Fantasy Baseball Player Notes

After winning his second consecutive Cy Young Award, deGrom has an obvious case to be the top pitcher taken in the game. Back-to-back season with a sub-2.50 ERA and sub-1.00 WHIP with at least 200 strikeouts makes deGrom perhaps the safest pitcher in the game, especially after three straight seasons of at least 200 innings pitched. The bugaboo for deGrom is his lack of wins - just 21 over the last two seasons despite historic numbers. But with the improved Mets bullpen, there's every reason to think deGrom can get back to the 15-win total he put up in 2017. It's him or Gerrit Cole for the top pitcher off the board and you can't go wrong.

Stroman had an excellent 2019 season, though he struggled somewhat after his trade to the Mets. The one thing missing, however, finally arrived, as his strikeout rate popped to over one per inning when he got to New York. After spending all offseason strengthening his core and now in a contract year, Stroman should be in a position to provide plenty of value pitching with a full year in the National League.

Matz is what is he is at this point. He'll likely give you around a 4.00 ERA, a 1.30 WHIP, and short of a strikeout per inning. With the Mets' addition of Rick Porcello and Michael Wacha, Matz's rotation spot could be in jeopardy unless he gets traded. For now, assume he'll get a starting spot, and draft him in NL-only formats.

Porcello's move to the National League makes him somewhat intriguing. His middling strikeout rate (17.4% career) will likely take a jump, and his overall numbers should improve with a move out of the AL East. Even with improvement, however, there's a long way to go before Porcello is contributing to a fantasy team. His biggest asset - his ability to consistently throw innings - will be far less useful with the postponement of Opening Day. He's a late-round filler for a deep pitching staff but little more.