Editor's Note: Now, all our premium tools for Fantasy, DFS and Betting are included in one subscription at one low price. Customers can subscribe to NBC Sports EDGE+ monthly for $9.99. Click here to learn more!
Yankees Augment Menacing Rotation With Rodón
The Yankees bolstered their formidable starting rotation on Thursday evening, agreeing to terms with free agent left-hander Carlos Rodón on a six-year, $162 million contract. It's a pretty remarkable transformation for the 30-year-old southpaw, who was non-tendered by the White Sox just two years ago, and wound up settling for a one-year, $3 million contract with Chicago later that offseason. He delivered a Cy Young Award-caliber performance in his lone season in San Francisco this past year, finishing with a stellar 2.88 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 237/52 K/BB ratio across 178 innings (31 starts). He joins an imposing New York rotation, which ranked fourth overall in ERA last year, that already features Gerrit Cole, Luis Severino, Nestor Cortes and Frankie Montas. The Yankees have committed nearly $600 million in future salary between Aaron Judge, Rodón, Anthony Rizzo and Tommy Kahnle since being swept by the Astros in the ALCS just a few months ago.
From a fantasy standpoint, Rodón appears poised to continue pitching at an elite level for years to come, as long as he continues to hold up physically. There are zero question marks from a performance standpoint, but fantasy managers shouldn't forecast him to make 30 starts every single season due to omnipresent shoulder issues. When healthy, Rodón remains a certifiable fantasy ace due to his lofty strikeout totals, but Yankee Stadium is a much less forgiving home environment than Oracle Park. He may experience some pullback from a run-prevention standpoint, but he should be selected as a borderline top-15 starting pitcher in fantasy drafts next spring.
San Francisco Lands Correa On Giant Deal
The Giants sent shockwaves through the baseball landscape on Tuesday evening, signing superstar shortstop Carlos Correa to a 13-year, $350 million contract. The 28-year-old slugger provides San Francisco's lineup with some much-needed firepower and also represents a massive long-term defensive upgrade up the middle. He's managed to stay healthy the last two seasons, dispelling some of the concerns regarding his injury history, batting .285/.366/.476 with 174 runs scored, 48 home runs and 156 RBI across 1,230 plate appearances over 284 games between the Astros and Twins. His biggest impact will undoubtedly be experienced by the Giants' pitching staff as his Platinum Glove-caliber fielding should yield immediate results. From a fantasy perspective, Correa's lack of stolen bases limits his ceiling, but he's settled in as one of the more reliable four-category fantasy contributors at the shortstop position. He should be selected as a borderline top-10 shortstop in fantasy drafts this spring.
Braves Net Murphy In Three-Team Mega-deal
After a frigid start to the offseason from a trade standpoint, the Braves pulled off a three-team, nine-player blockbuster on Monday evening centered around a pair of young catchers in Sean Murphy and William Contreras. After finding himself at the epicenter of trade rumors for months, Murphy was finally jettisoned from the Athletics in exchange for a considerable prospect package from the Braves and Brewers. It's an excellent landing spot for Murphy as he should have exponentially greater opportunities to pile up counting stats in a vastly superior Atlanta lineup, and Truist Park is a slightly better home ballpark for over-the-fence power than O.co Coliseum.
Meanwhile, the Brewers managed to pry talented young slugger William Contreras away from the Braves in the complex deal. It's difficult to imagine a better home environment for Contreras than Great American Family Field, which grades out consistently as one of the better hitting spots in baseball. He also has a much cleared path to everyday at-bats in Milwaukee than he would've as a part of Atlanta's complicated catching and designated hitter mix. With everyday playing time, Contreras has a legitimate shot at eclipsing the lofty 30-homer threshold this upcoming season.
The final results of the Athletics' return won't shift into focus for at least a few seasons, but the initial consensus seems to be that they got back a group of prospects with some long-term question marks. The centerpiece of the return is speedy super-utility specialist Esteury Ruiz, who was netted from the Brewers, and projects as an everyday option for the rebuilding club moving forward. He possesses blazing speed, and has displayed some elite stolen base prowess, but he struggles to make hard contact, which could put his long-term future in jeopardy. Oakland also received several pitching prospects from the Braves in this deal, including left-hander Kyle Muller, and a pair of righties in Freddy Tarnok and Royber Salinas. Of that trio, Muller is the closest to the majors, and figures to open the season in Oakland's starting rotation. Salinas is the most intriguing lottery ticket in the deal as he misses a ton of bats and should move quickly. It's a fascinating trade with a ton of fantasy implications. Those types of challenge trades are becoming increasingly rare in the modern-era landscape.
The App is Back! Don't forget to download the Rotoworld app to receive real-time player news, mobile alerts and track your favorite players. Plus, now you can check out articles and player cards. Get it here!
