MLB DFS News & Updates

The New York Mets are scheduled to meet with free-agent left-hander Tarik Skubal next week, a source told Jorge Castillo of ESPN. The Mets were expected to be in the running from the jump this offseason, with the New York Post's Jon Heyman referring to them as the early favorites over the Los Angeles Dodgers recently. The Mets and Dodgers have the deepest pockets, which makes them the favorites for by far and away the best player on the open market this offseason, and the Mets also have the most pressure on them from above after finishing in last place in the National League East last year and missing the playoffs in each of the last two seasons. Skubal is said to have really enjoyed his time in the second half of the 2026 season with the Dodgers after they acquired him at the trade deadline from the Detroit Tigers in early August, but ultimately, the biggest offer, money-wise, is expected to win out. The two-time Cy Young Award winner has an incentive to pick a team before the lockout arrives on Dec. 1, so his market could move quickly this month. Regardless of where Skubal signs, he should be one of the first starting pitchers off the board in 2027 fantasy drafts after another strong season with the Tigers and Dodgers, going 12-7 with a 2.72 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and 186 strikeouts in 158 2/3 innings across 26 starts despite having left-elbow surgery midseason.

Per The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Chad Biship, the Atlanta Braves want right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow) to take his comeback much more slowly, making it unlikely that he will be ready for the start of the 2027 regular season, according to president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos. It is not surprising at all that Schwellenbach is not expected to be ready for Opening Day after having his first right-elbow surgery in February to remove bone spurs. He later went under the knife to fix an elbow fracture. The 26-year-old former second-round selection in 2021 did not pitch at all for the Braves in 2026 after looking strong in his first two big-league seasons, going 15-11 with a 3.23 ERA (3.27 FIP), 1.01 WHIP, and 235:41 K:BB in 234 1/3 innings pitched across his 38 starts. Because of his first two strong seasons in the majors, Schwellenbach will be a stash candidate for fantasy managers in 2027 drafts, even though he is likely to open the season on the injured list. At the same time, he will likely be on a strict innings limit after having last pitched in a big-league game in June of 2025.

The New York Yankees received some good news on superstar outfielder Aaron Judge (rib) after his follow-up visit with Dr. Gregory Pearl, a Texas-based specialist who reviewed the healing of the right rib fracture that cost Judge most of the 2026 season, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. "He's currently in a good place," general manager Brian Cashman said. "No new added features to his circumstance, outside of [that Judge will] take the winter to continue to rest up, and he'll be ready to go. But there's no new procedures or anything there." Judge was limited to just 66 games due to a rib fracture and a right-calf strain in September. The 34-year-old eight-time All-Star and three-time MVP hit .241/.360/.511 with 18 home runs, 41 RBI, 45 runs scored, and five stolen bases across 285 plate appearances in his 11th year in the big leagues. Despite his injury-plagued season in 2026, fantasy managers should still consider the right-handed slugger as the premier power threat in the big leagues, not named Shohei Ohtani. He should head into spring training next year with a clean bill of health.

The Detroit Tigers signed top free-agent reliever Emilio Pagan to a one-year, $11 million deal on Wednesday, sources told Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The Tigers chose not to bring veteran closer Kenley Jansen back for the 2027 season and will replace him in the ninth inning with Pagan, who will make $1 million more than the $10 million mutual option that he turned down with the Cincinnati Reds last month. The 35-year-old veteran missed some time in the first half of the 2026 season with a hamstring injury and finished with a 3.38 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 25 saves in 28 opportunities, and a 45:11 K:BB in 42 2/3 innings pitched out of the bullpen in Cincy. Pagan has plenty of experience in high-leverage situations, which is where Detroit's bullpen really fell short last season, as he has 90 saves in his 10 major-league seasons, with the past three coming for the Reds.