Best Fit for Top Ten RDBL Free Agents

As teams trim their rosters for the off-season, 2023 Projected Keeper Rosters are becoming more clear as well as the needs of RDBL Franchises for next season. After releasing out 2023 Free Agent Power Rankings, 1.0, we are covering the best fits for the Top 10 Free Agents led by right-hander Jacob deGrom who is rolling off a $66 contract.

As currently projected, RDBL clubs will have $2,232 to spend on 152 open roster spots in the 2023 Auction at an average price per opening of $14.68.

1. RHP Jacob deGrom

Projected Top Bid/Team: $68, Honolulu Hammerheads

The Hammerheads reportedly "won't be outbid" on Jacob deGrom in the 2023 Auction, setting the right-hander up for one of the largest contracts in RDBL History. While we don't see deGrom beating Gerrit Cole's record deal of $73, he should approach it based on his strong return at the end of 2022.

2. RHP Corbin Burnes

Projected Top Bid/Team: $65, Lunatic Fringe

The Fringe struggled to pair Sandy Alcantara with formidable rotation mates but seem determined to solve that issue in 2023. With the activation of Triston McKenzie and potentially Reid Detmers as well as the deadline addition of Lance McCullers, GM Tony Guglielmi has taken significant steps towards fixing that issue. The addition of a top flight starter like Corbin Burnes would turn the Fringe from a solid group to a potentially spectacular one for 2023.

3. OF Mike Trout

Projected Top Bid/Team: $62, Idaho Taters

The Taters posted a .234 average and .307 on base percentage in 2022, the worst marks in RDBL History. GM Mike Friedrich is determined to change that and the addition of Mike Trout would go a long way in solidifying a young but potentially dangerous offense.

4. 1B Freddie Freeman

Projected Top Bid/Team: $60, Cloverdale Clovers

The Clovers are likely to spend a good chunk of their cap space to round out their starting staff with likely one spot available, but the remainder of their money will be poured into an offense that looks to rebound following a 2022 season that saw them post a .390 slugging percentage, the worst in RDBL History. Freddie Freeman likely should hold the mantle of the top available hitter following another dominant season for the 2020 National League MVP and would fill a glaring hole at first for GM Chris Shelley.

5. OF Mookie Betts

Projected Top Bid/Team: $59, Spokane Fightin' Fish

The Fish have fourteen projected Keepers, including the activations of Vinny Pasquantino and Julio Rodriguez, with only Shane Bieber owed more than $5 in 2023. That leaves GM Mike Tirabassi with significant cap flexibility and only three spots on offense making Mookie Betts a logical fit to return to the team he helped lead to two titles in three seasons from 2016-2018. His 2018 campaign of 478.0 RDBL Regular Season points still ranks as the best in Fish Franchise History.

6. OF Juan Soto

Projected Top Bid/Team: $58, Asti Grape Stompers

The emergence of Hunter Greene and Brady Singer have given GM Terry Shelley some unexpected depth in the rotation and while they are still likely to add a big name there, the majority of their cap space is likely to be poured in an offense that hit just .245 last season. The addition of Soto would stabilize an outfield that is currently projected to only carry over Oscar Gonzalez.

7. OF Ronald Acuña

Projected Top Bid/Team: $57, Lake Merced Goutfish

Due to a knee injury in 2021, the Lake Merced Goutfish traded away their homegrown star Ronald Acuña as they chased down and ultimately won the RDBL Title. A return to GM Ryan Atkinson looks like it could be in the cards, giving the Goutfish a ridiculous front-line on offense of Fernando Tatis, Jr., Yordan Alvarez, Tim Anderson and Acuña.

8. RHP Gerrit Cole

Projected Top Bid/Team: $56, St. Joseph Jokers

The Jokers have finished 14th or 15th in pitching in four of the last six seasons with GM Rick Steen's only cash finish coming in 2018 when they led the league in pitching points. That points to Steen investing heavily in their starting rotation making Gerrit Cole a logical starting point if he's cut loose from his $73 option currently held by the Spokane Fightin' Fish.

