a weird novelty or an actually good ballclub likely depends on whether Butler can continue delivering down-ballot-MVP-level production. The 2024 Diamondbacks, who spent October on the couch, were a superior team to the 2023 Diamondbacks, who were three wins away from a world championship. Such is the wonkiness of ball; it's better to be lucky than good, better to be random than specific. But that bizarro-world tiebreaker — ensured by a Mets-Braves doubleheader split in the final games of the season — wasn't the only thing that kept the 89-win Snakes out of the playoffs. Corbin Carroll, hailed as a potential MVP candidate, was catastrophically bad for four months before finally catching fire in August. Also, Arizona's pitching staff had the fourth-worst team ERA in baseball before adding a new ace in a winter surprise. That makes these Corbins — two of the only three MLBers ever with that first name (shout-out Corbin Martin, who was also a D-back) — absolutely crucial characters. Sternberg took over control of the organization in November 2005. Since Opening Day 2008, only the big-spending Yankees and Dodgers have compiled more regular-season wins than his low-budget operation. On the field, Sternberg's tenure has been a rousing success. Beyond the diamond, however, things have been much stickier. Tampa's stadium situation was complex before a hurricane blew the roof off Tropicana Field, forcing the Rays to play this season at the Yankees' spring training park across the bay. The damage to the Trop also led to the disintegration of a stadium deal between the team and Pinellas County. Now the organization is back at square one, with its home dilapidated and its future uncertain. All this chaos is beginning to chip away at Sternberg's reputation. Earlier this month, The Athletic reported that a number of owners and league officials wish to pressure Sternberg into selling the Rays. How Sternberg responds and whether he can gain some clarity on his team's stadium situation could have enormous repercussions for the entire sport. Commissioner Rob Manfred has said multiple times that he doesn't anticipate MLB expanding to 32 teams until the Rays and A's stadium situations are rectified. The ball appears to be in Sternberg's court — or, rather, dome. In 2022, a 22-year-old Murakami clobbered 56 homers, breaking the single-season NPB record for a Japanese-born player and putting him on the radar of MLB scouts. His offensive numbers have tailed off slightly since his massive output that year, but the 6-foot-2, 250-pound slugger is still one of the best hitters in Japan. An extension he signed after 2022 includes a stipulation that the Swallows make him available to MLB teams after the 2025 season. If Murakami cranks 50 homers, expect the thick third baseman to be a major storyline next winter. Time, like a coddled child, cannot lose. In fact, it has never once lost. Every ballplayer, from the Hall of Famers to the weekend warriors, must one day hang 'em up. The raging against that inevitability is equally heroic and tragic because the end is inevitable. One day, Scherzer and Verlander will enter the Hall of Fame. They might even do so alongside each other as the old-school aces of a bygone era of pitching. But now, in the twilight of their careers, entering their age-40 and 42 seasons, respectively, Scherzer and Verlander are hoping to keep the light burning for at least another season. Both find themselves in new uniforms, surrounded by the unfamiliar. Their world-beating powers — velocity, flexibility, durability — have faded with age. Can Scherzer and Verlander turn the clock back one more time? Can they be competent contributors for clubs on the fringes of the playoff picture? Will strong first halves warrant deadline moves to real contenders? Or has Father Time arrived in earnest? This kind of thing happens a lot in European soccer: Franchise icon returns to beloved club as manager or back-room string-puller in an attempt to guide said club back to glory. But in the modern era of MLB, a move such as the one San Francisco pulled with Posey is pretty unprecedented. Considering his dearth of experience in an MLB front office, it was a surprise that Posey was named Giants POBO in September. Publicly, the future Hall of Fame catcher has championed a 'new culture,' which is the same empty nothing-speak as when a politician uses the word 'values.' It seems, given the analytical nature of the previous Giants regime, that Posey is going to zag a bit and adopt what might be seen as a more old-school approach. Most of his hires thus far have been related to the golden era of Giants baseball, of which Posey was a part. What Buster Posey, the executive, looks like is mostly a mystery. A full season will provide a glimpse into how the 37-year-old plans to run things from his front-office perch. The Millville Meteor has averaged just 67 ball games a season since 2021. Injuries have, thus far, robbed Trout of his 30s and robbed the viewing public of witnessing his generational excellence. This spring, for the first time, we saw a meaningful change in strategy for the thick-necked New Jerseyan. After a decade in center field, Trout has moved to right, hoping the new position will take less of a toll on his body. Amidst all the knocks, ailments and time on the shelf, Trout has continued to produce in his limited windows of health. No matter what happens to baseball's favorite weatherman this season, it's