TRADE: Goutfish Land Murphy to Solidify Catcher Position

The Lake Merced Goutfish brought a vaunted starting rotation into the off-season, but knew the offense needed more depth while having to address a void at catcher. GM Ryan Atkinson did just that on Wednesday, announcing the acquisition of catcher Sean Murphy (3R/$5) along with 2nd and 4th Round Picks (#22/56 Overall) from the San Mateo Oppo Tacos in exchange for infielder Ryan McMahon (2/$17) and a 2024 1st Round Pick and pair of 3rd Round Picks (#14/41/44 Overall).

Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy posted a productive, yet frustrating season in 2023 and fantasy managers should expect more of the same in 2024. On a per-plate-appearance basis, one can argue Murphy was the best catcher in fantasy. However, the Braves split catching duties between Murphy and Travis d'Arnaud, leading to only 438 PA for Murphy, who was on the bench more than most starting catchers. When he was in the lineup, Murphy mashed. His 21 HR ranked fifth-best among catchers, despite having over 100 fewer PA than other top-catching options. Murphy's .251/.365/.478 triple-slash line represented career-bests for the first-year Brave. Best of all, Murphy's pristine Statcast numbers fully supported his breakout campaign. He set career highs in xBA (.270), xSLG (.525), and xwOBA (.390) while smoking the ball to the tune of a 91.4 MPH average exit velocity and a whopping 15% barrel-rate. Entering his age-29 season, Murphy should continue his steady production moving forward. D'Arnaud remains an issue, however, as he will play more than virtually every other backup catcher in baseball though a higher usage is likely in 2024 for Murphy.

McMahon has been a model of consistency in recent years. While he isn't as eye-catching as other infielders, he can certainly provide fantasy value at multiple positions. Over the last three seasons, McMahon has averaged 152 games, 22 homers, 74 RBI, 76 runs and six stolen bases. McMahon also has a .246/.326/.431 slash line since 2021 which is similar to last year's (.240/.322/.431). McMahon's expected numbers have been very similar to his actual numbers over the last three seasons. He strikeouts a lot (31.6% K% in 2023), but offsets it by walking a good amount (10.8% BB% in 2023). Since a two-week stint on the IL in 2019, McMahon has also avoided injuries.

TRADE: Grapes Land Ace from Goutfish for 3rd Rounder

The Asti Grape Stompers were expected to turn their rotation over to young arms like Emmet Sheehan and Shane Baz, but with both set to start 2024 on the Injured List, GM Terry Shelley was forced to the trade market. They found an ace Wednesday, agreeing to a deal with the Lake Merced Goutfish for left-hander Framber Valdez (2/$48) in exchange for a 2024 3rd Round Pick (38th Overall).

Valdez ranked 8th in scoring in 2023 with 485.0 points as the co-ace of the RDBL Champion Goutfish.  He has worked the fifth-most innings of any starting pitcher over the past two seasons trailing only Sandy Alcantara, Gerrit Cole, Logan Webb, and Miles Mikolas. The lefty has returned three consecutive seasons of double digit wins, strong ratios, and a voluminous strikeout total and even threw in a no-hitter this season against Cleveland. Valdez was 9-7 with a 3.07 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP after completing that no-hitter on August 1st but was just 3-4 with a 4.29 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP from then on, which does not even include his very disappointing postseason where he allowed 12 earned runs and lost all three of his starts. 

He will step in immediately as the frontline starter in the Grapes rotation with Pablo Lopez, Hunter Greene and activation Kyle Harrison expected to follow him.

The third round pick acquired will be the third such selection owned by the Goutfish entering the 2024 Draft.

TRADE: Stacks Give Up Trio and Picks for Hayes in Deal with Fish

The Alamo Short Stacks long pursuit of third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes (3R/$5) ended Tuesday as the club announced a deal with the Spokane Fightin' Fish. Hayes will head to the Stacks for right-hander Brayan Bello (2FA/$5), infielders Jeff McNeil (3/$7) and Gavin Lux (2D/$5) as well as 6th, 7th and 8th Round Picks (80/95/110 Overall).

Hayes had a rollercoaster season in 2023, but finished on a tear that the Stacks are banking on turning into a breakout season in 2024. Hayes took forever to get things going hitting .221 with just 2 homers through the end of May before waking up to hit .337 with 3 homers in June alone. An early back injury in July shelved him until mid-August and he returned with aplomb hitting .299 with 10 homers the rest of the way. His 15 homers in 2023 were just three fewer than he hit from 2020-2022. He made positive gains in elevating the ball more frequently while not sacrificing his ability to make contact as he lowered his strikeout rate for a fourth consecutive season and has carried that over with an eye-opening Spring Training.

The Red Sox just inked Bello to a six-year contract extension with the right-hander in contention for the Opening Day nod in Boston. Bello was the team's best starter for much of last season before tiring in September, when a sub-4.00 ERA ballooned to 4.24. A strong sinker-slider combination allows Bello to leverage a high groundball rate into deep starts with his slider potentially unlocking a new level of production for 2024.

McNeil has quietly produced a pair of 400+ point seasons in the last four years and is fresh off a strong 341.0 effort in 2023. His .298 average ranks fourth among all active hitters, giving him a strong floor to pair with both second base and outfield eligiblity.

Lux rounds out the player return for the Fish while holding contractual control through 2025. A case of the yips has moved him from shortstop to second, but the bat continues to impress as he continues his return from a knee injury that cost him all of 2023. He retains second base, shortstop and outfield eligibility for 2024.