Kansas City

Royals

The trade is now official. It appears looks a bit lopsided on the surface with Collins coming off a fourth-place finish in NL Rookie of the Year voting and Mears providing steady middle relief last season. Zerpa heads to Milwaukee after posting a serviceable 3.97 ERA — 4.13 FIP — and 19.7 percent strikeout rate over 177 innings for Kansas City since 2021. If history is any guide, the Brewers must believe there’s more in the tank — and they’ve earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to squeezing value out of overlooked relief arms. Brewers general manager Matt Arnold told reporters that they’re open to considering the 26-year-old southpaw as a starter and have been trying to acquire him for a long time. The possibility that he’ll be stretched out as a starter provides some legitimate intrigue for fantasy purposes heading into next spring.

Collins lands in Kansas City as the kind of underrated hitter who quietly forces his way into relevance, providing the Royals with a versatile corner outfield option after slashing a robust .263/.368/.411 with nine homers and 16 stolen bases across 130 games for Milwaukee in his first taste of the majors to finish fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting. The 28-year-old represents an intriguing low-risk addition for the Royals as a classic floor-raising position player capable of filling in across multiple spots.

It would be unfair to label Mears a throw-in, but he clearly profiles as the ancillary piece in the trade. The 29-year-old middle reliever is coming off the strongest season of his career where he finished with a 3.49 ERA — 3.86 FIP — across 56 2/3 innings. He’ll operate in middle relief for Kansas City and can be safely ignored for fantasy purposes.

Collins finished in fourth place in NL Rookie of the Year balloting this past season after slashing a healthy .263/.368/.411 with nine homers, 54 RBI and 16 stolen bases in 441 plate appearances. The door should be open for him to see everyday action with the Royals, which should boost his overall appeal for fantasy purposes. It seems like a lopsided deal on the surface, especially since Mears is coming off the best season of his career, posting a 3.49 ERA — 3.86 FIP — across 56 2/3 innings. It’s abundantly clear that Milwaukee sees something in Zerpa’s profile that made him a clear target. The 26-year-old southpaw boasts a serviceable 3.97 ERA — 4.13 FIP — and 19.7 percent strikeout rate over 177 innings in the big leagues since 2021.

Cuas returns to the Royals; the organization he’s had the most MLB success with in his short career. The 31-year-old will need to have a strong spring training if he’s going to join the Kansas City bullpen.

Passan notes that the extension will also have a club option for a sixth season. Garcia was excellent this past season, slashing .286/.351/449 slash along with 16 homers and 23 stolen bases over his 160 games. He also was a deserved Gold Glove Award winner at third base, and he and Bobby Witt Jr. will make up one of the better left sides of an infield for the foreseeable future. The long-term agreement keeps him in Kansas City through his entire prime and into his early 30’s as one of their key building blocks.

Newman will get a chance to win a job with the Royals in spring training. The former first-round pick was atrocious in his limited action with the Angels last year as seen in a slash of .202/.209/.272.

Feinsand adds that the deal includes $1 million in performance-based incentives. Thomas heads to Kansas City following an injury plagued final season in Cleveland where he battled plantar fasciitis, which limited him to just 39 games, before undergoing foot surgery in late September. The 30-year-old outfielder should be a full-go in time for spring training and figures to take over as the club’s starting center fielder. He offers realistic 20-homer, 30-steal upside in an everyday role and projects as a strong bounce-back candidate for fantasy purposes, if he’s put the lingering foot issues to bed.

The ping pong balls came through for the White Sox as they secure the top selection in next year’s MLB Draft after having the highest odds — 27.73 percent — of landing the first overall pick. Chicago hasn’t picked first overall since taking future Hall of Famer Harold Baines in 1977. Their likely prize: UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky is one of the best collegiate shortstop prospects in recent memory and is considered a slam-dunk to be taken first overall. Texas high school shortstop Grady Emerson is widely-regarded as the top prep player in the draft class. The Giants and Royals were the big movers in this year’s lottery, jumping up double-digit spots into the top six overall, while the Rays also made a massive leap, going from seventh to second overall. Here are the full draft lottery results: (1) White Sox, (2) Rays, (3) Twins, (4) Giants, (5) Pirates, (6) Royals, (7) Orioles, (8) Athletics, (9) Braves, (10) Rockies, (11) Nationals, (12) Angels, (13) Cardinals, (14) Marlins, (15) Diamondbacks, (16) Rangers, (17) Astros and (18) Reds.

It doesn’t sound like a serious concern with roughly two-plus months left until the outset of spring training. The 25-year-old third baseman finished as a top-10 fantasy contributor at the hot corner this past season when he batted .286/.351/.449 with 81 runs scored, 16 homers, 74 RBI and 23 steals in 666 plate appearances over 160 games. There should be an official update on his status from the Royals at some point in the near future.