Sometimes There’s No Place Like Home- Fantasy Baseball Draft Prep- February 16, 2026
With some trades, free agent signings, and injury recovery some players have returned to old teams. Among them are:
Merrill Kelly- P- ARI- Kelly’s absence from the Diamondbacks wasn’t long. Traded by Arizona to the Rangers at the deadline in 2025, he signed as a free agent back with the D-backs and has been named their Opening Day starter. Kelly is projected to see a rise in his ERA to 3.85 and strike out 157 batters in 178 IPs. His current ADP of 24.02 is slightly below his FDP of 21.01, so he may be available at a slight bargain.
Eugenio Suarez- 3B- CIN- Suarez signed with the Reds, who he had spent 7 seasons of his career with through 2021. He is expected to provide power, which is his calling card. Suarez has a projected total of 34 homers and 98 RBI, down from his 49/118 in 2025, but still significant. With only one season of a K% lower than 29% over the past 6 seasons, his average will not help you. That’s not what you are looking for when you are looking at Suarez, though. His ADP of 11.09 is above his FDP of 15.08, so many are overvaluing him.
Joey Loperfido- OF- HOU- Loperfido returned to the Astros in a trade with the Blue Jays. Currently he is on their depth chart as #2 in RF. However, that’s behind Cam Smith. A slow start for Smith could give Loperfido an opening for more playing time. He was popular with fans and teammates when called up in 2024 before being dealt to Toronto. Loperfido has shown both power and speed in the minors and could bring those to the major league level. Loperfido had a .431 BABIP in his 104 PAs for Toronto last year. It’s unrealistic to expect that to be reproduced but he has consistently had a high BABIP in his minor league career, so his projections for average may be on the low side. Keep a watch on him during the spring and keep him in mind as a sleeper.
Gavin Stone- P- LAD- Stone had four simulated PAs on Saturday. Two of them were against Shohei Ohtani. Stone walked Ohtani the first time and struck him out the second time. Stone missed the entire 2025 season recovering from shoulder surgery in October of 2024. He is being built up as a starter. Considering the fragile nature of many in the Dodgers’ rotation, Stone will probably see some action. He posted a 3.53 ERA in 140.1 IP in 2024. With a 4.01FIP Stone may have overperformed, but he also may show the progress he was expected to make before being injured. Being a starter for the Dodgers is not a bad thing for the Win Column. He’s one to watch as the Cactus League moves on.
Gary Sanchez- C- MIL- The Brewers signed Sanchez to back up William Contreras behind the plate, which he did in 2024. Power is his main asset. Sanchez is projected to slug 16 homers in 273 ABs. Playing time could be an issue. While manager Pat Murphy said that Sanchez could see some time at DH, he also indicated that Milwaukee may carry three catchers. The third catcher would likely be prospect Jeferson Quero. Watch what happens with the Brewers over the course of the spring. The more playing time it looks like Sanchez will get, the better his value in very deep leagues for teams that need a power boost.
We are also seeing some storylines to follow as the Grapefruit League, Cactus League, and WBC heat up.
Nick Castellanos- OF- SD- That didn’t take long. Castellanos signed with the Padres. It was a low-risk move for San Diego as they will be paying Castellanos the Major League minimum, with the Phillies picking up the rest of the $20 million owed to him. Castellanos will not be playing the outfield but will be seeing time at DH and 1B. His production declined in his last years of Philadelphia and he acquired a reputation as a negative clubhouse presence. With a minimal investment in him, the Padres can afford to keep Castellanos on a tight leash. If his production and/or attitude are not a positive his tenure in San Diego could be short.
Bryce Harper- 1B- PHI- Harper will be trying to establish that he is still an elite player, after some comments by Dave Dombrowski in the offseason may have exhibited doubts about that. In 2025 Harper’s average dipped to .261, but that was with a BABIP of .292, 30 points below his career average. Harper’s EV and Barrel% were above his 2024 numbers and his HardHit% was at 47.5%, 0.2% below what he posted in 2024. Harper is projected to return to the 30 HR club, knock in 104 runs and score 95. His 3.07 FDP is above his ADP of 5.06 so there is a value opportunity there.
