Fantasy Baseball Player Notes

After eight years in Atlanta, Max Fried arrived in New York and did what the Yankees were hoping he would do. In 195 1/3 innings pitched, Fried ended with a 2.86 ERA and 1.10 WHIP while striking out 189 batters, the most in any season of his career. While his xERA was higher at 3.40, his FIP (3.07) and xFIP (3.41) suggest the 32-year-old has plenty left in the tank in 2026. Of his 32 starts, 20 of them qualified as quality, making him more valuable in leagues with that category.

Cam Schlitter emerged as a high-upside arm for the Yankees in 2025, posting a 2.96 ERA across 14 starts with a 27.6% strikeout rate that comfortably outpaced the league average (22.2%). His .217 batting average against and .646 OPS allowed highlight how difficult he was to square up, and a modest 2.6% HR rate helped suppress damage despite a below-average 36.4% ground-ball rate. The 3.74 FIP and 10.2% walk rate suggest there's still refinement needed with command, but the 10.4 K/9 and 89.0 mph average exit velocity allowed point to sustainable swing-and-miss ability. Looking ahead to 2026, projections build on that strong rookie foundation, forecasting a larger workload with mid-3.00s ratios and above-average strikeout totals over a full season. If he maintains the strikeout gains while trimming the walks closer to league average, Schlitter has SP3 upside with room for more in favorable matchups. He's a strong target in the middle rounds of drafts, particularly for managers prioritizing strikeouts and upside over pure ratio safety.

Carlos Rodon delivered one of the most complete seasons of his career in 2025, posting a 3.09 ERA across 195.1 innings with a 1.05 WHIP and 203 strikeouts, earning Cy Young consideration. The underlying profile supports the rebound: opponents hit just .188 against him with a career-best .230 BABIP, while his ground-ball rate (43.1%) ticked back up and hard-hit rate dipped below league average. His strikeout rate (25.7%) wasn't quite at his 2021-2022 peak, but improved run prevention and workload stability made him a high-end fantasy anchor. The 2026 projections expect some ERA regression closer to his FIP (3.78 in 2025) and normalized BABIP, but still forecast a durable SP2 with strong win equity in New York. He is currently recovering from an elbow procedure and is projected to begin his season in late April/early May.