9. RHP Max Scherzer

Projected Top Bid/Team: $56, Mission Viejo Maulers

Injuries are starting to catch up with Scherzer who missed time on multiple occasions in 2022 but still posted a 2.62 ERA in 141 1/3 innings. Entering his age 38 season, he's likely to take a paycut from his $68 contract he just wrapped up and would make sense to pair with Justin Verlander to give the Mission Viejo Maulers a vaunted 1-2 punch to join Aaron Judge and Nolan Arenado on offense.

10. 3B Rafael Devers

Projected Top Bid/Team: $55, Lunatic Fringe

The Fringe hold a projected RDBL-high $197 in cap space with Corbin Burnes, the second best available Free Agent, already slotted as a fit for GM Tony Guglielmi. Expect a pair of big splashes from the Fringe with Rafael Devers potentially filling a big infield hold for Guglielmi.

Questions Facing Each RDBL Franchise This Off-Season

Roger Dorn Baseball League Rosters will be trimmed to 40 players by November 1st, officially turning the page to preparation for the 2023 Draft. With the Free Agent Class loaded with top-end talent, an active off-season is expected as clubs look to trim their Keeper Lists and potentially clear cap space for significant Auction additions in March.

Here's one burning question for each RDBL Franchise to answer this off-season.

Alamo Short Stacks: Set at Catcher?

The Alamo Short Stacks Keeper Roster is largely settled heading into 2023, but GM Greg Shelley will face a decision on Will Smith (2/$30) who fulfilled all of the club's expectations this season. Smith finished the full season ranked second in scoring behind the plate, trailing only J.T. Realmuto who is expected to return to the Burlingame Blue Ducks at $28.

The club will also have a close eye on the San Diego Padres catching plan as prospect Luis Campusano finished the season on the big league roster while hitting .348 in 23 at-bats over the final month. A timeshare between Campusano and Austin Nola could be enough for the Stacks to pull the trigger on an activation.

Asti Grape Stompers: Alvarez Activation?

Francisco Alvarez's monster home run Tuesday night highlighted the upside of the slugging catcher and gave a hint of the upside of GM Terry Shelley's top prospect. Still just 20, Alvarez looks set to have a big role in the Playoffs for the New York Mets but handing over the full-time catcher duties in a big market to a young player could be tough to count on for 2023.

One prospect who will not need to wait for an activation call is Hunter Greene who posted a 1.02 ERA with a 51-7 strikeout to walk ratio over his final six starts and has been penciled into the 2023 Opening Day rotation.

Burlingame Blue Ducks: Set at Catcher?

Decisions at catcher seem to be a theme heading into 2023. The duo of J.T. Realmuto (2/$28) and deadline acquisition Sal Perez (3/$16) finished 2nd and 4th in catcher scoring in the RDBL Playoffs, possibly giving us a preview of what's to come at the position for GM Ryan Walsh in 2023. Will Walsh be comfortable committing $44 to the position while carry Cloverdale Clovers: Which Pitcher is Out?

The Clovers will look to infuse some talent at the plate after ranking 13th in hitter scoring in 2022, but appear to be overflowing with options on the mound. The first four spots are locked in between Miles Mikolas (2D/$5), Tyler Glasnow (2/$2), Dustin May (2/$1) and Michael Kopech (2R/$3). That leaves looming decisions on Jesus Luzardo (3R/$5) and the potential activation of Edward Cabrera (Minors). Given his injury history, GM Chris Shelley could be patient with Cabrera and utilize the prized right-hander as a mid-season boost to the lineup while leaving one spot open in the rotation to be filled in Auction.

Honolulu Hammerheads: D’Backs Rookies Ready?

The Hammerheads have their top two starting rotation spots booked with Pablo Lopez and Chris Sale, while rumors continue to swirl over an all-out pursuit of Jacob deGrom in Auction by GM Ross Horiuchi. That turns all eyes to the Arizona Diamondbacks rotation plans which will be linked directly to the pre-Draft decisions from the Heads. Both Ryne Nelson and Drey Jameson finished 2022 in the big leagues with excellent results while Brandon Pfaadt, the Minor League strikeout leader, finished in Triple-A on a tear while pacing the Minor Leagues in strikeouts. Which ones break camp and selecting which ones earn an Opening Day activation could be a key to the Heads 2023 season.

