"2024 Class Better and Deeper" -- RDBL Front Offices Set for Another Elite Group of Free Agents

While we are fresh off the best Free Agent Class in Roger Dorn Baseball League History, we look to be on the verge of an even better group in 2024. While teams will be clearing money again next off-season in preparation, the more pressing topic will be one of the wildest Trade Deadlines we have ever seen with 81 players in the final season of the RDBL contract.

The group is headline by Aaron Judge and Sandy Alcantara, both capable of landing RDBL Record breaking contracts next March. The star power hardly stops there with Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., Fernando Tatis, Jr., Trea Turner, Paul Goldschmidt, Austin Riley, Nolan Arenado, Justin Verlander, Julio Urias and many other elite talents set to be available.

“There might have been bigger names at the top this year, but the 2024 Class is better and deeper” according to one Peninsula Division Executive.

With all of those expiring deals, plenty of help for contenders looks like it will be readily available which could limit trade returns this season. 2023 will also mark the first season of the early RDBL Trade Deadline which is two weeks prior to the MLB Deadline, leading to a tighter window to make moves and for Front Offices to make earlier buy/sell decisions.

The Starting Pitching market stands out specifically, with 23 arms who earned Keeper spots set to see their contract expire at the end of the year. If the Lunatic Fringe fell out of contention for example, the race to acquire Sandy Alcantara could mark the story of the season but the depth available for a cheaper price could be a potentially better path for Title contenders.

It's not hard to see 12-15 players worthy of $50+ contracts next March

Catcher (8)

Daulton Varsho (3/$7), Burlingame Blue Ducks

Willson Contreras (3/$23), Asti Grape Stompers

Alejandro Kirk (3/$1), Lake Merced Goutfish

Salvador Perez (3/$16), Burlingame Blue Ducks

Cal Raleigh (2FA/$5), Spokane Fightin' Fish

Omar Narvaez (3/$7), Asti Grape Stompers

Mitch Garver (3/$8), Spokane Fightin' Fish

Jonah Heim (2FA/$5), Maltese Falcons

First Base (7)

Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. (3R/$5), Alamo Short Stacks

Paul Goldschmidt (3/$35), Honolulu Hammerheads

Andrew Vaughn (3R/$5), Meinert Hops

Ty France (3/$5), Alamo Short Stacks

C.J. Cron (3/$8), Maltese Falcons

Jose Abreu (3/$37), St. Joseph Jokers

Ryan Mountcastle (3R/$5), Lunatic Fringe

Second Base (7)

Jonathan India (3R/$5), Spokane Fightin' Fish

Jake Cronenworth (3/$12), Meinert Hops

Thairo Estrada (2FA/$5), Meinert Hops

Brendan Donovan (2FA/$5), Asti Grape Stompers

Christian Arroyo (2FA/$5), Honolulu Hammerheads

Brandon Drury (2FA/$5), Burlingame Blue Ducks

Chris Taylor (3/$3), St. Joseph Jokers

Third Base (4)

Austin Riley (3R/$5), Honolulu Hammerheads

Nolan Arenado (3/$38), Cloverdale Clovers

Alec Bohm (3R/$5), Las Vegas Aristocrats

Eugenio Suarez (2FA/$5), Las Vegas Aristocrats

Shortstop (3)

Trea Turner (3/$49), St. Joseph Jokers

Bo Bichette (3R/$5), Mt. Diablo Devils

Dansby Swanson (3/$10), Maltese Falcons

Outfield (17)