a big deal. If Trout stays healthy, it's a delightful surprise. If he gets hurt, that's a story, too, albeit a much sadder one. And if he misses another big chunk of time in 2025, it might finally be time to say goodbye to the god we once knew. The expectations have been heightened. New York's heroic NLCS run last year was a joyous thrill ride, but it also established a new standard in Queens. This new era of Mets baseball, one made possible by the financial might of owner Steve Cohen, is both invigorating and intimidating. The bigger the dreams, the more it hurts when they don't come true. Whether the Mets can live up to the hype depends a lot on Lindor and Alonso, who will anchor a lineup that added Juan Soto over the winter. Lindor, who was in consideration for an official team captaincy during the offseason, just finished second in the NL MVP race and delivered an all-time memorable franchise moment with his NLDS grand slam against the Phillies. Alonso tested the free-agent waters before returning to the Mets on a short-term deal. If the Mets are good, this tandem will deserve the glory that comes with it. But if the Mets are bad, some of the blame will likely fall on Lindor and Alonso. The Chicago Cubs haven't won a playoff game since 2017. That's the fourth-longest streak in baseball, behind only the Orioles, Pirates and Angels. It's a drought that puts Hoyer, whose contract expires at season's end, firmly in the hot seat. And based on his behavior this winter, Hoyer might be feeling some of that heat. Trading for one year of Kyle Tucker was a big swing, one that could ultimately look quite foolish if top prospect Cam Smith, who has looked sensational in spring training, turns into a force for the Astros. After taking over for Theo Epstein in November 2020, Hoyer oversaw the painful teardown of Chicago's beloved 2016 World Series club. Away went Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Javier Báez for a gaggle of prospects and the idea of a hopeful future. That rebuild, despite Chicago's decent 2024 and Hoyer's best efforts, has yet to bear fruit. Another October vacation on the North Side might necessitate an overhaul at Wrigley. A playoff run, on the other hand, would likely silence the doubters and secure Hoyer's future in Chicago. It's probably a good thing that this list isn't longer. Only two teams, the Marlins and White Sox, enter this season in full rebuild mode. The Cardinals, the only team to not sign an MLB free agent this winter, could embark upon a mini-deadline teardown if the first half is a struggle. That makes this trio the likeliest notable names to be dealt during the season. That Arenado, who publicly asked for a trade out of St. Louis in December, is still on the Cardinals qualifies as a huge surprise. Robert has been the subject of trade speculation for a while now, but his injury track record understandably gives some teams pause. If he has a healthy few months, the rebuilding White Sox would flip him for prospects in a flash. Alcantara is potentially even more of a mystery box, as the 2022 NL Cy Young winner missed all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery. He is under contract with Miami on an extremely team-friendly deal through the 2027 season, which will surely make him a hot commodity come deadline time. The best version of Alcantara is a legitimate ace, but it's highly unlikely he's long for South Florida, considering how aggressive this Marlins front office has been in trading its best pieces for prospects. In 2019, ESPN's Jeff Passan wrote a feature on Domínguez, then a historically heralded, 16-year-old amateur prospect who'd recently signed with the Yankees. In that article, an anonymous general manager said of Domínguez, "he's like [Mike] Trout. And Trout wasn't close to this good when he was 16." That preposterous comparison, predictably, helped spark a runaway hype train, one that maintained steam as Domínguez, nicknamed 'The Martian,' matriculated up the minor-league ladder and arrived in the bigs well before his 21st birthday. Injuries and defensive kerfuffles precluded a full breakout, but now it's go-time for the Dominican bowling ball, who will start the season as New York's every-day left fielder. The Yankees are hoping his ... adventures … in the outfield are a thing of the past. It's a reasonable assumption; Domínguez's natural athleticism and experience in center should eventually translate to his new digs in left. There's little doubt that Domínguez, built like an SEC fullback, will hit for power, but whether this dude is an All-Star or a solid role player depends on the rest of his offensive game. Holliday, Chourio and Merrill all appeared on this list last year as 20-year-old rookies. Then the trio of Jacksons had very different debut seasons. Holliday stunk up the farm. Chourio treaded water until July, then went on an absolute tear down the stretch. Merrill was a stud from the jump and finished second behind Paul Skenes in NL Rookie of the Year voting. All three appeared in the playoffs. They are joined for the 2025 season by a new Jackson, one who throws, rather than hits, a baseball for a living. Jobe, one of the sport's top starting pitching prospects, debuted last September out of the Tigers bullpen. The hard-throwing 22-year-old will begin the season as Detroit's No. 5 starter and has the talent to become event television. That's also what Holliday, who looked overwhelmed and overmatched in 2024, hopes to become. Part of a stacked Baltimore lineup, he'll be less relied upon than Chourio and Merrill, whose teams are depending on big production from their youngsters. Let's review the Tatis timeline. 