Happy Thursday, everyone! Dan Schneier here and the last time we spoke was fresh off the Atlanta Braves winning the World Series and Scott White's celebration tour that bled into at least but not limited to the last few podcasts since. Scott is not one to gloat, so that will end shortly I'm sure. But now it's time for the offseason and the hot stove is already starting to heat up a bit.

We've had some actual news already this offseason. The Angles went big early and decided to sign Noah Syndergaard to a one-year, $22 million contract. He had a one-year, $18.4 million qualifying offer from the Mets, so the Angels will now forfeit their second-highest draft pick in 2022. Going over to the AL is not exactly a boost for Noah's Fantasy value and it's tough to get too excited about a 29-year-old pitcher who didn't even reach double-digit innings in 2021. We also had a big deal signed by former Red Sox pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez -- five years, $77 million -- to the ... drumroll please ... Tigers! Yes, you wouldn't typically expect to see Detroit as big spenders early, but they appear serious about making a run in 2022. We'll have more on both of those deals below.

After a solid 2021 season, it was a bit surprising to see Jon Gray not receive a one-year, $18.4 million qualifying offer from the Rockies but it is the Rockies after all. He's already receiving reported "early interest" from the Tigers. Angels relief pitcher Raisel Iglesias received a one-year, $18.4 million qualifying offer from the Angles -- which would be a record-breaking single-season salary for a reliever -- but he did not accept. Iglesias had some rocky moments but was excellent in his first season closing for Los Angeles with 34 saves, a 2.57 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP. Oh, and for those who thought the Giants were going to stay quiet in free agency after their surprising and impressive 2021 run, they're apparently in the Nick Castellanos sweepstakes!

We'll dive into more early hot stove rumors, plus look at a recent industry mock draft Scott hosted and also his early 2022 relief pitcher rankings in today's newsletter below.

Of course, as always, you can follow to make sure you get the latest episodes of Fantasy Baseball Today right when they drop on Apple and Spotify.

• Big news! Justin Verlander is back with the Houston Astros on a one-year, $25 million deal with a $25 million player option in 2023. The last time we saw Verlander in a full season was 2019 when he had a 2.58 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 300 strikeouts, finishing as the No. 1 overall player in Fantasy. I also think the fact that the Astros were willing to give him this much money essentially over two years tells you everything you need to know about his health. Through seven NFBC drafts, his ADP is 163.86, and I have to imagine that moves up now.
• Jose Berrios agreed to a seven-year, $131 million extension with the Blue Jays on Tuesday, so he's not going anywhere. In 12 starts with the Blue Jays, Berrios had a 3.58 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 78 strikeouts over 70.1 innings.
• Brandon Belt accepted the qualifying offer and will remain with the Giants for one year, $18.4 million. Belt came in at 15th overall in Scott's early 1B rankings. 
• Gabe Kapler won NL manager of the year. Kevin Cash won AL manager of the year.
• Robbie Ray won the AL Cy Young while Corbin Burnes took it in the NL.

There's nothing better than an early mock draft to get the blood flowing. We're actually not too far away from mock draft season either. That's how fast the new season comes up in Fantasy Baseball. Scott organized an early industry mock draft, and you can find the full results and more observations from Scott here. The format was a 12-team Rotisserie scoring mock -- 5x5 scoring with 23-man lineups. 

Key takeaways from the mock:

• Trea Turner came off the board at No. 1 overall. Here is Scott's takeaway on the No. 1 overall pick for 2022 drafts: "It's what happens when more transcendent talents like Fernando Tatis (shoulder), Ronald Acuna (knee) and  Jacob deGrom (elbow) take serious injury concerns into the offseason. Acuna is almost certain to miss time at the start of next year while the other two won't exactly have a clean bill of health. I think the risk is overstated for Tatis in particular and would personally draft him, Vladimir Guerrero,  Juan Soto  and Shohei Ohtani ahead of Turner. I may be in the minority there, but even if Turner settles in as the consensus top pick, it means that 2022 is one of those years when having the top pick is no great advantage."
• Only one pitcher was selected in the first round. If 2021 was the Year of the Pitcher, it was short-lived. Six pitchers would come off the board in Round 2, but again, that number was down from 2021 drafts.
• Scott surprised his own self by grabbing Austin Riley when he was up in Round 3. His rationale: position scarcity. Scott didn't want to be boxed out of what in his mind is the clear-cut weakest position group in 2022.
• Justin Verlander went in Round 9 and Bobby Witt in Round 11, both to Frank Stampfl. After Verlander signed with the Astros, his ADP should take a significant jump and Frank scoops a nice win here.

Scott White also dove into his early 2022 Relief Pitcher rankings. Here are a few of the rankings that stood out:

No. 3 -- Cleveland RP Emmanuel Clase: Maybe not the consensus choice at No. 3 given his minimal track record and modest strikeout rate, but his 1.29 ERA makes sense when you catch a glimpse of how wicked his stuff is. Everything in play is on the ground, basically. Plus, James Karinchak isn't much of a threat anymore

No. 6 -- Astros RP Ryan Pressly: It's curious that Pressly got only 26 saves for such a good team, but Dusty Baker handled him as conventionally as you'd expect for an old school manager. He's proven himself in the role and should be among the saves leaders next year

No. 11 -- Phillies SP/RP Ranger Suarez: The first of the starting pitchers with relief pitcher eligibility will go even higher in points leagues, where the demand for saves isn't as great. He's my 33rd-ranked starting pitcher, to give you an idea where the top 10 relievers fit.