Fantasy Baseball

Feinsand adds that Lee is said to be high on San Diego’s wish list, adding that one source says a deal could come together quickly now that Juan Soto and Trent Grisham’s contract are off their books, giving the organization over $30 million in financial flexibility. The 25-year-old former KBO MVP was officially posted earlier this week and is expected to have plenty of suitors.

The blockbuster deal is official. Soto heads to the Bronx, where he’ll pair up with Aaron Judge as the co-anchors of a formidable Yankees’ lineup for at least next season, before either reaching free agency or signing a long-term extension to remain in New York. The 25-year-old fantasy superstar possesses generational plate skills, leading the majors in walks each of the last three seasons. He matched a career-high with 32 round-trippers this past season in San Diego and could easily threaten the lofty 50-homer plateau in the hitter-friendly confines of Yankee Stadium. A perennial first-round selection in all fantasy formats, the blockbuster trade merely raises his potential ceiling from an over-the-fence pop and counting stats standpoint. He’ll be a consensus first-round pick next spring in all fantasy drafts.

Unless he’s flipped to another organization later this offseason, Grisham figures to occupy a versatile reserve outfielder role for the Yankees heading into 2024. There’s a strong possibility he winds up exceeding playing time forecasts due to the lengthy injury history of some of his new teammates, most notably Giancarlo Stanton, but for the moment it’s difficult to project him garnering enough playing time to make a significant impact for fantasy managers outside of AL-only formats.

King is easily the most interesting name heading to the Padres from a fantasy standpoint as the former high-leverage reliever seamlessly made a late-season transition to New York’s starting rotation in mid-August, posting a brilliant 1.88 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 48/9 K/BB ratio across 38 1/3 innings (eight starts) to close out the year. It’s too small of a sample size to draw any firm conclusions, and a checkered injury history raises some additional red flags, but King certainly looked like a viable fantasy contributor. The 28-year-old righty figures to open the 2024 campaign in San Diego’s starting rotation and will be an extremely popular sleeper candidate in all fantasy formats.

Thorpe is widely-regarded as one of New York’s top pitching prospects and will open next season in the upper minors after compiling a stellar 2.52 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 182/38 K/BB ratio across 139 1/3 innings (23 starts) this past season between High-A Hudson Valley and Double-A Somerset. The 23-year-old righty, who boasts a formidable changeup, was selected in the second round of the 2022 MLB Draft and should make it to San Diego rather quickly, barring an unexpected setback.

Vásquez ascended to the big leagues this past season for New York, finishing with a serviceable 2.87 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 33/18 K/BB ratio across 37 2/3 innings (11 appearances, five starts) in the majors. The 25-year-old righty figures to have a decent shot at making San Diego’s season-opening starting rotation given all of their offseason roster turnover in the pitching department. There’s a chance he’s a viable streaming option next season for fantasy managers in NL-only formats.

Brito will presumably compete in spring training for a spot in the Padres’ season-opening starting rotation. The 25-year-old right-hander posted a respectable 4.28 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 72/28 K/BB ratio across 90 1/3 innings (25 appearances, 13 starts) this past season as a stopgap option for the Yankees. He could contribute for fantasy managers in NL-only formats next season.

Higashioka is certainly the ancillary component of the mega-blockbuster, but he’ll fill San Diego’s backup catcher void heading into next season.

Morosi adds that the Reds would likely wind up trading from their surplus of infield talent, if they manage to sign Candelario. The 29-year-old corner infielder put together the best season of his career during the 2023 campaign, which he split between the Nationals and Cubs.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post adds that the deal includes a vesting option for 2028 that would push the total value of the deal to $100 million. Rodriguez will head to Arizona to bolster a formidable starting rotation that already features a pair of frontline arms in Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly. The 30-year-old southpaw, who opted out of the final two years and $49 million left on his deal with Detroit earlier this offseason, spent the last two seasons with the Tigers, compiling a strong 3.58 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 215/82 K/BB ratio across 243 2/3 innings (43 starts). It’s a nice landing spot for Rodriguez, who figures to wind up as a borderline top-50 starting pitcher next spring in fantasy drafts.