TRADE: Ducks Land Varsho in Deal with Maulers

Following the trades of Aaron Judge and Justin Verlander, it looked to be only a matter of time until Daulton Varsho was moved by Mission Viejo Maulers GM Chris Ferraro. The club struck a deal with the Burlingame Blue Ducks Thursday, acquiring infielder Nolan Jones (Minors) and a 2023 3rd Round Pick (41st Overall) in return for Varsho.

The Guardians sent Nolan Jones to the Rockies this offseason for 21-year-old second base prospect Juan Brito. Considering Brito is already on the 40-man roster and has not played above Single-A, this was a very light return, but Cleveland didn't have room for Jones at the big-league level and Brito's hit-over-power, up-the-middle skill set fits the organization's priorities. Obviously playing in Colorado is preferable to playing in Cleveland, so from a fantasy standpoint, this was an upgrade. Jones didn't play poorly for a 24-year-old returning to Triple-A (122 wRC+) and getting his first taste of the majors (93 wRC+), but he is a corner outfielder who has not shown an ability to hit for the necessary game power to pull off that profile. The 12.5 BB% and 25.8 K% he showed at Triple-A would be excellent marks if it came with 25-plus homer power, but Jones managed 11 home runs in 83 games last season. His 14.5 Barrel% and 49.1 Hard% in the majors suggest he could still get to enough power to occupy the strong side of a platoon. The Rockies will probably give significant playing time to Kris Bryant, Randal Grichuk and Charlie Blackmon to start the season, and when injuries or poor performance strike, Jones could be the next man up.

The addition of the 3rd Round pick, the Maulers now hold five selections in the Top 43 including three in the first round.

Given the uncertainty on Jones, the package for Varsho seems light given the catching-eligible slugger is projected as the second best at his position for 2023 with 339.5 points.

On the strength of 27 homers and 16 steals,Varsho finished as the No. 5 catcher in the RDBL a season ago. Being traded to the Blue Jays should only benefit Varsho's production, as Rogers Centre is a slightly more friendly to hitters compared to Chase Field in Arizona. Given the $21 saving from J.T. Realmuto to Varsho for similar, GM Ryan Walsh took a big step forward in their projections and flexibility for 2023.

TRADE: Heads Land Realmuto from Ducks

The Burlingame Blue Ducks had a pair of well-regarded catching options in J.T. Realmuto (2/$28) and Sal Perez (3/$16), but it was always doubtful the club was going to invest $44 combined in the position. GM Ryan Walsh confirmed that Thursday, trading Realmuto to the Honolulu Hammerheads in exchange for a pair of 2nd Round Picks (18th and 30th Overall).

Realmuto was fantastic again in 2022, slashing .276/.342/.478 with 22 homers, 21 steals and nearly 160 runs-plus-RBI, putting him in a different stratosphere from every other fantasy catcher. Realmuto was caught stealing just once and had his best season to date by wRC+. It's impossible to project another 20-steal season from a catcher entering his age-32 season, but don't write off the possibility completely with Realmuto. He's a great athlete and the three-time All-Star will have to shoulder more of the load for the Phillies offensively over the first few months while Bryce Harper recovers from Tommy John surgery.

He paced all catchers in scoring last season with 369.5 points and will team up with Tyler Stephenson to form one of the top duos in the league behind the plate.

TRADE: Falcons Use Excess to Land Robbie Ray from Grapes

The Maltese Falcons deep crop of Keeper options paid off again Thursday as the club struck a deal to make a major addition to their starting rotation. The club announced the acquisition of left-hander Robbie Ray (3/$5) from the Asti Grape Stompers for first baseman Anthony Rizzo (2/$17) and outfielder Mitch Haniger (3/$11).

Fresh off winning the AL Cy Young with Toronto in 2021, Robbie Ray joined Seattle on a five-year, $115 million deal helped his new team break a 20-year playoff drought. However, the left-hander saw his effectiveness drop across the board and finished 2022 with a 3.71 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 212:67 K:BB over 189 innings. He surrendered four runs in three frames during the wild-card round, and he then took a loss out of the bullpen in the ALDS without recording an out. It was an unceremonious end to the campaign as he surrendered 21 earned runs in his final 31 frames between the regular season and playoffs. Still, Ray had a solid 8.0 percent walk rate, which illustrates that his improved control from 2021 wasn't a one-year fluke. Now 31 years old, he likely won't be in contention for another Cy Young Award, but he should remain a strong mid-rotation piece for the Mariners if he can continue to keep the walks down which should provide elite value behind Zack Wheeler, Kevin Gausman and Nestor Cortes in the Falcons rotation.

Few clubs had a more pressing need than the Grapes on offense which this deal instantly helps solve.

Likely by design to take advantage of the short right field porch in Yankee Stadium, Anthony Rizzo hit flyballs at a career high 49% clip. It worked as he pulled 16 of his 32 long balls into the right field seats in the Bronx, though Rizzo's 18.4% strikeout rate was its highest since 2014. More flyballs helped sink Rizzo's BABIP to .216, the lowest mark of his career, though the resulting power fueled a 132 wRC+, his best since 2019. Rizzo's contact and hard-hit rates remain solid, but he's approaching the age where skills start to decline. He re-upped with the Yankees on a two-year deal with a buyout/club option for a third year, so the short porch will once again be a bullseye. The elephant in the room is Rizzo has been one of the most shifted players and with the new rules, he could benefit.

Mitch Haniger had a monster season in 2021 two years ahead of free agency, but he followed that up with the kind of year which reminded us of his fragility as he headed into free agency missing over 100 games with a high ankle sprain after fouling a ball off his instep in late June. The pre-injury numbers were mostly in line with non-2021 efforts but not the type of season a 31-year old pending free agent wanted to hit the open market with on his resume. The Giants still saw a clear everyday middle-of-the-order hitter, giving Haniger a three-year $43.5 million deal, and the fact that he is a righty on that type of deal should lock in playing time even on the platoon-happy Giants. It's actually a park upgrade for Haniger, as Oracle Park ranks as a slightly above-average park for righty hitters (per Baseball Savant), while T-Mobile Park in Seattle ranks second-worst for righties.