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| Thursday, February 20, 2025 |
| 37 days until Opening Day ... |
| Yesterday we kept it vague, looking at the kinds of storylines we're going to be paying attention to during Spring Training. Today, with the first game of spring action kicking off in mere hours, it's time to get specific. In today's newsletter, I've got the biggest question for each MLB team at the start of spring. And with 30 teams to cover, there's no reason to linger on an extended intro. Let's dive right in: |
| The biggest question for each team |
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| Arizona Diamondbacks' biggest question: Does Jordan Lawlar have a spot on this team? |
| Despite playing just 23 games last season, we still thought there might be a spot for Lawlar on the Diamondbacks' Opening Day roster. But while team GM Mike Hazen said the Geraldo Perdomo extension didn't change anything about the team's plans for Lawlar, it does make it harder to see how they commit to him in 2024. Lawler is still just 22, so there isn't really a rush, but unless he starts playing the outfield and masters it quickly, it looks like he'll need an injury to one of Perdomo or Eugenio Suarez to get a chance. He's off the late-round sleeper list at this point. |
| Atlanta Braves' biggest question: When will Ronald Acuña and Spencer Strider play in games? |
| Acuña is coming back from his second torn ACL in four years, and it sounds like he won't even play this spring outside of a few DH appearances on the side fields. Whether they can hold to that plan if Acuña looks ready remains to be seen, but right now, it looks like Strider has a better chance of seeing some spring action as he works his way back from elbow surgery. Strider has been throwing bullpen sessions and may make a Grapefruit League appearance toward the end of spring, with an eye on a return to the Braves' rotation sometime in April. If Strider looks like himself in a real game, we're going to see his price shoot up from his February ADP of 123.2. |
| Baltimore Orioles' biggest question: Can they make room for everyone? |
| No. Not without a trade. At this point, it looks like the Orioles are going to open the season with Jordan Westburg at third base, which probably means Jackson Holliday has the inside track to a starting job, with Coby Mayo on the outside looking in. But this team is probably still a high-level starting pitcher away from really having a contender's rotation, and still have Heston Kjerstad and Mayo as MLB-ready players without clear starting jobs – with top prospect Samuel Basallo not too far behind. Will they continue to stand pat, or consolidate their depth into one more impact move, ala last year's Corbin Burnes deal? |
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| Boston Red Sox's biggest question: Will the prospects get a chance? |
| Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell, and Marcelo Mayer are all among the 20 or so best prospects in baseball no matter who you ask, and all three have already mastered Double-A and at least gotten a taste of Triple-A. All three also have, as of the opening of camp, nowhere to play on the Red Sox roster. They're all so young and so relatively untested at Triple-A that starting them back off at that level makes sense, but the question is what happens if any of the three proves they are overqualified for the minors this spring? Injuries happen – especially to Trevor Story, unfortunately – and none of Masataka Yoshida, Wilyer Abreu, or even Ceddanne Rafaela are so good that they couldn't be overtaken if they get off to a slow start. But right now, it doesn't look like there's a path to any of that trio earning a starting job out of the gate. |
| Chicago Cubs' biggest question: When will Nico Hoerner be ready? |
| This one takes on some added urgency in the aftermath of the Justin Turner signing because there's at least a chance Turner crowds out top prospect Matt Shaw . If Hoerner isn't ready for the start of the season, Shaw could fill in at second base while Turner plays third. But if Hoerner's recovery from flexor tendon surgery in his right elbow gets him on the field during Cactus League action, that would certainly narrow Shaw's margin for error. It would also make Hoerner a relative value in drafts. |
| Chicago White Sox's biggest question: Is there anyone here worth getting excited about? |
| Among players likely to make the Opening Day roster, it's just Colson Montgomery – a top-100 prospect entering the season, albeit one who hit just .214/.329/.381 at Triple-A last season. Montgomery hits the ball hard from the left side, but his strikeout rate got close to 30% last season, and it's not clear he's going to provide much value on the bases. Montgomery is a viable late-round sleeper who could rise with a good spring, but he's not someone I'm excited about yet. |
| Noah Schultz might be. He's a non-roster invitee who hasn't pitched in Triple-A yet, but he's also arguably the team's best prospect and could move fast with a good spring – though an Opening Day assignment to Triple-A seems almost certain. |
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| Cincinnati Reds' biggest question: How much does everyone but Elly de la Cruz play? |
| I think Matt McLain's playing time at second base is pretty safe, and Tyler Stephenson is going to get the lion's share of the playing time behind the plate. Everyone else? It looks like it's going to be an epic juggling act for new manager Terry Francona to find playing time for everyone. The upshot is, if it looks like Christian Encarnacion-Strand, TJ Friedl or Gavin Lux look like they are going to be true everyday players, any one of that trio could be a great value in drafts. |
