As spring training kicked off this week and fantasy owners look at their rosters, we begin to get a little nervous about our teams’ unsigned players. However, it is still early, and there is plenty of teams, and teams with needs, that a few big-name players should find a home for the 2021 season. Below I will outline a few free-agents who should sign with a team in the coming weeks and how they can impact your fantasy teams this season.
Jackie Bradley Jr, OF
2021 Prediction:
20 HR | 60 RBI | 10 SB | .235/.320/.395
JBJ has drawn interest from various teams this off-season, but two teams, in particular, are very interesting fits from a fantasy perspective. The Brewers and Astros have been linked to Bradley in recent weeks and seem to be considering a 2-year-deal in the range of $20 million. Should Bradley sign with the Brewers, Avisail Garcia may find himself in a 4th OF role for 2021, whereas if Bradley signs with the Astros, Miles Straw could find himself in the same 4th OF slot. Bradley hasn’t been the most consistent hitter, but he is coming off a hot 2020 short season.
Maikel Franco, 3B
2021 Predictions:
Brewers: 20 HR | 65 RBI | .250/.300/.440
Rockies: 35 HR | 80 RBI | .265/.320/.455
Maikel Franco rumors have been swirling around numerous teams in this off-season. The two most intriguing clubs are the Brewers and Rockies. The Brew-crew has Travis Shaw currently penciled in at 3B, and the Rockies need to find reasons for fans to come out and watch them play in Colorado. In terms of production, I’d love to see Franco in a Rockies uniform for 2021, if only to see if he can hit 35+ home runs in the thin air of Coors Field.
Jake Odorizzi, P
2021 Prediction:
12-8 | 165 K’s | 3.80 ERA | 1.30 WHIP
Odorizzi maybe the last impact starting pitcher left in free agency this season. Multiple teams have been continuously linked to him and still need pitching – Phillies, Angels, and Blue Jays. Odorizzi could slot into all three rotations as their #4 or #5 guy fairly easily. For fantasy, however, I’d rather see Odorizzi in the NL, so my shares of him are hoping to see a signing with the Phillies on a multi-year deal.
Yasiel Puig, OF
2021 Prediction:
20 HR | 50 RBI | 15 SB | .250/.320/.430
Yasiel Puig is no longer the superstar many fantasy owners once thought he would become after his 2013 season. He is also no longer the on and off-field distraction he once was with the various antics that team GMs don’t appreciate. Puig, though not a superstar, can still be productive as a 20HR/15SB player. In terms of landing spots, the White Sox seem like the best fit mainly because Puig would get to play alongside fellow countrymen Abreu, Moncada, and Robert. The White Sox can also use Puig as a stop-gap DH for the 2021 season.
Edwin Encarnacion, DH
2021 Prediction:
25 HR | 60 RBI | .240/.340/.440
2020 was not a good year for Edwin Encarnacion and not even in terms of production. For the last couple of years, Edwin has seen his K% increasing from 19.9% in 2017 to 29.8% in 2020. Yes, there are tons of reasons to throw out the 2020 numbers because many players were not given a chance to get hot and balance their numbers. At this point in his career, Edwin may be only looking at AL teams as a DH-only player the only team which may need a stop-gap DH is the White Sox, but they declined his $12M team option at the start of the off-season. If Edwin is willing to lower his asking price, a reunion with the ChiSox may be in the cards.
As always, feel free to reach out to me via Twitter @drunkenangelz.