Michael Brantley

After a few hours where it looked like Brantley was heading to the Blue Jays, he'll instead return to the Astros on a two-year contract. Despite his advancing age, Brantley remains one of the safest players in all of fantasy, batting at least .299 in each of the last six seasons in which he played at least 11 games. He both walked and struck out more than usual last season, but given that he played in just 46 games, there's little reason to draw any firm conclusions from that data. The bigger issue is that Brantley excels in only batting average, and although he'll offer something in each of the other four rotisserie categories, he won't be a difference-maker. Draft Brantley in the middle-to-later rounds if you need an average boost, but there's little upside.

Michael Brantley inks two-year deal with the Astros (update)

The Astros have signed free agent OF Michael Brantley to a two-year, $32 million contract.

Fantasy Impact

Brantley reportedly signed a three-year deal with the Blue Jays earlier on Wednesday, but this report was refuted and remained a free agent. The 33-year-old OF ultimately returns to Houston on a two-year deal. Brantley was productive in a shortened 2020 campaign, slashing .300/.364/.476 over 187 plate appearances in 2020. Brantley’s fantasy value should remain the same now that he will remain with the Astros for the next two seasons.