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2021 Fantasy Baseball Transaction Tracker

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We will be updating the 2021 Fantasy Baseball Transaction Tracker with all the trades and signings as teams continue to make moves.

The MLB offseason is in full swing as they look to forge ahead following their COVID shortened 2020 campaign.

Our Fantasy Baseball analysts go over the major moves and give their take on how it shakes the Fantasy landscape.

2021 Fantasy Baseball Transaction Tracker

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Corey Kluber signs for 1yr/$11 million with the Yankees

The two-time Cy Young winner (2014, 2017) has started just eight games over the last two seasons, including just one inning in 2020 after tearing his shoulder in his first and only start with the Texas Rangers.

Kluber has not looked like an elite starter since 2018 and is unlikely to reach those heights again. However, with the Yankees’ powerful offense behind him, he could return a solid number of wins and strikeouts if he is able to stay healthy.

– Jonathan Chan (@jchan_811)

Mets acquire Francisco Lindor, Carlos Carrasco

Another superstar on the move for another underwhelming return. Steve Cohen got his first big move as owner under his belt, acquiring Lindor and Carrasco for Amed Rosario, Andres Gimenez, Josh Wolf, and Isaiah Greene.

New York adds one of the league’s best shortstops to their lineup, another weapon around Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, and Michael Conforto. Lindor has 162-game averages of 29 home runs, 86 RBI, and 21 steals over his six seasons in Cleveland. His Gold Glove defense should also help the Mets pitchers perform at a slightly higher level. Lindor should have no problem reaching his career averages in a better lineup than the one he played in last season.

Carrasco was excellent in his comeback from Leukemia last season, posting a 2.91 ERA and 10.9 K/9 in 68 innings. Carasco will likely start the season as the No.2 starter behind Jacob deGrom and in front of Marcus Stroman. When Noah Syndergaard returns from Tommy John surgery he will become the No.2.

Carrasco should be able to maintain an ERA around 3.00 in the National League.

– Jonathan Chan (@jchan_811)

Nationals sign Kyle Schwarber to a 1yr/$10 million contract

After six seasons in Chicago, Kyle Schwarber has signed a one-year $10 million contract with the Washington Nationals. The power-hitting outfielder will be an everyday part of the Nats’ lineup in left field, moving Juan Soto to right field.

Schwarber struggled in the shortened 2020 season, slashing .188/.308/.393 with 11 home runs and 24 RBI in 59 games. His .393 slugging percentage was by far the lowest of his career. Now part of a stronger lineup in Washington, Schwarber should not have a problem returning to a 30 home run threat with an average around .240.

Rotochamp is projecting Schwarber to hit second in the Nationals lineup, between Trea Turner and Soto. FanGraphs/RosterResource has Schwarber in the cleanup spot, behind the recently acquired Josh Bell. No matter the batting order, Schwarber will be an excellent Fantasy producer with a chance to match his career-year in 2019 when he hit 38 homers and drove in 92 runs.

– Jonathan Chan (@jchan_811)

Padres acquire Blake Snell, Yu Darvish, and Ha-Seong Kim

Padres have gone all in this offseason, trading for two aces in Darvish and Snell. The Padres are clearly in win-now mode, adding two top of the rotation arms to go along with their explosive offense. San Diego also acquired backup catcher Victor Caratini to fill the void left by the also traded Francisco Mejia.

Darvish may be past his prime but is still a solid pitcher and I expect will see better numbers in San Diego than he did last year in Chicago. The Cubs, who were looking to shed salary and start a rebuild, received the No. 9, 11, 12, and 13 prospects in the Padres farm system.

Snell saw a slight return to form after his disastrous 2019 season, where he finished with just 107 innings and a 4.29 ERA. Snell has Cy Young upside pitching in the National League, especially with the universal DH not planned for the upcoming season. Overall weaker offenses in the NL West should help Snell reach an ERA in the high 2’s or low 3’s as he looks to reach 180 innings for just the second time in his career.

To put the cherry on top of the cake the Padres also signed 25-year-old second baseman Ha-Seong Kim from the KBO. He has great fantasy sleeper value in a stacked Padres lineup. It may take him a few months to get familiar with Major League pitching since it is a step up from the KBO, but he should be a constant presence in a loaded lineup.

Jake Cronneworth, who was the runner-up for NL Rookie of the Year, will move to left field.

