Five Teams to Watch as 2024 Trade Window Opens

The trade window for the 2024 Season officially opened on Monday with RDBL Front Offices blowing the dust off their 40-man Rosters and engaging in discussions this week. With one deal in the books between the Honolulu Hammerheads and St. Joseph Jokers earlier in the week, activity is set to pick up quickly as teams prep for the 11th Annual Draft on Tuesday, March 26th at 11:00am.

Lake Merced Goutfish

The Goutfish are fresh off their second RDBL Championship in three seasons and annually rank among the league's most active off-season clubs. GM Ryan Atkinson is expected to have another strong contender in 2024, but is currently staring at a stable of pitchers that can't all fit in the Keeper Roster bus. While George Kirby (3R/$5) is unlikely to move, Kodai Senga (2/$12), Framber Valdez (2/$48), Blake Snell (3/$10), Dylan Cease (3R/$5) and Marcus Stroman (2/$5) could all be available, especially with Bobby Miller (Minors) and RDBL's top overall prospect Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Minors) waiting on the wings.

Alamo Short Stacks

At a glance, the Stacks are somewhat stuck in the middle of two timelines as they look to capitalize on Corbin Carroll's Rookie deal while being patient with a wave of elite-level prospects including Junior Caminero, Evan Carter, Marcelo Mayer, Colson Montgomery and Adael Amador. With six selections in the top 35 in the Reserve Draft and 16 prospects under contract, something has to give this off-season for GM Greg Shelley. It could mean a push back in planning for 2025 or an all-out effort to turn their current group of assets into a 2024 Title Contender.

Mission Viejo Maulers

While the Goutfish are overflowing with pitching options, the Mission Viejo Maulers are overflowing with talent at about every position. GM Chris Ferraro has made it clear they plan to build around co-aces Gerrit Cole (2/$70) and Luis Castillo (2/$50), a sign that some difficult decisions will need to be made to maintain cap space flexibility. That makes Alex Bregman (3/$36) a strong candidate to be moved along with Edwin Diaz (2/$12).

A squeeze in the pitching staff behind Cole and Castillo make Zach Eflin (2/$1), Jose Berrios (2FA/$5), Tarik Skubal (2/$1), Yusei Kikuchi (2D/$5) and David Bednar (3/$6) all candidates to be traded before Draft Day.

San Mateo Oppo Tacos

New Oppo Tacos GM Erik Nielsen has his hands full after the club's Farm System was depleted that season and their top four producers (Juan Soto, Marcus Semien, Will Smith and Chris Bassitt) are owed a combined $148 next season. Everything appears to be on the table for Nielsen before Draft Day, with Soto and Smith already actively being shopped while LHP Justin Steele (2D/$5) could be a name to watch that could bring back multiple assets to launch a quick rebuild in San Mateo.

Maltese Falcons

The Falcons might be the biggest name to watch before Draft Day as the club is loaded with big league ready prospects and three of the Top 10 selections on Draft Day alongside three more 2nd Rounders and a pair of 3rd Rounders. There is enough ammo to land any available player they want this off-season or continue to build from within and leverage their massive cap space flexibility in the 2024 Auction Draft while using the picks to vault their way to the top of the Farm System rankings.

2024 Baseball Prospectus Top 101 Prospect List

It is officially Prospect Season with Baseball Prospectus releasing their annual Top 101 Prospect List headlined by Las Vegas Aristocrats stud infielder Jackson Holliday. The Orioles young star was ranked 2nd overall in the RDBL Top 100 published last week.

From a team perspective, the Asti Grape Stompers clearly led the way with a league-high nine ranked prospects, two more than any other club. That group was headlined by young catcher Ethan Salas, a 2023 1st Round pick by GM Terry Shelley.

While RDBL Front Offices due a tremendous job in scouting, the MLB Industry continues to turn out new names with 47 Prospects ranked in the BP Top 101 currently classified as Free Agents in the upcoming RDBL Draft. That group is headlined by Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony who projected to go 2nd Overall in the RDBL Mock Draft last October.

