MLB FAAB Factor: The Calm Before the Storm

This article is part of our MLB FAAB Factor series.

This FAAB article is in addition to the AL and NL FAAB articles that run Sunday. Bids are based on a $100 FAAB budget. Throughout the season, this column will have two goals:

1. Identify FAAB targets for fantasy managers in leagues with Thursday FAAB.

2. Offer a preview of FAAB targets ahead of Sunday's columns.

The first two games of the 2025 MLB regular season are now in the books, leaving just 2,428 left to be played. Those remaining contests will all have to wait another week, however, as each team will use the final days of spring training to settle their position battles and cut their rosters down until they believe only the best 26 men remain. While MLB front offices prepare for a flurry of roster moves, many of us who play the fantasy game are also busy evaluating talent – eager to be the one in our league to make the last-minute roster addition that ends up being the steal of the season and carries us to a championship berth.

Or at least that's what I've been doing for the past several hours. Here's what I've found:

The number in parentheses represents the player's rostership rate in Yahoo leagues.

Starting Pitcher

 Hayden Birdsong, San Francisco Giants (16%)

The Giants' rotation battle has been fierce all spring, with four players – Birdsong, Landen Roupp, Kyle Harrison and Keaton Winn – vying for just one spot. Birdsong has easily been the most impressive of the bunch, giving up just one run in four appearances and racking up 18 strikeouts without walking a batter over 12 frames. A high strikeout rate is nothing new for the 23-year-old righty, but zero walks over 12 innings is particularly impressive considering he had one of the worst walk rates (13.7 percent) in baseball last season. The Giants haven't officially announced who their SP5 will be heading into Opening Day, but there's plenty of reason to believe Birdsong will get the nod. FAAB: $2

Justin Verlander, San Francisco Giants (29%)

Just three years removed from winning the AL Cy Young Award after missing the previous season due to Tommy John surgery, Verlander isn't a stranger to bouncing back from injuries. Now fully recovered from the shoulder and neck issues that plagued him in 2024, the future Hall-of-Famer has given up just three runs this spring while striking out 15 batters over 16 innings. It's also encouraging that he got back to averaging 94.3 mph with his fastball during his last Cactus League outing after hovering around 93.5 mph last year. At 42 years old, the odds are stacked against Verlander to perform well in his first year as a Giant, but fortunately for fantasy managers, the risk has never been lower. FAAB: $2

 Tomoyuki Sugano, Baltimore Orioles (15%)

Even the Orioles have to be somewhat impressed by how Sugano has responded to transitioning from pitching in Japan to pitching in the United States. The 35-year-old right-hander – who's never been revered as a strikeout pitcher – has collected 11 Ks without allowing a run to come across the plate through his first 10.1 innings of camp. Only time will tell if his performance carries over into the regular season, but his hot start combined with the elite command he has over all six of his pitches makes him worth an early-season flier. FAAB: $1

Relief Pitcher

 A.J. Puk, Arizona Diamondbacks (42%)

It doesn't seem like the D-backs will have a preferred closer headed into Opening Day, which means Puk and Justin Martinez will likely split save opportunities based on matchup and fatigue until one pitcher emerges as the better ninth-inning option. It doesn't help that both relievers have nearly identical statlines in the Cactus League: three hits and three walks allowed with nine strikeouts through six innings. The only difference is that Puk has allowed one run to score compared to Martinez's three. Even if Puk doesn't end up winning the closer job down the line, he has the experience and strikeout stuff necessary to remain in a high-leverage role out of Arizona's bullpen. FAAB: $3

 Jose Alvarado, Philadelphia Phillies (7%)

Alvarado's performance took a sharp nosedive in 2024, as he finished the regular season with a 4.09 ERA in 61.2 innings compared to the 1.74 ERA he achieved in 41.1 frames the year before. Determined to prove he still deserves to pitch in high-leverage appearances, he's allowed just five men to reach base in eight innings this spring while striking out 17 batters in the process. With fellow southpaw Matt Strahm dealing with shoulder soreness and uncertain for Opening Day, the hard-throwing Alvarado appears to have assumed the title of Philly's best left-handed reliever and could potentially contend with Jordan Romano for save opportunities out of the gate. FAAB: $2

 Mike Clevinger, Chicago White Sox (13%)

Clevinger re-signed with the White Sox this winter as a nonroster invitee, but the team intends to move him to the bullpen after eight seasons of the right-hander working almost exclusively as a starter. Through four Cactus League outings, he's allowed just one runner to reach base and struck out six batters through four shutout frames. His strong showing combined with the lack of depth in Chicago's bullpen has jettisoned him to the top of the list for ninth-inning opportunities. While it seems the White Sox have found themselves a new closer, there's still an obvious concern that Clevinger won't be in a position to record a save very often given the level of talent currently on the team's roster. FAAB: $1

Catcher

 Joey Bart, Pittsburgh Pirates (14%)

