2021 All-Acquired National League
Before I was an Astrology Baseball junkie, I was a transactions/roster construction junkie. It has always fascinated me to analyze the players who changed teams during any given offseason, from the biggest blockbusters to the most under-the-radar non-roster invitations. In recent years, I’ve expanded that practice to creating a huge database of each team’s roster, which I would update weekly. I do realize the irony here insofar as Astrology Baseball doesn’t provide for roster moves of any kind, since a player’s sign is determined at birth and can’t change (except in the rare cases where I get the dates wrong).
I let my rosters database lapse during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, when I started to focus on preparing this Astrology Baseball blog. But while watching the first 2021 Spring Training games on Sunday, I realized how much I missed keeping up to date with the minutiae of everyday roster tinkering. So I created a new database, starting with each player on an MLB team’s expanded (i.e. 40-man) roster as of the first day of Spring Training games. And in keeping with the roster construction theme, you are now seeing the first fruits of this labor: the 2021 All-Acquired Rosters!
While I’ll still be providing Astrology-related commentary, these particular rosters are organized by real-life league (i.e. American and National) rather than fantasy polarity (i.e. Positive and Negative). They’re also sorted by 2020 fantasy points and only include players on MLB rosters – I’m sure the makeup will change significantly when we start factoring in preseason rankings and non-roster invitees.
The National League takes the cake for most star power acquired in the offseason, particularly on the left side of the infield. Aries third baseman Nolan Arenado probably has the best recent track record of any player who changed teams, but at this point it’s old hat for the Cardinals to trade for NL West superstars (cf. Paul Goldschmidt two years ago). The most impactful move of the offseason might have been the Mets trading for Francisco Lindor, since it makes a clear statement for the organization’s direction. What’s more, despite Lindor’s down season (by his lofty standards), the Scorpio shortstop came within a handful of fantasy points of leading all NL acquired hitters. As it stands, that honor goes to Adam Duvall, a slugging Virgo outfielder, who is embarking on a tour of the NL East by moving from the Braves to the Marlins.
The Mets didn’t stop their acquisition streak with Lindor and Aries pitcher Carlos Carrasco, who was included in the same trade. New York NL also picked up a new catcher (Gemini James McCann, who many saw as a preemptive consolation prize for J.T. Realmuto), a center field option (Capricorn Kevin Pillar, who could share time with fellow newcomer Albert Almora Jr.), and a speedy utility threat (Taurus Jonathan Villar, who saw some brief time in the outfield last year as well). Elsewhere in the league, the Giants signed contact-hitting specialist Tommy La Stella for second base, but if defense is your thing, you’re better off picking Kolten Wong (Brewers). The Diamondbacks picked up corner infielder Asdrubal Cabrera, but Josh Bell (Nationals) probably has more upside. I penciled in Brad Miller as the nonexistent DH just to get another bat in the lineup, but hopefully this is the last year with this discrepancy between the leagues.
The best production of 2021 All-Acquired players comes from National League pitchers, who include the only two 1,000-point scorers to change teams this offseason. The biggest headlines were generated by the massive free agent deal that defending NL Cy Young Award winner (and Capricorn) Trevor Bauer signed with the Dodgers, causing fans in Los Angeles to already start making excuses for his xenophobic views and reprehensible behavior on the internet. But the better overall season (in fact, the best among acquired players, by total points) goes to Leo Yu Darvish, one of several marquee additions to the Padres pitching staff. The only other one who technically makes the “starting lineup” is Aries closer Mark Melancon, with Blake Snell barely losing out to yet another Mets acquisition Taijuan Walker for the fifth starter spot, and Joe Musgrove relegated to honorable mention territory.
It’s not often that you see pitchers who were traded for one another in the same rotation, but that’s what happens with Darvish and Zach Davies, as the Aquarius soft-tosser went from the Padres to the Cubs in exchange for the Cy Young runner up. While not as shocking as the trade of Lindor and Carrasco, Cleveland’s decision to let Pisces Brad Hand walk in free agency was no less telling about their mission to sacrifice production for payroll flexibility. Hand will slot in as the new closer in Washington, where veteran lefty Jon Lester will try to win a rotation job. Sticking with the NL East, it’s not unreasonable to expect that Leo Archie Bradley will take over the ninth inning in Philadelphia for Hector Neris. Rounding things out, the Marlins picked up two lesser known relief options from rival AL East teams: Anthony Bass from the Blue Jays and John Curtiss from the Rays.
Next time, I’ll switch leagues and take a look at players acquired by American League teams in the 2020-21 offseason, including an Astrology-themed wrap up of players who will play with new teams next year.