The Lake Merced Goutfish continue to bounce back and forth on the future of left-hander Framber Valdez (2/$48) who ranked 8th in scoring in 2023 with 485.0 points as the co-ace of the RDBL Champions. Valdez has worked the fifth-most innings of any starting pitcher over the past two seasons trailing only Sandy Alcantara, Gerrit Cole, Logan Webb, and Miles Mikolas. The lefty has returned three consecutive seasons of double digit wins, strong ratios, and a voluminous strikeout total and even threw in a no-hitter this season against Cleveland. Valdez was 9-7 with a 3.07 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP after completing that no-hitter on August 1st but was just 3-4 with a 4.29 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP from then on, which does not even include his very disappointing postseason where he allowed 12 earned runs and lost all three of his starts.
Valdez is one of many options for the Goutfish rotation with GM Ryan Atkinson still working through his options. Activation options Bobby Miller (Minors) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Minors) are clearly ready along with Dylan Cease (3R/$5), Blake Snell (3/$10), George Kirby (3R/$5) and Marcus Stroman (2/$5) all looking to lock in spots for Opening Day.
The St. Joseph Jokers, Las Vegas Aristocrats and Asti Grape Stompers are among the clubs with the cap space and potential need at starting pitcher to have interest in Valdez.
Around the RDBL
The Alamo Short Stacks continue to scour the market for additional starting pitching after adding left-hander Tarik Skubal (2/$1) on Tuesday. The club had preliminary discussions on RDBL’s top overall prospect Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Minors) of the Goutfish, but the negotiations couldn’t get passed initial interest from both sides and appear dead according to sources. The Stacks have focused on players with contractual control through at least 2025 according to those familiar with trade talks. San Mateo Oppo Tacos left-hander Justin Steele (2D/$5), a 2023 Reserve Draft pick of the Stacks, appears to be another name the Stacks have expressed interest in over recent days. The club also appears to have a logjam in the middle infield with Masyn Winn (Minors) pushing for an Opening Day activation. The club has floated Gavin Lux (2D/$5) as a potential trade candidate. Lux retains eligibility at second, shortstop and in the outfield after missing all of 2023 due to a knee injury.
The Cloverdale Clovers are expected to bring back right-hander Michael Kopech (3R/$5) and outfielder Jarred Kelenic (3R/$5) according to sources. The pair is entering their final season under control with mixed results through the first two seasons of their deals. Kopech finished the 2023 season on the injured list while recovering from a minor surgery he underwent in September to remove a cyst from his right knee, but after an estimated 6-to-8-week recovery period, the right-hander had a more normal offseason than he's experienced in recent years. Despite struggling to a 5.43 ERA and 1.59 WHIP while striking out 134 batters over a career-high 129.1 innings in 2023, Kopech looks secure in the White Sox rotation heading into Opening Day. Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said early in camp that the team is leaning toward playing Kelenic every day in left field rather than platooning him, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports. This isn't terribly surprising to hear since Atlanta doesn't have an obvious platoon partner for Kelenic right now, but it's nonetheless encouraging for his fantasy prospects. The 24-year-old actually had a better OPS against lefties (.774) than he did versus righties (.738) in 2023, although in his career he has just a .566 OPS and 29.9 percent strikeout rate against southpaws. Atlanta feels that giving Kelenic regular work versus lefties will be the best way for him to improve.
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