| Cleveland Guardians' biggest question: Can Chase DeLauter really make the leap to the majors? |
| Foot injuries have limited DeLauter to just 96 games over the past two seasons, but he looked to be on the cusp of the majors when healthy. He's not on the 40-man roster, but the relative weakness of the Guardians' right field options – some combination of Will Brennan, Jhonkensy Noel, or Jonathan Rodriguez – could give DeLauter a path to forcing his way onto the roster with a strong spring. They would probably prefer he get some more seasoning after two largely lost seasons, but there is absolutely an outcome here where DeLauter dominates this spring and forces their hand. |
| Colorado Rockies' biggest question: Can Hunter Goodman get enough playing time? |
| Goodman has put up some pretty bonkers numbers in the minors – 80 homers in 294 games – but he's had enough contact issues in the majors to keep him from regular playing time. He has played some outfield and first base, but it sounds like he's going to enter the season as the team's primary backup behind Jacob Stallings . Stallings is the definition of Just A Guy, so if Goodman dominates this spring, could he push for something close to an even split to open the season? There could be a Logan O'Hoppe or Shea Langeliers-type impact here if Goodman can get 400 PAs. |
| Detroit Tigers' biggest question: How much hype can Jackson Jobe build this spring? |
| There are some questions about how playing time will shake out in the infield, but most of those revolve around some pretty fringe-y bats in a bad home park, so I'll focus on the guy I cannot believe isn't getting more hype. Jobe is pretty close to the consensus top pitching prospect in the game – at least before Roki Sasaki came stateside – and seems all but locked into a rotation spot with a team that has done an excellent job maximizing pitchers in recent years, in a home park that should help him thrive. And yet, he's not even a top-250 pick in the month of February. Jobe is reportedly working on a couple of new pitches this spring and obviously has significant upside (despite some less-stellar-than-expected numbers in the minors last season). Let's see if that price starts to rise once he's pitching in games. |
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| Houston Astros' biggest question: Is Jose Altuve really an outfielder now? |
| It sure seems like it! That made more sense when it was in service of the team's attempts to bring Alex Bregman back, but it's less clear what the need is when the second base options are Mauricio Dubon and/or Brendan Rodgers. We'll take the extra eligibility Altuve could gain from playing the outfield, but it would be easier to get excited about this if they had some better alternatives to fill that second base spot. |
| Kansas City Royals' biggest question: Who is the closer? |
| I've been operating under the assumption that it is Carlos Estevez, but on the RP Preview episode of Fantasy Baseball Today, my coworkers were less convinced that it's as open and shut as that. I like Lucas Erceg and think he might just be the better pitcher between him and Estevez, but Estevez has more experience there, having spent most of the past two seasons in that role. Spring will be our chance to see how the Royals actually plan to deploy these two. |
| Los Angeles Angels' biggest question: What is the plan in center field? |
| With Mike Trout set to play right field in 2025, this is the obvious question. Though there is another one to consider: Does it really matter? If it helps keep Trout healthy, it definitely matters, though that is a question we simply won't be able to answer. So the next question is whether Jo Adell sees a bump in playing time as a result of this. I'm not sure he's really a viable defender in center field, but he's certainly a much more intriguing Fantasy option than Mickey Moniak, so I sure hope Adell can be a viable defender out there. Adell has his warts – batting average, most notably – but he has clear plus power and ran aggressively last season, finishing with a quiet 20-15 season in just 451 plate appearances. If he proves he can handle center field this spring, that could certainly make him a viable late-round sleeper. |
| Los Angeles Dodgers' biggest question: How does the rotation shake out? |
| There are also questions about how playing time will be divvied out between second base and center field, and there is room for potential late-round sleepers like James Outman, Andy Pages, and Hyeseong Kim to emerge. But the attention here will rightly be on the rotation. Can Roki Sasaki and Tyler Glasnow stay healthy? How long will it take for Shohei Ohtani to be ready to pitch in games? Will there be room for either Tony Gonsolin or Dustin May in their returns from injury? I think you can make a case that the core members of the Dodgers rotation are likely to be overrated for Fantasy – they'll likely spend much of the season in a six-man rotation, limiting volume on a team that cares way more about maximizing their October odds than anything else – but Gonsolin and May could be really nice late-round targets if they look like they have a rotation spot here. |
| Minnesota Twins' biggest question: How is Carlos Correa's foot? |
