The 11th RDBL Draft is a little over four months away, but the difficult Keeper Deadline decisions are already clear for Roger Dorn Baseball League Front Offices. We are taking a Division by Division look at some of the tough Keeper decisions teams will face heading into 2024 with each of the candidates below also representing potential trade options this Winter.
Alamo Short Stacks: LHP Nick Lodolo (2R/$3)
Left-hander Nick Lodolo joins Gavin Lux and Walker Buehler as Projected Keepers for the Alamo Short Stacks that missed almost or all of 2023. Pair that with eight other projected Keepers in their first or second season, and the volatility only grows. Lodolo, acquired from the Mt. Diablo Devils in a late season deal, was masterful to end the 2022 campaign, entering last year as one of the most anticipated activations in the RDBL. Lodolo was limited to just seven starts last season due to left calf tendinosis and a stress reaction in his left tibia that he suffered during his rehabilitation process. Barring any unexpected setbacks, the 25-year-old southpaw is expected to be fully healthy and ready to pitch in spring training when he will be heavily evaluated by the Stacks Front Office.
Asti Grape Stompers: OF Mike Trout (2/$58)
While a .858 OPS is great by relative standards, it was the lowest Mike Trout had produced since his 2011 rookie season. Still, he slugged 18 homers with 54 runs scored and 44 RBI through 81 games in the first half before his season was derailed by yet another injury. Trout played in just one game in the second half after fracturing a hamate bone in his left hand. A series of separate injuries have limited Trout’s playing time to some extent in each of the last seven seasons, playing in only 237 of a possible 486 games since 2021. While he’s expected to be fully healthy for spring training, it will clearly be a tough call for GM Terry Shelley given the size of the investment.
Cloverdale Clovers: SS Xander Bogaerts (3/$44)
Xander Bogaerts delivered six homers and a .914 OPS in his first month with the Padres, but the summer months weren't quite so productive. The veteran shortstop also had a 1.122 OPS during the final month of the season, but his .244/.308./358 slash line in between made for an underwhelming debut campaign in San Diego. In total it was a solid overall season with 19 homers, a career-high 19 steals, 83 runs and 58 RBI to go along with a .790 OPS, though that production certainly doesn't live up to the 11-year, $280 million contract he signed last offseason. With a wave of shortstop prospects ready to step in, the Clovers could look to go in another direction and leverage the $44 in saving for their rotation.
Meinert Hops: RHP Corbin Burnes (2/$73)
The Hops were decimated by injuries to end 2023, losing Shohei Ohtani and Shane McClanahan to injuries that will keep them off the mound in 2024 and off their Keeper Roster. That leaves the Hops looking to backfill a spot at the top of their rotation where deadline acquisition Corbin Burnes could step in. The right-hander's 2023 got off to an inauspicious start, with an ugly arbitration battle publicly straining the relationship between Corbin Burnes and the Brewers. Always the consummate professional, Burnes put together a highly successful campaign despite some hiccups, leading qualified National League starters in WHIP while reaching 200 strikeouts for the third consecutive season. His swing-and-miss dominance took a hit as Burnes averaged just over a strikeout per inning (25.5 K%), coinciding with a dip in fastball velocity. His sinking fastball let him down and the 10 wins were a disappointment, but Burnes has four above-average pitches to lean on and still projects as a fantasy ace entering 2024.
Mt. Diablo Devils: OF Christian Yelich (3/$31)
The veteran outfielder broke out of his two-year funk in 2023, finishing with a .278/.370/.447 slash line to go along with 19 homers, 28 steals (31 attempts) and 78 RBI in 144 games. It's a far cry from the MVP-level production Christian Yelich posted during his first two years in Milwaukee, but it's still a marked improvement on his .737 OPS from the previous two seasons. A .342 BABIP was backed up by an xBA of .277 and xSLG of .450, which indicates his 2023 results should be sustainable. Yelich's chronic back issues continue to linger and cost him nearly two weeks in September, but he's still played in all but 26 games over the last two years. That MVP form is likely long gone as he enters his age-32 campaign, but Yelich will still have plenty of fantasy value with a decent chance at a 20-20 campaign in 2024. With Jose Ramirez and Mookie Betts eating up $99 of their cap space combined, Yelich's $31 will be a difficult choice that could limit their ability to address the rest of their roster, especially with Wander Franco (and his extreme value) unlikely to be available to play in 2024.