MLB Quick Hits: Blue Jays agreed to a three-year, $63 million contract with free agent right-hander Chris Bassitt … Red Sox signed OF Masataka Yoshida to a five-year, $90 million contract and RHP Kenley Jansen to a two-year, $32 million contract … Rays signed RHP Zach Eflin to a three-year, $40 million contract … Guardians signed 1B Josh Bell to a two-year, $33 million contract … Giants signed RHP Ross Stripling to a two-year, $25 million contract … Cubs signed 1B/OF Cody Bellinger to a one-year, $12.5 million contract … Tigers signed LHP Matthew Boyd to a one-year, $10 million contract … Blue Jays signed OF Kevin Kiermaier to a one-year, $9 million contract … Guardians signed C Mike Zunino to a one-year, $6 million contract … Dodgers agreed to a one-year, $13 million contract with free agent right-hander Noah Syndergaard … Giants agreed to a two-year, $25 million contract with free agent left-hander Sean Manaea … Tigers agreed to a one-year, $8.5 million contract with free agent right-hander Michael Lorenzen … Mets agreed to a one-year, $8 million contract with free agent catcher Omar Narvaez … Dodgers acquired RHP J.P. Feyereisen from the Rays for LHP Jeff Belge … Athletics signed INF Aledmys Díaz to a two-year, $14.5 million contract and INF/OF Jace Peterson to a two-year, $9.5 million contract … Orioles signed INF/OF Adam Frazier to a one-year, $8 million contract … Diamondbacks signed RHP Scott McGough to a two-year, $6.25 million contract … Rockies signed RHP Pierce Johnson to a one-year, $5 million contract … Pirates signed RHP Vince Velasquez to a one-year, $3.15 million contract … Royals signed LHP Ryan Yarbrough to a one-year, $3 million contract … Cubs signed RHP Brad Boxberger to a one-year, $2.8 million contract … Angels signed RHP Justin Garza to a one-year split contract … Brewers acquired INF Owen Miller from the Guardians for cash or a player to be named later … Dodgers acquired INF Yonny Hernández from the Diamondbacks for cash … Nationals claimed RHP A.J. Alexy off waivers from the Rangers … Diamondbacks designated LHP Tyler Gilbert for assignment … Red Sox designated INF/OF Hoy Park and INF Jeter Downs for assignment … Nationals designated INF Lucius Fox for assignment … Athletics designed INF's Vimael Machín and Ernie Clement for assignment … Angels designated LHP Kenny Rosenberg for assignment … Royals designated RHP Wyatt Mills for assignment … Brewers designated C Mario Feliciano for assignment … Giants sent RHP Miguel Yajure outright to Triple-A Sacramento … Mets signed INF/OF Jose Peraza to a minor league contract … Dodgers signed LHP's Adam Kolarek and James Jones to minor league contracts … Angels re-signed Jhonathan Diaz to a minor league contract … Athletics signed C Yohel Pozo and RHP Deolis Guerra to a minor league contract … Rays signed LHP Brendan McKay, RHP Colten Brewer and C Nick Dini to minor league contracts … Rockies signed RHP Phillips Valdez to a minor league contract … Nationals signed 1B Matt Adams, INF Travis Blankenhorn and RHP's Tommy Romero and Anthony Castro to minor league contracts … Marlins signed RHP Chi Chi González to a minor league contract … Yankees signed 1B/OF Jake Bauers, INF/OF Jamie Westbrook, LHP's Tanner Tully, Nick Ramirez and Lisandro Santos, C Rodolfo Duran and RHP's Ryan Weber, Art Warren, James Norwood and Zac Houston to minor league contracts … Cubs signed OF Ben Deluzio to a minor league contract … Twins signed RHP's José De León and Patrick Murphy to minor league contracts … Diamondbacks signed RHP's Ryan Hendrix, Zach McAllister and Tyler Ferguson, and LHP Sam Clay to minor league contracts … Pirates signed C Tyler Heineman and LHP Daniel Zamora to minor league contracts … Padres signed OF Preston Tucker and RHP's Anderson Espinoza, Aaron Brooks, Drew Carlton, Raul Brito and Henry Henry to minor league contracts … Royals re-signed C Jakson Reetz and OF Seuly Matias to minor league contracts … Brewers signed LHP Luis Amaya and RHP Christian Mejias to a minor league contract … Giants signed RHP Nick Duron and Ljay Newsom, INF Armando Alvarez, and LHP Raymond Burgos to minor league contracts … Mariners re-signed LHP Tommy Milone and RHP Michael Flynn to a minor league contract … Angels re-signed OF BJ Boyd to a minor league contract.