2021: Ascends to full-blown superstardom as a charismatic tornado of baseball talent. Cranks 42 homers and finishes third in NL MVP voting as a 22-year-old shortstop. 2022: Fractures his wrist in an offseason motorcycle crash. Then, while rehabbing in the minor leagues, tests positive for a PED and receives an 80-game suspension. 2023: Returns in April playing right field. Performs magnificently in his new defensive home but shows some rust with the bat as a star-studded Padres team misses the playoffs. 2024: Is limited to 102 games because of a quad issue but still takes a significant step forward with the bat, improving his OPS by 63 points. Now what? Since getting popped for PEDs, Tatis has said and done all the right things. While the Padres have remained a spice cabinet, Tatis has generally avoided controversy. All the while, he has produced on the field, albeit somewhat below his peak. But can he be a superstar again? After 2021, Tatis was being hailed as the face of the sport, the future of baseball, an immensely popular force with crossover potential. His jersey was the second-most popular of the 2021 season, behind only Mookie Betts. Then, by his own doing, it all came crashing down. If Tatis delivers MVP production in 2025, can the 26-year-old rejoin MLB's constellation of stars? Does he deserve to? Does that paradigm-shifting player still exist? And can he keep this era of Padres baseball rolling as the club's margins and margin for error grow ever smaller?
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Fantasy Baseball Power Rankings: Where does each MLB team stand for the 2025 season?
MLB's real Opening Day is just a couple of sleeps away and I couldn't be more pumped. Bring on the baseball. Bring on the fantasy baseball, too. Every so often I like to rank the MLB teams by order of how fun and fantasy-friendly they are. So here are your initial power rankings. I suppose they would probably line up mostly with power rankings that are solely based on the real-life strength of a team, but we like to throw in some special sauce when we can. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for the 2025 MLB season] I will revisit and edit these ranks a few times during the season. Let's go. They'll be a little better just because you can't be historically terrible for two straight years. That's the plexiglass principle, right? I was open to drafting Andrew Benintendi (look at his final two months) and possible closer Mike Clevinger with late picks. That's it for now. Xavier Edwards makes contact, works the count, wants to run like crazy. Count me in. Max Meyer is an interesting rotation sleeper. But good luck reciting this team's 1-to-9 lineup. It's sad to see such a mediocre offense living in this park. Michael Toglia will strike out 200 times but the category juice will play. Ryan McMahon should at least return his ADP. I will not be talked into any Colorado pitcher. Is this the Jurickson Profar-breakout year for Jo Adell? The Anaheim center fielder just turned 26 and I think they'll leave him alone. Mike Trout really should be a DH by now, but the Angels signed Jorge Soler for that gig. Ron Washington wants his team to run. Whatever their special sauce was all these years, it's apparently gone stale. At least the lineup is young and brimming with upside, but you need to be able to develop your talent, too. I liked the boring-veteran discount on Sonny Gray all spring, but he's another pitcher dealing with a nervous velocity dip. Although the Oakland ballpark was a dump, it was sad to see the city lose its team. That doesn't mean this can't be a fun club. Every fantasy manager needs to know that Brent Rooker, Kyle Schwarber and Marcell Ozuna are all outfield-eligible in Yahoo leagues. There are four ascending talents locked into the top five lineup spots, so that's a reason to tune in. MacKenzie Gore already gets enough strikeouts to be mixed-league viable, and he has another level to potentially climb. Kyle Finnegan is the cheapest 20 saves on the board. Willy Adames is a fine player but an obvious fade, with a big contract and a big park. The Brewers love to run; the Giants always have a red light flashing. Hayden Birdsong's electric spring didn't get him in the rotation, but he's the first man up and eventually, someone will get hurt. I'm in on Logan Webb. Oneil Cruz has dreamy hard-hit metrics and don't miss that he was 15-for-15 on steals in the second half. I'll sign off on a proactive Cruz pick. Joey Bart looked legit in the second half last year, too, and should finally get that coveted full season. They're the nomads of baseball, forced out of their park and perhaps moving to a new city altogether in an upcoming season. The midsummer schedule also has an odd shape to it, because outdoor baseball in Florida is hard to handle during the rainy season. For years, I always assumed Tampa Bay would figure things out, even if I didn't see the genius of the plan. I'm no longer giving this organization the benefit of the doubt. The second half of the lineup is depressing but the rotation is divine, no matter what George Kirby's timetable winds up being. All of these pitchers pound the zone and obviously they work in a big park, which makes them easy on the