Baseball Prospectus Top 101 Prospects

1. SS Jackson Holliday, Las Vegas Aristocrats

2. OF Wyatt Langford, Burlingame Blue Ducks

3. 3B Junior Caminero, Alamo Short Stacks

4. OF Evan Carter, Alamo Short Stacks

5. OF Dylan Crews, Burlingame Blue Ducks

6. OF Jackson Chourio, Las Vegas Aristocrats

7. OF James Wood, Mission Viejo Maulers

8. OF Roman Anthony, Free Agent

9. RHP Paul Skenes, Burlingame Blue Ducks

10. SS Jackson Merrill, Lunatic Fringe

11. SS Colson Montgomery, Alamo Short Stacks

12. C Ethan Salas, Asti Grape Stompers

13. C Samuel Basallo, Free Agent

14. SS Jordan Lawlar, Asti Grape Stompers

15. 3B Coby Mayo, Maltese Falcons

16. OF Walker Jenkins, San Mateo Oppo Tacos

17. RHP Jackson Jobe, Las Vegas Aristocrats

18. SS Carson Williams, Lunatic Fringe

19. RHP Andrew Painter, Cloverdale Clovers

20. OF Pete Crow-Armstrong, Asti Grape Stompers

21. IF Matt Shaw, Free Agent

22. 2B/3B Colt Keith, Free Agent

23. SS Jett Williams, Free Agent

24. OF Max Clark, Alamo Short Stacks

25. SS/3B Noelvi Marte, Lunatic Fringe

26. LHP Ricky Tiedemann, Cloverdale Clovers

27. RHP Cade Horton, Free Agent

28. SS Adael Amador, Alamo Short Stacks

29. OF Drew Gilbert, Free Agent

30. RHP Hurston Waldrep, Las Vegas Aristocrats

31. OF Chase DeLauter, Meinert Hops

32. SS Marcelo Mayer, Alamo Short Stacks

33. OF Spencer Jones, San Mateo Oppo Tacos

34. C Harry Ford, Lunatic Fringe

35. IF Tommy Troy, Free Agent

36. C Dalton Rushing, Cloverdale Clovers

37. 1B Kyle Manzardo, Burlingame Blue Ducks

38. C Jefferson Quero, Free Agent

39. OF Jasson Dominguez, Mission Viejo Maulers

40. 3B Zach Dezenzo, Free Agent

41. 1B Heston Kjerstad, Spokane Fightin' Fish

42. 2B/3B Curtis Mead, Asti Grape Stompers

43. SS Marco Luciano, Cloverdale Clovers

44. LHP Kyle Harrison, Asti Grape Stompers

45. RHP Drew Thorpe, Free Agent

46. RHP Dylan Lesko, Asti Grape Stompers

47. C Kyle Teel, Free Agent

48. OF Josue De Paula, Maltese Falcons

49. RHP Rhett Lowder, Burlingame Blue Ducks

50. SS Colt Emerson, Free Agent

51. OF Colton Cowser, Asti Grape Stompers

52. SS Brooks Lee, Mission Viejo Maulers

53. SS Masyn Winn, Alamo Short Stacks

54. RHP Tink Hence, Las Vegas Aristocrats

55. LHP Robby Snelling, Free Agent

56. RHP Chase Hampton, Free Agent

57. LHP Noah Schultz, Free Agent

58. 3B Tyler Black, Free Agent

59. OF/SS Ceddanne Rafaela, Cloverdale Clovers

60. 1B Xavier Isaac, Free Agent

61. SS Cole Young, Free Agent

62. OF Emmanuel Rodriguez, Asti Grape Stompers

63. RHP Jacob Misiorowski, Free Agent

64. OF Victor Scott, Free Agent

65. OF Owen Cassie, Free Agent

66. 2B Jace Jung, Burlingame Blue Ducks

67. RHP Nick Frasso, Free Agent

68. LHP Carson Whisenhunt, Asti Grape Stompers

69. 3B Brady House, Mt. Diablo Devils

70. C Thayron Liranzo, Free Agent

