Vlad Sedler is joined by FTN Fantasy Baseball analyst and reigning NFBC Auction Champ, Mike Mager. Vlad and Mike discuss the recent signings of Christian Walker and Max Kepler and dive into the starting pitcher player pool, reviewing the top 30 via NFBC ADP. 

Episode Overview

Mike's Auction Primer preview

Recent Transactions

• Christian Walker, Astros
• Max Kepler, Phillies
• Gio Urshela, Athletics
• Hoby Milner, Rangers and the likelihood of signing Kirby Yates
• Sandoval (BOS), Soroka (WAS), Canning (NYM) - no, thank you

Early Player Pool Thoughts - Top 30 Starting Pitchers

• Comparing Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal
• Zack Wheeler vs. Logan Gilbert
• The X-Factor, Jacob deGrom
• Garrett Crochet helium
• Overall FILTH arsenal grades
• Expectations for Snell, Yamamoto, Glasnow
• Old Reliable, Corbin Burnes
• Dylan Cease vs. Cole Ragans
• The 3 Twins - Lopez, Ryan, Ober
• Sasaki, Schwelly and the rest of the top 30

Please help us by rating and reviewing the podcast. We would greatly appreciate it!

The 2025 FTN Fantasy Baseball Guide is out! 

Join www.ftnfantasy.com for the best fantasy baseball content, rankings, projections and fantasy tools! 

Use code HOLIDAYEDGE for 15% off Fantasy Baseball+ or a High Stakes Baseball subscription.

A sample of our preseason fantasy tools:

• FTN VDP Projections (Jan): Fueled by Vlad, Frank Brank (CDO) and Russ Prentice
• Uploadable Roto Rankings: Vlad Sedler’s VDP: Top 500, sort, up/download; updated weekly
• Underdog Rankings: Best Ball points-based rankings fueled by VDP Projections
• Biery’s Offseason Tracker: Transactions and fantasy implications, managed by Lucas Biery
• FILTH Leaderboard: Leaderboard for FTN’s FILTH metric which quantifies SPs’ pitch quality
• 12-Team Grid Rankings (Jan): Vlad’s famous 12-team grid rankings by position
• NFBC Cutline Rankings (Jan): Points contest ranking fueled by VDP Projections
• NEW: Relievers on the Rise Tracker (Jan): Tracking all draft-worthy RPs > 250 ADP
• NEW: Custom Rankings Tool (Feb): For your league format, built-in with our projections

Vlad Sedler (@rotogut) is joined by FTN Fantasy Baseball analyst and reigning NFBC Auction Champ Mike Mager (@bronxyankees23). Vlad and Mike discuss the projected fantasy impact of the recent free agent moves and trades for the Yankees, Red Sox, Orioles, Dodgers, Mets and more. There are some strong feelings about Kyle Tucker in Chicago, and a discussion about the fantasy value of Athletics and Rays players based on their new 2025 home ballparks.

Fantasy Implications of Recent Free Agent Signings and Trades

• Expectations for Max Fried in the Bronx
• Devin Williams' ADP bump
• Which big corner infielder the Yankees are signing
• Garrett Crochet, the new SP4?
• Hendriks or Aroldis or other?
• Tomoyuki Sugano: not just a guy
• Michael Conforto career season incoming? Expectations for Tommy Edman
• Willy Adames, # 2 hitters for the Giants
• The Truth about Kyle Tucker
• Soto and all those arms in Queens

New Home Parks

• Left field in Walltimore and the fantasy impact
• Value of Lawrence Butler and Brent Rooker
• The Rays' lefty bats
• Projections for Pete Fairbanks and the Rays' bullpen
• Is Jeffrey Springs still a thing?

An homage to Kyle Schwarber

Please help us by rating and reviewing the podcast. We would greatly appreciate it!

The 2025 FTN Fantasy Baseball Guide is out! 

Join www.ftnfantasy.com for the best fantasy baseball content, rankings, projections and fantasy tools! 

Use code HOLIDAYEDGE for 15% off Fantasy Baseball+ or a High Stakes Baseball subscription.

A sample of our preseason fantasy tools:

• FTN VDP Projections (Jan): Fueled by Vlad, Frank Brank (CDO) and Russ Prentice
• Uploadable Roto Rankings: Vlad Sedler’s VDP: Top 500, sort, up/download; updated weekly
• Underdog Rankings: Best Ball points-based rankings fueled by VDP Projections
• Biery’s Offseason Tracker: Transactions and fantasy implications, managed by Lucas Biery
• FILTH Leaderboard: Leaderboard for FTN’s FILTH metric which quantifies SPs’ pitch quality
• 12-Team Grid Rankings (Jan): Vlad’s famous 12-team grid rankings by position
• NFBC Cutline Rankings (Jan): Points contest ranking fueled by VDP Projections
• NEW: Relievers on the Rise Tracker (Jan): Tracking all draft-worthy RPs > 250 ADP
• NEW: Custom Rankings Tool (Feb): For your league format, built-in with our projections

Vlad Sedler and Jason Anthony are joined by the best fantasy baseball player in the world, Phil Dussault. The trio break down the first NFBC 12-team OC of the fantasy season that both Phil and Vlad were in. This episode went off outline, covering a variety of interesting topics related to early draft strategy, player analysis, roster construction, and assessing market value. If you love talking about fantasy baseball year-round, this episode is for you. It's also guaranteed to immediately bolster your fantasy baseball IQ.

