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Fantasy Baseball: Dealing With Early Anchors

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Hello, friends.

Ahh, it's almost officially time; I can feel it, deep in my plums.

No, I'm not talking about the time of year when the Chicago White Sox are officially eliminated from playoff contention. Give them some credit, that's still weeks away. Colorado, on the other hand, is officially on the clock.

No, I'm talking about the day when everything, for almost everyone, officially matters. We're so close to Stabilization Day, I can almost taste it.

But, unfortunately, Tom Tango didn't see his shadow last week -- we'll just have to wait a little longer.

Until then, let's talk about what people seem to be most concerned about -- at least according to the questions in our weekly chats (every Thursday at 11 am Central).

Why is *insert name of player drafted in the first five rounds* hurting me so much, and what can I do to get revenge on their horrible, rotten souls*?

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The Rawlings Icon was named the Bat Bros’ “Youth Bat of the Year”! (Sponsored)

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Since 1887, Rawlings has set a standard of producing high quality, top of the line sports equipment. Rawlings is trusted by athletes at each level, from Little League to Major League, and is undoubtedly “The Mark of a Pro®”. Throughout generations, Rawlings has built a legacy that revolves around innovation, tradition and authenticity, and the 2025 USSSA Rawlings Icon bat represents exactly what athletes have come to expect from the most well-known brand in baseball.

Designed for elite USSSA athletes, the Rawlings Icon was named as the Bat Bros’ “Youth Bat of the Year” and has a dedicated following given its dominance on the field. Featuring “In/Tense” carbon composite material, “Tuned Balance Performance”, “Zero Loss Collar Technology” and many other high-tech features, the USSSA Rawlings Icon is engineered to give young athletes the perfect combination of balanced power, speed and durability.

Engineered with “In/Tense” carbon composite construction, the Rawlings Icon maximizes barrel size, stiffness and trampoline. Incorporating this highly responsive technology increases the overall size and pop of the sweet spot, creating a forgiving yet consistently powerful hitting surface.

Further, the Icon features “Tuned Balance” performance, yielding the ideal swing weight. Tuned Balance performance optimizes barrel control enabling athletes to have a powerful swing without compromising their bat speed. Additionally, the Icon’s “Zero Loss Collar Technology” strengthens the connection joint and eliminates negative, hand-rattling feedback at contact. The reinforced joint between the handle and barrel allows for the perfect amount of flex, while absorbing vibrations from impact.

Not only is this bat a top pick for performance, but it also ranks high in comfort and style. The 2025 Rawlings Icon is marked by bold, eye-catching graphics featuring a white camo pattern, highlighted with gold and black accents. The bat is equipped with “RevGrip”, a premium handle grip that provides unmatched cushion and tack, which enhances comfort in all elements.

Whether you’re a contact or power hitter, the USSSA Rawlings Icon is engineered to do it all. Designed with the balance of power, innovation, style and comfort, the 2025 Rawlings Icon is built to bring out the best of your swing. “Be Iconic” with the USSSA Icon bat from Rawlings and discover its game-changing power for yourself!

Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript

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MLBTR’s Anthony Franco held a live chat today, exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers!

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Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript

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MLBTR's Steve Adams hosted a chat today at 1:30pm CT, exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers.

 

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Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript

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MLBTR’s Anthony Franco held a live chat, exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers!

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The D-backs’ Late-Blooming Slugger

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The D-backs moved on from Joc Pederson this past offseason, bidding farewell to a slugger who made 132 appearances at designated hitter for them in 2024 and turned in an outstanding .275/.393/.515 slash in 449 plate appearances. Pederson was limited to 42 plate appearances against left-handed pitching but was a mainstay in the lineup against right-handed opponents. He torched righties at a .281/.392/.531 clip -- 54% better than league average, by measure of wRC+.

Arizona spent more than anyone expected this past offseason, but the vast majority of that spending came in the form of their stunning six-year, $210MM signing of right-hander Corbin Burnes. That marked the largest contract in franchise history, helping push payroll to record levels. The rest of the front office's moves were understandably on the smaller side, at least in terms of financial commitment. A trade for Josh Naylor replaced Christian Walker at first base for about half the 2025 price (and one-sixth of the overall financial commitment). Re-signing Randal Grichuk cost another $5MM. Relievers Kendall Graveman and Jalen Beeks signed for under $2MM apiece.

Pederson's two-year, $37MM deal with the Rangers was announced on the same day as Burnes' deal with the Diamondbacks. Based on the totality of Arizona's offseason, it'd be fair to presume that signing both simply wasn't in the budget. Perhaps, however, the D-backs felt comfortable moving on from Pederson because they bought into the out-of-the-blue breakout from another lefty slugger on the roster.

