Rumor Central: Maulers Exploring Deals for Judge, Verlander and Others

The Mission Viejo Maulers certainly jump started the conversation across the Roger Dorn Baseball League Monday night, making it clear to all teams that the likes of Aaron Judge (3/$31), Justin Verlander (3/$5), Nolan Arenado (3/$38) and Alex Bregman (2/$36) could all be moved before Draft Day.

Judge is fresh off a record breaking 2022 season, posting 652.5 points while being named the RDBL Hitter of the Year and American League MVP. He was at his best to finish the year, breaking the RDBL Record for Playoff Points with 177.5 points over his final five weeks.

Justin Verlander had another banner season with 647.0 points, capturing his third Cy Young Award as he posted a 1.75 ERA over 175 innings. He signed a two-year, $86.66M contract with the New York Mets and will pitch in the National League for the first time in his career at 39 years old.

While Judge and Verlander clearly offer eye-popping numbers, Arenado and Bregman should not be overlooked. The duo ranked 3rd and 5th in third base scoring in 2022. Bregman was otherworldly in the 2nd Half, posting a .287/.379/.515 line over his final 67 games including a .362/.452/.681 line in August.

While its obvious every team would have general interest in the foursome, some look like more obvious fits in terms of need, win cycle and players that match up with what GM Chris Ferraro would seek in return.

On paper, the Cloverdale Clovers and Maltese Falcons might stack up the best to swing a major deal as both teams are right in the middle of their contention window while also holding several high-profile young players and prospects that are close or already in the big leagues. The Falcons have been working to pair down their Keeper List in recent days, reportedly already having an agreement in place to shed a starting pitcher when the league's season officially starts on Wednesday.

The Lake Merced Goutfish can never be counted out as we have learned countless times while the Idaho Taters could be a team to watch. GM Mike Friedrich has been burned by activations and might have soured on his draft and develop strategy despite placing seven prospects in most of the Top 100 lists last week.

The Lunatic Fringe are loaded with young pitching, including activation ready right-hander Triston McKenzie who captured the Pitching Prospect of the Year in 2022 with 571.0 points and could pique the interest of the Maulers as a starting point for multiple players.

The Spokane Fightin' Fish have one of the league's youngest and cheapest rosters in the RDBL, giving GM Michael Tirabassi several assets that would likely be of interest to Ferraro along with the need for a frontline starter if the club moves on from Gerrit Cole for $73 and potentially Shane Bieber for $58.

The Alamo Short Stacks have reportedly been involved in discussions as well with MacKenzie Gore (Minors) and Logan Gilbert (2R/$3) serving as potential chips with outfielder Corbin Carroll (Minors) likely off limits. The Stacks are facing a 2023 season that will mark the final one under contract for Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., Brandon Woodruff, Julio Urias, Emmanuel Clase and Ty France, likely pushing GM Greg Shelley to aggressively try and defend their 2022 RDBL Title.

Much more to come as the market takes shape in the coming days and weeks.

2023 First Base Market: Freeman Leads Top-Heavy Class of Free Agents

Like many of the positions we will review for the upcoming 2023 Draft, the first base Free Agent Class is loaded at the top with potentially two $50+ options available in Auction. Freddie Freeman is the class of the position after leading all first baseman in scoring last season with plenty left in the tank as he enters his age 33 season in Los Angeles.

It's rare to have any first base prospects take full ownership of a job on Opening Day, but 2023 projects to mark two important activations for the Maltese Falcons and Spokane Fightin' Fish with Triston Casas and Vinnie Pasquantino both ready to produce at the big league level.

​Top RDBL Free Agents	Top Trade Candidates
1. Freddie Freeman, Dodgers 2. Pete Alonso, Mets 3. Nate Lowe, Rangers 4. *Josh Bell, Guardians 5. Darick Hall, Phillies *Currently Projected to be Released	1. Matt Olson (2/$46), Goutfish 2. Anthony Rizzo (2/$17), Falcons 3. Brandon Belt (3/$3), Devils 4. Rowdy Tellez (2D/$5), Falcons 5. Trey Mancinci (2/$14), Fish
Top Available Prospects	Top RDBL Prospects
1. Kyle Manzardo, Rays 2. Matt Mervis, Cubs 3. Jordan Diaz, Athletics 4. Michael Toglia, Rockies 5. Grant Lavigne, Rockes	1. Triston Casas, Falcons 2. Vinnie Pasquantino, Fish 3. Tyler Soderstrom, Devils 4. Nick Pratto, Clovers 5. Ivan Melendez, Aristocrats
2022 Rankings	​2023 Projections
​1. Freddie Freeman (FA), 553.5 2. Paul Goldschmidt (Heads), 534.5 3. Pete Alonso (FA), 462.0 4. Jose Abreu (Jokers), 446.5 5. Vlad Guerrero, Jr. (Stacks), 441.5	​1. Paul Goldschmidt (Heads), 543.0 2. Freddie Freeman (FA), 513.0 3. Vlad Guerrero, Jr. (Stacks), 448.0 4. Pete Alonso (FA), 440.5 5. Jose Abreu (Jokers), 419.0

Team Needs

Five teams currently project to have clear needs at first base with the Idaho Taters, Asti Grape Stompers, Cloverdale Clovers, Las Vegas Aristocrats likely focused on the position while the Lake Merced Goutfish are also likely to have a need with a likely deal of Matt Olson expected soon.