| So far, so good. Correa told reporters he finally began to feel pain-free in his right foot in January, after an offseason of work on rehabbing the injury and strengthening the muscles around his heel. It's important that Correa stays on the field because he still looked like a difference maker when on the field in 2024, hitting .310/.388/.517 with 14 homers in just 86 games. Correa is being drafted as if his chances of playing a full season are basically non-existent, and maybe that's the case. But getting through the spring without incident would be a nice start for a guy who can still make an impact when he's on the field. |
| New York Mets' biggest question: Can Clay Holmes really be a starter? |
| We won't get a definitive answer to this one, but we should get some hints. I'm not really sure his current arsenal is enough to thrive as a starter – he hasn't thrown a changeup in anger since 2019, for example, and his sinker/sweeper/slider-heavy approach has left him with pretty massive platoon splits. Teams are sure to try to stack the lineup with lefties against Holmes as a starter, and he'll have to have an approach that can neutralize them. Is that leaning more on a four-seamer he flashed in the playoffs? Is it getting the changeup back? I'll be keeping a close eye on Holmes' arsenal when he pitches to see how he plans to address this concern, though there is some indication he did add a changeup this offseason, thankfully. |
| New York Yankees' biggest question: Who is going to be the leadoff hitter? |
| The Yankees added some depth to the lineup, but it's not clear who is going to set the table here. Anthony Volpe spent plenty of time at the top of the lineup and looked like he could be a very good place-setter at times, especially in the playoffs. With his speed, he could be a sneaky valuable Fantasy option if he could approach 100 runs, but his .288 career OBP is pretty untenable for the top spot in a good lineup. If he doesn't get off to a good start, could Jazz Chisholm hit there? That could be huge for his value, though the surprisingly patient Jasson Dominguez – 13% walk rate between Double-A and Triple-A – could also work his way up there, too. |
| Oakland Athletics' biggest question: How much outfield is Brent Rooker ready to play? |
| Rooker made 14 of his first 50 appearances in the outfield last season but didn't play there at all after May due to a forearm injury. He had surgery on that injury after the season, and the hope is he'll be able to play the field more frequently in 2025, which would be huge for his value, as he enters with only DH eligibility. Rooker is arguably undervalued as a DH-only bat with an ADP in the sixth round of a 12-team league, but he could be an outright steal there if he is going to play outfield frequently enough to add eligibility early on. |
| Philadelphia Phillies' biggest question: How serious are they about Kyle Schwarber playing the outfield? |
| Schwarber is one of the other Big Four DH-only bats going in the first 70 picks of most drafts, and it sounds like he might be the only one besides Rooker who could gain outfield eligibility. Now, it doesn't sound like Schwarber is going to transition to the outfield, or anything. But with the Phillies looking to give J.T. Realmuto a few more days off from behind the plate , Schwarber could be forced to don a fielder's glove a bit more often this season to keep both of their bats in the lineup. Schwarber barely played in the outfield in 2024, and I would be surprised if he played there more than a handful of times in 2025. But if he could gain OF eligibility after the first couple of months, that flexibility would help his value. |
| Pittsburgh Pirates' biggest question: Can Bubba Chandler crack the Opening Day rotation? |
| This time last year, Jared Jones was only faintly on Fantasy radars, before a scoreless spring training earned him a spot in the rotation. Can Chandler do the same? The team's top pitching prospect only made seven starts at Triple-A last season, but he shined, sporting a 1.83 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 39.1 innings of work. Given how they handled Paul Skenes last April, they might opt to hold Chandler back for a month or so, but the Pirates also might view themselves as a potential NL Central contender – despite their quiet offseason – and Chandler could provide an early spark. |
| San Diego Padres' biggest question: Are there any trades coming? |
| The Padres have a seemingly massive hole in at least one of their corner outfield spots, along with a concerning lack of a proven bopper at the DH spot. They might be content to go into the season with going into the season with those apparent holes – hey, it worked out with Jackson Merrill and Jurickson Profar last year! But they also have some pretty big financial questions looming, and Dylan Cease and Michael King will be free agents at the end of the season, so moving either in an attempt to fill a lineup hole would make some sense. Or closer Robert Suarez could be moved, given the team's relative strength in the bullpen. The Padres have been finding ways to piece a competitive roster together, and addition through subtraction might be their best chance of pulling it off this time. |
| San Francisco Giants' biggest question: Does Justin Verlander have anything left? |