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The Giants Should Consider A Rotation Change

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The Giants had a rotation battle throughout Spring Training. Logan Webb, Robbie Ray and Justin Verlander were locked into the top three spots. President of baseball operations Buster Posey said in December that the team remained committed to Jordan Hicks as a starter. The final job would go to one of three younger arms: Kyle Harrison, Hayden Birdsong or Landen Roupp.

Harrison seemed like the frontrunner entering camp. If that had been the case, he quickly pitched his way out of it. The lefty allowed eight runs in 6 2/3 spring innings. The Giants optioned him before Opening Day. (He's since made four starts at Triple-A Sacramento, allowing nine earned runs despite recording 21 strikeouts over 15 innings.) It came down to Birdsong and Roupp, with the latter getting the nod. Birdsong broke camp as a long reliever.

The decision came as a surprise. Birdsong started 16 all of his major league appearances last year. He turned in a 4.75 ERA over 72 innings as a rookie. He'd been lights out during Spring Training, firing 12 innings of one-run ball with 18 strikeouts and no walks. Roupp had a good but less impressive camp, giving up five runs with 14 strikeouts and one walk across 12 frames. He also had more experience working out of the bullpen, as he'd started just four of 23 appearances during his debut season last year.

San Francisco probably feels good about their decision to give Roupp a rotation job. The 26-year-old righty carries a 4.09 earned run average with an excellent 31.2% strikeout rate through the first four turns. He has recorded a pair of quality starts and reached seven innings for the first time in his MLB career on Saturday, when he held the Angels to two runs while striking out nine.

While Roupp has earned continued starting looks, the rest of the rotation beyond Webb has struggled. The Giants have raced to a 15-9 record despite their rotation having the seventh-worst ERA in MLB, entering play Wednesday. They should already consider making a change.

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Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript

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MLBTR's Steve Adams hosted a live chat today at 2pm CT, exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers.

 

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The Rays’ Emerging Core

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I was just 15-20 minutes into writing this when the Rays placed Richie Palacios back on the injured list and selected the contract of prospect Chandler Simpson, widely regarded as the fastest player in the sport. Simpson swiped 104 bags in 110 minor league games last year. He was caught only 13 times. He's 8-for-11 in steals to begin the current season. He's struck out in fewer than 10% of his professional plate appearances. Simpson has virtually no power, but he's an oddity in today's game and a throwback to the leadoff hitters of yesteryear. If he can carry those wheels and that preternatural contact ability over to the majors, he's going to garner a lot of national attention, simply because he's a departure from the MLB archetype in an era of baseball that's increasingly focused on power, elevating the ball, exit velocity, etc.

Maybe Simpson will be a star for the Rays. Maybe he'll follow the Billy Hamilton career path. We can't know yet. He hasn't played a single big league game. But even without the promotion of a notable prospect, the Rays' future was already starting to look quite bright.

We're early in the 2025 season, of course, so lots of things can be chalked up to small sample sizes. And the Rays do have plenty of early small-sample success stories. It hasn't yet translated into winning ball, evidenced by their 8-11 record, but Tampa Bay has a +11 run differential and has spent a good portion (in some cases all) of the season playing without some key stars. Shane McClanahan is wrapping up his rehab from Tommy John surgery. Josh Lowe has been out almost all year with a strained oblique. Ha-Seong Kim was signed knowing that he'd be out into at least May following shoulder surgery. The version of the Rays that president of baseball operations Erik Neander and manager Kevin Cash trot out in June and July should be expected to look quite a bit different than the April version.

There are still some intriguing names on the roster right now, however, many of whom are flying too far under the radar. It's easy to get too caught up in early-season data, as it tends to balance out over a larger sample. But with many of the Rays' young and/or returning contributors, the breakout campaigns they're teasing date back to the second half of the 2024 season. Tampa Bay operated as a seller last summer, trading away veterans Zach Eflin, Jason Adam, Isaac Paredes, Randy Arozarena, Aaron Civale and Phil Maton, among others.

That opened the door for a wave of younger players to begin receiving more playing time, and if you trace things back to that point, some of these eye-opening March/April stats start to look a little more legitimate. It's still only about 40% of a season -- less than that in some cases -- but as is always the case with a Rays team that ebbs and flows through periods of contending and rebuilding on the fly, there are some very intriguing components of a core taking shape.

Let's run through a few particular standouts.

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Fantasy Baseball: All the Streams Fit to Print

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Hello, friends.

We're three (ish) weeks in, but more importantly, the Masters are over, so I no longer have to hear that hack, Jim Nantz, continue to rip off my signature catchphrase.

Streaming pitchers in April can be dicey, and not just because of the actual pitchers available. It's also the fact that our roster spaces are likely very limited, unless you've been beset by a bevy of injuries (he said, staring at a roster that includes Shane McClanahan, Reynaldo Lopez, Ranger Suarez, and Nestor Cortes).

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