71. IF Michael Busch, Mt. Diablo Devils

72. RHP Connor Phillips, Free Agent

73. RHP Noble Meyer, Free Agent

74. LHP Yu-Min Lin, Free Agent

75. SS Sebastian Walcott, Free Agent

76. OF/1B Ryan Clifford, Free Agent

77. IF Luisangel Acuña, Free Agent

78. C Edgar Quero, Free Agent

79. IF Kevin McGonigle, Free Agent

80. OF Kevin Alcantara, Lake Merced Goutfish

81. OF Druw Jones, Maltese Falcons

82. OF Enrique Bradfield, Free Agent

83. IF Thomas Saggese, Free Agent

84. C Moises Ballesteros, Free Agent

85. RHP Cade Cavalli, Mt. Diablo Devils

86. RHP Max Meyer, Las Vegas Aristocrats

87. OF Yanquiel Fernandez, Free Agent

88. RHP Christian Scott, Free Agent

89. 1B Nolan Schanuel, Free Agent

90. 2B Termarr Johnson, Spokane Fightin' Fish

91. 3B James Triantos, Free Agent

92. RHP Chase Dollander, Meinert Hops

93. RHP Tekoah Roby, Free Agent

94. LHP Jordan Wicks, Free Agent

95. IF Orelvis Martinez, Mission Viejo Maulers

96. C Blake Mitchell, Free Agent

97. 1B/RHP Bryce Eldridge, Free Agent

98. SS Ignacio Alvarez, Free Agent

99. OF Denzel Clarke, Free Agent

100. IF Juan Brio, Free Agent

101. OF Chase Davis, Free Agent

Free Agents (47)

8. OF Roman Anthony, Free Agent

13. C Samuel Basallo, Free Agent

21. IF Matt Shaw, Free Agent

22. 2B/3B Colt Keith, Free Agent

23. SS Jett Williams, Free Agent

27. RHP Cade Horton, Free Agent

29. OF Drew Gilbert, Free Agent

35. IF Tommy Troy, Free Agent

38. C Jefferson Quero, Free Agent

40. 3B Zach Dezenzo, Free Agent

45. RHP Drew Thorpe, Free Agent

47. C Kyle Teel, Free Agent

50. SS Colt Emerson, Free Agent

55. LHP Robby Snelling, Free Agent

56. RHP Chase Hampton, Free Agent

57. LHP Noah Schultz, Free Agent

58. 3B Tyler Black, Free Agent

60. 1B Xavier Isaac, Free Agent

61. SS Cole Young, Free Agent

63. RHP Jacob Misiorowski, Free Agent

64. OF Victor Scott, Free Agent

65. OF Owen Cassie, Free Agent

67. RHP Nick Frasso, Free Agent

70. C Thayron Liranzo, Free Agent

72. RHP Connor Phillips, Free Agent

73. RHP Noble Meyer, Free Agent

74. LHP Yu-Min Lin, Free Agent

75. SS Sebastian Walcott, Free Agent

76. OF/1B Ryan Clifford, Free Agent

77. IF Luisangel Acuña, Free Agent

78. C Edgar Quero, Free Agent

79. IF Kevin McGonigle, Free Agent

82. OF Enrique Bradfield, Free Agent

83. IF Thomas Saggese, Free Agent

84. C Moises Ballesteros, Free Agent

87. OF Yanquiel Fernandez, Free Agent

88. RHP Christian Scott, Free Agent

89. 1B Nolan Schanuel, Free Agent

91. 3B James Triantos, Free Agent

93. RHP Tekoah Roby, Free Agent

94. LHP Jordan Wicks, Free Agent

96. C Blake Mitchell, Free Agent

97. 1B/RHP Bryce Eldridge, Free Agent

98. SS Ignacio Alvarez, Free Agent

99. OF Denzel Clarke, Free Agent

100. IF Juan Brio, Free Agent

101. OF Chase Davis, Free Agent

Asti Grape Stompers (9)

