We’re another month closer to spring training, and while we’re still waiting on the two biggest names to sign, the free agent market is settling in. With each signing and trade, we get a bit clearer picture of the landscape of Major League Baseball in 2019. I’ve also begun my Rankings Debates Series for On the List, which has resulted in quite a few re-evaluations this month in SP, 1B, and 2B.

I’ve been updating my rankings since I posted the original list on Nov. 27 based on free agent signings, trades, and other moves. You can see my list of notable transactions and how that affected the players involved here. Before we get into the updated list, I’ll say a few words about the biggest movers.

Biggest Risers

Blake Parker (UNR – 240) and Cody Allen (235 – 177): Very Similar to Anthony Swarzak and Alex Colome in last month’s update, Parker and Allen now find themselves in closer roles on new teams. Parker was signed by the Minnesota Twins and should easily slot into the ninth inning. His biggest competitor for save opportunities is Trevor May, so I feel confident the job will be Parker’s coming out of spring training. The story is similar for Allen, who will almost certainly be closing out games for the Los Angeles Angels. Ty Buttrey is the only other notable name in that bullpen at this time, hence Allen’s new top 200 status.

Yasmani Grandal (176 – 138): You’ve got to love a power-hitting catcher going from a pitcher’s park to one of the best hitter’s parks in baseball. I think Grandal now represents one of the safest offensive catchers for 2019. I expect he may challenge his career high 27 home runs, hit in 2016. His 2018 marks of over 40% in both flyball rate and hard-hit rate should work very nicely in Miller Park.

Sonny Gray (UNR – 246), Caleb Smith (UNR – 249), Jesus Luzardo (UNR – 276): These three starters all found their way into my top 300 players after some re-evaluation on my part and a trade on Brian Cashman’s part. Gray obviously finds himself wearing a Cincinnati Reds uniform nowadays, where he should have a firm role in the rotation and a shot at a comeback season. Alex Fast advocated for the inclusion of Smith and his nasty slider, and I couldn’t help but agree and oblige. After doing a bit of research on Luzardo and taking a closer look at the Oakland Athletics’ rotation, I expect we’ll see the young lefty in the majors sooner rather than later in 2019.

Biggest Fallers

Zach Britton (277 – UNR) and Adam Ottavino (200 – 247): The New York Yankees are really putting a downer on my new closer hopes. I was super jazzed on the idea of Ottavino signing with the Atlanta Braves to close out games for them, but alas, it was not to be. Now that he and Britton have both signed with the Yankees, neither will likely have a shot at save opportunities, but I still like Ottavino for ratio and strikeout help.

Jeff McNeil (215 – 296): Poor Jeff. I initially had McNeil ranked 204 in November, and I bumped him down a bit to 215 after Robinson Cano was traded to the New York Mets. I expected McNeil to hold the lion’s share of starts at third base, but then the Mets went and signed Jed Lowrie. Now, I just don’t see any clear path to playing time for McNeil, which is an utter shame for a player I was very interested in seeing in 2019.

Chase Anderson (190 – UNR): Everyone assumes that published fantasy baseball writers have combed through their pieces and their rankings, ensuring that everything is in place before publishing. While that is generally the case, occasionally things can slip through the cracks. That is the case with Anderson, who ought not to have made my initial top 300 list but never received a thorough examination to confirm his top-60 SP ranking. Thanks to Fast, that has been brought to my attention and remedied. To be totally clear, I cannot in good conscience recommend drafting Anderson in 2019.

Now, onto the updated top 300!

Overall Rankings



Positional Rankings

Catcher

First Base

Second Base

Third Base

Shortstop

Outfield

Starting Pitcher

Relief Pitcher

Graphic by Justin Paradis (@freshmeatcomm on Twitter)