For the first time in a few years, the MLB offseason has run a normal course, with a slew of signings and trades spread out over a three-month period. And while many players have changed formations during the winter months, few have found new homes that set them up for bigger fantasy success this year.
[Batter up: Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for free today]
Let’s take a look at nine men who can benefit from the new environment.
Fantasy hunters who play in a different location with their real-life team are often great assets, due to their ability to rack up board appearances at a rate that can’t be matched by those who just serve as a kickstand. Such is the case with Farshaw, who will be a full-time player on the Toronto team he already has Danny Jansen And Alejandro Kirk to handle hunting duties. The 26-year-old should also benefit from joining the Blue Jays lineup, which is 73 times ahead of Arizona in 2022.
Drury is coming off a career year (. 813 OPS), but his effectiveness waned after he was traded from Cincinnati to San Diego, and his performance in the hitter-friendly Reds park is much better than his cumulative work in other ballparks. However, Drury managed to sign with a team with plenty of playing time available, and his new home park was among the top five in the garden factors for last year’s hitters. As for the cost of late selection (current ADP: 177), managers could take a chance on Drury repeating his success in 2022.
Mondesi has played a total of 50 games over the past two seasons, and his long history of injury will result in several fantasy managers being written off the draft list before the selection process begins. And I wouldn’t even try to convince you that the 27-year-old will finally stay healthy this year. But Mondisi has always been excellent on a game-by-play basis, and he can be better than ever now that he’s made upgrades in both the center field and supporting lineup.
My plan for Mondesi in the Yahoo Championships is simple – draft him in the final rounds (ADP: 211) and keep him in my active lineup until he suffers his first big injury, at which point I’ll send him to waivers. He could lead the Majors in steals during the early months of the campaign.
Although many fantasy managers may incorrectly guess Coors Field, Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park is the best place to assemble home runs. And after spending his entire 10-year career playing for teams with power-suppressing venues, Myers will now get his chance to produce a decorated homer total. Those who shun the 32-year-old on the grounds that he only played 77 games last year should know that he has appeared in more than 90 percent of his team’s matches in every season from 2019-21.
Benintende (5 HR in 2022) could make huge improvements in the home run class, having spent most of the past two seasons at one of the toughest parks (Kaufman Stadium) to shred home runs. Now scheduled to play half of his games at homer-happy Guaranteed Rate Field, the 28-year-old can produce a long 20-ball for the first time since 2017.
Evelyn has shown flashes of promise over seven seasons with the show Veles, but it rarely achieved the level of consistency required to conquer mixed fantasy lists. A strong case can be made that the right-hander has been let down by his teammates, as his FIP in each of the past three seasons has been about half a run lower than his ERA. Now part of the Rays organization that’s known for making the most of its pitchers, Eflin can produce a sub-3.50 ERA and a WHIP under 1.20.
Syndergaard is not the same pitcher we watched during his prime from 2015 to 2018. He no longer misses at bats at the same rate, and he would have guaranteed a bit of fantasy interest if he had signed with any team other than the Dodgers. Fantasy managers are well aware of the Dodgers’ impressive track record of helping the Bombers get their careers back, as evidenced by the notable stats published by Tyler Anderson (2.57 ERA) and Andrew Heaney (3.10 ERA) last year. I would happily use a late pick for the possibility of Syndergaard (current ADP: 243) becoming L.A.’s newest reclamation project.
Having played 32 games in 2021, Ivaldi has returned to his injury-prone ways when he started just 20 games last year. Although the right-hander’s durability will be the biggest key to his fantasy value this year, he should also benefit from moving away from batter-friendly Fenway Park and instead taking his home runs at neutral Texas. Over the four years from 2019-22, Eovaldi’s era for the road was about half a run short of his home mark.
Carlos Estevez (RP, Los Angeles Angels)
With a 4.59 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP, Estevez will be virtually free (current ADP: 253) in the 2023 fantasy drafts. But the 30-year-old can thrive now that he no longer calls home to Coors Field, as he has a career-high 5.57 ERA. In Colorado it is more than two walks higher than the 3.51 road mark. Estevez is also in a prime position to make saves, as his new team has one of the worst relief teams in baseball and hasn’t named a closer yet.
