The 2021 Roger Dorn Baseball Keeper Deadline was among the most anticipated in League History as clubs have waited 24 months for the opportunity to prep for an Auction Draft.
Monday's deadline went as expected in many respects, but some teams provided some surprising moves that pivoted the market across multiple positions.
Here are some of the moves that stood out on Monday:
Devils Retain Scherzer for RDBL-Record Contract
A shallow Free Agent pitcher's market was expected to be infused with Max Scherzer but Mt. Diablo Devils changed those plans by retaining the right-hander for 2021. Scherzer will represent the highest Keeper contract for a pitcher at $68 and the second highest keeper contract in RDBL History behind Mike Trout who will also set the record this season at $71. Battling back and neck injuries in 2020, Scherzer posted a 3.74 ERA and 1.38 WHIP, the latter being the worst mark of his career. It's not all doom and gloom though as Scherzer still posted a dominant 31.2% strikeout rate and is one of the league's most dependable starters in a season where pitcher innings will be monitored extremely closely.
Taters Hold Back on Activations
The RDBL continues to follow the trends of Major League Baseball, for good or for bad. The Taters believe their window of contention hasn't opened with GM Mike Friedrich electing to hold back both Sean Ryan Murphy and Brendan Rodgers in the Minors. While Rodgers still has much to prove, Murphy is a solid bet to be a Top-10 catcher in 2021 but is expected to leave the points on the bench for the duration of the season. The move was a dent to the remainder of the RDBL as well as 19 openings at the position increased to 20, leaving an upcoming battle in Auction for primary starters across the league.
Goutfish Confidently Leave Alvarez in Minors
The Lake Merced Goutfish undoubtedly boast one of the league's best rosters leaving GM Ryan Atkinson comfortable leaving one of the top activation candidates in the Minors. Alvarez ranked #1 overall in the 2020 RDBL Top 100, but could remain on the sidelines for the Goutfish until the 2021 Playoffs provided the club gets out to a hot start. The goal would be to stretch Alvarez's control over more than three seasons with a "free" activation for the Playoffs -- a trend we might see experimented with across the league.
Fried Left in Minors
The Aristocrats certainly have a solid roster, but could certainly have used the boost of left-hander Max Fried who was left in the Minors despite his dominant 2020 season. The club reportedly is looking to strategically fill out their starting rotation in Auction with a plan of activating Fried at the start of Period 6, the first day Minor Leaguers not promoted for Opening Day can be added to the Active Roster. If that plan is carried out, it will certainly be interesting to see if the move hurts them in the standings especially after the club finished just one spot out of the Playoffs in 2019.
Fish Position Crunch Leaves Hayes in Minors
The Fightin' Fish surprised many when they were able to pry Ke'Bryan Hayes away from a rebuilding Taters club with many viewing Hayes as a plug and play option for 2021. With Jose Ramirez and Yoan Moncada manning third and corner infield, GM Michael Tirabassi decided to hold off on that move, leaving Hayes in the Minors for at least the first five weeks at which point he is expected to be the next man up. The club was also not convinced enough with Tyler O'Neill's monster Spring, but the outfielder should also serve as a potential mid-season addition to the Active Roster.