12. C Ethan Salas, Asti Grape Stompers

14. SS Jordan Lawlar, Asti Grape Stompers

20. OF Pete Crow-Armstrong, Asti Grape Stompers

42. 2B/3B Curtis Mead, Asti Grape Stompers

44. LHP Kyle Harrison, Asti Grape Stompers

46. RHP Dylan Lesko, Asti Grape Stompers

51. OF Colton Cowser, Asti Grape Stompers

62. OF Emmanuel Rodriguez, Asti Grape Stompers

68. LHP Carson Whisenhunt, Asti Grape Stompers

Alamo Short Stacks (7)

3. 3B Junior Caminero, Alamo Short Stacks

4. OF Evan Carter, Alamo Short Stacks

11. SS Colson Montgomery, Alamo Short Stacks

24. OF Max Clark, Alamo Short Stacks

28. SS Adael Amador, Alamo Short Stacks

32. SS Marcelo Mayer, Alamo Short Stacks

53. SS Masyn Winn, Alamo Short Stacks

Burlingame Blue Ducks (6)

2. OF Wyatt Langford, Burlingame Blue Ducks

5. OF Dylan Crews, Burlingame Blue Ducks

9. RHP Paul Skenes, Burlingame Blue Ducks

37. 1B Kyle Manzardo, Burlingame Blue Ducks

49. RHP Rhett Lowder, Burlingame Blue Ducks

66. 2B Jace Jung, Burlingame Blue Ducks

Las Vegas Aristocrats (6)

1 SS Jackson Holliday, Las Vegas Aristocrats

6. OF Jackson Chourio, Las Vegas Aristocrats

17. RHP Jackson Jobe, Las Vegas Aristocrats

30. RHP Hurston Waldrep, Las Vegas Aristocrats

54. RHP Tink Hence, Las Vegas Aristocrats

86. RHP Max Meyer, Las Vegas Aristocrats

Cloverdale Clovers (5)

19. RHP Andrew Painter, Cloverdale Clovers

26. LHP Ricky Tiedemann, Cloverdale Clovers

36. C Dalton Rushing, Cloverdale Clovers

43. SS Marco Luciano, Cloverdale Clovers

59. OF/SS Ceddanne Rafaela, Cloverdale Clovers

Lunatic Fringe (4)

10. SS Jackson Merrill, Lunatic Fringe

18. SS Carson Williams, Lunatic Fringe

25. SS/3B Noelvi Marte, Lunatic Fringe

34. C Harry Ford, Lunatic Fringe

Mission Viejo Maulers (4)

7. OF James Wood, Mission Viejo Maulers

39. OF Jasson Dominguez, Mission Viejo Maulers

52. SS Brooks Lee, Mission Viejo Maulers

95. IF Orelvis Martinez, Mission Viejo Maulers

Maltese Falcons (3)

15. 3B Coby Mayo, Maltese Falcons

48. OF Josue De Paula, Maltese Falcons

81. OF Druw Jones, Maltese Falcons

Mt. Diablo Devils (3)

69. 3B Brady House, Mt. Diablo Devils

71. IF Michael Busch, Mt. Diablo Devils

85. RHP Cade Cavalli, Mt. Diablo Devils

San Mateo Oppo Tacos (2)

16. OF Walker Jenkins, San Mateo Oppo Tacos

33. OF Spencer Jones, San Mateo Oppo Tacos

Meinert Hops (2)

31. OF Chase DeLauter, Meinert Hops

92. RHP Chase Dollander, Meinert Hops

Spokane Fightin' Fish (2)

41. 1B Heston Kjerstad, Spokane Fightin' Fish

90. 2B Termarr Johnson, Spokane Fightin' Fish

Lake Merced Goutfish (1)

80. OF Kevin Alcantara, Lake Merced Goutfish

TRADE: Jokers Grab Pair of Heads Starters and Springer for 1st Rounder

The St. Joseph Jokers took a major step in rebuilding their starting rotation as the 2024 Season opened on Monday, finalizing a blockbuster deal with the Honolulu Hammerheads. The trade will send starters Michael Wacha (2/$1), Sonny Gray (2/$2) and outfielder George Springer (2/$31) from the Honolulu Hammerheads for the 11th Overall Pick in the 2024 Reserve Draft.