eyes. This team deserves the rep that the Rays carried for so long — they're smart, and they do so many little things well. It's probably the best defensive team in the NL, so you can talk me into almost any of their pitchers. Please, fantasy gods, let Christian Yelich have a healthy six months. He's good at everything. I haven't been reaching on high-end pitching for the most part but Cole Ragans was one of my rule-breakers. Seth Lugo was a steal all month — he's always been good, just under-appreciated. I'm worried about Vinnie Pasquantino's lower-body injury — he's one of the league's smartest hitters and a favorite of mine. Salvador Pérez is building a Hall of Fame case. I still feel like they're one hitter short. A long Alex Bregman contract probably wouldn't have made sense, but a short-term deal would have fit perfectly. Hey, they tried. I'm curious if Casey Mise can reinvent himself after a winter of tinkering. I don't think Jason Foley will stick as the closer; remember, he hardly pitched in the playoffs. I'm always in on Riley Greene. Even if you're an ardent fantasy player, I dare you to name their entire starting lineup without help. Bo Bichette was affordably priced all spring but I found it hard to make the click. José Berríos might never be truly great but he's always playable. The Wyatt Langford rocket ship looks ready to take off. I have no idea how many innings Jacob deGrom will throw — knowing I had him as a cheap keeper in one league, I decided to sit him out through draft season. My heart was already invested, I didn't want to take it further than that. I was surprised Evan Carter didn't make the team but after a washout spring, the move makes sense. Good to see Terry Francona back in the dugout. A healthy Matt McLain could be a second-round fantasy pick by next year. I have no idea how they're going to handle the closer spot. Whatever gets you through the ninth, it's alright. The lineup reminds me of the pricy headphones I used to regularly buy. They look good, they sound good, and they always break. Still, I'm fine to pass on Mike Trout because Byron Buxton is a similar fantasy commodity, about 100 picks later. Bailey Ober is popular in the fantasy industry, but may be more reasonably priced in your pool. Isaac Paredes has been a steal all spring and it looks like he'll open the year hitting second. The Rays didn't always leave him alone in the lineup, but Houston will. Framber Valdez is Mr. Floor at the top of the rotation, but I'm also excited to see if Hunter Brown's final four months were the beginning of sustainable stardom. Is the timing right for a Kyle Manzardo breakout? He might bat third, the catbird seat behind Steven Kwan and the forever-underrated José Ramírez. One key is staying out of a platoon. Kyle Tucker is in the prime of his career — and in a prove-it year for free agency — but how much is the park going to hurt him? Wrigley suffocates left-handed power. Pete Crow-Armstrong offers category juice and he's a wonder in center field. It's a top-heavy lineup, and I've been afraid to draft Fernando Tatís Jr. for a few years. Mike King looks the part at the top of the rotation, a Cy Young semi-sleeper. This lineup led the majors in runs scored last year, by a fairly healthy margin. Trot that question out to an East Coast bar — you'll drink for free all night. The Corbin Burnes strikeout rate has dropped four straight seasons, enough for me to fade him all spring. Given the horrible spring they've had, I think it's comical the Yankees are still the A.L. East favorite in the markets. Of course, I said similar things last year and all they did was make the World Series. I'm excited to see if Austin Wells can stick as a leadoff man (at least against right-handed pitching). He's my most rostered catcher. I have no idea why they didn't make a more aggressive move for pitching — and that was doubly true late last summer. Runs will flow easier with the left-field wall coming back in. It was refreshing to see them ditch the bargain-hunter mindset and actually pay up for Alex Bregman, a signature free agent. How healthy is Rafael Devers, dealing with two bad shoulders? Will he accept DH life if it comes to it? Justin Slaten is the saves sleeper in this bullpen. I still can't believe Boston somehow acquired Garrett Crochet without having to touch its best rising prospects. Maybe it's the Chris Sale story all over again. They'll score a zillion runs and Zack Wheeler is the perfect No. 1 horse up front. They better hope the Cristopher Sánchez buzz is real because Aaron Nola dealt with lagging velocity all spring. The rotation is filled with a lot of throw-and-hope, but Juan Soto was the biggest catch of the free-agent season and I loved that the team brought Pete Alonso back. This is a destination offense, top to bottom, for fantasy managers. I'm giving most of this roster an injury pass after a season from hell last year. But I wasn't keen on drafting Ronald Acuña Jr. after he openly admitted that he's going to run less often. This won't be the dream offense of 2023, but it's still likely to be top five when all the runs are counted. You can't spell Load Management without LAD. Last year, just two pitchers on this club made it past 90 innings, and nobody came close to qualifying for the ERA title. This year, it's possible Dave Roberts will also be more proactive with resting his position guys. They're a traveling circus, but be careful with your expectations.
