The new range is as much as temperature, the wheeling and dealing has commenced, and numerous noteworthy free brokers have already come off the board. The place are you able to keep grounded amid this maelstrom of maneuvers?
Proper right here is the place. Chris Towers and I will probably be making the Offseason Tracker our residence base for the subsequent few months, churning out content material because the information warrants. Right here, you may get a breakdown of all of the strikes that matter for Fantasy Baseball with out all of the fluff. (OK, possibly just a little fluff.)
Bookmark it. Learn it. Stay by it.
Iglesias re-ups for one yr at precisely the identical price ($16 million) because the earlier three. Clearly, the Braves had been on the lookout for continuity, and that makes the evaluation right here somewhat simple. He is the nearer once more for an anticipated contender and a close to lock for 30 saves, supplied he stays wholesome. He missed that quantity by one in 2025, principally due to some early-season struggles. As soon as he reduce on his slider, although, he was clearly again to kind, compiling a 1.25 ERA, 0.69 WHIP and 10.0 Okay/9 in his closing 45 appearances. That’ll play, all proper, and positions Iglesias to be one of many first 12 relievers off the board in 2026. –Scott White
What a fall for Rodriguez, who was regarded a pair years in the past as one of many sport’s burgeoning aces after a multi-year run as a top-10 total prospect. Now, the Orioles have dealt him away for one yr of some 32-year-old outfielder who simply hit .228. That is not completely honest to Ward, who additionally linked for 36 residence runs in 2025, however most projections have him regressing to 25-30 in 2026. He is additionally becoming a member of a staff that is loaded with solid-but-less-than-All-Star-worthy nook bats. There already wasn’t room within the lineup for all of Dylan Beavers, Samuel Basallo, Coby Mayo, Tyler O’Neill and Ryan Mountcastle. Now, there’s room for one fewer. It will not be Ward, however does that imply we’ll have to attend even longer for Basallo to contribute in Fantasy? If that’s the case, that is a bummer.
However the true story right here is Rodriguez, who Angels GM Perry Minasian says is anticipated to be prepared for spring coaching after lacking all of 2025 with lat and elbow points. The lat has been a recurring downside, additionally costing Rodriguez time in 2024 and as a minor leaguer in 2022, and the elbow required debridement surgical procedure in August. The Orioles solely made this deal as a result of they could not belief him to remain wholesome, however having mentioned that, he would not be the primary pitcher to beat a multi-year harm development and nonetheless go on to satisfy his potential. We now have no proof that his stuff has diminished with this newest rash of accidents, so I am nonetheless inclined to rank him as a prime 75 beginning pitcher for 2026. This commerce is certain to provide some drafters pause even at that late stage, although. –Scott White
Grisham’s choice to simply accept the qualifying supply is a curious one on condition that he simply had far and away his finest season, homering 34 instances as the first heart fielder for the Yankees. Some main shops had been projecting him to obtain a four- or five-year deal for the same annual worth because the qualifying supply, however his agent most likely has a greater learn available on the market.
If nothing else, you possibly can say he is betting on himself with this transfer, hoping to re-enter the market subsequent offseason with out the stigma of being a one-hit marvel, however now comes the onerous half: doing it once more. You may assume the return to Yankee Stadium will assist, on condition that he is a left-handed batter, however he really hit two-thirds of his residence runs on the street. If the Yankees are critical about giving Jasson Dominguez common taking part in time subsequent yr and likewise bringing again Cody Bellinger, Grisham could also be combating for at-bats once more. The Yankees nonetheless make for a greater touchdown than lots of golf equipment, however you possibly can perceive why drafters may method Grisham with some skepticism in 2026. –Scott White
A modest exhibiting by Torres in 2025 led him to simply accept the Tigers’ qualifying supply somewhat than testing the free agent market, and also you may assume a return to Comerica Park is a foul transfer for his Fantasy worth given its status. But it surely really performed nicely for right-handed hitters in 2025, and Torres batted .285 with a .449 slugging proportion there in comparison with .223 and .327 on the street. On steadiness, he carried out nicely under his .271 xBA and .452 xSLG, having delivered his finest common exit velocity in three years and a few of his finest stroll and strikeout numbers ever, so some higher luck would go a great distance towards redeeming him in Fantasy. He isn’t a surefire top-12 selection, although, even at a place as skinny as second base. –Scott White
One thing tells me that if Woodruff hadn’t gone into the offseason nursing a lat harm, he would not have needed to settle for the Brewers’ qualifying supply, as an alternative pursuing a multi-year deal. However now, he is again in prove-it mode after already overcoming a extra vital shoulder harm in close to miraculous trend. Though the shoulder capsule surgical procedure that he underwent in 2023 took 3 mph off his fastball — usually a career-ender for a pitcher, notably one so fastball-reliant — he principally picked up the place he left off statistically, even delivering the perfect strikeout price of his profession. A brand new cutter is basically to credit score for saving him, and his fortunes rose and fell with its utilization. He’ll be a lot motivated now that he is pitching for a contract once more, however he would have been value choosing among the many prime 36 beginning pitchers both manner. –Scott White
The Cubs’ choice to say no Imanaga’s three-year, $57.5 million choice after the season makes extra sense now that we see the best way every part performed out. They most likely suspected he’d settle for the $22.025 million qualifying supply, which he did, so now they nonetheless have him however with out the multi-year dedication.
The maneuver would appear to alleviate suspicions that he is cooked, which had been value entertaining on condition that numerous key metrics fell off throughout his sophomore season, particularly his Okay/9 price (from 9.0 to 7.3) and his swinging-strike price (from 14.5 % to 11.9 %). It is form of deceptive to name it his sophomore season on condition that he is 32, and his age contributed to these fears of decline as nicely. Nonetheless, he was efficient when wholesome, remaining a standout for WHIP particularly. Nobody will mistake him for an ace in 2026, however he ought to be drafted within the center rounds. –Scott White
Usually, a hitter signing with the Mariners would not be probably the most favorable end result given T-Cellular Park’s status as a pitcher-friendly venue. However Naylor did not have any issues there after coming over in a midseason commerce with the Diamondbacks, batting .360 (32 for 89) with 5 homers and a 1.015 OPS within the Mariners’ residence video games.
Furthermore, the Mariners appeared to unlock the base-stealer in him. His 11 stolen bases in 93 video games with the Diamondbacks had been shocking sufficient, however then he had 19 in simply 54 video games with the Mariners. Given his third percentile dash pace, another staff might need put a cease to that, however the Mariners do not appear to care. He was succeeding, in any case. It is uncertain he steals 30 once more, which is why he stays solely eighth in my first base rankings, however a return to the Mariners improves Naylor’s possibilities of remaining a base-stealer in some capability. For extra, try Chris Towers’ full-length article. –Scott White