| There are a few others to watch here, especially in the rotation, where Kyle Harrison is looking to recapture some of the lost velocity that seems to have capped his upside since his prospect days. But the bigger question for the Giants is whether Verlander has enough left in the tank to bounce back. It's a nice landing spot, with a good defense behind him and a terrific home park. But if Verlander pitches like he did last season, it might not matter where he's pitching. That being said, he isn't totally hopeless – despite an ERA starting with a five, his xERA was a still-solid 3.78 last season. If he finds a way to clay back some strikeouts and get closer to average, there can still be a pretty useful pitcher here. Maybe. |
| Seattle Mariners' biggest question: Does the rotation stay intact? |
| With no big trades made so far, it seems like everyone's safe. And, given how much T-Mobile Park suppresses offense, that's a very good thing for all of George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Luis Castillo, Bryan Woo, and Bryce Miller. But the reason we thought the Mariners might trade one of those starters remains readily apparent when you look at the lineup, which doesn't have a proven above-average bat outside of Julio Rodriguez, Cal Raleigh, and Randy Arozarena . The Mariners largely sat out the offseason, but the path to and need for upgrading the offense remains. |
| St. Louis Cardinals' biggest question: What happens with Nolan Arenado? |
| The Cardinals seemingly tried their best to move Arenado, but after he turned down an agreed-to deal with the Astros, things seemed to stall out. That could make things awkward, as the Cardinals clearly want to turn the page on the mostly failed Arenado era while he's still there. His lift-and-pull approach to hitting has seen increasingly diminishing returns in recent years, and he just might not have the oomph in his bat to make it work in most stadiums anymore. As long as he's in St. Louis, Arenado will present a roadblock to Nolan Gorman, Alec Burleson, and Thomas Saggese having an everyday job, and he's going to have trouble being Fantasy-relevant himself there. There just isn't an obvious trade destination for him anymore, so it looks like this messy situation may just carry over into the season. |
| Tampa Bay Rays' biggest question: How does Shane McClanahan look? |
| The Rays have plenty of questions to answer after a disappointing season in 2024, and the entire rotation might be a question mark given the move from Tropicana Field to George M. Steinbrenner Field. I especially want to see if Shane Baz can get back to his pre-Tommy John surgery velocity after a decent showing in his return last season. But the biggest one to watch is McClanahan as he comes back from his second Tommy John surgery. At his best, he was one of the best pitchers in baseball, but there were control issues and lots of loud contact when he wasn't at his best. Given how far removed McClanahan is from his September 2023 procedure, I'd be discouraged if McClanahan wasn't at least sitting around 95 mph with his fastball when he starts pitching in Grapefruit League games. |
| Texas Rangers' biggest question: Is Evan Carter healthy enough to play every day? |
| By all accounts, Carter is past the back injuries that derailed his rookie season before ultimately requiring surgery. Now, let's keep him that way. There will still be questions surrounding Carter even if he does make it through the spring – Can he hit lefties? Can he be a full-time outfielder, especially in center? Will he hit for power? – but he won't even have a chance to answer them if he can't stay on the field. That's where it all starts. I'm excited about Carter as a late-round sleeper, and I suspect a healthy and productive spring will get more folks on board with me. But he's gotta show us he's healthy first. |
| Toronto Blue Jays' biggest question: Does Max Scherzer have anything left? |
| To be clear, Scherzer looked significantly less washed up than Verlander when we last saw both of them. But that isn't saying much, given his total inability to stay on the mound. Again, getting through spring healthy is very different than getting through a whole season healthy, but it is step one. And it would be a big step after he didn't debut until June 23 and made it through just eight starts before getting hurt again last season. There is still some strikeout upside here, as evidenced by Scherzer's 14.6% swinging strike rate, a top-five mark among starters, tied with Tarik Skubal . Let's see if he can get past step one after he couldn't a year ago. |
| Washington Nationals' biggest question: Can Mike Soroka build on last year's strong finish? |
| There might be bigger questions, honestly. "Who is closing?" "Can Mackenzie Gore take a step forward?" "Is C.J. Abrams still a centerpiece for this team?" But I'm the one writing this piece, and I want to focus on Soroka because I think what he did at the end of last season was pretty interesting. Pitching as a bulk reliever after flaming out of the White Sox rotation – okay, stay with me, I know it sounds bad – Soroka totally remade himself on the fly, ditching his sinker and focusing on his slider and four-seamer almost exclusively, to pretty tremendous results. From June 9 on, he had 41 strikeouts to just nine walks over 24.1 innings, with a 1.48 ERA. That's very different from doing it as a starter, especially since we're not talking about especially high-leverage innings. But it's the first bit of optimism we've had from Soroka in a long time, and as a SPaRP in a H2H points league, I think he makes a lot of sense as a late-round target if he looks good this spring. Just in case there was something real there. |
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