Fantasy managers in dynasty or keeper formats always think about being greedy. Sure, they want to win this season but the goal is to be the champion every season and construct a roster with real staying power. Sometimes, thinking about the long-term means ignoring the short-term, and not only in terms of stashing young prospects. There are myriad proven, veteran players who cannot help any fantasy teams in 2021 yet still warrant roster spots for future seasons.
For the purposes of this exercise, we will leave out prospects whether they have debuted or not, as well as any Japanese players that may or may not ultimately find their way to the majors. Instead, we will focus on players that have already contributed to fantasy rosters in the past, and likely will again. In addition, Boston Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale, New York Mets right-hander Noah Syndergaard and New York Yankees right-hander Luis Severino are all on the mend from the popular Tommy John surgery and certainly on the radar of fantasy managers seeking to compete in 2021. We shall leave them out for now and instead focus on these other potentially forgotten options.
Mike Clevinger, SP, San Diego Padres: Clevinger, 30, has pitched as a fantasy ace at times in his short career, which encompasses a mere 542 1/3 big-league innings. There is every expectation he will thrive again, beginning in 2022. Fantasy managers are no stranger to dealing with the repercussions of pitchers missing an entire season for the UCL replacement procedure, and Clevinger will have well over a year to recover before next spring training. He was a top-20 starting pitcher for fantasy in the past and he can be again.
Justin Verlander, SP, Houston Astros: This one is a bit different because Verlander, will be 39 years old the next time we see him take the mound, assuming he does indeed do so. While Clevinger will remain under contract to the Padres next spring, Verlander can elect free agency, so this is not merely about age. Then again, Verlander, who made only one start in 2020, has been among the top-five pitchers in the sport for the past decade. Who is going to bet against him returning to pitch at a high level? The difference here is that it might only be for a year or two.
Robinson Cano, 2B, New York Mets: This one is a whole lot different because Cano is presumably healthy, but serving a full-season suspension after again testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug. Cano will also be 39 years old the next time we see him play. He quite famously remains under contract for several more seasons but, based on how he hit in 2020 (.316, 10 home runs in 49 games), and the likelihood of a universal DH being the norm by next season, fantasy managers should be interested.
Framber Valdez, SP, Houston Astros: The 27-year-old left-hander emerged as a stabilizing rotation force in 2020 and quite a few fantasy managers invested for 2021. Then, a comebacker struck Valdez in his first spring outing, fracturing the ring finger on his pitching hand. While he could still avoid season-ending surgery, he likely will need to decide soon.
Dakota Hudson, SP, St. Louis Cardinals: Back to the Tommy John surgery portion of our column and Hudson, 26, had his procedure last September. It still seems unlikely that he pitches in 2021. Hudson won a deceptive 16 games in 2019, as fantasy managers ignored the walks and the 1.41 WHIP, but he lowered that WHIP greatly over eight starts in 2020. Hudson could be relevant in our world in 2022.
Yonny Chirinos, SP, Tampa Bay Rays: This 27-year-old right-hander rarely wowed us with strikeouts but he limits hard contact and hey, he is on the Rays. We take their pitchers seriously. Chirinos should be fine for 2022 but, unlike Valdez and Hudson, his role might be undefined. His teammate Colin Poche, a dynamite, lefty reliever who misses many bats, is also on the mend from Tommy John surgery this season.
Ken Giles, RP, Seattle Mariners: Giles, 30, is an interesting case. The presumed non-contending Mariners signed him to a multi-year contract, knowing he would miss the first season recovering from Tommy John surgery. He should be ready well in advance of the next spring training, since his surgery occurred in September 2020. It certainly remains possible that the Mariners develop a standout, young closer in the interim. Otherwise, Giles figures to earn saves in 2022.
Roberto Osuna, RP, free agent: Osuna saved 154 games over his first five big-league seasons with two organizations, so there is little doubt about his ability to close out baseball games. However, Osuna has not opted for Tommy John surgery for his ailing elbow and he remains without a team. It should also be noted that he served a 2018 suspension for a domestic violence incident. There's a lot going on here. There's no guarantee this once and potentially future closer even plays major league baseball in 2021 or 2022 -- or ever again really. Nevertheless, his situation warrants attention.
