Soto signed with the Mets

The month of February brings Spring Training and the start of fantasy baseball draft preparation. It was a busy offseason with some of the biggest names in the league having changed teams. Let’s highlight some of those players and discuss what their new teams could mean for their fantasy value.

Juan Soto, New York Mets

For the second straight offseason, Soto has changed teams. His one season with the Yankees was a huge success as the team made it to the World Series. Soto produced another ridiculous stat line along the way, posting a .281 ISO and a .421 wOBA during the regular season. He continued to show a stellar eye at the plate, recording an 18.1% walk rate and a 16.7% strikeout rate. He also set career highs in home runs (41) and runs scored (128).

The Yankees couldn’t lock down Soto long term as he departed for the Mets. He landed a historic contract, signing for 15 years and $765 million. While he no longer has Aaron Judge protecting him within the Yankees lineup, he is expected to bat second in the Mets lineup behind Francisco Lindor and in front of Pete Alonso. Behind Alonso is Mark Vientos, who is another dangerous hitter. That’s still a great position for Soto to be in. He should have another stellar season, although he could see a slight decline in home runs now that he won’t be playing his home games at Yankee Stadium.

Kyle Tucker, Chicago Cubs

Tucker spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Astros, turning himself into one of the best outfielders in the league. While injuries limited him to just 78 games last year, he still produced 23 home runs, 56 runs scored, 49 RBI and 11 stolen bases. His 16.5% walk rate was the highest mark of his career and his strikeout rate was a paltry 15.9%. Despite his stellar production, the Astros traded him to the Cubs this winter with his free agency looming after this season.

Prior to last season, Tucker had produced at least 29 home runs in each of the last three seasons. He should continue to provide plenty of power this year while also avoiding strikeouts. That has helped him produce a .242 ISO and a .367 wOBA for his career. However, his runs scored and RBI could take a slight hit as he no longer will play in a lineup that includes Yordan Alvarez, Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman. Still, expect him to be selected in the first round of most fantasy drafts, and rightfully so.

Corbin Burnes, Arizona Diamondbacks

The Orioles traded for Burnes last offseason to make him the ace of their starting rotation. He didn’t disappoint, recording a 2.92 ERA and a 3.55 FIP. His 1.10 WHIP was also an asset to fantasy managers. The Orioles couldn’t sign him to a long-term contract, as he departed to sign a six-year, $210 million contract with the Diamondbacks.

For his career, Burnes has a 3.19 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. With his stellar production in those categories, he should continue to have a high floor in fantasy. However, his upside is somewhat capped by his declining strikeout rate. After three straight seasons with a strikeout rate of at least 30.5%, Burnes had a 25.5% strikeout rate with the Brewers in 2023. That number dropped to 23.1% last season. He’ll need to bounce back in that department to reach elite fantasy status.

Blake Snell, Los Angeles Dodgers

Snell was unable to land a long-term contract last offseason, ultimately signing a short-term deal with the Giants that included a player option. Injuries limited him to just 20 starts, but he dominated when he was on the mound, producing a 3.12 ERA and a 2.43 FIP. He also recorded a career-high 34.7% strikeout rate. While he has had control issues during his career, he wasn’t a detriment in that department with his 10.5% walk rate. He declined his player option after the season and signed a five-year, $182 million contract with the Dodgers.

When he’s healthy, Snell is one of the best pitchers in fantasy baseball. However, he has made more than 27 starts in a season just two times in his career. The Dodgers also added Roki Sasaki during the offseason and should see Shohei Ohtani return to the mound at some point during the season. That means they should have a six-man starting rotation, which would limit starting opportunities for Snell. As dominant as he can be, he comes with plenty of risk in fantasy.

Cody Bellinger, New York Yankees

There is no replacing Soto in the Yankees batting order with one player. They will try to replace his production with a committee approach. They improved at first base, replacing Anthony Rizzo with Paul Goldschmidt. Promising rookie Jasson Dominguez should also claim an outfield spot following the departure of Alex Verdugo. Another big addition that the Yankees made was to add Bellinger to the mix. Judge should slide over to right field, while Bellinger is expected to play center field.

Bellinger’s production has been all over the place. It has been a long time since 2019 when he produced 47 home runs, 115 RBI and 121 runs scored with the Dodgers. In 2022, he had a .179 ISO and a .286 wOBA. He then produced a .218 ISO and a .377 wOBA in 2023. Last season, his production dipped again with a .160 ISO and a .326 wOBA. Yankee Stadium generally provides a power boost for left-handed hitters, but Bellinger is very much a boom-or-bust option for fantasy.

Christian Walker, Houston Astros

Despite playing just 130 games last season because of injuries, Walker had 26 home runs and 84 RBI for the Diamondbacks. He had produced at least 33 home runs in 94 RBI in each of the previous two seasons. In each of the last three seasons, Walker has finished with a barrel rate of at least 11.2% and a hard-hit rate of at least 40.1%. Given his power, his 22.7% career strikeout rate is impressive.

The Astros upgraded their first base position by signing Walker to a three-year, $60 million contract this winter. Walker has the potential to find himself in an ideal spot in their batting order, hitting fourth behind Alvarez and in front of Yainer Diaz. If he can stay healthy, another season with at least 30 home runs and 100 RBI could be in the cards. While not an asset with his batting average, Walker is still one of the safer fantasy options at first base.

Mike Barner has been covering fantasy sports since 2007. His work has appeared in Sports Illustrated, Yahoo, SportsLine and RotoWire. Mike was also a finalist for the 2018 FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year award. Follow Mike on Twitter @rotomikebarner.