Roto Riteup: March 21, 2018

Today is my 9th anniversary with my wife and she is looking for help:

Can someone please come up with a mock draft for anniversary ideas. @JustinMasonFWFB needs some help, and this is the only language he’ll understand.

— MrsD (@MrsDSalinger) March 20, 2018

On the Agenda:

1. Corn on the Cobb

2. (Not So) Tough Break for Turner

3. Various News and Notes

 

Corn on the Cobb

Alex Cobb have agreed to a deal with the Orioles that will pay him about $60 million over four years according to Jon Heyman. Cobb was the last of the major free agents to sign and appears to have still been able to cash in, in spite of what appeared to be a slow market. Cobb definitely is an upgrade for the Orioles who were probably going to have to start the likes of Mike Wright or Gabriel Ynoa before this signing. That doesn’t mean that Cobb is a great fantasy option outside of AL only league though. Just look at what Derek Carty (and THE BAT) projects him for:

Alex Cobb #Orioles Projection, via THE BAT
170 IP
10 W
4.36 ERA
1.33 WHIP
6.6 K/9

(With upside, IMO, another year removed from TJ)

— Derek Carty (@DerekCarty) March 21, 2018

Not so good…

 

(Not So) Tough Break for Turner

On Monday, we learned that Justin Turner broke his wrist after being hit with a pitch by Kendall Graveman. On Tuesday the timetable got a bit clearer. The break is a non-displaced fracture, which means the hile the bone breaks, it maintains its correct alignment and there is no need to reset or rebreak the bone. This is good news as Turner will not require surgery and could be back as soon as the end of April. Wrist injuries are always tricky as they can tend to sap power. Turner goes from a must own in fantasy to a league dependent player, though his stock may dip lower than it should with this news.

 

Various News and Notes

According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Oakland A’s have reached an agreement with free agent Brett Anderson on a minor league contract. He is unlikely to be fantasy relevant this year outside of the deepest of leagues.

Dan Straily will be shut down for the next five days after experiencing tightness in his right forearm. This is scary news for fantasy owners that spent $201 on pitching at Tout Wars this year. He is likely now to open the year on the DL and obviously this could be a precursor to something worse.

Jose Abreu was pulled from his game versus the Rangers on Tuesday with a strained hamstring. While the injury appears to be minor, this is worth monitoring as we approach opening day.

Cody Bellinger left Tuesday’s game with a foot injury after fouling off a pitch. Manager Dave Roberts said that Bellinger was “fine” after the game and that the move was precautionary. Consider him day-to-day at this time.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone stated that infielder Tyler Wade will be on the opening day roster for the Yankees. Wade has been impressive in the Grapefruit League and can man a multitude of positions defensively. He may have some early season AL Only appeal for those teams entering the season with injuries.

Tim Lincecum will likely not be ready for Opening Day according to Rangers pitching coach Doug Brocail. The 33-year-old will likely go to extended Spring Training games in order to get in proper shape and prepare for the season.