March 2025

There were 1,679 posts published in March 2025 (this is page 43 of 168).

Fantasy Baseball: Trea Turner among the very best draft picks you can make in every round

It’s time to put my money where my mouth is. After writing one fantasy baseball article after another since the start of spring training, I’m ready to identify my top values in each round of Yahoo drafts. These picks are based on 10-team leagues. Go here for the worst picks at ADP.

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Of course, Shohei Ohtani, Bobby Witt Jr. and Aaron Judge are the preferred options. But I want to highlight someone who makes sense at any point past pick 3. Tucker has the five-category skill set that roto managers covet and the high walk rate that creates an elite floor in points leagues.

Álvarez is sometimes overshadowed by other stars, but with a lifetime .973 OPS, he is part of the conversation as baseball’s best pure hitter. Sitting squarely in his prime with four straight 30-homer seasons, the slugger could still have one more power uptick.

Simply put, Turner belongs in Round 2. The five-category star is a top 15 hitter in roto formats and a top 20 hitter in points leagues. Hitting atop a productive lineup gives Turner a rock-solid floor.

After striking out 209 batters in 146.1 innings last year, Crochet oozes upside now that he is permitted to log a heavy workload while working for a solid team. He has as good a chance as anyone to finish as the No. 1 starter of 2025.

In 44 starts with the Royals, Ragans has logged a 3.00 ERA, a 1.12 WHIP and a 10.9 K/9 rate. He would have gone one round earlier if he had produced those numbers in a major market.

Langford gave us a glimpse of the future when he was named AL Player of the Month in September after hitting .300 with 8 homers, 7 steals, 20 RBI and 25 runs scored. This is the last year that the future superstar will be available this late in drafts.

Sure, Helsley isn’t going to repeat his 49-save season. But he should be ranked higher than his current Yahoo ADP as the seventh reliever off the board. The ace closer has logged a 1.83 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP across the past three seasons.

I previously identified McLain as my toughest player to rank. But after that painstaking evaluation process, I have become a big fan of someone who has a 20-20 floor and multi-position eligibility.

Walker is a top-tier closer without the draft-price tag. The right-hander was among baseball’s best relievers last year (1.91 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 99:18 K:BB ratio) and should save plenty of narrow wins at his pitcher-friendly home park.

Ober is a WHIP darling (career 1.07 mark) who strikes out a batter per inning. I’m happy to lock in that production while crossing my fingers that his fly-ball-heavy approach continues to result in a solid ERA.

Bichette is my favorite value pick this year. I expect the career .290 hitter to return to his top form, which will not only include a high batting average but also 20 homers and a double-digit steals total from a premium lineup spot.

Ryan is a cheaper version of his teammate Ober, with an even better strikeout rate that is offset by greater injury risk. The right-hander will have a WHIP below 1.10 and could whiff 200 batters.

Steele represents the end of a large second tier of starters. The southpaw has logged an ERA below 3.20 in each of the past three seasons and made major strides with a 1.10 WHIP last year.

This is a great spot in the draft to take a chance on one of baseball’s best prospects. Crews may not hit for average right away, but he has the potential to accumulate 20 homers and 30 steals.

The 14th round is mostly a flat tier of uninspiring hurlers, so I’ll pivot to one of the few position players in the group. Bogaerts is past his peak but remains valuable as someone who can hit for average while also collecting 15-20 homers and steals.

This is a great area of the draft to grab a competent backstop in one-catcher leagues. Langeliers and his 30-homer potential make for a fine target. J.T. Realmuto is another excellent option in this round.

Admittedly, I’m worried about reports of Nimmo’s knee soreness this spring. But I’m still willing to invest a pick this late in an on-base machine who is expected to bat cleanup in a productive lineup.

Admittedly, I don’t love the options in Round 18. But I’m happy to roster Díaz, whom I expect to bounce back from a disappointing 2024 season. The infielder gains value in points leagues by virtue of his high walk rate and could produce an improved homer total thanks to the Rays’ temporary home park.

This is a good spot in the draft to throw darts at starters with major upside. Pivetta logged a helpful 1.12 WHIP and an eye-popping 11.1 K/9 rate across the past two seasons. Finally on a team with a pitcher-friendly home park, he can push his ERA below 4.00.