Idaho Taters: Trust the Young Players?

The Taters have a stable of former top prospects who are looking to turn those future outlooks into present day points. They aggressively activated Spencer Torkelson, Jo Adell and Casey Mize in 2022 to disappointing results. They will now face decisions on Josh Jung, Nolan Gorman, Matt Manning, Matt Liberatore and potentially Brennan Davis making Spring Training an important one in the Taters organization.

Lake Merced Goutfish: Who Joins Cease and Kirby?

The Lake Merced Goutfish were in an all-out effort to lock down a Wild Card spot in 2022, landing Blake Snell (2/$10) and Chris Bassitt (2/$27) as just two of their many acquisitions last season. While the focus was on the run to the Playoffs, both pitchers pitched so well down the stretch that they are firmly in the club’s 2023 plans behind Dylan Cease and George Kirby in the Opening Day rotation. Additionally, potential activation Roansy Contreras looks set for a full-time rotation spot in Pittsburgh and could be a back-end option for GM Ryan Atkinson.

Las Vegas Aristocrats: Cap Space Strategy

The Aristocrats hold the most projected cap space at $197 with both catching spots and a strong trio of starting pitchers locked up. The 3-man Front Office the ‘Crats now employ are likely to focus on the offense which needed a late run to finish 11th in hitter scoring last season. While the Free Agent Class is the strongest in recent memory, there appears to be significant cap space across the league which might make an off-season trade an easier path to an initial offensive upgrade.

Lunatic Fringe: Pitching Patched Up?

The Fringe struggled to pair Pitcher of the Year Sandy Alcantara with competent rotation mates behind him, posting the second worst ERA in the RDBL at 4.00. GM Tony Guglielmi has patched up that issue with their deadline acquisition of Lance McCullers and the activations of Triston McKenzie and Reid Detmers. With Michael Wacha (2FA/$5) potentially in the mix as well, expect Guglielmi to use a good chunk of their projected $193 in cap space to find another elite arm to pair with this group.

Maltese Falcons: Roster Crunch

The Falcons might face the most difficult decisions this off-season as a deep crop of Keeper worthy players will force the Front Office to part with at least one solid contributor. The current race for two spots appears to be catcher Jonah Hiem (2FA/$5), outfielder Teoscar Hernandez (3/$10) and reliever Scott Barlow (2/$5) with the club likely to exhibit patience with Gavin Lux (2R/$3) who has yet to breakout in Los Angeles. The club will also keep a close eye on potential activation Triston Casas who showed flashes of star-power in Boston late in 2022.

Meinert Hops: Ready for Rookies?

The Hops are already locked into the activation of Hitting Prospect of the Year Michael Harris III, but will closely monitor the off-season activities of the Washington Nationals and New York Mets as they make their plans for CJ Abrams and Brett Baty. Being able to count on one or both would be a major help to the Hops’ salary cap situation with Shohei Ohtani a lock to return at $88. Expectations will be raised for Andrew Vaughn (3R/$5) and Luis Robert (3R/$5) who both enter their final year of control and look to help fill the void left by the departed Free Agent Mike Trout.

Mission Viejo Maulers: Rotation Help?

The Maulers are set to return many of the key pieces on an offense that ranked second in scoring in the 2022 RDBL Regular Season but will have to deal with significant turnover in the rotation with only Justin Verlander (3/$5) and Nathan Eovaldi (3/$1) currently projected to return. GM Chris Ferraro could wait until Draft Day to address the need, but expect him to explore the off-season market for at least a third starter.

Mt. Diablo Devils: Are Greene and Franco Ready for Steps Forward?

Wander Franco (2R/$3) and Riley Greene (Minors) have topped prospect lists in each of the last two seasons and have had enough big league at-bats to have the pressure turn up a bit for significant 2023 production. The Devils finished last season ranked 10th in offensive scoring with GM Jason Watson’s preference to spend a significant chunk of their salary cap space to address the league’s 13th ranked pitching staff.

