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Even though the Winter Meetings are now behind us, there’s still plenty of offseason left when it comes to baseball news and rumors – especially with a number of the offseason’s top free agents still without a team. And that’s all without mentioning potential trades as there hasn’t been an overabundance of deals made so far. The reports and rumors of free agent interest and trade interest, combined with actual free agent signings and trades, will continue to have significant ramifications for fantasy managers ahead of drafts this Spring.
The aim of this column is to provide you with the latest fantasy analysis on both rumors and reports, as well as official signings and trades, and how it pertains to redraft fantasy baseball leagues this Spring. Moves, or rumors and reports, tabbed as “Buying” are obviously good moves or potentially good moves from a fantasy standpoint. Moves or potential moves and reported interest that are filed under “Selling?” Not so great.
So, without further ado, let’s dive into the news with a look at a pair of recent trades.
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Buying For Fantasy Baseball
Adalberto Mondesi Being Traded To The Boston Red Sox
Arguably the league’s premier stolen base threat, Mondesi has the fourth-most steals in the sport since the start of 2018 despite playing in nearly a third of the games of each of the players ahead of him on the list. He also has four more steals than the fifth-place player on the list – Jose Ramirez – despite playing in 395 (!) fewer games.
The now-former Royal should only benefit from new rules introducing larger bases this coming season.
The only question now is whether he can stay healthy for the majority of the season after missing significant time in the last few seasons due to injury. For reference, Mondesi has only appeared in 50 combined games at the Major League level since the start of the 2021 campaign, logging just 190 plate appearances in the process. However, if he can in fact stay healthy, this is an excellent fantasy landing spot in Boston.
The Red Sox can offer plenty of playing time and plate appearances at either middle infield position, what with Trevor Story expected to miss time this year after undergoing an elbow procedure earlier in January and Xander Bogaerts now in San Diego playing for the Padres.
It makes for an ideal fantasy situation for Mondesi, who has also flashed power at times. He registered a 12.8% barrel rate and six home runs in 136 plate appearances in 2021 and logged 14 home runs and a 10.4% barrel rate back in 2018. There are all sorts of fantasy potential if his home run and power numbers can land somewhere in the middle of those with the usual elite stolen base numbers.
Fantasy managers in search of a late-round draft pick with the potential to be league winners at the end of the season need to look no further than Mondesi. If he can register more than 350 plate appearances with the Red Sox, he could make a sizeable fantasy impact for managers in 2023.
Selling For Fantasy Baseball
Michael A. Taylor Being To Traded To The Minnesota Twins
Sticking with the now former Royals theme, we now move to the Michael A. Taylor trade. The 31-year-old was traded within the American League Central from Kansas City to the Minnesota Twins for a pair of minor league pitchers in Steven Cruz and Evan Sisk.
The outfielder hit .254 in 456 plate appearances for the Royals, logging a .313 on-base percentage, nine home runs, and four stolen bases in the process. Generally speaking, Taylor has provided more value in real-life baseball with his base running and fielding. He's mostly logged xwOBA numbers in the .280 to .300 range. Still, the veteran has provided some solid fantasy seasons in the past, especially when his BABIP has spiked.
In 2017, the former Royal and National hit .271 with a .320 on-base percentage, 19 home runs, and 17 stolen bases in 432 plate appearances. His BABIP finished at .363 that season. Though that being said, it’s yet to finish above .320 in a full season since.
The 2017 campaign was also one of three seasons in which Taylor logged double-digit home runs and stolen bases, something he did again in 2021. That year, the outfielder batted .244 with a .297 on-base percentage, 12 home runs, and 14 stolen bases in 528 plate appearances for Kansas City.
Still, it seems unlikely that he’ll play enough in a crowded outfield in Minnesota, even if his BABIP is closer to what it was during the 2017 season.
As of now, the Twins' other outfield options include the likes of Byron Buxton, Joey Gallo, Max Kepler, Nick Gordon, Alex Kirilloff, Gilberto Celestino, and Trevor Larnach. Even if the club utilizes one of those players as the team's designated hitter on a regular basis, there simply might not be enough plate appearances to go around for Taylor to provide fantasy value outside of deeper leagues.
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