Muncy is a perfect fit in points leagues with daily lineup moves, as he can provide 30 homers and 90 RBI while spending a day or two per week on the bench. In roto formats, I would prefer speedster Andrés Giménez in this round.

Holmes has been so effective as a starter this spring that he earned the Opening Day nod for the Mets. With excellent velocity and a heavy groundball lean, the former closer can be an efficient starter who posts excellent ratios across 150 innings.

I’m not sure where things will go with Shaw, but I’m happy to use a late pick on a premium prospect who may have an everyday role and opens 2025 with triple-position eligibility in Yahoo leagues.

Schmidt could be the beneficiary of New York’s rotation injuries, as he now has a clear runway to make 30 starts after making major improvements (2.85 ERA, 1.18 WHIP) in an injury-shortened 2024 season. He may miss a couple starts at the outset of the season, but his shoulder injury is viewed as a minor issue.

Fantasy Baseball: Dodgers stars among some of the worst picks you can make in every round of drafts

Fantasy baseball drafters get smarter every year, which means that there are fewer egregious draft errors. Still, there are some players whom I’m not willing to consider at their current Yahoo ADP. Here are my least favorite picks in each round of a 10-team league. Go here for the best picks at ADP.

Betts was already a fringe first-rounder, and his recent illness should officially push him to Round 2. There is simply no need to use a top-10 pick on someone who lost 15 pounds right before the start of the season, and it doesn’t look like things have gotten much better.

As Yahoo colleague Scott Pianowski says, you don’t need to chase injuries, because they’ll find you anyways. Freeman will sit out some games in the first half of the season while managing an ankle injury, which is enough reason for me to avoid him in Round 2.

I’ve played fantasy baseball long enough to have doubts whenever I see someone log a career year on the wrong side of 30. Marte is an excellent player, but he doesn’t steal many bases and will likely hit fewer than 30 home runs.

Acuña is going to miss the start of the season and has already stated that he plans to be less aggressive on the bases in an effort to be more durable. I’ll check back in next year, when the superstar will hopefully be a healthy first-round option.

I like the values in Round 5. In this loaded group I’ll go with Albies as the one whom I would take a pass on. He should be productive but isn’t one of Atlanta’s best pure hitters and will likely bat in the bottom half of the lineup.

There always seems to be a hiccup with Díaz, who has just one 35-save season despite being a closer for virtually all of his career. Last year it was a shoulder injury and a 10-game suspension. He also blew seven of his 27 save chances. There are closers available two rounds later who are just as safe.

I tend to value Semien lower than most drafters, due to the fact that I’m not willing to project 160-game seasons for players in their mid-30s. The infielder no longer hits for average, rarely steals bases and will barely eclipse the 20-homer plateau.

There are questions about how heavily Bautista will be used in his initial season after Tommy John surgery, and his spring training radar gun readings were less impressive than his pre-injury marks. Those two points are enough reason to downgrade him on draft lists.

There are plenty of drafters who love grabbing Vientos this year, but I’m not one of them. The slugger has 30-homer power but doesn’t have any speed component to his game and last year logged an xBA that was 20 points lower than his actual mark.

I have no doubt that Sasaki will be successful during his rookie season, but he is being drafted in the same range as starters who will also have great success and will throw more innings. I would rather get 165-175 effective frames from Luis Castillo, Bailey Ober, Freddy Peralta or Tanner Bibee.

There are too many concerns surrounding Robert this year. The injury-prone outfielder has appeared in more than 100 games just once. He plays for the worst team in baseball, and last year he played poorly when healthy (.657 OPS).

Pasquantino is solid but lacks upside. A career .267 hitter who has never hit 20 homers and is among the slowest players in baseball, he won’t make a major impact outside the RBI category.

Turang plummeted at the plate in the second half, hitting .220 with one homer and a .564 OPS across 62 games. He makes regular contact but rarely hits the ball hard and is expected to bat near the bottom of the lineup. This is too early for a one-category speedster.

I am one of the many fantasy analysts who have major concerns about Díaz. The closer no longer strikes out batters at an elite rate and continues to regularly issue walks. His only saving grace is that the Reds don’t have an obvious alternative for the ninth inning, but that won’t matter if Díaz blows some April saves — and now he’s dealing with a hamstring issue.

