NL FAAB Factor: Late-April Update

Normally, this would be my weekly look at National League free agents. But as we all know, we are not in normal times. First and foremost, I hope you and all of your loved ones are safe and well and remain that way.

To provide you some fresh reading material during this mandated hiatus, this article will look at some interesting NL players to draft and/or add off waivers. The LABR and Tout Wars NL-only leagues are our starting point for the column. Players drafted late or reserve picks are the main focus, though I probably will touch on others whose values I think will exceed their costs. My plan is to cover a handful of names each week, hopefully saving several over for the following column, allowing a new population of players to be covered weekly.

To make this somewhat interactive, as always, if there is a player that was not discussed in the article that you would like to know about, feel free to ask in the comments and I will touch on those the following week. We will see how many weeks this lasts, and hopefully by the time we exhaust all the names we want to cover, we will have baseball or an idea when games will resume, enabling a resumption of the normal column.

STARTING PITCHER

Zach Davies, Padres: Davies bounced back from an injury-prone 2018, during which he only made 13 starts, to have a fine 2019 campaign. He led the Brewers with 31 starts and 159.2 innings, opening 7-0, before struggling his next 10 starts. After a stint on the IL, he closed strong, but was dealt to San Diego as part of a four-player deal in November. Signed to just a one-year, $5.25 million contract with the Padres in January, Davies had a strong spring training to cement his rotation spot. He won't post big strikeout numbers, but Davies should benefit from his move from Miller to Petco Park. LABR: $1; Tout Wars: $1

RELIEF PITCHER

Drew Pomeranz, Padres: Pomeranz transitioned successfully from starting to relieving, parlaying the success from that switch into a multi-year deal from the Padres. As we noted in our season outlook, Pomeranz's stuff played up as a reliever, and he used a lethal mid-90s-fastball/curveball combination to frequently fool hitters. After moving to the bullpen, Pomeranz held opposing hitters to a .165 average and racked up 50 strikeouts in 28.2 innings. San Diego may use Pomeranz as a multi-inning reliever, which could adversely impact his ability to notch holds, but he is scheduled to begin the season helping set up Kirby Yates along with Emilio Pagan. LABR: $3; Tout Wars: $2 

CATCHER

Yadier Molina, Cardinals: Molina is certainly long in the tooth, yet he still remains productive. However, he was injured for the third consecutive season and his power output dropped from the 38 the prior two seasons to 10 last season, partially due to his thumb injury, though age certainly might have been a factor. The extra rest due to the delayed start of the season coupled with that time off due to his injury might prove to be a blessing in disguise. St. Louis will have to smartly manage his workload lineup, but as we have seen, expecting a drop in stats from Molina might be a mistake. LABR: $8; Tout Wars: $9

FIRST BASE

Jose Osuna, Pirates: Osuna is a back-end addition in NL-only leagues that has the potential to far outperform his purchase price. He has shown the ability to post a good batting average and usually is split neutral, though last season, he was much better against righties. Josh Bell is locked in at first while Gregory Polanco should be healthy to start the season in right field, and Bryan Reynolds is inked in for left field limiting Osuna's projected playing time. But as we have seen, stranger things have happened, which should allow Osuna to see more at-bats than expected.  LABR: $1; Tout Wars: $1

SECOND BASE

Robinson Cano, Mets: Call this a gut-feel or possibly hope as a Mets fan. I hated the deal for New York to acquire Cano when it was rumored and consummated and dislike it even more now with Jarred Kelenic on his way to becoming a five-tool threat and Justin Dunn a possible starting pitcher for the Mariners. Cano's numbers across the board fell last season, as injuries and ineffectiveness limited him to just 423 plate appearances. One silver lining in that poor season is that his ancillary stats stayed somewhat static, including hard-hit rate and exit velocity, providing a semblance of hope for a rebound. The Mets and GM Brodie Van Wagenen will give Cano every chance to show he can still be productive at the plate.LABR: $9; Tout Wars: $9

THIRD BASE

Brian Anderson, Marlins: The ballpark and talent around Anderson adversely impact his production. Despite that double-barreled impact, Anderson is still one of my favorite somewhat below-radar players. NL-only leagues are quite well aware of just how good Anderson is and how solid is output is despite where he plays. Anderson seems to get a bit better annually and qualifying at third base and the outfielder enhance his already strong value. LABR: $15, Tout Wars: $17

SHORTSTOP 

Brendan Rodgers, Rockies: When the season was scheduled to begin on time, Rodgers was a stash candidate. He underwent season-ending surgery last July to repair a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder, which likely would have slowed his return to action. That injury coupled with his poor 25-game performance in the majors probably meant a start to the season in Triple-A. The delayed start likely will allow Rodgers to be ready when action resumes, though he may still begin the year playing daily in Albuquerque. His inclusion as a shortstop depends on league rules; in most, he is only second-base eligible, which will be his position with Trevor Story the Rockies' shortstop for now and in the future.LABR: $2; Tout Wars: $1

OUTFIELD

Alex Dickerson, Giants: Dickerson's last full season was 2016, as injuries continue to impact his ability to stay on the field. Productive when in the lineup, Dickerson did not play at any level in 2017 or 2018 as he had back surgery followed by Tommy John surgery. Dickerson also missed time in 2019 with oblique issues, but was solid enough after his trade to the Giants to convince San Francisco to sign him to a one-year deal. Dickerson was raking when spring training was cut short, posting a .320/.346/.640 batting line with three doubles, a triple and a home run in 10 games. He is expected to be in the mix for a starting spot in the corner outfield for the Giants once play resumes. LABR: $1; Tout Wars: $5 

Jarrod Dyson, Pirates: Speed kills, or so we have been told. Dyson won't help your batting average, power or runs drive in; serving as a detriment to all those categories. If he bats eighth or ninth, as may well be the case this season, his runs scored will be lowered than originally projected. Despite all these negatives, Dyson still should provide decent value because he has stolen at least 26 bases seven of the last eight seasons. Pittsburgh dealt Starling Marte and both Bryan Reynolds and Gregory Polanco are not really suited to man center field regularly, leaving Dyson as pretty much the sole option for that position. LABR: $10; Tout Wars: $8