Fantasy baseball players know that feeling. Yes, the feeling you’ve got right now. It’s the electricity and anticipation of MLB Opening Day 2022 flowing through your veins. We’re less than 24 hours away from the first pitch of the 2022 MLB season which means your fantasy baseball season, that six-month long grind, is about to begin. How great does that feel? You’ve plodded through all the 2022 fantasy baseball player rankings, you’ve researched fantasy baseball sleepers, breakouts and busts, you established a fool-proof fantasy baseball draft strategy, drafted your team, made some last-minute free agent waiver wire adds and here you are.

You probably feel about as excited and happy as this guy right now.

Watching an MLB rookie get that call? Absolutely brilliant. Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodríguez has an amazing career ahead of him and watching him in that moment brings tears of joy to my eyes. Baseball is back, baby! This influx of MLB rookies, the romanticism we’re witnessing with things like Albert Pujols returning to St. Louis, these are the things that keep the spirit of baseball alive and I truly hope all of you enjoy the season we are about to have. It’s going to be phenomenal.

Of course, with Opening Day still not officially here, we have some time to make those final roster tweaks to get our teams into the shape we want. So, before we drift off into that euphoric state Opening Day brings about, let’s get to some of the news and notes we need to know to win.

 

 

MLB News

 

Weather Conditions Postpone Two Opening Day Games Already

 

It’s a bit of a bummer, but something we’ve learned to expect with the weather here in April. Both the New York Yankees/Boston Red Sox and the Minnesota Twins/Seattle Mariners games have been postponed due to inclement weather. Both games have been moved to Friday afternoon, so if you have Gerrit Cole, Nathan Eovaldi, Joe Ryan and Robbie Ray, please plan accordingly.

Cleveland Guardians Extend José Ramírez for Five Years and $124 Million

 

 

If you’ve been locked into the latest MLB rumors, you’ve probably been waiting to hear just what it would take to get JRam into a Toronto Blue Jays uniform, right? Well, apparently, it’s going to take a lot because in addition to the five-year, $124M extension the Guardians just handed him, he’s also got a no-trade clause as well. The funny thing is that this deal is still considered team-friendly, so while it’s the richest contract Cleveland has handed out, it still skews towards their own benefit. Now, because this deal is considered “team-friendly,” it certainly doesn’t rule out the possibility of a trade. Ramirez just needs to be onboard with it. We’ll see what happens when things get closer to the MLB trade deadline.

 

 

2022 MLB Spring Training Updates

 

Is Greg Holland the New Closer for the Texas Rangers?

 

 

If you thought it was shocking that Rangers manager Chris Woodward announced that he did not want to use Joe Barlow as his closer to open the season, just take a look at what’s happening in Arlington right now. With news that RHP Spencer Patton was being sent down to Triple-A Round Rock, fantasy owners immediately ran out to start adding Greg Holland and Matt Bush for saves. Holland and Bush? Really? What year is this? Both hurlers are 36-years-old and it looks like the two of them will be mixed and matched against hitters late in the game and the two could share the role for some time. If your league has daily roster moves, then it might be doable as you can swap them out for each other based on workload. But consider this a straight committee approach and don’t expect just one guy to emerge as the team’s closer for at least a few weeks. We’ve seen both guys tank it at times, so you’ll need to exhibit some patience. 

Daulton Jefferies Earns Spot in the Oakland Athletics Rotation

 

 

The A’s aren’t going to have much to brag about this year as the team has been completely dismantled. But they’re still going to play 162 games this year and they’re still going to have players who may be able to serve in a complementary role to your fantasy baseball team. Maybe under the right circumstances, Jefferies, the team’s No. 3 starter, could be used for streaming, but he’s going to need to pick up his strikeout rate a little more. At the lower levels of the minor leagues, he posted a K/9 well into the double-digits, but has not found the same success yet at the big-league level. Without the K’s you can pass on him, but just keep an eye on things through his first few starts.

 

 

MLB Injuries

 

Washington Nationals Target May 1 for the Return of Stephen Strasburg

 

 

Here’s hoping you play in a league where you have unlimited IL spots, amirite? Those who took a late-round flier on Strasburg may only have to wait another three weeks to see how he returns from thoracic outlet surgery as reports from Washington say the right-hander will face live hitters this week, steadily ramp up his level of activity and ultimately appear in a game in early May. Considering how few people recover from this type of surgery to come back and play, this should be exciting to watch. If you drafted Strasburg, be patient. I doubt it’s going to be an immediate boom for everyone. But if he can recover even a little of what he had before the surgery, he could be a fantastic help.

 

 

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