Fantasy Baseball Today - Emmanuel Clase Indicted & The Rays Declined Pete Fairbanks! (11/12 Fantasy Baseball podcast)
Episode Date: November 12, 2025Emmanuel Clase and Luiz Ortiz were indicted on multiple federal charges related to bets on pitches thrown in MLB games. The Rays declined Pete Fairbanks' option, making him a free agent. The Braves S...pencer Schwellenbach is pain-free. Mets prospect Carson Benge could be up on Opening Day. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: youtube.com/FantasyBaseballToday Download and Follow Fantasy Baseball Today on Spotify: https://sptfy.com/QiKv Get awesome Fantasy Baseball Today merch here: http://bit.ly/3y8dUqi Follow FBT on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fbtpod?_t=8WyMkPdKOJ1&_r=1 Follow our FBT team on Twitter: @FBTPod, @CPTowers @CBSScottWhite, @Roto_Frank Join our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/fantasybaseballtoday Sign up for the FBT Newsletter at https://www.cbssports.com/newsletters/fantasy-baseball-today/ For more fantasy baseball coverage from CBS Sports, visit https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/ To hear more from the CBS Sports Podcast Network, visit https://www.cbssports.com/podcasts/ To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcript
Discussion (0)
Hey now, there is a lot of news to react to.
Let's do that on Fantasy Baseball Today Express.
Welcome in to MPC Express on Wednesday, November 12th.
I am Frank Stample, joined by Chris Towers.
Lots of news to discuss from the past week.
We learned that Emmanuel Claucet and Luis Ortiz were indicted on multiple federal charges
related to bets on pitches thrown in MLB games.
Chris, it sounds like they will not ever be back in baseball.
and as a result,
Cade Smith is the guy for the Guardians.
His early NFBC ADP is 63.6
as the fourth closer off the board.
What do you think of that price there on Kate Smith
and just this unsightly news that we recently received?
Yeah, I mean,
Emmanuel Class A was a Hall of Fame caliber talent.
And it's a real bummer to see him throwing his career away over this.
you hope that this doesn't prove to be any more widespread than this and that it was fairly isolated.
But we just don't know that, but it's a real shame for the game of baseball.
And don't have a lot to say beyond that.
But as for fantasy, Kate Smith is, I think, honestly, almost as good, if not better, at least from a fantasy perspective, than Emmanuel Class A.
This is a guy who has been right around 12 to 13K per 9, each of the first two seasons of his career.
He's done about 150 innings with a 160-something FIP.
It's the best in baseball over the past two seasons, and it's not particularly close.
His FIP is about half a run better than Mason Miller's.
You prefer ERA?
Okay, he's got like a 250 ERA over the past two seasons with elite strikeout numbers
on a team that racks up huge save totals every year.
um kate smith could be the best closure in fantasy next season and it wouldn't really surprise me so i i think
whatever the top tier of closers is yon d'an a ron a d'n janez i think kate smith belongs there
let's stick with the relievers and talk about the raise who declined p fairbanks's eleven million
club option making him a free agent as of now the top two options for saves in their bullpen
Griffin Jacks, who they acquired from the Twins at the deadline this past season, and Edwin
Useta, who had a really, really strong second half. Chris, it sounds like there is at least a
possibility that Griffin Jacks will get an opportunity to start or maybe get stretched out
in spring training. Once again, what's your feel here on the raised bullpen? Yeah,
Jacks has huge peripherals and great stuff. It's a deep arsenal for a reliever, like four
different pitches that he throws 10% of the time. So I think,
think it's worth trying him out as a starter to see if he can do it. He came up as a starter.
So in theory, you would think he would be able to do it with the gains and skill that he's seen.
So I think if you have to pick one on November 2nd, or November 12th, excuse me,
Edwin Useda would probably be the guy and probably shouldn't be a high priority pick,
certainly not a top 100 pick, although he has that kind of upside. We saw it in 2024.
We saw it in the second half of 2025 when he really turned it on.
178 ERA down the stretch is very impressive.
I think Jacks could be a great closer too,
but I would guess you say to has a better chance of being the closer.
And if I had to pick one right now, it would be him.
All right, let's take a quick break.
We'll be back right after this.
The GM meetings are going on this week,
and we have received some updates.
