On The Lookout: Aces Shine Thursday

2023 Opening Day has arrived and Front Offices are chomping at the bit to see the CBS Scoring page update. Here's some of the storylines we are closely following on Thursday.

'Crats Unveil Shiny New Toys

The Aristocrats pulled deep into their Las Vegas moneybag, locking up Corbin Burnes to a RDBL-tying contract for a pitcher only to later land Juan Soto to the second highest hitter contract in League History. Burnes will be on the mound in a chilly Chicago Thursday while Soto (oblique) is expected to be in the lineup for Opening Day against the Rockies in a game that was shifted to the evening due to weather in San Diego.

Hops Roll Out Aces

Don't be surprised to see the Meinert Hops roll out to an early lead Thursday as GM Garrett Shelley rolls out Logan Webb, Shane McClanahan, Zac Gallen and Shohei Ohtani on Opening Day.

Scherzer Gets the Ball, Continuing Record Run

Max Scherzer is set to start his fourth RDBL contract, sharing a distinction with Mike Trout as the only players in League History to complete each of his three previous contracts without being dropped. Scherzer was locked up for $50 by the Spokane Fightin' Fish, the pre-season favorite for the 2023 Title, and he will be joined by Shane Bieber and Mitch Keller on the mound for Opening Day.

Rookie Debuts

While neither were activated, many eyes will be on the big league debuts of Jordan Walker (Grapes) and Anthony Volpe (Clovers). Both widely considered Top-5 prospects in the sport, the duo is looking to make a push for a potential Period 9 activation from their respective RDBL clubs.

Glasnow Replacement

The Clovers depth will be tested early as they look to cover up for Tyler Glasnow's absence. GM Chris Shelley is going with Opening Day starter Patrick Corbin Thursday morning who opposes the Atlanta Braves.

Ace of Aces

After back to back 10th place finishes, the Lunatic Fringe are looking to make their return to the Playoffs since 2019 and will kick things off with 2022 Pitcher of the Year Sandy Alcantara. The Marlins ace posted 733.0 points last season, the 9th highest mark in RDBL History.

deGrom Backin Honolulu

The worst kept secret in the RDBL this off-season was GM Ross Horiuchi's interest in a reunion with Jacob deGrom. He's back along with an elite top-end of Austin Riley, Paul Golschmidt and the catching duo of J.T. Realmuto and Tyler Stephenson that should make the Heads a serious threat this summer.

$120 Investment on the Mound for Maulers

The Maulers might have one eye on 2024, but that doesn't mean that can't be competitive in 2023. With the $120 investment in Gerrit Cole and Luis Castillo, both of which are on the mound Thursday, GM Chris Ferraro is looking to make some waves early this year.

Good Greene of Bad Greene

2022 was a rollercoaster for Hunter Greene, but the flame thrower finished on a tear, punching out 51 in his last 35 1/3 innings with a 1.02 ERA and 0.85 WHIP. He will look to carry that pace over to 2023 with his 2023 debut against the Pirates on Thursday.

State Farm Power Rankings: 2023 Opening Day with Bold Predictions

Opening Day has arrived and with that, we have released the first set of 2023 State Farm Power Rankings as well as our list of Bold Predictions for each club. The writeups include a Glass Half Full and Glass Half Empty scenario with a look at each club's strengths and weakness heading into the 2023 Season. We are took a spin at league-wide predictions, slotting the Spokane Fightin' Fish in as the favorite to take home their third RDBL Championship.

Disclaimer on the State Farm Power Rankings: we are mainly splitting hairs on teams 7-14 as 2023 is shaping up to be another excellent year in competitive depth.