Suárez benefited from the D-backs’ league-leading offense when he accumulated 191 R+RBI. The 2024 season was the first one since 2019 that the slugger produced an average of over .236, and he doesn’t steal bases. I can get a low-average, 30-homer player later in the draft.

The hitter version of Ohtani should be drafted first overall, while the pitcher version should last until the late rounds. There is massive uncertainty surrounding Ohtani’s expected innings total, and IL slots are prime real estate in April. I would rather use my IL space on someone who is more projectable in terms of a return date.

The Royals have a crowded bullpen, which is great for them but not as good for fantasy managers. I would be fine with Estévez if he had sole possession of the ninth inning, but Lucas Erceg is going to give him a run for his money and Hunter Harvey could enter the picture as well.

See Estévez. I’m not using a Round 18 pick on a reliever who may get 10 saves.

I could have listed Kirby Yates here, but I’ve made the point that I’m not drafting a non-closer in the initial 25 rounds. Instead, I’ll mention Arenado, who has become an empty batting average at this point in his career.

While I like Rafaela’s triple-position eligibility, the good news stops there. The 24-year-old has a lifetime .664 OPS, which makes him the worst hitter among Boston’s regulars. With elite prospects Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell knocking on the door, the roster is about to get crowded.

This round is full of players who are set to open the season on the IL. I’ll pinpoint Gil as someone who I would prefer not to draft. There will be many other pitchers who can be stashed, and most of them will either have shorter timelines or more upside.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora has said that he wants to choose a closer rather than using a committee. So far, Hendriks has not put himself in position to be the ninth-inning choice. The veteran has struggled in Spring Training, which is concerning for someone who missed nearly all of the past two seasons.

Joyce will offer little fantasy value as the setup man to Kenley Jansen. The flamethrower does not strike out batters at an elite rate and won’t be more valuable than relievers who can be drafted later, such as Cade Smith, Edwin Uceta and Blake Treinen.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts expects Mookie Betts to play in opener as he fights undiagnosed stomach illness

After missing the Los Angeles Dodgers’ two games in Japan against the Chicago Cubs last week, Mookie Betts‘ status for Thursday’s home opener at Dodger Stadium was uncertain as he deals with a stomach illness. But it sounds like the Dodgers got positive news Monday.

According to ESPN’s Alden González, manager Dave Roberts said he is “really encouraged” after Betts went through a full workout at Dodger Stadium, and expects Betts will play in the home opener on Thursday against the Detroit Tigers.

The exact diagnosis of what’s affecting Betts, 32, remains unknown, and the Dodgers star has lost nearly 20 pounds since he began feeling ill days before the team left for Tokyo. It was looking like he would appear at shortstop Sunday against the Los Angeles Angels, but he began vomiting again hours before the game.

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“I just want to play,” Betts told reporters on Sunday. “I’m tired of sitting, tired of just throwing up, tired of doing all this. I just really want to play. … My body’s just kind of eating itself. It’s hard to not fuel it. And so every time — literally, every time — I fuel my body, I throw up. … I don’t know what to do.”

What’s baffling Betts is that he’s able to live a normal life while he deals with his illness, even working out without feeling any effects. But keeping food down is the issue, and that has led to his current weight loss and made him “scared to eat.” While smoothies and IV treatments are fine, solid food is giving him issues.

“This is so touchy, man,” Betts said. “You think you feel good, and then you don’t really know. … Every time I eat something, it just comes right out.”

Tests have all come back normal, and Betts is currently on new medication to hopefully alleviate the problem. 

Betts said wants to be at 100 percent when he returns to the field to give himself the best chance for a good start to the 2025 season and not hinder his team.

“You’re already playing uphill,” Betts said. “I weigh 157 pounds, and that’s way underweight. … I’m not saying I don’t want to do it. Sure, if that’s what it takes, but does it logically make sense? And that’s the question we really need to answer.”

LeBron James returned to the Lakers lineup alongside Luka Dončić … only to be humbled by the Bulls

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James made his return to the lineup for the first time in nearly two weeks. 

It wasn’t pretty.