St. Joseph Jokers: How does Steen Leverage Draft Picks?

The Jokers are fresh off 14th, 12th and 15th place finishes over the last three seasons after finishing in the cash for the first time in 2018. That has the pressure building on GM Rick Steen who is facing the league’s most interesting off-season. On one hand, Steen has done a strong job building up a Farm System that looks ready to activate as many as six players in Gunnar Henderson, Kyle Wright, MJ Melendez, Joey Bart, Trevor Larnach and JJ Bleday with Gabriel Moreno not far behind. They also hold the first overall pick in the 2023 Reserve Draft along with six of the top 29 and nine of the first 44 selections. Will Steen take a patient approach and continue to build from within or look to pair Trea Turner (3/$49) and other holdovers with more proven Keepers through the trade market by moving some of the crop of picks they currently hold.

Spokane Fightin’ Fish: Bieber over Cole?

The Fightin’ Fish enter an ideal off-season as they enter 2023 coming off five cash finishes in six seasons and thirteen viable Keepers or activations due $5 or less next season. With so much cap flexibility, the club will face the decision on who they deem to be their ace as they hold options on Gerrit Cole (3/$73) and Shane Bieber (2/$58) with Martin Perez (2FA/$5) and Drew Rasmussen (2D/$5) the other likely holdovers in the rotation.

Way Too Early 2023 State Farm Power Rankings

With over four months until the 2023 Roger Dorn Baseball League Draft, we are covering the strongest Keeper Rosters heading into the off-season. This is a look at the current talent on projected 2023 Keeper Rosters while taking into account the club's cap space.

The 2023 Projected Keeper Roster page was used for evaluation of the Power Rankings, taking into account 2022 production or making adjustments up based on injury or likely production next season.

1. Alamo Short Stacks

Top Keeper: Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. (3R/$5)

Potential Activations: OF Corbin Carroll, LHP MacKenzie Gore, C Luis Campusano, 3B Miguel Vargas

The Stacks will bring back much of the core that took home the 2022 RDBL Regular Season and Playoff Championship as they look to become the first Franchise to go back to back. Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., Ty France, and Manny Machado will lead the offense again while Brandon Woodruff, Julio Urias and Logan Gilbert will hold the rotation's top three spots. Corbin Carroll and MacKenzie Gore are locks for activation while the club is hopeful Luis Campusano and Miguel Vargas, both on their respective MLB club's Playoff rosters, can earn starting jobs and provide additional cap space flexibility for GM Greg Shelley.

2. Burlingame Blue Ducks

Top Keeper: Alek Manoah (2R/$3)

Potential Activations: IF Luis Garcia, 3B Nolan Jones

GM Ryan Walsh continues to build a perennial contender with the 2023 Keeper Roster potentially the best of his career. While the offense will need an infusion of depth, the Ducks will boast the league's top returning rotation with the foursome of Alek Manoah, Cristian Javier, Aaron Nola and Tony Gonsolin coming off dominant years while Jack Flaherty could provide a $1 boost at the back-end of the group.

3. Spokane Fightin' Fish

Top Keeper: OF Julio Rodriguez (1R/$1)

Potential Activations: *OF Julio Rodriguez, *1B Vinny Pasquantino

The J-Rod show was electric in the RDBL Playoffs before the outfielder was sidelined with a back injury and he's poised for a dominant 2023 season. GM Michael Tirabassi has 11 potential Keepers at $5 or cheaper alongside ace Shane Bieber who will likely unseat Gerrit Cole at the top of the Fish rotation while the club will likely hope for one more season of top-line production from 2022 surprise Martin Perez. With a strong core in place under exceptional values, Tirabassi has one of the best spending power cap situations in the RDBL giving them yet another run at a league title.

