The release of the 2022 Free Agent Power Rankings 1.0 provided the Roger Dorn Baseball League Front Offices with their first complete look at the talent expected to be available for the 2022 Auction. The group is headlined by Shohei Ohtani, Bryce Harper and Jose Ramirez.
2022 will represent the completion of the third cycle of original Free Agents in RDBL History as this will be the ninth season of play. 2023 is shaping up as a legendary class headlined by Mike Trout, Ronald Acuña, Juan Soto, Jacob deGrom and many more high profile names.
Looming Big Money Options
The strength of the 2022 Free Agent Class will depend largely on the large sum options of Gerrit Cole (2/$73), Max Scherzer (3/$68) and Mike Trout (3/$71). If each is retained by their own club or acquired with the intention to retain, it will be a giant dent to the class and could lead to spikes in value for players like Alex Bregman (2/$40) who are looking to shake off an injury-plagued season but currently projected as a drop.
Sho-Time
Between the mound and the plate, Ohtani posted 845.5 points in 2021, almost 200 more than the next highest player in the RDBL. That dominance has led to a robust market with one RDBL Executive expecting Ohtani to generate an $80 bid on Draft Day.
Infield is ROUGH
If your club isn't set in the infield, good luck. There are standouts in Ketal Marte, Ozzie Albies, Xander Bogaerts, Matt Olsen and Jose Ramirez, but things drop off quickly after those five leaving it quite difficult to find impact talent without paying big money to acquire it.
Active Catcher Market
A wave of young catchers on RDBL Rookie contracts should lead to an active market for backstops leading into Draft Day and in Auction. Willson Contreras (2/$23) and Mike Zunino (2FA/$5) are good bets to be moved through trade while Will Smith, Yasmani Grandal and J.T. Realmuto provide three exceptional options in Auction.
Yelich's Next Deal
Back to back subpar seasons led to a quick off-season release of Christian Yelich by the St. Joseph Jokers. The outfielder earned $59 in Auction last season but figures to see a substantial decrease this season. Just how far it goes down will be one of the storylines to watch in Auction.
Bauer Outage
Trevor Bauer's situation in Los Angeles remains in peril as the police announced they won't pursue any charges against him while MLB continues to review his case and could levy their own suspension. Bauer holds a 3/$55 option that is certain to be declined, but his market will be an interesting one to watch.