Rumor Central: Ducks Shopping 6th Overall Pick, Marte, Among Others

The Burlingame Blue Ducks Front Office awoke from its Winter slumber on Monday, informing all teams that the 6th overall pick in March 26th's 11th Annual RDBL Draft is available. GM Ryan Walsh announced the club was open for business as they look to build a viable starting rotation with Alek Manoah (3R/$5) looking shaky at best while Andrew Abbott (2FA/$5) and Taj Bradley (Minors) battle for spots in their respective big league rotations.

The club also made it known that Kyle Schwarber (2/$30), Nick Castellanos (2/$16) and Ketel Marte (2/$20) all are available for the right prices according to sources. The trio are all fresh off excellent years at the plate, posting 413.0, 396.5 and 429.0 points respectively in 2023, making it likely each would have a strong market before Keeper Rosters are due on March 19th.

The Lake Merced Goutfish, Honolulu Hammerheads and Mission Viejo Maulers stand out as the clubs that currently hold the most pitching depth at this point of Spring Training.

The Goutfish continue to wait for 2023 National League Cy Young Winner Blake Snell (3/$10) to land a Free Agent deal, likely giving GM Ryan Atkinson some pause to deal from their deep collection of arms. If the Ducks were to shed some salary with any combination of Schwarber, Castellanos or Marte, it could open the door for Framber Valdez (2/$48) to be a fit while Cristopher Sanchez (2FA/$5) or Marcus Stroman (2/$5) could provide additional depth for Walsh.

The Hammerheads appear locked in on Tanner Bibee (2R/$3) and Chris Sale (3/$1) at the top of their rotation while working through Bailey Ober (2FA/$5), Kutter Crawford (2FA/$5), Chase Silseth (2FA/$5), Ryne Nelson (2R/$3) and Reese Olson (2FA/$5) to round out their rotation with Brandon Pfaadt (Minors) awaiting an activation as well.

The Maulers used their depth in an earlier deal with the Alamo Short Stacks, dealing Tarik Skubal away while grabbing multiple picks and top prospect Max Clark among other assets. GM Chris Ferraro could still dip into their deep pool of Keeper options with Yusei Kikuchi (2D/$5) or Ranger Suarez (2D/$5) potential options for Walsh.

Rumor Central: Valdez Continues to Linger As Trade Candidate

The Lake Merced Goutfish continue to bounce back and forth on the future of left-hander Framber Valdez (2/$48) who ranked 8th in scoring in 2023 with 485.0 points as the co-ace of the RDBL Champions.  Valdez 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. 

Valdez is one of many options for the Goutfish rotation with GM Ryan Atkinson still working through his options. Activation options Bobby Miller (Minors) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Minors) are clearly ready along with Dylan Cease (3R/$5), Blake Snell (3/$10), George Kirby (3R/$5) and Marcus Stroman (2/$5) all looking to lock in spots for Opening Day.

The St. Joseph Jokers, Las Vegas Aristocrats and Asti Grape Stompers are among the clubs with the cap space and potential need at starting pitcher to have interest in Valdez.

Around the RDBL

• The Alamo Short Stacks continue to scour the market for additional starting pitching after adding left-hander Tarik Skubal (2/$1) on Tuesday.  The club had preliminary discussions on RDBL’s top overall prospect Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Minors) of the Goutfish, but the negotiations couldn’t get passed initial interest from both sides and appear dead according to sources. The Stacks have focused on players with contractual control through at least 2025 according to those familiar with trade talks.  San Mateo Oppo Tacos left-hander Justin Steele (2D/$5), a 2023 Reserve Draft pick of the Stacks, appears to be another name the Stacks have expressed interest in over recent days.  The club also appears to have a logjam in the middle infield with Masyn Winn (Minors) pushing for an Opening Day activation.  The club has floated Gavin Lux (2D/$5) as a potential trade candidate.  Lux retains eligibility at second, shortstop and in the outfield after missing all of 2023 due to a knee injury.
  

• The Cloverdale Clovers are expected to bring back right-hander Michael Kopech (3R/$5) and outfielder Jarred Kelenic (3R/$5) according to sources.  The pair is entering their final season under control with mixed results through the first two seasons of their deals.  Kopech finished the 2023 season on the injured list while recovering from a minor surgery he underwent in September to remove a cyst from his right knee, but after an estimated 6-to-8-week recovery period, the right-hander had a more normal offseason than he's experienced in recent years. Despite struggling to a 5.43 ERA and 1.59 WHIP while striking out 134 batters over a career-high 129.1 innings in 2023, Kopech looks secure in the White Sox rotation heading into Opening Day. Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said early in camp that the team is leaning toward playing Kelenic every day in left field rather than platooning him, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports. This isn't terribly surprising to hear since Atlanta doesn't have an obvious platoon partner for Kelenic right now, but it's nonetheless encouraging for his fantasy prospects. The 24-year-old actually had a better OPS against lefties (.774) than he did versus righties (.738) in 2023, although in his career he has just a .566 OPS and 29.9 percent strikeout rate against southpaws. Atlanta feels that giving Kelenic regular work versus lefties will be the best way for him to improve.