Season Predictions

Regular Season Champions: Spokane Fightin' Fish

East Bay Champions: Alamo Short Stacks

Peninsula Division Champions: Maltese Falcons

Masters Division Champions: Spokane Fightin' Fish

Wild Card: Meinert Hops, Cloverdale Clovers, Burlingame Blue Ducks

2024 Top Overall Pick (7th Place): Mt. Diablo Devils

RDBL Award Predictions

Executive of the Year: Michael Tirabassi, Spokane Fightin' Fish

Hitter of the Year: Corey Seager, Spokane Fightin' Fish

Pitcher of the Year: Sandy Alcantara, Lunatic Fringe

Rookie Activation of the Year: Corbin Carroll, Alamo Short Stacks

Hitting Prospect of the Year: Jordan Walker, Asti Grape Stompers

Pitching Prospect of the Year: Grayson Rodriguez, Lunatic Fringe

1. Spokane Fightin' Fish

Glass Half Full: Corey Seager sees a major benefit from the shift and returns to a .300+ average while carrying over his strong power numbers from last season, emerging as a Hitter of the Year candidate. The trio of Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and Shane Bieber combine for 1,500 points en route to the club's RDBL-Record third League Championship.

Glass Half Empty: Verlander and Scherzer show scars and make a combined 40 starts with one missing the Playoffs completely while the lack of high-ceiling prospects in the Farm System prevent GM Mike Tirabassi from adding a star in the Trade Market.

Bold Prediction: Corey Seager finishes top five in hitter scoring while leading all shortstops.

2. Alamo Short Stacks

Glass Half Full: The Stacks get 25 starts from Clayton Kershaw and Tyler Anderson produces at 80% of last season, making them two of six 375+ point starting pitchers on the roster while two of James Outman, Jake Fraley and Darick Hall turn into reliable assets to round out the league's top scoring offense. Add in a Corbin Carroll Rookie of the Year run and the Stacks could be hoisting the trophy for the second consecutive season.

Glass Half Empty: Kershaw's back issues creep up early while the bottom of the offensive lineup and Rookie activations struggle to stay in the daily lineup. After depleting their Farm System last season, the Stacks struggle to find a trade partner to make a significant upgrade.

Bold Prediction: Corbin Carroll and Miguel Vargas finish 1-2 in the National League Rookie of the Year voting.

3. Maltese Falcons

Glass Half Full: The Falcons put together another contender, hardly surprising for a Franchise that has a record-tying seven cash finishes in nine seasons of play. Much of the heavy lifting was already complete as the Front Office carried over significant talent from one of the league's top teams in 2022. Mostly known for spreading out their cap space, the Falcons bet big on Starling Marte and Carlos Rodon with the duo eating up $72 of their cap space. If both stay healthy, specifically Rodon, a Peninsula Division Title is well within view.

Glass Half Empty: That $72 investment could also turn sour as Rodon is already shelved until early May as he works back from forearm soreness. Any setback could put the Falcons in danger, pushing pressure on Reserve selection Shintaro Fujinami to pick up the slack.

Bold Prediction: Michael Massey (1/$6) quickly establishes himself as Top-15 talent at second base and completes the first of a three season run for the Falcons.

4. Meinert Hops

Glass Half Full: The Hops proved you can build a roster around an $88 contract, but it's easier than that player puts up almost 1,000 points by himself. A repeat of 2022 is just fine for GM Garrett Shelley who is running it back in the rotation with five of their six starters from last season (though Logan Webb comes with a $33 increase). A quick return to health for Jorge Polanco, a breakout year at the plate on and on the bases for CJ Abrams and Andrew Vaughn living up to the early hype will have the Hops back in the Playoffs for the second straight season, potentially pushing the Stacks for a Division Title.

Glass Half Empty: When 34% of your salary cap is tied up in one player, it's easy for your season to go sideways. The health and production of Ohtani could sink the Hops if he's forced to miss time while a lengthy absence from Polanco, more of what we've already seen from Abrams and Kyle Farmer could lead to a weak middle infield.

Bold Prediction: Andrew Vaughn is finally settled at first base in Chicago and will produce a career year in 2023, his final season under contract for the Hops.

