Fantasy Baseball Update: What Can We Expect From Yoshinobu Yamamoto On The Dodgers?
Lou breaks down the fantasy baseball impacts of the biggest pieces of MLB news so far this offseason.
Happy New Year!! The MLB offseason has been filled with big-time signings, trades, and rumors. Some of the biggest names in the sport have changed teams, along with major international superstars bringing their talents to the United States. Three major transactions have caught the most headlines so far this offseason, and in this article I’m going to examine the fantasy baseball impact of each of those moves.
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Fantasy Baseball Update
Juan Soto Traded To The Yankees
Soto is one of the premier hitters in MLB. He is a World Series Champion, a batting champion, a four-time silver slugger award winner, a three-time All-Star, and a three-time leader in walks. As good as Soto was earlier in his Nationals days and over the past year and a half with the Padres, this move to the Yankees sets him up to have the best season of his career. Not only is he looking for a massive payday while playing in the last year of his contract, but Soto joins a lineup that features Aaron Judge, one of the most feared hitters in MLB. He also will be playing half of his games in Yankee Stadium, a hitter's paradise, particularly for left-handed hitting sluggers such as Soto. He set a career-high in HR in 2023 with 35 and could easily hit 40+ in 2024 with 100+ runs and 100+ RBIs. He hasn’t even had an AB with the Yankees, and he should already be considered a front-runner for AL MVP. He is a first-round pick this season in your standard fantasy baseball formats, and if you play in OBP leagues he is arguably a top-three or top-five pick.
Shohei Ohtani Signs With The Dodgers
Ohtani is a two-time MVP and one of the best hitters in all of MLB. ... and a world-class pitcher. Although he won’t pitch in 2024 and is DH/UTIL only in fantasy, Ohtani is a top-five to top-seven player in fantasy, and a case can be made for him being the number-two overall pick behind Braves OF Ronald Acuna Jr. Ohtani not only leaves behind an Angels team that has always had a losing culture, he joins a Dodgers team that has been the most successful team in the National League over the past eight years. They are perennial World Series favorites, and adding Ohtani only adds to that. He joins a lineup that features two other MVP candidates in Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts, which adds to his value in fantasy. He could produce crazy offensive numbers in 2024, something along the lines of a .300 AVG, 110 runs, 120 RBIs, 45 HRs and 20+ SBs.
The Dodgers Also Land Yoshinobu Yamamoto
It is rare that a player of Yamamoto’s talent becomes available in free agency, and even more rare that they become available at such a young age. The Japanese phenom is only 25 years old and has posted a sub 2.00 ERA and sub 1.00 WHIP for three consecutive seasons in the NPB, which is known as the best professional baseball league outside of the United States. He is already being drafted in the top 80 picks of early fantasy drafts, and as the offseason progresses, there’s a good chance that he even moves inside the 60 picks. Joining the Dodgers also adds to his fantasy value; it was the best destination possible in that regard. They are loaded offensively, play in what is considered a pitcher-friendly park, and he should be toward the top of the league in wins. He has always been a big strikeout pitcher, and I expect his strikeout numbers to improve coming to MLB. Strikeout rates in MLB are much higher than they are in the NPB, and a pitcher like Yamamoto who has a full repertoire of pitches in his arsenal will be able to blow hitters away. He isn’t being drafted as a top-10 SP, but with his skill set and his landing spot, he has the potential to end the 2024 season as one.
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