Topics Discussed: 

• Drafting before setting our own projections and rankings
• The early OC with Vlad and Phil (a Waxman sandwich)
• Avoiding biases from setting in (aka, Pfaadtology)
• The early catcher strategy
• Playing time for the young Cardinals
• Surf or Turf for TON in Toronto
• Correa vs. the MI field
• Gladiator closers vs. DC closers (not a Marvel movie)
• Pivetta or Flaherty on the Nationals
• Jordan Romano is big mad, but is he healthy?
• The Rays have 27 starting pitchers going 3-4 innings each
• "Why draft Reliever X in Round 10 when you can draft Reliever Y in Round 45" - The Robot

FTN Fantasy's Vlad Sedler (@rotogut) is joined by renowned MLB insider, Hall of Fame voter and USA Today columnist Bob Nightengale to discuss a variety of offseason baseball and 2025 fantasy related topics.

• Background on Bob
• The Guiding Light of reporting for the 2022 lockout scare
• Maintaining relationships in MLB
• The state of pitchers in the max velocity era
• The deal with Roki Sasaki
• Fantasy expectations for Lawrence Butler and Brent Rooker in Sacramento
• Yandy Diaz and Brandon Lowe - what do the Rays know?
• Where Juan Soto should ultimately sign
• Yankees' backup plans if Soto doesn't sign
• Alex Bregman's presumed landing spot
• A Paul Goldschmidt bounceback?
• Tyler O'Neill (of course)
• Expectations for Jurickson Profar and Walker Buehler
• Who among Verlander, Scherzer, Lynn, Morton, Cobb, Boyd, Clevinger are worth drafting?
• Kenley Jansen's last hurrah (and potential landing spot)
• Closers in 2025? Clay Holmes, Kirby Yates, Carlos Estevez, Blake Treinen
• 2025 Hall of Fame ballots 
• Bob Nightengale's 2025 Yelich!

Vlad Sedler and Jason Anthony are back for a brand new season of the FTN Fantasy Baseball podcast! Will the Mets sign Juan Soto and Corbin Burnes? Where do Pete Alonso and Christian Walker land? Why does Vlad think Roki Sasaki will 100% join the Dodgers? Who among Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw does Jason believe is still worth drafting? Which late-round starting pitcher is an absolute steal in early drafts? All of these questions are answered in this week's episode.

Time Stamped Discussions:

• 6:00 -Trade-off with early drafting; Bo Bichette and Christian Walker
• 10:00 - Market values of Matt McLain, Josh Jung, Christian Encarnacion-Strand
• 14:00 - VDP Preseason Projections results!
• 16:00 - Juan Soto and Willy Adames
• 25:20 - Pete Alonso to the Mariners?
• 28:00 - FA Pitcher Discussion
  • Corbin Burnes, Blake Snell, Max Fried
  • Sean Manaea, Yusei Kikuchi and...Matthew Boyd?
  • Nick Pivetta's fabulously shrinking walk rate
• 38:50 - Market Values of Andrew Painter and Shane McClanahan
• 43:10 - Brandon Woodruff
• 44:40 - Why Roki Sasaki will be a Dodger
• 47:50 - How to value Dodgers pitchers in a 6-man
• 51:30 - Shohei Ohtani 2025 Hot Takes
• 57:18 - A late-round pitcher you should be drafting before his price soars

Subscribe to FTN Fantasy (www.ftnfantasy.com) for the best preseason and in-season content, tools and projections in fantasy baseball!  The FTN Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide will be released on Tuesday, December 17th. 

Sign up: https://ftnfantasy.com/pricing?sport=mlb

Vlad's VDP Fantasy Baseball Top 300 Rankings: https://ftnfantasy.com/fantasy/mlb/vdp-rankings

Vlad Sedler (@rotogut, FTN) and Joe Orrico (@JoeOrrico99, Fantasy Pros) record live from the Baseball HQ First Pitch Arizona 2024 conference. Vlad and Joe provide tips on navigating early fantasy drafts, discuss players of similar early ADP, and host a trivia contest with special guests Nick Pollack (Pitcher List), Paul Sporer (Fangraphs), Sam Wirsching (Pallazzo Podcast), and FTN's Lucas Biery.

Topics Discussed:

• Joe being a trooper
• FTN Draft Guide release date
• Late-Round Profitable Hitter trends (Rooker, Doyle, Profar, etc.)
• Navigating early Average Draft Position (ADP)
• Devers vs. Olson vs. Riley
• Chisholm vs. Merrill vs. Oneil Cruz
• McClanahan vs. Alcantara vs. Woodruff
• Trivia Game!

