Fantasy Baseball Impact of MLB Transactions: Jorge Polanco, Merrill Kelly, Adolis Garcia and More

It's been a few days since I went over MLB transactions and the fantasy baseball impact of them, so it's time to dive back into those.

Here is a rundown of recent MLB moves from the past couple of days.

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Signings

Polanco Signs Big with Mets

Jorge Polanco signed a two-year, $40 million deal with New York.

He's expected to play a lot of first base for the Mets, while also serving as a designated hitter. Polanco has barely played at first base in his MLB career, mostly being at second and third base instead. The added position versatility will add fantasy value to Polanco.

He hit .265 and got on base at a .326 clip last season - Polanco has a .263 average and .330 OBP over his career.

Polanco figures to hit in the heart of the team's lineup, and with guys like Francisco Lindor, Marcus Semien, Juan Soto and Mark Vientos around him, Polanco should have a decent fantasy outlook for the 2026 season.

We'll see where he ends up being drafted as the season nears.

Kelly Re-Joins D-Backs

Merrill Kelly signed a two-year deal worth $40 million with Arizona.

Kelly has spent most of his career with the D-Backs, but was traded to the Rangers during last season. He went 12-9 overall across 32 starts, and posted a 3.52 earned run average. Kelly had 167 strikeouts over 184 innings pitched.

He has a career 3.77 ERA over 172 starts. Kelly has 911 strikeouts over 1,008 1/3 innings. There's plenty of fantasy value in those numbers even as he enters his age-37 season.

Kelly should be SP1 for Arizona with Corbin Burnes out with his injury yet. He'll be drafted pretty highly, and be a good fantasy asset in all leagues for 2026.

Garcia Lands in Philly

Adolis Garcia signed a $10 million deal for one year with the Phillies.

Him signing with Philly likely means Nick Castellanos isn't going to be with the team next season. For now, Castellanos is still on the team, but he could be traded or let go at some point.

Garcia has spent his entire career with Texas. Over seven seasons, he has a .237 average and .293 OBP. He's a known thumper, with 141 homers among his 675 total hits. Garcia also strikes out a bunch, with 875 punchouts over 766 career games.

There's still a ton of fantasy value in his game, and in Philly, he has a good amount of value to take advantage of. Even if Castellanos leaves, the Phillies still have Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, Alec Bohm and more.

Garcia is nearing age 33, so he has some time in the big leagues left. On a prove-it deal, he could be in for a career year, so we'll see how highly he's drafted. 

Jansen Joins Detroit

Kenley Jansen signed a one-year deal with Detroit, worth $11 million.

Over his 16-year career, he's pitched for four teams. In 933 games, he has a 54-40 record, 476 saves and a 2.57 ERA. Jansen has struck out 1,278 batters over 927 1/3 innings.

Detroit already has Will Vest and Kyle Finnegan at the back end of its bullpen, but Jansen should serve as the closer. That sucks up fantasy value from Vest and Finnegan, unless they all split the closer role, which would be a fantasy nightmare.

Jansen's draft stock will probably be hindered a bit with the idea that he could be splitting the closer role in Detroit, but I still see him as the closer, so he'll have more value than Vest or Finnegan.

We'll see if Detroit adds any more pieces to its bullpen to add any more confusion to the situation. 

Thomas Signs with KC

Lane Thomas signed a one-year deal with the Royals worth $5.25 million.

It will be his fourth team he's played for in his career. Thomas was with Cleveland most recently.

Thomas has a chance at semi-regular playing time with KC. As a possible platoon player though, Thomas' outlook isn't great as a right-handed hitter.

He's a career .242 hitter with a .309 OBP, but has had some solid fantasy seasons in the past. It could be a longshot for him to get back to that level of play, but it's not completely out of the question.

He'll be a deep-league fantasy option to kick off the season, but could work into standard leagues if he recaptures his form from a few seasons ago.

Kim Lands $20 Million Deal in Atlanta

Ha-Seong Kim signed for one year with the Braves.

He got in 48 games between the Rays and Braves last season, hitting .234 and getting on base at a .304 clip. Kim has a .242 average and .324 OBP for his career. Kim has some pop, and could be a sneaky good fantasy value if he gets regular playing time.

For that price, Kim should play daily for Atlanta. He might hit near the bottom of the lineup, but he could move up in time with good hitting numbers.

He's a deep-league asset to kick off the season most likely, but could work into standard leagues with consistently good results.

Morel Lands in Miami

Christopher Morel signed a one-year deal with $2 million.

He will join his third team in his career. Morel was most recently with the Rays in 2025, playing in 105 games. He hit .219 and got on base at a .289 clip. Morel too has some pop, so he could be a similar level fantasy asset to Kim if he plays enough games.

Morel looks like a platoon option at first base or in the outfield. Him being able to play multiple spots gives him a better chance at regular playing time. 

He'll likely get looks in deeper leagues to kick off the season, but is worth watching in case he gets in a groove with the Marlins.

Bell Signs with Twins

Josh Bell signed a one-year deal worth $7 million - it also has a 2027 mutual option attached to it.

He will be an option at first base and at designated hitter for Minnesota. Bell played 140 games with the Nationals last season, hitting .237 and getting on base at a .325 OBP. He can still hit for some pop, and he doesn't strike out a ton.

I expect Bell to hit in the heart of the team's lineup, which gives him a good deal of fantasy value to begin with. I thought he was an underrated fantasy asset last year, and I expect him to be in the same boat this coming year.

I would enjoy rostering and utilizing him in deeper leagues, and at times, he could be worth long stretches of utilization in standard leagues.

May Joins Cardinals

Dustin May signed a one-year deal with St. Louis.

He will join the third team of his career. May was with the Dodgers and Red Sox last season.

May had a 4.96 ERA over 25 games (23 starts). He struck out 123 batters over 132 1/3 innings. May went 7-11.

He has a 3.86 ERA over his career, and maybe a move to St. Louis could reinvigorate him. May should fit in at the top of the team's rotation, and if he sticks in it, he's got some fantasy value to take advantage of.

We'll see where he is drafted going into the new season. At the very least, all fantasy owners need to be aware of May.

Trades

Kansas City, Milwaukee Swap Players

Kansas City sent Angel Zerpa to Milwaukee, with Isaac Collins and Nick Mears going back to the Royals. 

Zerpa has mostly been a reliever in his career, but Milwaukee is considering him as a starter. He won't have nearly as much fantasy value if he's working out of the bullpen, but a spot in the rotation could help him be a legit fantasy asset.

If he just works in relief, Zerpa will only have fantasy value in the deepest of leagues, and that's only if he's pitching super well.

Collins is coming off a breakout MLB season with Milwaukee, and has a shot at an everyday role with Kansas City. He'll need to play well in order to keep that role, and Thomas will be one of the players going after that role. 

He'll start as a deep-league asset, but could be a standard league asset in time.

Mears has been a solid bullpen arm for the Brewers over the years, but he looks to be a longshot at saves in KC. He might not even be in a setup role, so I don't see a ton of fantasy value in Mears.