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Eric Karabell
Multiple authors
Fantasy baseball season is back, perhaps with many lapsed fans and eager managers wondering what they missed during these long, cold winter months.
Well, a lot has happened since the last regular season games of 2025 were played! Spring training has arrived, so now seems like a good time to recap the big baseball stories since your last fantasy leagues are set. Let’s catch up!
The Dodgers didn’t win the most regular season games in 2025 (the Milwaukee Brewers won!), but they were the team that won the final game of the baseball playoffs. The formidable Toronto Blue Jays entered Game 6 of the World Series with a chance to dethrone the champions and had multiple opportunities to win an unusual Game 7, but in the end, the Dodgers became the first repeat champions since the 2000 New York Yankees.
Baseball fans may have been amazed at how it happened — many of them still can’t believe it — but they weren’t surprised about which team finally took home the Cup, as the Dodgers boasted National League MVP Shohei Ohtani among several future Hall of Famers, and suddenly healthy pitchers were thriving comfortably, with ridiculously large salaries towering above the rest of this jealous sport.
RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto earned World Series MVP honors for his three-game win, which included six strong innings as a starter in Game 6 and an inspired eight-hit performance to close out the final out of Game 7. He tossed 34 pitches the next day after pitching 96. The Dodgers overcame a 3-0 deficit in Game 7, scoring single runs in the eighth and ninth innings while showing high pitch defense, taking the lead on a Will Smith home run off Shane Bieber in the 11th inning. Yamamoto survived a late jam when Blue Jays C Alejandro Kirk ended the series by hitting into a double play.
…Then they ruled free agency again
The Dodgers hit a combined .203/.294/.364 during the World Series — for them, it was a clear sign that the franchise needed more hitting offensively. Few expected top free agent Kyle Tucker to end up with the Champions, as he was courted/coveted by countless franchises, including the Blue Jays, but Tucker ultimately opted for a short-term contract with an opt-out so he could wear Dodgers blue. Baseball was outraged by this outcome, as the rich got richer. Tucker is one of the top options in fantasy baseball as well, and should thrive in a top-heavy lineup that includes Ohtani, SS Mookie Betts, 1B Freddie Freeman and Smith.
The Dodgers needed an upgrade, too, so in came New York Mets RHP Edwin Diaz, whose 253 career saves rank fourth among active hurlers. A healthy Diaz should become the first Dodger to eclipse 25 saves since Kenley Jansen made 38 saves during the 2021 season. LHP Tanner Scott, a key signing last season who struggled, is one of the top draft picks.
However, other bands also released free noise for customers
The Dodgers didn’t get everyone! After losing Diaz and backed by ample financial resources, the Mets fortified their position with former Yankees veterans Devin Williams and Luke Weaver. They also bolstered their lineup with former Blue Jays SS Bo Bichette (playing 3B), Texas Rangers 2B Marcus Semien, and Chicago White Sox center Luis Robert Jr. and Seattle Mariners IF Jorge Polanco (replacing 1B Pete Alonso, who went to the Baltimore Orioles). They also traded several prospects to the Brewers for ace RHP Freddy Peralta.
As for other big names that have switched teams, the Chicago Cubs added former Boston Red Sox 3B Alex Bregman, former Houston Astros LHP Framber Valdez went to the Detroit Tigers, the Red Sox committed big money to former Philadelphia Phillies LHP Ranger Suarez, and the Blue Jays welcomed RHP Dylan Cease into their rotation. Phillies DH Kyle Schwarber and Yankees Cody Bellinger remain with their clubs.
Free agency wasn’t just for MLB roster options. Japanese outfielders Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto joined the White Sox and Blue Jays, respectively, while RHP Tatsuya Imai replaced Valdez in the Astros’ rotation. Former Pittsburgh Pirates RHP Cody Pons, after thriving for several seasons in Korea, signed a three-year contract with the Blue Jays, and the Tigers signed infielder Drew Anderson, who also returned from Korea.
that it always Trading season
In addition to the Mets acquiring Semien (for OF Brandon Nimmo) and Peralta (for several prospects) via trade route, there were other notable swaps, several involving the crowded and retooling St. Louis Cardinals. The Red Sox added 1B Willson Contreras and RHP Sonny Gray from the Cardinals in a pair of separate trades, while the Arizona Diamondbacks acquired future Hall of Fame 3B Nolan Arenado and the Mariners optioned 2B Brendan Donovan. The Rangers dealt prospects to the Washington Nationals for LHP MacKenzie Gore. The Tampa Bay Rays have purged their roster of a pair of non-Lowe hitters, with IF Brandon Lowe headed to the Pirates, and OF Josh Lowe now a member of the Los Angeles Angels.
Pitch and movement adjustments
The Rays, after a sometimes embarrassing season of playing their home games at the Yankees’ minor-league Steinbrenner Field, returned home to the domed Tropicana Field, which had been repaired after a hurricane destroyed its roof. A return to their home ballpark should normalize their batting and pitching statistics and alleviate concerns about overheating and rain.
Meanwhile, a year after the Orioles patched up the fences at Camden Yards to help hitters, the Kansas City Royals are making amends at spacious Kauffman Stadium. The outfield walls are up to 10 feet closer to home plate, and at least a foot shorter. This should add some insult and make things easier for SS Bobby Witt Jr. and 1B Vinnie Pasquantino and C/1B Salvador Perez, among others. (The Athletics, however, remain at their minor league park in Sacramento.)
