Fantasy Baseball: These players switched teams in the MLB offseason, so they could benefit from it

For the first time in several years, the MLB offseason was normal, with a large volume of signings and trades spread out over a three-month period. And while many players have changed rosters over the winter months, some have found new homes that set them up for greater fantasy success this year.

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Let’s take a look at nine men who could benefit from a fresh environment.

Fantasy catchers who take a different position with their real-world team are often excellent assets, as they are able to rack up plate appearances at a rate unmatched by those just working as backstops. Such is the case of Varsho, who will be a full-time outfielder in an already existing Toronto team Danny Jansen And Alejandro Kirk catching tasks to do. The 26-year-old should also benefit from joining a Blue Jays lineup that surpassed Arizona in 2022 by 73 runs.

Drury has one career year under his belt (.813 OPS), but his effectiveness waned after moving from Cincinnati to San Diego, and his performance in the Reds’ hitter-friendly park has been much better than his cumulative work at other stadiums. Still, Drury managed to sign with a team that has plenty of playing time available, and his new home park was in the top 5 park factors for batsmen last year. For the cost of a late pick (current ADP: 177), managers could risk Drury repeating his 2022 success.

Mondesi has played 50 games in total over the past two seasons, and his long injury history will prompt many fantasy managers to consider him off their draft list before the selection process begins. And I won’t even try to convince you that the 27-year-old will finally stay healthy this year. But Mondesi has been excellent from game to game and he could be better than ever now having made upgrades both at home and in lineup support.

Adalberto Mondesi, who is no longer with the Royals, could be a fantastic influence at the Red Sox. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

My plan for Mondesi in the Yahoo leagues is simple – draft him in the late rounds (ADP: 211) and keep him in my active lineup until he suffers his first major injury, at which point I’ll send him to Waivers . He was able to lead the majors in steals during the early months of the campaign.

Although many fantasy execs would mistake Coors Field, the best place to hit home runs is at Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park. And after spending his entire 10-year career playing for teams with underperforming venues, Myers will finally get his chance to produce an embellished homer total. Those avoiding the 32-year-old because he only played 77 games last year should know that he appeared in over 90 percent of his side’s games in every season from 2019-21.

Benintendi (5 HR in 2022) could improve a lot in the home run category having spent most of the last two seasons at one of the toughest parks (Kauffman Stadium) to rip round trips. The 28-year-old, who will now play half his games in homer-lucky guaranteed rate field, was able to produce 20 long balls for the first time since 2017.

Eflin showed promising flashes in seven seasons with the Phillies, but he rarely achieved the level of consistency needed to damage mixed-league fantasy rosters. It can be strongly argued that the right-hander has been let down by his teammates as his FIP has been roughly a half run lower than his ERA in each of the last three seasons. Now part of a Rays organization known for getting the most out of their pitchers, Eflin could produce an ERA under 3.50 and a WHIP under 1.20.

Syndergaard is not the same pitcher we observed during his 2015-18 heyday. He no longer misses at-bats at the same rate, and he would have earned little fantasy attention had he signed with any team other than the Dodgers. Fantasy executives are well aware of the Dodgers’ great track record of helping hurlers reclaim their careers, as evidenced by their excellent stats Tyler Anderson (2.57 ERA) and Andrew Heney (3.10 ERA) last year. I’ll happily place a late-round pick on the possibility of Syndergaard (current ADP: 243) becoming Los Angeles’ latest reclamation project.

After 32 starts in 2021, Eovaldi returned to his injury-prone manner as he started just 20 games last year. While the right-hander’s durability will be the biggest key to his fantasy value this year, he should also benefit from escaping the hitter-friendly Fenway Park and instead playing his home games in the neutral Texas venue. Over a four-year period from 2019–22, Eovaldi’s road ERA was nearly half a heat below his home mark.

Carlos Estevez (RP, Los Angeles Angels)

With a lifetime 4.59 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP, Estevez will be virtually free (current ADP: 253) Fantasy Drafts in 2023. But the 30-year-old could flourish now that he’s no longer calling home at Coors Field, as his career 5.57 ERA in Colorado is more than two heats above his 3.51 road mark. Estevez is also in the best position to collect saves since his new team has one of the worst support corps in baseball and hasn’t named one yet.

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