Bart enjoyed a breakout campaign in his first season with Pittsburgh, and his upward trajectory has seemingly carried over into spring training. The 28-year-old backstop boasts a .387/.474/.710 slash line with three home runs and nine RBI in the Cactus League, giving him a firm hold on being the Pirates' everyday catcher in 2025. That kind of offensive production obviously isn't sustainable for a full 162-game season, but a repeat of last year would still solidify Bart as one of the game's best offensive catchers with the power necessary to eclipse the 20-homer mark. FAAB: $3

 Ivan Herrera, St. Louis Cardinals (22%)

With Willson Contreras making the move to first base this season, the door is wide open for Herrera to cement himself as St. Louis' main catcher. A career .289 hitter with strong plate discipline and a staggering 1.198 OPS this spring, there's no question he has the offensive capabilities to start regularly. However, issues with throwing from behind the dish have prevented Herrera from winning the starting job outright and kept Pedro Pages in the picture for playing time. Even if Herrera is unable to correct his defensive woes, the Cardinals may look to use him more often as a DH while Pages gets the nod at catcher. FAAB: $2

First Baseman

 Ben Rice, New York Yankees (4%)

A spot on the Yankees' Opening Day roster is far from guaranteed after the rookie season Rice just had, which saw him fizzle out to the tune of a .431 OPS after starting his MLB career with 15 hits and 12 RBI in 17 games. However, he's done a great job at making an argument for himself in the Grapefruit League by slashing .283/.365/.609 with five homers and nine RBI in 53 plate appearances. The addition of Paul Goldschmidt in the offseason would make it unlikely for Rice to see action at first base, but the Yankees are hurting for a slugging DH with Giancarlo Stanton likely to miss an extended period of time due to tennis elbow in both of his arms. FAAB: $1

Second Baseman

 Kristian Campbell, Boston Red Sox (20%)

After starting last season with Boston's High-A affiliate, Campbell mashed his way up to Triple-A Worcester by the end of the year and finished 2024 with a .329/.437/.551 slash line alongside 19 homers, 76 RBI and 24 steals split between three minor-league levels. While that type of offensive production hasn't quite been on display this spring, word around Red Sox camp is that the 22-year-old prospect has a very good chance to begin the season as the team's regular second baseman. Vaughn Grissom was optioned to Triple-A on Wednesday, which leaves David Hamilton – a career .235 hitter – as Campbell's only competition for time at the keystone and significantly boosts his chances of winning a bench spot at worst. FAAB: $3

Third Baseman

 Enrique Hernandez, Los Angeles Dodgers (10%)

Hernandez only seemed to get better as spring training went on, finishing Cactus League play 7-for-13 with four RBI and five runs scored over his final five contests. He only managed to log one hit during the Tokyo Series but made sure to make it count, sending it over the fence in left field to drive in two runs and take an early lead on MLB's home run leader board. The 33-year-old utility man isn't likely to be much of a threat on offense, as he hasn't finished a season with an OPS higher than .700 since 2021, but his defensive versatility will keep him in the lineup most days, and you can never have too many Dodgers on your fantasy roster. FAAB: $1

Shortstop

 Joey Ortiz, Milwaukee Brewers (13%)

Ortiz was recently confirmed to be Milwaukee's next shortstop following the departure of Willy Adames in the offseason, and his stats in spring training look like typos. In 10 games since the start of March, the 26-year-old owns a .542/.656/1.167 batting line with eight RBI, eight runs scored and four stolen bases. He's bound to return to Earth soon after finishing his rookie season with a .727 OPS, but a scorching bat that's virtually guaranteed to play every day is worth the investment more often than not. FAAB: $2

Outfielder

 Victor Robles, Seattle Mariners (42%)

Sometimes, a change of scenery is all that a player needs to break through. That certainly was the case for Robles last season, who batted .328 and stole 30 bases upon signing with the Mariners last June following an awful start with the Nationals. The 27-year-old outfielder got off to a slow start again this spring, but he's managed to post an OPS north of .800 since the start of March. He looks likely to remain Seattle's preferred leadoff man in front of Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh, giving a nice boost to Robles' run-scoring potential, and his speed makes him a great option for steals as well. FAAB: $5

 Garrett Mitchell, Milwaukee Brewers (19%)

It's easy to be pessimistic about Mitchell. For starters, he's been injured more often than not since reaching the majors in 2022, and he strikes out at an alarmingly high rate (31.7 percent in '24). It's also pretty easy to be optimistic about him. He rarely chases pitches out of the zone, leading to a high walk rate (11.2 percent), he's one of the fastest players in the majors and boasts an above-average glove in center field, which keeps him in the lineup. I'm going to buy the optimistic approach this season since I believe he has the tools necessary to put together a 20-20 campaign, but he's been significantly limited by multiple freak injuries. FAAB: $3

 Zac Veen, Colorado Rockies (2%)

The Rockies haven't confirmed if Veen will be a part of their Opening Day outfield, but the 23-year-old is making it hard for them to send him back down to Triple-A. The 23-year-old has slashed .298/.377/.553 with two home runs, 11 RBI, nine runs scored and seven stolen bases through 22 games in spring training. With the ability to fill up a stat sheet like that and the obvious bonus that would come from playing 81 games at Coors Field, Veen has plenty of fantasy potential. The only question is how long will it be before he gets his shot to prove himself in the big leagues? FAAB: $1