YouTube video: https://t.co/djE8QNX3q3

Popular Links on https://ftnfantasy.com: 

Fantasy Baseball: https://ftnfantasy.com/mlb

FTN StatsHub Football: https://ftnfantasy.com/nfl/stats

FTN Defensive DVOA: https://ftnfantasy.com/dvoa/nfl/defense-team-dvoa

Vlad Sedler (@rotogut) hosts his annual live final show on the last day of the MLB season to celebrate the 2024 NFBC national fantasy baseball champions. Vlad is joined by Fangraphs' Paul Sporer  (@sporer), FTN baseball analyst and 2024 NFBC Auction Championship overall winner Mike Mager (@BronxYankees23). During this episode, they are joined by NFBC 2024 OC champ John Pausma (@jpausma), NFBC 2024 Main Event champ Clark Olson (@ClarkOlson) and Main Event runner-up, Jason Santeiu (@JasonSantieu). 

Watch the show live on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/live/YrVlPWu1a4Y

Sign up for the best fantasy baseball site in the industry at www.ftnfantasy.com. Helpful and league-winning content from our group of top-notch analysts, along with industry-best projections (powered by FTN Data), Trust the Gut FAAB, Drops & Disasters, weekly rankings, and a whole slew of useful tools. The FTN team will help you crush your leagues!

Popular Links on https://ftnfantasy.com: 

NFL Rankings Page: https://ftnfantasy.com/fantasy/nfl/rankings

NFL Projections: https://ftnfantasy.com/nfl/projections

ADP Tool: https://ftnfantasy.com/fantasy/nfl/adp-exploration

Underdog ADP Tool: https://ftnfantasy.com/fantasy/nfl/underdog-adpNFL

Just one week left in the fantasy baseball season! Vlad Sedler and Jason Anthony dive into details on unique waiver/FAAB and lineup construction strategies for the final week of the season. The duo discuss a variety of other topics and players including Kodai Senga, Bobby Miller, Francisco Lindor and the MLB wild card race. The show concludes with a 2025  comparison between several players of similar 2024 fantasy value including Brent Rooker vs. Manny Machado, Jose Altuve vs. Jackson Merrill, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. vs. Brenton Doyle.

Sign up for the best fantasy baseball site in the industry at www.ftnfantasy.com. Helpful and league-winning content from our group of top-notch analysts, along with industry-best projections (powered by FTN Data), Trust the Gut FAAB, Drops & Disasters, weekly rankings, and a whole slew of useful tools. The FTN team will help you crush your leagues!

Popular Links on https://ftnfantasy.com: 

NFL Rankings Page: https://ftnfantasy.com/fantasy/nfl/rankings

NFL Projections: https://ftnfantasy.com/nfl/projections

In this week's episode, Vlad Sedler (@rotogut) is joined by FTN Baseball colleague and High-Stakes crusher, Mike Mager (@bronxyankees23). The duo discuss a variety of topics including the return of deGrom and Scherzer, Yankees front office mismanagement, best schedules these last two weeks of the season, MLB award winners and their World Series picks. Mike discusses his experiences as a first-year fantasy analyst and how it's coincided with what's his been his best fantasy baseball ever so far. 

Sign up for the best fantasy baseball site in the industry at www.ftnfantasy.com. Helpful and league-winning content from our group of top-notch analysts, along with industry-best projections (powered by FTN Data), Trust the Gut FAAB, Drops & Disasters, weekly rankings, and a whole slew of useful tools. The FTN team will help you crush your leagues!

Popular Links on https://ftnfantasy.com: 

NFL Rankings Page: https://ftnfantasy.com/fantasy/nfl/rankings

NFL Projections: https://ftnfantasy.com/nfl/projections

ADP Tool: https://ftnfantasy.com/fantasy/nfl/adp-exploration

Underdog ADP Tool: https://ftnfantasy.com/fantasy/nfl/underdog-adpNFL

Vlad Sedler and Jason Anthony are joined by Joe Orrico, FantasyPros analyst/producer and host of the '90 Feet from Home' podcast. Joe discusses his success this year as a fantasy baseball analyst and Twitter fave. The trio dive into topics ranging from the Yankees bullpen and Royce Lewis' value to Jacob deGrom projections and This Year's Nolan Jones. In the last 30 minutes, Vlad, Jason and Joe break down their expectations within the 2025 first round ADP.

Be sure to follow Joe: @joeorrico99

Sign up for the best fantasy baseball site in the industry at www.ftnfantasy.com. Helpful and league-winning content from our group of top-notch analysts, along with industry-best projections (powered by FTN Data), Trust the Gut FAAB, Drops & Disasters, weekly rankings, and a whole slew of useful tools. The FTN team will help you crush your leagues!

Popular Links on https://ftnfantasy.com: 

NFL Rankings Page: https://ftnfantasy.com/fantasy/nfl/rankings

NFL Projections: https://ftnfantasy.com/nfl/projections

ADP Tool: https://ftnfantasy.com/fantasy/nfl/adp-exploration

Underdog ADP Tool: https://ftnfantasy.com/fantasy/nfl/underdog-adpNFL