5. Cloverdale Clovers

Glass Half Full: The rotation gets Tyler Glasnow back in late April and each of their starters makes 25+ starts while Freddie Freeman, Pete Alonso, Xander Bogaerts and Nolan Arenado average 475 points between them. Jarred Kelenic finally carries over his Spring Training success, mashing right-handers while producing a 300+ point season, helping carry the club to their first Division Title since 2019.

Glass Half Empty: Glasnow's injury underscores the fragility of the rotation as Michael Kopech and Jesus Luzardo also spend significant time on the IL while GM Chris Shelley is forced to ride late Reserve picks Jose Suarez and Patrick Corbin after spending their first four picks on prospects. Kelenic continues to struggle, marking a key area of weakness in the outfield with Harrison Bader, Manuel Margot, and TJ Friedl all failing to reach 250 points.

Bold Prediction: Alex Verdugo will be the only current Clovers outfielder to produce over 300 points and GM Chris Shelley is forced to hit the trade market early for help at the position.

6. Burlingame Blue Ducks

Glass Half Full: The Ducks will again be anchored by an elite rotation led by Aaron Nola and Alek Manoah with GM Ryan Walsh continuing to prove he's one of the savviest Executives in the league. Their offense is littered with risk and reward, but if they hit in 2023, then the Ducks have the upside to do more than just win a Peninsula Division Title.

Glass Half Empty: The pitching staff looks stout overall, but holes could quickly develop in the offense as Walsh is counting on bounceback seasons from Javier Baez, Nick Castellanos and Ketal Marte at the plate and in the health category for Kris Bryant. Playing time could be sparing for Matt Carpenter while Luis Garcia's walk allergies could limit his production.

Bold Prediction: The club will kick themselves for moving Cristian Javier instead of Tony Gonsolin this off-season as the Dodgers right-hander will fail to reach 300 points in an injury-plagued year.

7. Mt. Diablo Devils

Glass Half Full: The young duo of Wander Franco and Riley Greene take significant steps forward while Bo Bichette stars in his final season under contract, helping lead the league's top offense. Nick Lodolo emerges as the club's ace to lead a steady rotation to a Wild Card spot.

Glass Half Empty: The starting pitching group can't keep pace with an elite offense as Merrill Kelly takes a step backwards while Adam Wainwright and James Kaprielian fizzle at the backend of the rotation. Nathan Eovaldi is again unable to put together a healthy season while Greene and Franco continue to show flashes, but fail to put it all together.

Bold Prediction: Eduardo Rodriguez will out-produce at least four starters currently in the Devils' rotation.

8. St. Joseph Jokers

Glass Half Full: The St. Joseph Jokers did a complete overhaul of their roster and enter 2023 as the most improved club after last season's last place finish. From four young and promising activations to Byron Buxton and a replenished Farm System, GM Rick Steen is feeling optimistic that his club can return to the Playoffs for the second time in Franchise History. CBS Sports agrees, giving the Jokers the fourth highest projection in the RDBL due to A+ work this off-season from Steen.

Glass Half Empty: The Jokers rotation might be the ultimate "glass half full or half empty" experiment. If you squint, you can see Martin Perez and Kyle Wright repeating their breakout 2022 season, Ross Stripling posting another low 3-ERA, Tyler Mahle returning to his 2021 form and Noah Syndergaard finding the Dodger-magic in LA. But if you look with the other eye, things could also get ugly for that group in a hurry.

Bold Prediction: MJ Melendez, primarily from the outfield, finishing as a Top-5 catcher while Noah Sydergaard doesn't last past April in the Jokers rotation before being replaced by Corey Kluber.

9. Asti Grape Stompers

Glass Half Full: The Grapes offense looks like it will mash, following key additions Mike Trout, Eloy Jimenez, Max Muncy and Masataka Yoshida who join potential breakout Bobby Witt, Jr. for an elite offense. That will put the pressure on the starting rotation who is talented, but carry substantial risk. If that group can stay healthy and live up to their potential, the Grapes window of contention could open sooner than GM Terry Shelley anticipated.

