Fantasy Baseball Live – February 8, 2026 @ 1 pm ET
Segment 1 – News and Notes
1.The Reds sign Eugenio Suarez for a one-year, $15 million contract. He mostly played third base last season, but with future HOFer Ke’Bryan Hayes there, I guess he’ll be the full-time DH.
a.Thoughts?
b.In looking at their lineup, Spencer Steer or Sal Stewart is going to lose playing time. Steer is 28 and is one year removed from a 20-20 season, but with serious concerns about how much he’ll hit, and Sal Stewart is a rookie, although he looked great in his debut last season. How does this shake out?
2.The Red Sox sign Isiah Kiner-Falefa to a one-year, $6 million contract. Is this just depth or is this a message that Marcelo Mayer needs to hit?
a.What happened to Kristian Campbell?
3.The Padres sign Miguel Andujar for $1.5 million, and in looking at their roster. Is he going to get enough at-bats at DH to make him a sneaky late-round grab? He’s an afterthought in drafts at an ADP of 601.
4.The Yankees re-sign Paul Goldschmidt, and in reading details of the signing, the Yankees were not the only suitor. He’s far from the player he was, but should I be worried that he could steal at-bats away from Ben Rice?
a.If so, do you discount Rice at the draft table?
5.Finally, the Tigers had an eventful and expensive week. First they lost their arbitration hearing with Skubal, which cost of them $32 million and they signed Framber Valdez to a big three-year deal.
a.I guess if there were worries about them moving Skubal, that appears to be unlikely. Thoughts on Tigers this season?
Segment 2 – Fantasy Questions of the AL West
The Athletics
1.Denzel Clarke looks like he will get the first shot at center field. Do you like Clarke or Colby Thomas to get the bulk of the at-bats?
a.Does it even matter?
2.Outside of Nick Kurtz, which two Athletics are you most interested in rostering?
3.We now have data on the first year at Sutter Park in Sacremento and it ranked as the second best ballpark to hit in after Coors Field.
a.Luis Severino had a 3.02 ERA away from Sutter and a whopping 6.01 ERA at home. I grabbed him in the 31st round of my NFBC Draft Champions League and was going to do the Home/Away game. Dumb idea?
b.The ballpark factor does not bode well for young rookies like Luis Morales and Gage Jump. Thoughts?
4.Who gets the saves for A’s?
5.Give me a sleeper in the organization (minor or majors)
Houston Astros
1.After a great spring training, Cam Smith wasn’t very good. In 134 games, he hit nine home runs and stole eight bases while hitting .236. In Spring Training, he hit .342 with four home runs and 15 games.
a.Is this a reminder to ignore spring training stats?
b.Also, do you see 2026 as a growth year for Smith? If so, could he become a 15+ home run guy with 10+ stolen bases?
2.Yordan Alvarez – Over/Under 400 at-bats?
3.Stat line for Tatsuya Imai – IP, K’s, ERA and wins – 165, 180K, 3.50 ERA, 10 wins
4.Christian Javier was a horse, and then 2024 came, and he had TJS. He struggled in his returns, but the fastball was back and the change-up was as good as ever. He doesn’t throw particularly hard, but his xERA was 3.36 last season.
a.Any interest?
5.Give me a sleeper in the organization (minor or majors)
Los Angeles Angels
1.Nolan Schanuel – Over/Under 15 home runs?
a.Everyone thought he would hit, and while he makes great contact, his low hard-hit rate drives his BABIP down, and he hit .264 with a .263 xBA. How can you start this guy at first base?
2.After Zach Neto and Jo Adel, give me two players you are interested in drafting from the Angels and why.
3.Reid Detmers' stat line for 2026 – IP, Ks, ERA
a.Detmers or Alek Manoah – who would you rather roster?
4.Give me a sleeper in the organization (minor or majors)
Seattle Mariners
1.Cal Raleigh will hit closer to 40 home runs or 60 home runs in 2026.
2.Dominic Canzone or Victor Robles – Who would you rather roster and why?
3.Which one of Colt Emerson or Kade Anderson do we see in 2026? Or, do we see both?
a.I know you’re not a big Emerson fan, but I think he’s going to be very good when he gets up – hint, I think we see him in the first half
4.I can’t think of a good pitching question – but, WOW, what a staff?
5.Give me a sleeper in the organization (minor or majors)
Texas Rangers
1.Wyatt Langford – 2026 stat line – HR, SB, Runs, RBIs, and BA
2.It’s hard to say that Evan Carter is a bust, but so far, he’s been a disappointment. He’s still going as a number five outfielder – pick #71. Are you going to be one of those managers?
3.I don’t believe we talked about Josh Jung much last season or even when we did your third base rankings. He actually was somewhat healthy last season – 131 games, but hit 14 home runs and a SLG of .390. What happened?
a.Is he of interest to you in upcoming drafts?
4.Are you ready to trust Jack Leiter?
5.Give me a sleeper in the organization (minor or majors)