Royce Lewis- 3B- MIN- Lewis is prepared to make progress in his underlying hitting dynamics. His average of .309 in 2023 was driven by a .354 BABIP. Lewis had a .258xBA that year. His xSLG of .406 was well below his .548 SLG. Lewis has had a sub-.300 OBP over the past 2 seasons even with a BB% of 8.6% in 2024 and 6.2% last year. He has consistently shown power and is projected to make a jump to 27 homers in 2026 based on his HardHit% of 40.3% and Barrel% of 8.7% raising his HR/FB% from 9.6% to 14.9%. Lewis has been working with hitting coach Jeremy Isenhoweer, who was recommended by Bobby Witt, Jr. They have concentrated on getting Lewis in better position to make his swing make better quality contact. That should help Lewis increase his average as well as power. Add in his projected 17 steals and his ADP of 20.05 compared to his FDP of 8.06 provides a high value draft opportunity.
Jasson Dominguez- OF- NYY- Dominguez is caught in a numbers game not of his own fault. When the Yankees gave Trent Grisham a qualifying offer and Grisham accepted it, that squeezed Dominguez out of a primary starting role. The Yankees are now looking at sending him to AAA to start the season so that he gets regular playing time. Given a regular role, Dominguez projects to hitting 21 homers and stealing 27 bases this season with 80 runs and 77 RBI. He needs to be watched as spring training continues to see if he can pressure the Yankees to swapping him and Grisham in the lineup.
Jakob Marsee- OF- MIA- Marsee burst onto the scene last year with a slash line of .292/.363/.478 with 5 homers in 234 MLB PAs. He overperformed according to Statcast, with an xBA of .275 and xSLG of .442. Still, Montgomery’s underlying plate discipline is solid with a 19.4% chase rate and 83.0% Contact%. He had a 9.4% BB%, which was very solid but still below his minor league numbers of at least 12.9% at all of his stops. Montgomery’s power metrics are projected to produce an increase in HR/FB% to 12.4% and a total of 17 homers. Combined with his projected 33 steals lands him in the 16th round in FDP.
Colson Montgomery- SS- CHW- Montgomery posted some eye-popping power numbers in 2025, slugging 21 homers in 284 MLB PAs. A HardHIt% of 44.3% and Barrel% of 14.4% drove that homer total. His 25.9% HR/FB ratio is likely not repeatable. Montgomery’s 2026 projection is for 27 homers in 536 ABs. He will need to improve on his 29.2% K% to make the next step forward.
Jake Burger- 1B- TEX- Burger is a candidate to have a significant bounce back in 2026. Last year, his first in Texas, was marked by injuries and bad luck. With a slash line of .236/.269/.416 Burger still showed power. He slugged 16 homers in 376 PAs. Burger’s EV was at 90.4 and his HardHit% at 48.5%. His xSLG was .478. Burger is projected to cross the 30-homer plateau this season and his draft position is not reflecting that.
Francisco Lindor- SS- NYM- Lindor was the first of the recent rash of hamate bone injuries that led to surgery. The good news is that the recovery time still gives him a solid chance to be ready for Opening Day. Lindor’s FDP has been adjusted downward to reflect his chances of not being ready out of the gate. Keep an eye on news coming out of Port St. Lucie. His projection is for him to practically repeat his production from 2025. Lindor is projected to hit 29 homers and swipe 24 bases this year while hitting .267 again.
Chris Bassitt- P- BAL- Bassitt signed with the Orioles and will likely take the #3 spot in their rotation. Last year he posted a sub-4.00 ERA of 3.96 with his FIP and xFIP being close at 4.01 and 3.94 respectively. Bassitt is projected to see an increase in ERA to 4.20 in 165 IPs. One thing to keep in mind for him are his extreme home/road splits. Bassitt’s 2025 ERA at Rogers Centre was 2.47 and away from it was 5.47. This has been consistent throughout his career. Both Rogers Centre and Camden Yards were both overall average ballparks. The Orioles have moved the fences in a bit for this season so hitters may get somewhat of an edge. Still, Bassitt will be more valuable in his home starts than on the road. Selectively choosing his appearances will give you more bang for your buck.
Ryan Helsley- RP- BAL- With Felix Bautista set to miss most, if not all, of the 2026 season, the closer role was open in Baltimore. They signed Ryan Helsley to fill it. He had a Jekyll and Hyde season in 2025. As the closer to start the year with St. Louis, Helsley saved 21 games and posted a 3.00 ERA. Traded to the Mets and being slotted in more of a setup role he didn’t record a save, was charged with 4 blown saves, and had a 7.20 ERA. Helsley’s xFIP was 4.20 with New York. He is projected to record 28 saves, have a 3.35 ERA, and strike out 80 batters in 67 IPs for the Birds this season. Still, Helsley’s 12.01 ADP is well above his FDP of 32.01.