Glass Half Empty: The offense looks like a safe bet to produce, but things could quickly crack on the pitching front. Luis Severino (lat) is already on the shelf while Hunter Greene will look to smooth out his rollercoaster Rookie season. That shifts the focus and pressure to Jon Gray and Alex Cobb, two pitchers who you won't find next to the word durability in the dictionary.

Bold Prediction: Spencer Steer emerges as Max Muncy-lite, offering positional versatility and a 300-325 bat that makes a push for Keeper spots in 2023 and 2024.

10. Lunatic Fringe

Glass Half Full: Lance McCullers returns in mid-April, Lucas Giolito returns to form and Reid Detmers emerges as a budding star, forming significant depth by 2022 Pitcher of the Year Sandy Alcantara. Triston McKenzie, Grayson Rodriguez and Josiah Gray all position themselves for Period 9 activations allowing GM Tony Guglielmi to make a early-season blockbuster deal for additional offense.

Glass Half Empty: McCullers and McKenzie injuries linger while Giolito and Detmers prove that Spring Training optimism is not something to bank on. The offense fails to produce a 400 point scorer behind Ronald Acuña and Matt Olson, failing to keep pace with a Top-5 point producing pitching staff.

Bold Prediction: Hot starts from Josiah Gray and Grayson Rodriguez force Guglielmi's hand with Period 9 activations and the club cashes in Shane Baz, one of their young starters and a 2024 1st Round Pick for the first available offensive star duo on the market.

11. Lake Merced Goutfish

Glass Half Full:The rotation reaches its ceiling as Dylan Cease and Framber Valdez combine for 1,000 points while Kodai Senga, Blake Snell and George Kirby all exceed 400. The offense performs at league-average through before Fernando Tatis, Jr. and ultimately Bryce Harper return, pushing the group into a Wild Card spot they hold onto for the remainder of the season.

Glass Half Empty: With Fernando Tatis, Jr., Bryce Harper and Trevor Story all set to miss significant time, the offense sputters into a hole too large to dig out of upon their return. The pitching staff does it's best to hold the line, but the deficit is too large to overcome with the Goutfish missing the Playoffs for the second consecutive season.

Bold Prediction: The Goutfish miss the Playoffs but enter 2024 with the league's best Keeper Roster featuring Walker Buehler, Rafael Devers, Yordan Alvarez, Harper, Story, Cease, Valdez, Kirby, Senga and activations Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Ronny Mauricio, Roansy Contreras and Bobby Miller as well as additional assets they cash in for Tatis, Tommy Edman and Felix Bautista in trades.

12. Honolulu Hammerheads

Glass Half Full: Jacob deGrom and Chris Sale combine to make 50 starts while Pablo Lopez marks a third 400+ point pitcher of the staff while Tyler Stephenson, JT Realmuto, Paul Goldschmidt, and Austin Riley all finish as Top-5 producers at their respective positions.

Glass Half Empty: deGrom and Sale combine for 20 starts while Alex Kirilloff, Dylan Carlson, Christian Arroyo and Trent Grisham all split time and fail to reach 350 at-bats, leading the Heads to the bottom of that category and without enough offensive depth to reach Wild Card contention.

Bold Prediction: Lack of offensive depth keeps Heads out of reach of the Playoffs, making Paul Goldschmidt (3/$35) and Austin Riley (3R/$5) the biggest prize of the RDBL Trade Deadline.

13. Las Vegas Aristocrats

Glass Half Full:The $138 investment in Juan Soto and Corbin Burnes proves to be worth it as the duo combines for 1,200 points while Max Fried makes a run at the National League Cy Young Award. Jose Altuve returns in late May, boosting the club's offense enough to earn one of the three available Wild Card spots.

Glass Half Empty: Bryson Stott, Garrett Mitchell and Trayce Thompson struggle out of the gates, making them part-time players in the second half of the season. For the second straight year, the pitching staff ranks among the best in the league but the offense can't keep pace, leaving the 'Crats out of the Playoffs.