Activation Candidates

The first base position generally has the highest age group and the smallest number of activations due to clubs looking to hold the position for aging veterans. The group will be infused with two young talents in 2023 though as Triston Casas (Falcons) and Vinnie Pasquantino (Fish) make the jump onto their team's active rosters. Pasquantino was added to the Fightin' Fish Playoff roster last season while the Red Sox have cleared the way for Casas in Boston, making him a strong candidate for 450+ plate appearances this season.

Top Free Agent

Only Aaron Judge outscored Freddie Freeman among all hitters in 2022, lining up the Dodgers first baseman for a monster payday in the 2023 Auction. Freeman has been among the most consistent hitters in the RDBL, posting 500+ points in five of his last six full seasons while adding the National League MVP in the shortened 2020 season.

Under the Radar Free Agent

Coming off a 25 home run season with 500 at-bats, and no issues with playing time for 2023, expected drop Seth Brown could have himself a market to round out an RDBL offensive lineup. He finished in the 90th percentile in barrel rate last season, making some improvements as the year went by on his approach despite 146 strikeouts overall. A slight tick up in his walk rate could push him over the 300 point mark in 2023.

Top Trade Candidate

The Goutfish have had strong interest in Matt Olson during the RDBL's quiet period with an expectation that he could be moved quickly when the 2023 season officially starts on Wednesday. Olson smashed 34 home runs in 2022, the first year of a new $46 contract with the Lake Merced Goutfish where he had previously finished his rookie contract while helping lead them to a RDBL Title in 2021. Olson dominated in April, slashing .293/.398/.476 while looking like a Draft Day steal. Things would creep downward as the season went on with Olson hitting just .219 in the second half, though it came with 17 home runs and an elite .462 slugging percentage. The shift ban might add a few hits to his box score in 2023, adding to his prolific power making him a candidate to approach his career best 483.0 point output in 2021 this season.

Top Prospect Available

Rays first baseman Kyle Manzardo is more than just a prospect with a close ETA. He hit .327/.426/.617 with 22 homers, 26 doubles, 81 RBIs and nearly as many walks (59) as strikeouts (65) in 93 games between High-A Bowling Green and Double-A Montgomery. While he will need another year of seasoning, Manzardo could push his way into Tampa Bay late in the season and position himself for a 2024 activation which had him projected as the 9th overall pick in the 2023 Mock Reserve Draft.

Top RDBL Prospect

There’s little doubt that the first-base gig is Triston Casas’ now. The official release of Eric Hosmer on Dec. 22 made sure that Casas was the only American Heritage High School alum going for a spot at Fenway Park’s cold corner. Bobby Dalbec does provide a right-handed option, but his subpar 2022 campaign should have taken him out of the running. Casas showed signs of his promising power and good defense in his 27 games with the Sox last year, and that may have been enough to keep them from chasing other first-base options in the winter. The Falcons were planning to play things slow with Casas, but with Hosmer out the door the club is likely to make the move on his Opening Day activation.

Rumor Central: Falcons Active on Market, Fringe Close on Olson?

The Maltese Falcons are working to pair down their deep crop of Keeper eligible players and according to sources, the club is engaged with multiple clubs as the official start of the 2023 season looms. Fresh off their RDBL-Record tying fourth Division Title and seventh cash finish, GM Gary Falzon and Assistant GM Erik Nielsen are faced with the task of trimming an impressive group of big leaguers down to 12 Keepers before Draft Day.

As talks have started, the group expected to be available includes IF Max Muncy (3/$17), Anthony Rizzo (2/$17), Mitch Haniger (3/$11), Andrew Benintendi (2/$10), Ian Happ (2/$13) and Rowdy Tellez (2D/$5) on offense while right-hander Tyler Mahle (3/$8) and relievers Scott Barlow (2/$5) and Peter Fairbanks (2FA/$5) could all garner interest.

The Falcons have poked around the catchers market while maintaining an interest in bringing back Jonah Heim (2FA/$5). With a glut of offensive needs, the Asti Grape Stompers could line up nicely with the Falcons if Falzon and Nielsen have interest in Willson Contreras (3/$23) who is entering his final season under contract at a reasonable value.

The two clubs reportedly had preliminary discussions on left-hander Robbie Ray (3/$5), but talks quickly cooled with Ray expected back for 2023 in the green and purple.

The St. Joseph Jokers have been most active on the starting pitcher front and have had initial discussions on Mahle according to sources. The Jokers own nine of the top 44 picks in the 2023 Reserve Draft, but are looking to hold onto their 1st and 2nd Round selections in talks according to those familiar with talks.

Around the RDBL

- The Lake Merced Goutfish are exploring the possibility of retaining three relievers with Edwin Diaz (2/$7), Clay Holmes (2FA/$5) and Felix Bautista (2FA/$5) all currently projected to return. CBS Sports has the trio projected for 949.0 points in 2023 with Diaz leading the way at 354.0 points.

GM Ryan Atkinson is confident they will have a quick deal for first baseman Matt Olson (2/$46) when the 2023 Season officially opens on February 1st with the Lunatic Fringe appearing to be the most interested party according to sources. The club will leverage Spring Training to pair down their starting rotation with Roansy Contreras (Minors) pushing for an Opening Day activation while the allure of Noah Syndergaard (2/$1) with the Los Angeles Dodgers brain power behind him will be given every chance to impress.

The club also faces an interesting call on Blake Snell (2/$10) who posted a 2.19 ERA in 14 second half starts while punching out 105 in 78.0 innings over that span.