ESPN's Jeff Passan writes that if not for injuries that limited him to 15 starts in 2025, free-agent right-hander Michael King "might be at the top of the free-agent pitcher's list." King is likelier to land a contract in the range of Nathan Eovaldi's three-year, $75 million deal from last offseason. High- and low-revenue teams are expected to be in on King, who would probably fetch a nine-figure contract if he had stayed healthy this past season. A shoulder injury limited the 30-year-old to 15 starts for the San Diego Padres this year. He went 5-3 with a 3.44 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and 76 strikeouts for the Friars in 73 1/3 innings pitched. King was pretty nasty in 2024 in SD, posting a 2.95 ERA with 201 K's in 30 starts, but that has been his only full season as a starter, raising concerns about his durability in both real life and for fantasy purposes.

ESPN's Jeff Passan writes that in the minds of MLB executives, free-agent infielder Luis Arraez doesn't "warrant a big-money deal." Arraez will be one of the youngest players available this offseason at 28 years old. He has won three straight batting titles and led the National League in hits in 2025. However, "teams can't help but see Arraez for everything he isn't." The Venezuelan isn't great on defense, isn't a great baserunner, and doesn't have much power. He struck out only 21 times in 675 plate appearances this year, the lowest strikeout rate since Tony Gwynn struck out 15 times in 577 plate appearances 30 years ago. Contact-oriented hitters are still valuable in today's game, just not as much as they were, say, 20-30 years ago. Arraez is going to land somewhere, but he's probably not going to have offers flooding in, and he's not all that attractive in fantasy, either.

ESPN's Jeff Passan writes that the Pittsburgh Pirates are "strongly considering" giving 19-year-old Konnor Griffin "the opportunity to win their big-league shortstop job," according to sources. Kriffin was the consensus minor-league player of the year in 2025 after wowing scouts by hitting .333/.415/.527 with 21 home runs and 65 stolen bases in his first professional season. The 6-foot-4, 225-pounder was the ninth overall pick in the 2024 draft. Griffin has immense talent, but the last teenager to debut in the major leagues as a teenager was Juan Soto in 2018. It could be a situation that ends up biting the Pirates, but with a front-line starting rotation and a potential fresh batch of free-agent bats, the addition of Griffin would make the Bucs an exciting group to watch. As for Griffin's fantasy value, he clearly has the tools to be worth rostering in all leagues immediately if he's with Pittsburgh early in 2026.

The Tampa Bay Rays designated outfielder Jake Fraley for assignment on Tuesday, according to the Tampa Bay Times' Marc Topkin. Fraley was cut by the Cincinnati Reds this year and made stops with the Atlanta Braves and the Rays after that. The 30-year-old didn't actually play in any games with Tampa and might be back on the open market this offseason. He combined to hit .241/.332/.382 with a .714 OPS, six home runs, 23 RBI, 31 runs scored, and four stolen bases in 76 games in 2025 with the Reds and Braves. Fraley played in just nine games in Atlanta before being claimed off waivers by the Rays. The left-handed-hitting outfielder has had issues staying healthy in his career after being taken in the second round back in 2016 out of LSU by Tampa. At best, Fraley is a platoon bat with limited upside for fantasy baseball managers.