With James back on the court alongside Luka Dončić, the Lakers gave up their most points all season in a 146-115 loss to the Chicago Bulls. By midway through the fourth quarter, Lakers coach JJ Redick had seen enough and emptied his bench.

Dončić scored 17 points in the first quarter and 29 by halftime. He finished with 34 points to go with eight rebounds, six assists and seven turnovers. James had 17 points, six rebounds and five turnovers in 31 minutes.

Bulls guard Josh Giddey nearly posted a quadruple-double with 15 points, 10 rebounds, 17 assists and eight steals. It would have been the first quadruple-double in the NBA in nearly 30 years.

The Lakers totaled 21 turnovers as Chicago shot 58.3% from the field and made 19 of 41 3-pointers.

After initially being considered a game-time decision, the Lakers confirmed on Saturday night that James would play against the Bulls. James had been out since March 8 with a groin strain. 

James was initially listed as questionable, but planned to warm up and be a game-time decision. James began on-court workouts last Sunday, and ESPN’s Shams Charania said the team would be cautious with his return.

It has been an up-and-down experience for the Lakers since losing James — starting power forward Rui Hachimura also returned Saturday after being sidelined with a knee injury — and the direction has mostly depended on Luka Dončić. They are 3-1 in games since James’ injury when Dončić plays, with the lone loss being against the Milwaukee Bucks in which their entire starting frontcourt was out. They are 0-2 in the games Dončić has missed.

The Lakers were coming off another blowout loss Thursday in which Austin Reaves was out in addition to James, Dončić and Hachimura. That group represents the Lakers’ top four scorers. Not coincidentally, James’ son Bronny posted a career high in points with 17 in that game.

With only 12 games left on its regular-season schedule, Los Angeles needs its players to get healthy soon if it wants a chance to play together before the NBA playoffs begin.

In 58 games entering Saturday, James was averaging 25 points, 8.2 rebounds and 8.5 assists while shooting 52% from the floor (and 38% on 3-pointers). He’d scored 25 or more points in eight of his previous 10 games while the Lakers had won eight consecutive contests before their March 8 loss to Boston.

The Lakers are 43-27 and sit in fourth place in the Western Conference.

Anthony Davis could return to Mavericks’ lineup during upcoming Eastern road trip: Report

Anthony Davis could return to the Mavericks‘ lineup during Dallas’ upcoming Eastern road trip, which begins Monday, NBA insider Marc Stein reports. 

Last week, Davis was assigned to practice with the Mavs’ G League team. He was recalled to the NBA club after one workout. 

Dallas begins its four-game trip with back-to-back games with the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks starting Monday. The trip concludes with matchups versus the Orlando Magic on Thursday and Chicago Bulls on Saturday. 

Davis, 32, has been sidelined with a left adductor strain since Feb. 8, his first game with the Mavericks after being included in a blockbuster trade package for Luka Dončić. Dallas had discussed shutting Davis down for the rest of the season, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. But the veteran forward has pushed for a return with the team still in the playoff race. 

The Mavericks have 11 games remaining on their regular-season schedule and are battling the Phoenix Suns for the 10th seed in the Western Conference, which would get them in the play-in tournament. Dallas is tied with Phoenix at 34-37, but the Suns would win a tiebreaker with a 3-1 record versus the Mavs in their regular-season matchups. 

Davis is one of three big men currently out with injuries, but appears to be ready to return ahead of Dereck Lively II (fractured foot) and Daniel Gafford (sprained knee).  

The Mavs have not targeted a specific game for Davis to return, but reportedly feel optimistic enough about his progress to believe he’ll rejoin the active roster during the next week after he was able to practice in five-on-five play with the G League Texas Legends, according to Stein. Lively and Gafford have participated in three-on-three activities. 

Davis has averaged 25.7 points, 12 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 2.2 blocks this season, but has been limited to 43 games. (Meanwhile, Dončić is scoring 26.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 1.9 steals for the Lakers, fueling Mavericks fans’ anger over the controversial trade.) 

Kevin Durant’s 42 points leads Suns to win over Cavaliers, who have lost 4 straight since 16-game win streak

Kevin Durant scored 42 points to lead the Phoenix Suns to one of their biggest wins of the season, a 123-112 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night. 

