Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Bryan Woo broke through to the ranks of ace territory in 2025, posting a 15-7 record with a 2.94 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 198 strikeouts across 186 2/3 innings pitched (30 starts). Woo recorded an elite 22.2% K-BB rate and owns a WHIP of 0.98 across 395 2/3 career innings. Entering his age-26 season, Woo should be in a position to build upon his 2025 performance and continue to establish himself as one of the best pitchers in MLB. He also has the benefit of pitching in one of baseball's most pitcher-friendly environments in Seattle. If there's any concern for fantasy managers, it's Woo's questionable injury track record. He dealt with an elbow ailment that limited him to 22 starts in 2024. Still, Woo is a young pitcher with upside who carries clear fantasy SP1 potential heading into 2026.

In his first season with the Atlanta Braves in 2024, veteran starting pitcher Chris Sale led MLB in wins and ERA on his way to winning the National League Cy Young Award. While Sale was still productive when healthy in 2025, a rib cage injury limited his availability and held down his overall performance. Across 125 2/3 innings (20 starts), Sale posted a 7-5 record with a 2.58 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 165 strikeouts. Heading into 2026, Sale could return to full Cy Young form with improved health. However, he will turn 37 years old at the end of March and carries an extensive injury track record beyond just 2025. Across a four-season stretch from 2020 through 2023, Sale made just 31 total starts. Still, since joining the Braves, Sale owns a 2.46 ERA and has posted back-to-back seasons with a strikeout rate north of 32%. He carries clear fantasy SP1 upside as long as he can stay on the mound in 2026.

Veteran third baseman Alex Bregman will have a new home for the 2026 season after signing a five-year, $175 million contract with the Chicago Cubs in free agency. The 31-year-old spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Houston Astros before signing a short-term deal with the Boston Red Sox for the 2025 season. Bregman missed time in 2025 due to injury, but produced a .273/.360/.462 slash line with 18 home runs, 62 RBI, and 64 runs scored across 495 plate appearances. In Chicago, he'll likely hit in the middle of what projects to be one of the best lineups in baseball. However, it's fair to wonder if Bregman's power output will decline now that he no longer has the home-field advantage provided by short left fields in Houston and Boston. With just a 6.1% career barrel rate, Bregman does not have elite underlying power metrics. Still, Bregman owns a career slugging percentage of .490 on the road, and 12 of his 18 home runs in 2025 came away from Fenway Park. Given that he still has a strong supporting cast around him in Chicago, Bregman's current average draft position as the eighth third baseman off the board may represent a value for fantasy managers.

Across three seasons from 2022 to 2024, injuries limited Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob deGrom to just 20 total starts. Heading into 2025, many wondered if the two-time Cy Young Award winner would ever return to form. However, deGrom managed to log a full season in 2025, posting a 12-8 record with a 2.97 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and 185 strikeouts across 172 2/3 innings (30 starts). While deGrom's 22.1% K-BB rate in 2025 isn't quite the level he posted at his peak, it's still an elite mark that demonstrates how much he still has left in the tank. Still, deGrom will turn 38 years old during the 2026 season, and his extensive injury track record means he still carries a significant health risk. In comparison to other elite starting pitching options, fantasy managers should likely lower their volume-based expectations for deGrom. At the same time, he carries significant upside and currently ranks as RotoBaller's number 11 starting pitcher in standard rotisserie scoring formats.