Aaron Judge (3/$31), Spokane Fightin' Fish

Fernando Tatis, Jr. (3R/$5), Lake Merced Goutfish

Brandon Nimmo (3/$16), Idaho Taters

Kyle Tucker (3R/$5), Maltese Falcons

Randy Arozarena (3/$25), Burlingame Blue Ducks

Luis Robert (3R/$5), Meinert Hops

Kris Bryant (3/$24), Burlingame Blue Ducks

Taylor Ward (2FA/$5), Alamo Short Stacks

Teoscar Hernandez (3/$10), Maltese Falcons

Tyler O'Neill (3R/$5), Spokane Fightin' Fish

Oscar Gonzalez (2FA/$5), Asti Grape Stompers

Mitch Haniger (3/$11), Asti Grape Stompers

Alex Verdugo (3R/$5), Cloverdale Clovers

Austin Hays (3R/$5), Idaho Taters

J.D. Martinez (3/$24), Lunatic Fringe

Jake McCarthy (2FA/$5), Mt. Diablo Devils

Dylan Carlson (3/$15), Honolulu Hammerheads

Starting Pitchers (23)

Sandy Alcantara (3R/$5), Lunatic Fringe

Julio Urias (3R/$5), Alamo Short Stacks

Justin Verlander (3/$5), Fightin' Fish

Brandon Woodruff (3/$38), Alamo Short Stacks

Max Fried (3R/$5), Las Vegas Aristocrats

Cristian Javier (3/$6), Cloverdale Clovers

Zach Wheeler (3/$25), Maltese Falcons

Kevin Gausman (3/$17), Maltese Falcons

Luis Severino (3/$11), Asti Grape Stompers

Joe Musgrove (3/$23), Las Vegas Aristocrats

Spencer Strider (2FA/$5), Idaho Taters

Jeff Springs (2FA/$5), Idaho Taters

Ross Stripling (2FA/$5), St. Joseph Jokers

Martin Perez (2FA/$5), St. Joseph Jokers

Tyler Mahle (3/$8), St. Joseph Jokers

Tony Gonsolin (2FA/$5), Burlingame Blue Ducks

Brady Singer (2FA/$5), Asti Grape Stompers

Charlie Morton (3/$12), Idaho Taters

Jesus Luzardo (3R/$5), Cloverdale Clovers

Lucas Giolito (3R/$5), Lunatic Fringe

Nick Martinez (2FA/$5), Burlingame Blue Ducks

Nathan Eovaldi (3/$1), Mt. Diablo Devils

Adam Wainwright (3/$4), Mt. Diablo Devils

Relievers (12)

Emmanuel Clase (3/$1), Alamo Short Stacks

Ryan Helsley (2FA/$5), Asti Grape Stompers

Brock Burke (2FA/$5), Idaho Taters

Jason Adam (2FA/$5), Honolulu Hammerheads

Evan Phillips (2FA/$5), Cloverdale Clovers

Jhoan Duran (2FA/$5), Cloverdale Clovers

Kenley Jansen (3/$6), St. Joseph Jokers

Daniel Bard (2FA/$5), Asti Grape Stompers

Paul Seward (2FA/$5), Lunatic Fringe

Peter Fairbanks (2FA/$5), Maltese Falcons

Clay Holmes (2FA/$5), Lake Merced Goutfish

Felix Bautista (2FA/$5), Lake Merced Goutfish

On The Lookout, Wednesday, 4/5: Aces Take II

There are 13 games on the slate Wednesday with 12 of them set for the morning or afternoon. While a few Opening Day starters made their return to the mound on Tuesday, the majority will make their second start on Wednesday leading to an action packed morning of scoring.

Time to Fly for Ducks

It’s been a dreadful start to 2023 for GM Ryan Walsh and the Burlingame Blue Ducks who enter Wednesday with just 59.0 total points while ranking last in the RDBL in hitter scoring, pitching scoring, average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, ERA and WHIP. Things can’t get much worse as the Ducks are already 325.0 points out of the lead, but the return to prominence can start Wednesday with aces Aaron Nola (@ NYY) and Alek Manoah (@ KC) on the mound.

Second Chance for Aces

Wednesday marks the second outing for several Opening Day starters as Corbin Burnes (‘Crats), Jacob deGrom (Hammerheads), Aaron Nola (Ducks), Logan Webb (Hops), Gerrit Cole (Maulers), Pablo Lopez (Hammerheads) and Shohei Ohtani (Hops) are all set to take the ball.