– Josh Mantel (@MantelJosh)

Nationals acquire Josh Bell from Pirates

With Bell being traded to the Nats, Juan Soto finally has protection in the order. This is something that the Nationals desperately in need of in the 2020 season.

Last year Washington ranked 21st in Homeruns and are hoping that Bell is the answer. Bell will boost the fantasy outputs of Soto & Trea Turner with both players averages and hits going up.  However, expect Bell to strikeout more in the much tougher NL East.



In the trade for Bell, Eddie Yean and Wil Crowe were traded to Pirates. Yean now becomes the Pirates seventh-best prospect. Expect him to be a mid-rotation starter by the middle to end of 2021.

– Josh Mantel (@MantelJosh)

Rangers Trade Lance Lynn to White Sox

Lynn has been excellent over the past two seasons with a 3.57 era and 335 strikeouts. He will be lead a Chicago rotation that also bolsters Lucas Giolito, Dallas Kuechel, and Micheal Kopech. Lynn will face stiffer competition this season moving into the AL Central. However, this will be the best offense that Lynn has had around him in a few years, so the run support will be there.

– Jon Witt (@JPW2542)

Angels acquire Raisel Iglesias from Reds

The Angels finally have a go-to guy in the 9th! Coming over from the Reds, Iglesias will be the closer this season for LA. He has an era under three (2.95) over the four-season as the reliever for the Reds with 292 strikeouts. He is a safe bet as a top-10 closer this season.

– Jon Witt (@JPW2542)

Carlos Santana Signs with the Royals for 2yr/$17.5 million

Santana joins the Royals on a two-year, $17.5 million contract. He struggled in the shortened 2020 season, batting just .199 over 60 games. Santana will most likely play first base, with Jorge Soler as the DH. The lineup around him is not as good as it was in Cleveland, but Santana is a good buy-low candidate for a bounce-back season.

– Jon Witt (@JPW2542)

David Dahl sign with Rangers for 1yr/2.7 million

A change of scenery may be for the best for Dahl. He was hampered by injuries in Colorado throughout his ten-year there. Dahl will start in CF for the Rangers, but his health concerns, and the fact that he is not hitting at Coors Field anymore, makes him more a late-round draft pick in your leagues.

– Jon Witt (@JPW2542)

New York Mets Sign James McCann (4yr/$40mil)

As the resident Mets fan, I just want to say thank you to Steve Cohen for purchasing this franchise.

At first glance, I thought the McCann signing was terrible when J.T. Realmuto is an option and our new owner has deep pockets and Robinson Cano‘s $20+ mil contract was voided.

But after doing more research on McCann, I think the Mets got it right!

Since the start of the 2019 MLB season, there are 17 catchers with 500+ plate appearances, according to FanGraphs. McCann ranks 3rd in wRC+, 3rd in AVG, 4th in wOBA and 5th in ISO.

– Keith Lott (@WeTlkFntsySprts)

Atlanta Braves sign Charlie Morton to 1yr/$15 million Contract

Morton is coming off a rough final season in Tampa Bay. The 37-year-old suffered a shoulder injury early in the year and finished with a 4.74 ERA and 1.39 WHIP in just nine starts. His ERA was his highest mark since 2015.

Getting out of the AL East should help the veteran bounce back as division opponents scored an average of 4.93 runs per game last season. His new NL East division foes averaged slightly fewer runs at 4.74. Fortunately for Morton, the Braves averaged the second most runs per game last season, and should help pad his win totals in 2021.

While Truist Park is a bit more hitter friendly than Tropicana field, a better supporting cast should even out any struggles Morton may have in Atlanta.

– Jonathan Chan (@jchan_811)

Adam Eaton sign with White Sox for 1yr/$7 Million

The White Sox opted to sign the veteran Eaton to complement their stable of young bats. It’s likely that Eaton will enter into a right-field platoon with Adam Engel, as the former hit a paltry .103 against lefties last season.

Eaton had a rough 2020 season, slashing just .226/.285/.384 with the Nationals. If he’s able to bounce back, Eaton should provide a solid on base percentage and run scoring at the top of the White Sox powerful lineup.



– Jonathan Chan (@jchan_811)

Make sure you bookmark our Fantasy Baseball category page to consume all of our 2021 MLB content in the coming weeks!

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About Jonathan Chan

Winning fantasy leagues since 2004. Losing them for much longer. Follow Jonathan on twitter @jchan_811 and he'll be ready for all your questions!

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