Short youth prospects are all the rage
Baseball fans and fantasy managers alike tend to feel more hopeful about new, young players entering the league. This season, a great position to watch is shortstop, with Connor Griffin (Pirates), Kevin McGonigle (Tigers), and JJ Weatherholt (Cardinals) among those who have a chance to debut and start for their big league teams on Opening Day. Meanwhile, Colt Emerson (Mariners), Sebastian Walcott (Rangers) and Leo de Vries (Athletics) are not far behind.
Griffin, who is coming off a 2025 year in which he hit .333 with 21 home runs and 65 stolen bases in his age-19 season, has been compared to a young Alex Rodriguez. The Buccaneers have made a few veteran additions this offseason, but perhaps their biggest addition is giving Griffin a chance to shine after spring training is over.
Don’t forget the young pitchers, as they are among the favorites for Rookie of the Year awards as well. Mets RHP Nolan McLean posted a 2.08 ERA over eight starts for the big club last season, and maintains rookie eligibility. Blue Jays RHP Trey Yesavage starred for the AL team in October, and has earned a spot in the rotation this season. Other pitchers to watch include Bubba Chandler (Pirates), Andrew Painter (Phillies), and Red Sox LHPs Connelly Early and Payton Tull.
It’s so hard to say goodbye
Clayton Kershaw won 223 games for the Dodgers over 18 seasons, along with an MVP award, three NL Cy Young Awards, and two World Series titles, though he hasn’t been a particularly valuable fantasy option in recent seasons. The Hall of Famer awaits eligibility in five years. Other players who used to be fantasy favorites to retire from active MLB duty after the 2025 season include former Rays 3B Evan Longoria, Yankees/Cubs 1B Anthony Rizzo, and Yankees/Phillies RP David Robertson.
On the way back
Phillies RHP Zack Wheeler and Yankees RHP Gerrit Cole are among several pitchers recovering from injury, with neither expected to open the season on the active roster. Wheeler, who was an NL Cy Young Award candidate before being sidelined in August, is recovering from venous chest port surgery involving his shoulder. Cole underwent traditional Tommy John surgery, albeit with an internal stent, last March. He does not play in 2025. Yankees LHP Carlos Rodon (elbow), Dodgers LHP Blake Snell (shoulder) and Cubs LHP Justin Steele (elbow) should also start their seasons in delay.
Like Cole, many fantasy-relevant pitchers don’t have any stats in 2025, but they should this season. This list includes Angels RHP Grayson Rodriguez (elbow; acquired from Baltimore), Dodgers RHP Gavin Stone (shoulder), Pirates RHP Jared Jones (elbow) and San Diego Padres RHP Joe Musgrove (elbow).
On the hitting side, Yankees SS Anthony Volpe (shoulder) is expected to start the season on the injured list, while Red Sox 1B Triston Casas recovers from a serious knee injury. The Diamondbacks could be without Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (knee) spent at least half the season recovering from ACL surgery, while Atlanta Braves SS Ha-Seong Kim (finger) needed surgery in January to repair a torn tendon (while sliding on the ice). He could also miss several months of the season.
Additionally, Diamondbacks OF Corbin Carroll, Mets SS Francisco Lindor and Orioles 2B Jackson Holliday are all undergoing orthopedic surgery in February, putting Opening Day in jeopardy for all three superstars. These are significant fantasy options, with Carroll going in the first round with early ESPN ADP, Lindor in the second round and Holliday in the 13th round. For now, drop these players a little in your rankings, but not excessively.
Already gone
For those with redraft formats, avoid Orioles RHP Felix Bautista (shoulder), as he may miss most, if not all, of next season recovering from surgery. The Orioles have signed RHP Ryan Helsley to likely handle the closing duties. Padres RHP Yu Darvish (elbow), Mariners RHP Logan Evans (elbow) and Miami Marlins RHP Ronnie Henriquez (elbow) are all out for the season. And in an update to this annual story, we can ignore former Angels/Nationals 3B Anthony Rendon (hip), who did not play in 2025 and last hit .250 in a season in 2019. He has not officially retired, but it is unlikely he will play again.
New managers
Former major leaguers Skip Shoemaker (Rangers), Kurt Suzuki (Angels), Craig Stammen (Padres), and Walt Weiss (Braves) may be the most notable of baseball’s nine new managers. They join Craig Albernaz (Orioles), Derek Shelton (Twins), Blake Butera (Nationals), Warren Schaeffer (Rockies) and Tony Vitello (Giants) in dugouts across the league. Vitiello’s hiring in San Francisco may be the most interesting, as it comes off a long stint running the University of Tennessee. There is little precedence for managers coming directly from the college ranks to lead an MLB club.
Baseball in early… and late March!
We last saw the World Series Baseball Classic in 2023, where the great Ohtani blanked Mike Trout (who was still his Angels teammate at the time) in the ninth inning to secure the title for Japan. Japan has won three WBC championships, while the United States and the Dominican Republic each boast one title. Yankees OF Aaron Judge, Royals SS Bobby Witt Jr. and Mariners C-Cal Rally are among the superstars on the USA roster this time around, with Tigers LHP Tarik Skubal and Pirates RHP Paul Skines leading the staff. The tournament begins Tuesday, March 3, during early spring training, so don’t expect pitchers to have a heavy workload.
Baseball’s regular season begins on Wednesday, March 25, with the Giants hosting the Yankees in the only game of the day. This can be watched on Netflix. The champion Dodgers are among 22 teams that open their schedule the next day, hosting the Diamondbacks, with the rest of the teams beginning play on Friday, March 27. Play ball!