DeBack's GM, Mike Hazen, said trading Catalmarte
is unlikely to happen this offseason.
Braves President, Alexanthopoulos, said Spencer Schwellenbach is pain-free following his fractured right elbow.
In 17 starts, it was a 309 ERA, a 0.97 whip, just under a strikeout per inning.
The early NFBC ADP, 81.4 for Schoenbach as the SP19.
Chris, what do you think about that early price tag there on Spencer Schwellenbach?
It's probably fine.
I had him higher than that in my first.
run of starting pitcher rankings, but I'm going to lower him to around this range.
Drafting him, the idea of drafting him this high makes me a little itchy.
I don't love, it makes me uncomfortable.
It's not anything to do with the talent level, though.
We saw multiple 10 strikeout games from Spencer Schwellenbach last year.
We saw strikeout rate got better as he pitched before the injury.
He's going to be an elite whip guy thanks to his control.
He should have a very good ERA.
it's just I don't know if he can hold up.
And look, I don't know if Hunter Green can hold up to name just one other pitcher.
But as good as Spencer Spenzoch Malabakh is, he doesn't have Hunter Greens upside, especially as a strikeout pitcher.
So I do think he's someone who probably needs to be pushed down a little more in drafts.
But, you know, 85, 90, 100, wherever it ultimately lands, that's probably defensible.
well, that's probably okay.
Tommy Edmund will undergo right ankle surgery next week.
The Dodgers expect Edmund to be ready around the start of spring training.
Met's president David Stern said prospect Carson Benj will enter spring training with a chance
to make the opening day roster.
Benj is turning 23 in January, a first round pick in 2024.
This season in the minors hit 281 with 15 homers, 22 steals, in 857 OPS.
He did get 24 games in at AAA as well.
You know, Chris, I think a name to pay attention to, maybe a deep sleeper here, Carson Benj,
outfielder with the New York Mets.
Yeah, especially if the Mets don't sign a natural center fielder this offseason.
Like if they don't go out and aggressively add one, I think that would mean that the
door is wide open for Carson Benj, who struggled at AAA, but if you look into the actual
numbers, he hit the ball hard, the plate discipline's still very good.
It was mostly just that he had a 188 Babbitt.
I don't take too much from that.
The overall profile is kind of Brandon Nimmo-esque, where it's kind of, he's pretty good at everything, but doesn't have necessarily a standout skill.
I know Brandon Nimmo, the plate discipline is very, very good.
But that's the kind of fantasy player I think you should be thinking about for Benj, not huge upside, but could be very, very useful.
Blue Jays GM, Ross Atkins said the Blue Jays are not committed to using Jeff Hoffman as their primary closer in 2026.
Atkins mentioned Jimmy Garcia and Louis Varland as potential options for saves
and didn't rule out the possibility of signing somebody this offseason as well.
So the early ADP, Chris, for Jeff Hoffman 95.6.
Too high, too high, too high.
A lot of those drafts, I assume, were picks were made before this report came out.
So, yeah, I think we have to see Jeff Hoffman fall down a little bit after this report.
The only thing is if they're going to save him for the closer roll,
Can Louis Varland also continue pitching in every single game like he did in the postseason?
It's an open question.
So, yeah, wanted to pay attention to there with Jeff Hoffman and wanted to wrap up here.
It sounds like we have at least three Japanese players who are confirmed to be posted this offseason.
25-year-old slugger Munataka Morikami, who we've heard a lot about.
It's massive power there for him.
29-year-old corner infielder Kazima Akamoto.
good batting average, solid power there as well.
And 27-year-old starting pitcher, Tatsuya I Mai,
has a 192 ERA, a 0.89 whip around 10K per 9 this past season.
So three names to pay attention to on the full-lane podcast.
I'm planning to have somebody come on to kind of break down all these players in depth,
somebody who watches the Nippon League,
and so we can get a little bit more insight there.
But yeah, three names who I think might have fantasy relevance in 2026 there.
coming over from Japan.
For more extensive fantasy baseball coverage,
listen to our full-lane podcast,
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for anywhere else podcasts are found.
Thanks for listening to Fantasy Baseball Today Express,
and we will be back again on Friday.
Bye-bye.
Podcasts.