Milwaukee Brewers DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Baltimore Orioles general manager Mike Elias said that the team views left-hander DL Hall as a starting pitcher in the long-term. Elias said that Hall could remain in the bullpen in 2024, depending on how spring training goes, before he's eventually stretched out over the next year. There's also a possibility that Hall is stretched out immediately. The 25-year-old southpaw spent most of the 2023 season as a reliever and threw 19 1/3 innings of relief at the big-league level for the Orioles, allowing eight runs (seven earned) on 18 hits (two home runs) while walking five and striking out 23 over 18 appearances. Hall has not exceeded 100 innings pitched in any of his six professional seasons, so fantasy managers shouldn't expect much out of him in 2024.

The Milwaukee Brewers are finalizing a two-year, $34 million deal with free-agent first baseman Rhys Hoskins, a source told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand on Tuesday. The Brewers have not confirmed the deal, and another source told MLB.com that the sides were still working on final details. If completed, the Brewers would fill their gap of a power bat at first while providing the 30-year-old a chance to redeem himself, as he missed all of the 2023 season with the Phillies after tearing his left ACL in spring training. Hoskins owns a .242/.353/.492 career slash line and hit 30 home runs in 2022 with the Phillies, so he would fit nicely with the Brewers from a fantasy perspective. The key will be seeing if Hoskins can rebound from his injury and still provide high-end power.

Rather than re-signing first baseman Carlos Santana, who turns 38 years old on April 8, the Milwaukee Brewers might be inclined to make an upside play for free-agent first baseman Rhys Hoskins, who has a career OPS 25 percent above league average and likely wants to re-establish himself on a short-term "pillow" contract after missing all of the 2023 season due to a torn ACL he suffered in spring training with the Philadelphia Phillies. The Brew Crew are deep enough in outfielders that they might not need a designated hitter, but their group is also extremely inexperienced, so signing someone like Hoskins might be a good idea. The 30-year-old would fit nicely in Milwaukee from a fantasy perspective, but everything will depend on how well he can bounce back from a full year off. In 667 career MLB games, Hoskins has been very productive with 148 home runs.

The San Diego Padres have considered re-signing catcher Gary Sanchez, but there is a big gap in contract talks. Sanchez kept the Padres' offense afloat in the middle of last season and was one of their biggest offensive contributors despite not even starting the year with the club. Despite the strong season for the Friars, the Padres were fully expected to move on from Sanchez heading into 2024, especially after they acquired Kyle Higashioka from the New York Yankees in the blockbuster deal involving outfielder Juan Soto. If he can stay healthy, Luis Campusano has a clear path to regular catching duties this season. Sanchez hit 19 home runs and had a .780 OPS in just 75 games in 2023 but finished the season on the injured list due to a fractured wrist. He'll most likely be looking at a part-time role in 2024 with whichever team signs him.

The Tampa Bay Rays and right-hander Aaron Civale have settled on a one-year, $4.9 million pact for the 2024 season, avoiding arbitration in the process. The right-hander was acquired by the Rays mid-season from the Cleveland Guardians and posted a healthy 3.46 ERA in 23 starts between the two clubs, although he limped to a 5.36 ERA across 10 starts after being acquired by Tampa Bay. The veteran's bread-and-butter lies within his control as he sports a 6.1% BB% for his career in which he has posted a 3.92 ERA across 86 appearances, all of which have been starts. Capped by a career 22% K%, Civale's fantasy value is middling, especially with his 23 starts in 2023 representing a career-high.