Betting

Sasaki’s first inning opened with a HBP, a botched grounder and then three straight walks before he was pulled with none out. After returning for the second, he again plunked leadoff man Zach Neto before another walk, a groundout and a double play. The third featured a leadoff walk but then straight outs afterwards, ending Sasaki’s night at 66 pitches. In four starts this spring, he’s posted a 15.58 ERA and a 12/15 K/BB in 8 2/3 innings. His stuff is better than it was last year, and he’s never had this level of control issues before. Most likely, he’ll get that turned around, and while we wouldn’t expect him to emerge as a quality fantasy SP anytime soon, he shouldn’t remain the sort of liability he’s looked like this spring.

Putting a little exclamation point on his spring, DeLauter is now up to .459/.535/.838 in 43 plate appearances. He’s probably about as weak of a bet to remain healthy as any position player in the league, but from a performance standpoint, he’s looking like a strong Rookie of the Year candidate.

No word yet on the financial terms. Crow-Armstrong made the leap into full-fledged superstardom last season, delivering a 31-homer, 35-steal breakout campaign and emerging as one of the most impactful all-around contributors in the fantasy landscape. The 23-year-old center fielder is firmly entrenched as one of the core building blocks for the Cubs moving forward and projects as a perennial early-round selection in all fantasy formats as he enters his physical prime.

The major concern here is that Estévez’s fastball velocity hovered between 88-90 mph, while topping out at just 91 mph, after averaging nearly 96 mph last year during a 42-save campaign. He hit one batter and also handed out a free pass, needing 22 pitches (11 strikes) to work a scoreless frame. The fact that he’s barely touching 90 mph is a flashing warning light. He’ll open the regular season as Kansas City’s closer but the fantasy managers should be prepared for some potential early-season turbulence.

It became a foregone conclusion once pitching prospect Payton Tolle was optioned to the minors that Early and Oviedo will have roles with the Red Sox. It’s a bit unclear which one is going to land the final spot in Boston’s rotation and who will be pitching out of the bullpen. Early offers significantly higher fantasy upside based on his impressive late-season cameo last year but he’s also more likely to head back to the minors once Ranger Suárez and Brayan Bello are fully stretched out.

Imanaga generated a staggering 17 swinging strikes, with nearly half of them (eight) coming on his sweeper alone. The 32-year-old’s fastball velocity was up nearly two miles per-hour in this outing as he continues to flash increased velocity this spring, leading to a 4.50 ERA and 18/3 K/BB ratio across 18 innings of work. He’s looked extremely impressive this spring, causing his fantasy stock to increase as a result, vaulting him into the top 40-50 range among starting pitchers entering the year. He’s in line to take the ball on Saturday against the Nationals to kick off the regular season.

It sounds like the Dodgers are planning to bring Snell along extremely slowly over the next two months as he gradually builds up his pitch count and stamina until he’s ready to make his season debut at some point in May. He’s been working his way back from a shoulder injury that put him behind the rest of the rotation earlier in camp. The same goes for Edman, who is still working his way back from offseason ankle surgery, and didn’t end up appearing in any spring training contests.

The decision leaves Connelly Early and Johan Oviedo as the fifth and sixth options in Boston’s rotation mix. Tolle did almost everything possible to prove he belongs in the big leagues with a strong Grapefruit League showing that included a 2.53 ERA and 13/1 K/BB ratio across 10 2/3 innings. The 23-year-old top pitching prospect would’ve likely been ticketed for a long relief role at the start of the regular season so he’ll instead remain stretched out as a traditional starter on the doorstep of the majors until a more permanent opportunity arises. He’ll be worth rostering in all fantasy formats based on his strikeout upside once he gets a real chance.

Sheehan will follow Opening Day starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto with Tyler Glasnow closing out a three-game season-opening series against Arizona. It’ll be Roki Sasaki followed by Shohei Ohtani early next week to kick off a three-game set against the Guardians at Dodger Stadium. There are some reasons for mild concern with Sheehan fantasy-wise after experiencing some diminished velocity this spring but he’s still going to be a viable mixed-league fantasy contributor. It’ll be Justin Wrobleski operating in a piggyback role, most likely with either Sheehan or Sasaki the first time through the rotation.

It gets worse. Oviedo’s velocity was down over two mph on every one of his pitches, and his four-seam fastball averaged just 92.9 mph, which is significantly down from the near 96 mph mark he’s shown all spring. He also allowed eight hard-hit baseballs in this one and a 96.1 mph average exit velocity. As of now, there is no indication that the 28-year-old is dealing with any injury, and he mentioned after the game that his execution was “off” as he continues to work on new pitches, including his cutter. Considering Oviedo has minor league options left, this was not a great time for a poor outing and could open the door for Connelly Early to steal the final rotation spot.