Debut for G-Rod

The Lunatic Fringe will hold off on activating top pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez, but that doesn’t mean we won’t have a focus on how the right-hander fares in his big league debut against the slugging Texas Rangers. Rodriguez could position himself for a potential Period 9 activation with a hot run, but it’s unclear if the Orioles intend to keep him in the rotation or if he’s up to just cover for the injured Kyle Bradish.

A Change At the Top

With the Stacks idle on the mound, the Mission Viejo Maulers will make a push to climb back to the top of the RDBL Standings on Wednesday with Gerrit Cole leading the way for GM Chris Ferraro. The Stacks are set to deploy four starters on Thursday.

3 Up, 3 Down: Franco a Shining Star Early for Devils

While it's impossible to draw any conclusions from four days of action, several players impressed enough over the opening weekend enough to open eyes about their potential in 2023. That group is headlined by a pair of players returning to full health as Wander Franco and Dustin May were just two of several players to stand out over the season's first four days.

Here's our latest 3 Up, 3 Down as Period 2 kicks off.

SS Wander Franco (2R/$3), Mt. Diablo Devils

2022 robbed us of a full season of Wander Franco, but the star shortstop is already showing us what we missed last year with a breakout Period 1. Franco went 7-for-11 with three doubles, a pair of walks, a steal and a home run in the opening series against the Detroit Tigers and is a key cog in a Devils offense that enters Period 2 tied for the lead in scoring. With Bo Bichette, Jose Ramirez, Mookie Betts and Christian Yelich behind him, expect the Devils to continue to mash all summer with Franco potentially leading the talented crew.

RHP Graham Ashcraft (1D/$5), Spokane Fightin' Fish

Ashcraft showed some interesting skills as a rookie, generating a bunch of weak contact on the ground, but his 15.3 strikeout rate rendered him largely ineffective. He spent the offseason working to add another breaking ball to generate more whiffs, and went out in the first outing and struck out six in seven innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Fish have 10 strong starting options when Justin Verlander returns, but just one start in and Ashcraft has earned the trust on GM Mike Tirabassi.

RHP Dustin May (2/$1), Cloverdale Clovers

With Tyler Glasnow on the shelf and a lack of pitching depth on the roster, the pressure on the Cloverdale Clovers starters is quite high to start the season. GM Chris Shelley couldn't be more pleased with how Dustin May responded in his first start of the year, dominating seven shutout innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks while allowing just three hits for 34.0 points. May was acquired alongside Marco Luciano, Andrew Painter and Jarred Kelenic in last season's blockbuster deal with the Alamo Short Stacks, currently holding the most league value of the players in the trade.

Eduardo Escobar (FA)

While Escobar's 1-for-16 as a RDBL Free Agent isn't overly notable, it is for the Meinert Hops who have Brett Baty, RDBL's Prospect of the Week, waiting in the wings at Triple-A. Baty already has three home runs in three games after a standout Spring Training while Escobar is on the bench Monday in favor of Luis Guillorme. If Baty is recalled, it will be interesting to see if GM Garrett Shelley aggressively activates him within the "Fernando Tatis, Jr. rule" which gives clubs a 24-hour window to promote them to the Active Roster or force them to wait until the Period 9 deadline. The Hops passed on the chance to activate outfield prospect Joey Wiemer who joined the Brewers over the weekend and enter Period 2 slashing .203/.293/.297 as a team.

Heads Aces

The Honolulu Hammerheads got off to a hot start on Thursday but are looking for far more from their top two starting pitchers as Chris Sale and Jacob deGrom combined for -37.0 points in their 2023 debuts. Pablo Lopez and Sonny Gray picked up the slack, combining for 44.0 points in their starts while Ryne Nelson is set to make his debut Monday in San Diego.

Ducks Activations

The Ducks were able to secure some cap space flexibility with the activations of Alek Thomas and Luis Garcia. While neither are being counted on as major contributors, the duo combined to go 1-for-20 without a walk in Period 2 with Garcia yet to appear in the Active Roster lineup.