Wacha and Gray are both coming off excellent seasons on the mound and enter 2024 on new clubs after signing with the Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals respectively. The duo combined for 844.0 points, a huge addition for a Jokers pitching staff that scored just 1,612.0 points total in 2023, the sixth worst mark in League History after posting the 5th worst mark in 2022.

Over the past two seasons, between the Red Sox and Padres, Wacha has posted a combined 3.27 ERA with a 21.3% strikeout rate, 6.9% walk rate and 37.7% ground-ball rate. Despite being more of a fly-ball pitcher, he’s allowed a manageable 1.14 homers per nine frames. Pitching his home games at the spacious Kauffman Stadium should help him continue to avoid the long ball at an acceptable rate despite his pronounced fly-ball tendencies.

The number of innings that the Royals can expect from Wacha is perhaps the biggest question mark surrounding him. Wacha has been placed on the injured list nine times in his big league career, with five of those IL placements stemming from shoulder troubles (including a six-week absence in the 2023 season). Wacha has also had IL stints for oblique, hamstring, knee and intercostal strains. While the shoulder is an obvious concern, Wacha did manage a solid 3.88 ERA in 48 2/3 innings after returning from this past season’s shoulder issue. He closed out the year with a pair of particularly impressive outings, tossing consecutive seven-inning gems (two total runs allowed on nine hits and two walks with 13 strikeouts).

Gray, who celebrated his 34th birthday in November, signed a 3-year pact with the Cardinals on the heels of a dominant 2023 campaign with the Twins that saw him earn his third career All Star appearance and finish as the runner-up in AL Cy Young award voting behind Yankees righty Gerrit Cole. The veteran hurler posted a sterling 2.79 ERA (54% better than league average by measure of ERA+) along with an MLB-best 2.83 FIP in 184 innings of work across 32 starts. His 24.3% strikeout rate was a top-25 figure among qualified starters this season, while his 47.3% groundball rate ranked ninth among that same group. Only Framber Valdez, Zach Eflin, Justin Steele, and Kyle Bradish posted better figures in both stats this year.

Springer's 2023 season surprised fantasy managers in many ways. The biggest surprise of them all is the 33 year old player eclipsed the 140 gamed played mark for the first time since he played all 162 in 2016. He also went out and posted the first 20-20 season of his career which was his first full season with even double-digit steals since the 2015 season. The 21 homers was a disappointment given the tweaks made to Rogers Centre to improve offense, but those improvements did not materialize into extra homers for anyone on the roster let alone Springer. A 374.0 point 2023 season might be the new benchmark for Springer, but upside remains for a Jokers offense that needed in infusion of veteran talent behind Gunnar Henderson, Matt McClain and pair of talented catchers.

For the Hammerheads, GM Ross Horiuchi was starting at a crunch of starting rotation options with Tanner Bibee, Chris Sale, Brandon Pfaadt and Reese Olson now expected to be the top four options with Bailey Ober entering Spring Training with a chance to lock down the fifth spot.

The Heads entered the off-season without a pick in the first four rounds of the 2024 Reserve Draft, making the addition of the 11th overall pick a key target for Horiuchi. In the first 2024 Mock Draft, published in October, the Jokers were projected to select New York Mets infielder Luisangel Acuña, brother of Ronald. With only Brandon Pfaadt appearing in the latest RDBL Top 100 List, it's likely the Heads top pick will immediately become their top prospect with Pfaadt expected to be activated for the start of the 2024 Season.