TRADE: Stacks Acquire Skubal, Hoerner in Big Deal with Maulers

The dam of Alamo Short Stacks Draft Picks finally broke on Tuesday as the club announced a major deal with the Mission Viejo Maulers. The Stacks will acquire LHP Tarik Skubal (2/$1), 2B Nico Hoerner (2R/$3) and a 2024 3rd Round Pick (40th Overall) from the Mission Viejo Maulers for 2024 1st and 2nd Rounders (5th and 29th Overall), outfielder Max Clark (Minors) and infielder Jordan Westburg (Minors).

Skubal underwent left flexor tendon surgery in August of 2022 and his rehab extended through the first three months of last season. He was on a limited pitch count initially upon his return and there were some bumps in the road early, but Skubal eventually rounded into form, going 4-1 with a 1.25 ERA, 0.67 WHIP and 52:6 K:BB in his final six starts (36 innings). A ninth-round pick in 2018, Skubal changed up his formula last season, dialing back his slider usage significantly for more four-seam fastballs and changeups. The changeup proved to be a big swing-and-miss pitch for him (50.6 Whiff% per Statcast) -- he still threw his slider, but the changeup became his primary secondary pitch behind the four-seamer. In total, the southpaw pitched just 95 innings last season, but if healthy, he should approach his career high of 149.1 innings set in 2021.

Hoerner took hold of a starting job for the Cubs in 2022 and produced a .281/.327/.410 slash line with 10 homers, 20 steals, 55 RBI and 60 runs in 135 games, and he followed up with similar production last season. He moved from shortstop to second base in 2023 following the signing of Dansby Swanson and had nine long balls, 43 steals, 98 runs and 68 RBI with a .729 OPS across 150 contests. Those figures resulted in a 102 wRC+, and he was sixth in the league in stolen bases while being caught seven times. In total, Hoerner's 414.0 points ranked seventh among second baseman.

The Stacks Front Office was focused on acquiring players through the 2025 Season, which both Skubal and Hoerner are controlled through while maintaining the club's league-high mark in 2024 Cap Space.

The Maulers continued their strong Front Office run, turning a mostly blank roster entering 2023 into a group overflowing with Keeper talent in 2024. GM Chris Ferraro gets back into the 1st Round with this deal after shipping their own pick off last season. The club now holds three picks in the 2nd Round, giving Ferraro even more ammunition to reload this year.

Max Clark is the headliner on the prospect side, entering 2024 as one of the top outfield prospects in baseball. Clark has the potential to be a five-tool player. That’s a term that’s too often thrown around for players who barely scrape average in one of the five tools, but in his case, it’s realistic. He could end up with all five tools grading out as plus. Clark has plus-plus speed, a plus-plus arm, the range to be a plus defender in center field and the bat-to-ball skills to be a plus hitter as well. Projecting his power to be plus is a little more speculative, because he’s a hitter whose line-drive swing has generally been more geared to hitting for average.

Clark got a brief taste of the Florida State League in 2023. He’s expected to start at Low-A Lakeland in 2024 with a goal of playing his way to High-A West Michigan. His combination of speed, defense and hitting ability gives him a high probability of being a useful big leaguer, and if his power develops, he could become a cornerstone of the Tigers’ lineup.

Westburg is a key add for the Maulers with the projection to be an Opening Day activation for a Maulers squad that could use the cap relief. Westburg was one of a host of top young prospects to see action with the Orioles in 2023, receiving a promotion in late June. His playing time with the American League East champs was sporadic, as he wound up starting 53 of 86 games (62 percent). Westburg did start seven of the final 10 regular-season contests and all three games of the Orioles' ALDS loss to the Rangers, so his playing time was trending up late in the year and he should be in line for regular starts in 2024.

The 25-year-old popped 27 homers in the minors in 2022 and 18 in 67 games with Triple-A Norfolk in 2023 before his promotion, but he managed just three long balls in 68 games with Baltimore while dealing with the cavernous left field at Camden Yards. Westburg's average exit velocity (90.2 mph) and hard-hit rate (44.5 percent) were good, and his sprint speed (88th percentile) was better, giving him strong upside in a hurry.

Clark checks in as the 3rd ranked prospect in the Maulers Farm System while Westburg slots in 5th.