Bold Prediction: For much of the first half of 2022, the 'Crats ranked first in pitching and last in hitting. The club follows the same path in 2023 despite Juan Soto finishing runner-up for Hitter of the Year.

14. Idaho Taters

Glass Half Full: Spencer Torkelson and Josh Jung combine for 55 home runs while Spencer Strider and Jeff Springs prove to hardly be one-hit wonders, joining Lance Lynn and Chris Bassit as 400+ point contributors. The club gets major bounceback seasons from Michael Conforto, Jesse Winker and Brandon Lowe to sneak into the final Wild Card spot.

Glass Half Empty: Down 2022 seasons from Torkelson, Jesse Winker and Brandon Lowe carry over to 2023 with all three being cut at the end of the season while Bassit takes his lumps in the AL East. The offense has steady performers in Francisco Lindor, Marcus Semien, Brandon Nimmo and Conforto, but no player exceeds the 400 point mark.

Bold Prediction: A Spencer Torkelson resurgence and an underrated rotation led in points by Lance Lynn keep the Taters in the hunt for the Wild Card late into the Regular Season.

15. Mission Viejo Maulers

Glass Half Full: Gerrit Cole and Luis Castillo combine for 1,100 points, Anthony Rendon returns to his Washington Nationals form and the hand of God comes down and heals Rhys Hoskins' knee.

Glass Half Empty: The Maulers are certainly going to be interesting with the 1-2 bunch of Cole and Castillo, but the club's focus has shifted to 2024 with goals of continuing to build an already vastly improved Farm System with hopes of graduating the likes of MacKenzie Gore, Brooks Lee and more next season.

Bold Prediction: Outfielder Oscar Colas (1/$4) establishes himself as a strong outfield contributor and is a steady performer for the Maulers through 2025.

Period 1 FAB Report: Arcia Receives Top Bid

The first Free Agent Waiver Process with a bidding system was an overwhelming success Wednesday evening with the full report available below. In total, 32 players were claimed through the automated process, saving the Commissioner's Office at least an hour of work.

Orlando Arcia received the top FAB at $15 from the Honolulu Hammerheads while right-hander Aaron Civale received six claims with the Idaho Taters winning the bid at $5.

FAB Order Before Run 1 - St. Joseph Jokers 2 - Idaho Taters 3 - Cloverdale Clovers 4 - Mt. Diablo Devils 5 - Asti Grape Stompers 6 - Lunatic Fringe 7 - Honolulu Hammerheads 8 - Las Vegas Aristocrats 9 - Lake Merced Goutfish 10 - Meinert Hops 11 - Burlingame Blue Ducks 12 - Mission Viejo Maulers 13 - Spokane Fightin' Fish 14 - Maltese Falcons 15 - Alamo Short Stacks

Offers For - Orlando Arcia Signed For $15 by Honolulu Hammerheads Dropped Jose Tena - CLE

Offers For - Oswaldo Cabrera Signed For $8 by Alamo Short Stacks Dropped Marco Gonzales - SEA Las Vegas Aristocrats $2 Lost Spokane Fightin' Fish $2 Lost Lake Merced Goutfish $1 Lost

Offers For - David Villar Signed For $6 by Lake Merced Goutfish Dropped IL Claim for Story - BOS Lunatic Fringe $3 Lost Maltese Falcons $0 Lost

Offers For - Kyle Lewis Signed For $6 by Honolulu Hammerheads Dropped IL Claim for Kirilloff - MIN

Offers For - Yainer Diaz Signed For $6 by Lake Merced Goutfish Dropped IL Claim for Tatis - SD

Offers For - Will Brennan Signed For $5 by Idaho Taters Dropped IL Claim for Lux - LAD

Offers For - Scott McGough Signed For $5 by Mt. Diablo Devils Dropped IL Claim for Wainwright - STL

Offers For - Rafael Montero Signed For $5 by Alamo Short Stacks Dropped IL Claim for Hendriks - CHW Maltese Falcons $1 Lost