Not only did the Suns beat one of the NBA’s top teams, they also moved ahead of the Dallas Mavericks for the 10th spot in the Western Conference standings, which would put them in the play-in tournament. 

Cleveland took an early 11-7 lead, but the Suns went ahead with a 16-9 burst to take the lead. The Cavs briefly went back ahead on a Darius Garland jumper with 42 seconds left in the frame, but Durant gave Phoenix the lead going into the second quarter. 

The Suns then took control on two 3-pointers from Royce O’Neale and a floater in the lane by Devin Booker for a 49-38 lead that remained an 11-point margin heading into halftime.

“Just taking the open ones, knocking them down,” O’Neale told the Arizona Republic’s Duane Rankin afterwards. “These guys were finding me. You see one, two, three go in, you know, just keep shooting.”

O’Neale finished with 15 points off the bench, hitting 5-of-8 3-pointers. Booker added 17 points with 10 assists, while Tyus Jones had 16 points. Oso Ighodaro grabbed 13 rebonds, while Durant also had eight rebounds and six assists for the night.

Phoenix played without Bradley Beal, who missed his third consecutive game with a hamstring injury suffered in last Sunday’s 107-96 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. He’s set to be reevaluated before Sunday’s matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks. Grayson Allen was also out with a foot injury that’s sidelined him for the past five games.

The Suns have won three straight and four of their past five. Phoenix and Dallas are both 34-37, but the Suns have the tiebreaker with a 3-1 season record versus the Mavericks.

Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 18 points, five rebounds and six assists, with De’Andre Hunter adding 17 off the bench. Evan Mobley and Ty Jerome each scored 16 points with five assists, with Mobley also getting 12 rebounds. 

After winning 16 straight games, Cleveland has now lost four in a row. With the loss to Phoenix, Cleveland dropped to 56-14 and sits behind the Oklahoma City Thunder (58-12) for the best record in the NBA. However, the Cavs still hold a five-game lead over the Boston Celtics (51-19) for the top mark in the East. 

Cleveland has an opportunity to turn things around, ending its Western road trip with matchups against the Utah Jazz (16-55) and Portland Trail Blazers (32-39).

Former Mavericks owner Mark Cuban gives honest opinion of Luka Dončić trade: ‘I didn’t agree with it’

When the Dallas Mavericks made the franchise-altering decision to trade Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers, former majority team owner Mark Cuban tried to play things down the middle. When asked about the trade, Cuban initially admitted he would have tried to seek a better deal, but failed to say whether he would have made the trade if he were still in charge.

Mavericks fans may have finally received the answer to that question Wednesday, when Cuban made an appearance on the “Your Mom’s House” podcast with comedian Tom Segura. Cuban was asked about the deal around the 54-minute mark of the show. 

After explaining he no longer has operating control within the franchise, Cuban revealed he received a text from team general manager Nico Harrison on the night Dončić was traded. Cuban initially thought Harrison was asking for the former owner’s opinion on the deal, but eventually realized the trade had already gone down. Cuban said he responded to the text by saying he “didn’t agree with” trading Dončić. Cuban added, “It wasn’t my decision to make.”

Cuban then agreed with Segura’s opinion that Dončić is a generational player. Cuban compared the situation to allowing Steve Nash to leave the Mavericks after the 2003-04 NBA season. Nash joined the Phoenix Suns and immediately won back-to-back MVPs with his new club. Cuban admitted the decision to let Nash walk would have looked a lot worse had the Suns beat the Mavericks in the 2005-06 Western Conference Finals. Dallas advanced to the Finals that season, but fell to the Miami Heat in six games.

Roughly a month after Dončić was sent to the Lakers for Anthony Davis, Cuban made his first public comments on the trade. During an interview with WFAA, Cuban said he wished the Mavericks would have held out for a better deal for Dončić. When asked by WFAA whether he would have traded Dončić, Cuban declined to answer, saying, “I’m not going to go there. Doesn’t matter.”

Cuban’s comments on Segura’s podcast seemingly answered that question. That response should come as no surprise. Given how angrily Mavericks fans reacted to the Dončić deal, Cuban was wise to further distance himself from the deal during Wednesday’s interview.