The Maltese Falcons certainly are looking to turn the page in 2024 after missing the Playoffs for just the third time in Franchise History last season. Knocking on the door of their former Assistant GM Erik Nielsen, the club announced a blockbuster deal to acquire outfielder Juan Soto (2/$65) and right-hander Chris Bassitt from the San Mateo Oppo Tacos. In exchange for the duo, the Oppo Tacos will receive right-hander Tyler Wells (2FA/$5), outfielders James Wood (Minors), Sal Frelick (Minors), Luis Matos (Minors) and 2024 1st and 2nd Round Picks (10th and 22nd overall).
Soto was hitting .202 with five homers and 11 RBI as the calendar flipped to May, making the outfielder the center of trade rumors last summer before he was dealt to the former Idaho Taters. Soto went on to turn things around, hitting 30 homers, driving in 98, and hitting .290 for the rest of the season to finish as the 16th most valuable fantasy player in our standard rankings.
He was one of three qualified hitters with more walks than strikeouts in 2023 and has still not fallen below the .400 mark for a season on-base percentage in his entire career. The batting average has taken a tumble since the 2020-2021 season but the volume is still in place for the other statistics. After getting traded to the Yankees for his final year before free agency this Winter, Soto will gain a massive home-park power boost, as Yankee Stadium rates as the second best park for lefty power, per Baseball Savant's park factors, while San Diego rated as the fifth-worst such park.
Tacos GM Erik Nielsen heavily shopped Soto this Winter up and down the RDBL, but his significant salary forced many clubs to attach another player to their trade discussions. The inclusion of Chris Bassitt got the deal over the finish line as the right-hander is fresh off the best season of his career, finishing 2023 with a 3.60 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 186:59 K:BB across 200 innings while posting 457.0 points, 14th most in the RDBL.
That workload set a career high for a third straight year, building on his previous high of 181.2 frames. He dealt with a back issue early in 2023 but didn't miss a start and was healthy the rest of the way. The right-hander certainly isn't the most dominant pitcher with a 22.5 percent strikeout rate last year, but he mixes his repertoire well and reliably limits hard contact. Bassitt has outperformed his underlying numbers throughout his career, so a 4.04 xERA and 4.21 xFIP in 2023 isn't much of a concern. Repeating a fully healthy campaign can be difficult to expect for starting pitchers -- especially in their age-35 season -- but Bassitt enters 2024 as a reliable option for the Falcons as he slots in alongside young activation Eury Perez (Minors) with Seth Lugo (2FA/$5) and Nestor Cortes (3D/$15) firmly in the mix for the rotation.
The additions of Soto and Bassitt certainly elevate what was an interesting and young Falcons Roster into a Playoff contender. Soto and Bassitt carry a 952.0 combined point projection for 2024 for a group that holds significant upside between Riley Greene, Vinnie Pasquantino, Royce Lewis, Tirston Casas, Edouard Julien and Eury Perez who are owed a collective $10.
While the Tacos completed a minor deal early this month, Friday night's blockbuster is the first major fingerprint on the Franchise by Nielsen. In a system that currently lacks depth, the Tacos scored a pair of outfielders in Frelick and Matos who will start 2024 in the big leagues while Wood ranks among the highest upside prospects still in the Minors.
Wood, the headliner of the return, developed a bit of a strikeout issue last season which finished north of 30%, but it came with 26 home runs, 28 doubles, eight triples and a .874 OPS across two Minor League stops. He's ticketed for Triple-A to start 2024 and likely to be on a similar timeline as RDBL's 5th ranked prospect Dylan Crews in the Nationals organization. He ranked 23rd Overall in the RDBL Top 100 while Frelick and Matos ranked 70th and 74th.
Wells was dynamite in the first half for the Orioles in 2023, putting up a 3.18 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 103:24 K:BB over 104.2 frames. He then fell apart in a hurry after the All-Star break, getting knocked around in three straight starts which led to a demotion to the minors. Wells got moved to the bullpen at Triple-A Norfolk and eventually found his way back to Baltimore, where he made eight scoreless appearances between the regular season and playoffs. The plan is for Wells to return to the rotation in 2024, where he can eat innings in the middle of the Tacos pitching staff.
The Tacos entered the off-season without a selection in the first three rounds, but now can begin to transform their Farm System with the 10th and 22nd picks overall.
The move of Soto could open the door for infielder Marcus Semien (2/$37) to remain with the club while Nielsen is likely to continue to market catcher Will Smith (3/$30) before Draft Day.