Offers For - Aaron Civale Signed For $5 by Idaho Taters Dropped IL Claim for Montas - NYY Mission Viejo Maulers $2 Lost Las Vegas Aristocrats $1 Lost Cloverdale Clovers $0 Lost Spokane Fightin' Fish $0 Lost Lake Merced Goutfish $0 Lost

Offers For - Dominic Smith Signed For $4 by Lake Merced Goutfish Dropped IL Claim for Harper - PHI

Offers For - Jon Berti Signed For $3 by Lunatic Fringe Dropped IL Claim for Mondesi - BOS Lunatic Fringe $3 Lost Due To Tie Break Order Lake Merced Goutfish $0 Lost

Offers For - Blake Sabol Signed For $2 by Asti Grape Stompers Dropped IL Claim for Haniger - SF

Offers For - Michael Fulmer Signed For $2 by Las Vegas Aristocrats Dropped IL Claim for Suarez - SD

Offers For - German Marquez Signed For $2 by Mission Viejo Maulers Dropped IL Claim for Suarez - PHI Spokane Fightin' Fish $1 Lost Maltese Falcons $0 Lost Lake Merced Goutfish $0 Lost

Offers For - Jhony Brito Signed For $2 by Maltese Falcons Dropped IL Claim for Rodon - NYY

Offers For - Nick Pivetta Signed For $2 by Las Vegas Aristocrats Dropped IL Claim for Musgrove - SD Mission Viejo Maulers $2 Lost Due To Tie Break Order Mission Viejo Maulers $2 Lost Due To Tie Break Order Burlingame Blue Ducks $0 Lost Lake Merced Goutfish $0 Lost

Offers For - Nelson Cruz Signed For $2 by Mission Viejo Maulers Dropped IL Claim for Hoskins - PHI

Offers For - Harold Ramirez Signed For $2 by Maltese Falcons Dropped IL Claim for Votto - CIN Lake Merced Goutfish $0 Lost

Offers For - Diego Castillo Signed For $2 by Mission Viejo Maulers Dropped IL Claim for Diaz - NYM Spokane Fightin' Fish $0 Lost Spokane Fightin' Fish $0 Lost

Offers For - Tony Kemp Signed For $1 by Las Vegas Aristocrats Dropped IL Claim for Altuve - HOU Lake Merced Goutfish $0 Lost Lunatic Fringe $0 Lost

Offers For - Jorge Lopez Signed For $1 by Maltese Falcons Dropped IL Claim for Hughes - CHC

Offers For - Keegan Thompson Signed For $0 by St. Joseph Jokers Dropped None

Offers For - Victor Robles Signed For $0 by Cloverdale Clovers Dropped IL Claim for Bader - NYY

Offers For - David Hensley Signed For $0 by Meinert Hops Dropped IL Claim for Polanco - MIN

Offers For - Drew Smith Signed For $0 by Spokane Fightin' Fish Dropped IL Claim for Iglesias - ATL

Offers For - Kris Bubic Signed For $0 by Honolulu Hammerheads Dropped IL Claim for Suzuki - CHC

Offers For - Anthony DeSclafani Signed For $0 by Lake Merced Goutfish Dropped IL Claim for Buehler - LAD

Offers For - Wilmer Flores Signed For $0 by Lunatic Fringe Dropped IL Claim for Baz - TB

Offers For - Cooper Hummel Signed For $0 by Meinert Hops Dropped IL Claim for Mize - DET

Offers For - Kevin Kiermaier Signed For $0 by Spokane Fightin' Fish Dropped Griffin Canning - LAA

Offers For - Eduardo Escobar Signed For $0 by Lake Merced Goutfish Dropped IL Claim for Whitlock - BOS

Offers For - Chas McCormick Signed For $0 by Lunatic Fringe Dropped IL Claim for McCullers - HOU Meinert Hops $0 Lost Due To Tie Break Order