4. Maltese Falcons

Top Keeper: RHP Zack Wheeler (3/$25)

Potential Activations: 3B Jose Miranda, 1B Triston Casas

The Falcons will bring back the trio of Zack Wheeler, Kevin Gausman and Nestor Cortes on the mound while pairing them with a deep group of hitters. Activation candidates Jose Miranda and Triston Casas are cutting their teeth in the big leagues now and should be ready to contribute in a big way for 2023 as the Falcons look to produce their eighth cash finish in 10 seasons.

5. Cloverdale Clovers

Top Keeper: RHP Tyler Glasnow (2/$3)

Potential Activations: C Adley Rutschman, RHP Edward Cabrera, OF Alek Thomas, SS Oneil Cruz

The Clovers closed a window of contention with the trio of Mookie Betts, Juan Soto and Rafael Devers in 2022, but will open up a new window led by a dominant and cost-controlled starting rotation. The foursome of Miles Mikolas, Tyler Glasnow, Dustin May and Michael Kopech will be owed just $11 combined, giving GM Chris Shelley the cap space needed to shore up an offense that ranked 13th in 2022. The addition of Adley Rutschman will certainly help as he's likely to enter 2023 as the top ranked catcher in baseball. On paper, the Clovers have title-contention upside but will employ two pitchers in their first full season back from Tommy John and another oft-injured arm (Kopech) bringing significant risk.

6. Lake Merced Goutfish

Top Keeper: RHP Dylan Cease (2R/$3) / OF Yordan Alvarez (2R/$3)

Potential Activations: RHP Roansy Contreras, RHP Bobby Miller

No team is happier to turn the page on the 2022 season than the Lake Merced Goutfish. The club has plenty of talent remaining as Dylan Cease, Yordan Alvarez and Fernando Tatis, Jr. are a three-headed monster for just $11 combined. The Front Office will face some interesting decision on Matt Olson (2/$46) and Josh Bell (3/$27) who could both be trade candidates this off-season.

7. Meinert Hops

Top Keeper: SP/OF Shohei Ohtani (2/$88)

Potential Activations: OF Michael Harris, SS CJ Abrams, 3B Brett Baty

The Hops broke a seven year drought, finishing inside the money in 2022 with their Wild Card win. While they will part with Mike Trout, superstar Shohei Ohtani (2/$88) and the lethal 1-2 combo of Shane McClanahan (2R/$3) and Zac Gallen (2/$15) will be back alongside RDBL Hitting Prospect of the Year Michael Harris (1R/$1). That top line of talent is certainly a contender, but GM Garrett Shelley will likely be on the lookout for more depth to their Keeper Roster with hopes Andrew Vaughn (3R/$5) and Luis Robert (3R/$5) can take big steps forward in production in their final year of control.

8. Mission Viejo Maulers

Top Keeper: OF Aaron Judge (3/$31)

Potential Activations: *SS/2B/OF Nico Hoerner, OF Josh Lowe

GM Chris Ferraro should be lauded for turning the league's 14th place team in 2021 into a title contender last season with the league's second best offense. While much of the offense returns including Hitter of the Year Aaron Judge and potential National League MVP Nolan Arenado, Ferraro will need to invest heavily in the rotation behind Justin Verlander in order to make it back to back Playoff trips for the Maulers.

9. Honolulu Hammerheads

Top Keeper: 3B Austin Riley (3R/$5)

Potential Activations: OF Jarren Duran, RHP Drey Jameson, RHP Ryne Nelson, RHP Brandon Pfaadt, C Ivan Herrera

The deadline addition of Paul Goldschmidt gives GM Ross Horiuchi a championship-level duo when matched with Austin Riley. They will need to replace the production of 2022 starters Carlos Rodon, Jacob deGrom and Corbin Burnes (a trio that was paid $76 combined last season and could be in line for $175 combined in 2023), turning to deadline addition Pablo Lopez (2/$13) while hoping Chris Sale (2/$1) can return to form despite throwing just 47 2/3 innings over the last three seasons combined. The biggest wild card for the Hammerheads might be the Diamondbacks rotation plans as Drey Jameson, Ryne Nelson and Brandon Pfaadt all finished 2022 scorching hot with at least two having the potential to hold down Opening Day rotation spots. Healthy returns for Tyler Stephenson (2R/$3) and Alex Kirilloff (2R/$3) will also be critical.

10. Mt. Diablo Devils

Top Keeper: IF Jose Ramirez (2/$47)

Potential Activations: OF Riley Greene, LHP Nick Lodolo, IF Michael Busch, RHP Cade Cavalli, RHP Luis Patiño, RHP James Kaprielian, SS Geraldo Perdomo

The Devils top five of Bryce Harper (2/$62), Jose Ramirez (2/$47), Bo Bichette (3R/$5), Merrill Kelly (2D/$5) and Wander Franco (2R/$3) is elite, but GM Jason Watson will be focused on getting more production behind the stars in 2023. The Devils will have a bevy of activation options led by outfielder Riley Greene and one of the lower cap numbers due to the contracts of Harper and Ramirez, making this an interesting Winter of decisions from Watson.

11. Lunatic Fringe

Top Keeper: RHP Sandy Alcantara (3R/$5)

Potential Activations: RHP Triston McKenzie, LHP Reid Detmers, OF Brandon Marsh

The activation of Triston McKenzie and acquisition of Lance McCullers will quickly patch up the biggest hole on the Fringe roster in 2022 as they struggled to find reliable starters being Pitcher of the Year Sandy Alcantara. That will likely push GM Tony Guglielmi's Auction investments into the offense which finished 12th in the league in scoring last season.

12. Las Vegas Aristocrats

Top Keeper: LHP Max Fried (3R/$5)

Potential Activations: C William Contreras, C Shea Langeliers, SS Bryson Stott, OF Garrett Mitchell

The strength of the Aristocrats Keeper Roster lies mainly in the starting rotation with Max Fried, Joe Musgrove and Joe Ryan set to lead the group while a young, but cheap core of hitters will be counted on in 2023. As currently constructed, the hitting group will need an infusion of star power but the 'Crats Front Office currently projects to have one of the league's top cap space numbers to match the best Free Agent Class we have seen in league history.

13. Idaho Taters

Top Keeper: 2B Jose Altuve (3/$25)

Potential Activations: 2B Nolan Gorman, 3B Josh Jung, RHP Matt Manning, LHP Matt Liberatore, IF/OF Vidal Brujan, OF Brennan Davis

The Taters Keeper Roster shares many of their same quality as they had entering 2022 -- lots of promise but coupled with uncertainty. The emergence of Sean Murphy gives GM Mike Friedrich a strong offense core with Jose Altuve and Brandon Nimmo. The remainder of the group is wild card with Spencer Torkelson, Jo Adell, Nolan Gorman and Josh Jung all looking to turn former prospect shine into big league production. With similar question marks (but plenty of options) in the rotation, expect Friedrich to look at the top of the Free Agent market at least twice to stabilize the young core.

14. Asti Grape Stompers

Top Keeper: SS Bobby Witt, Jr. (2R/$3)

Potential Activations: C Francisco Alvarez, RHP Hunter Greene

The Grapes have their key pieces in place with Bobby Witt, Jr. (2R/$3), Andres Gimenez (2D/$5) and Robbie Ray (3/$5) all likely 400+ point producers for 2023 for a combined 2023. Currently, depth on the Keeper List is an issue that GM Terry Shelley will need to address but the remainder of the group does come with significant upside provided Hunter Greene can continue his ascent and if Francisco Alvarez is awarded an Opening Day role.

15. St. Joseph Jokers

Top Keeper: SS Trea Turner (3/$49)

Potential Activations: SS Gunnar Henderson, C Joey Bart, C MJ Melendez, OF Trevor Larnach, OF JJ Bleday

The Jokers have rebuilt their Farm System which looks poised to produce as many as five activations for 2023 led by Gunnar Henderson and Kyle Wright. There is work to be done for the remainder of the Keeper List as the Jokers produced the lowest point total in RDBL History, with both the hitting group and pitching group ranking as the worst units since the move to the Playoff system in 2016. GM Rick Steen has the ammo to add with a bevy of draft picks and a fair amount of cap space if the club decides to part ways with mid-season acquisition Giancarlo Stanton (3/$31).