I’m an optimistic person who generally avoids dwelling on the negative. But there are times when I need to use my critical eye, and this is one of them. I’d like to introduce you to Fred’s Fades — the list of players whom I will avoid in my 2026 drafts.
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While nearly every player makes sense at some point in the draft, these players will not be anywhere near the top of my list when we reach their ADP. And while some of my fades stem from personal preference, others are backed by data from Yahoo Fantasy Plus. Choices by round are based on 10-team leagues.
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Round 1: José Ramírez, 3B, Cleveland Guardians
This pick has nothing to do with Ramírez’s skill set and everything to do with my distrust of the Guardians offense. After the front office failed to seek outside help for a group that finished 28th in runs scored last season, I don’t see enough talent in the incumbents to expect a notable improvement. I would rather draft a hitter from a more productive lineup, such as Elly De La Cruz, Julio Rodríguez or Kyle Tucker.
Round 2: Corbin Carroll, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks
Although Carroll has fallen in drafts since undergoing surgery to repair a broken hamate bone, he still needs to fall a little further. There is no need to take a risk on an injured player when players such as Pete Alonso and Nick Kurtz are still on the board. And although a healthy Carroll is an excellent fantasy asset, the career .258 hitter isn’t a difference-maker in the batting average and RBI categories.
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Round 3: Ketel Marte, 2B, Arizona Diamondbacks
Although Marte is an excellent player, he tends to miss time every year. In fact, the 32-year-old has appeared in 140 games in just one of the past five seasons. Missing a few contests inevitably takes a toll on his counting stats, which he cannot afford given that he rarely steals bases. Marte could also be hampered this year by the fact that the D-backs lineup no longer resembles the one that led the majors in runs two years ago.
Round 4: Mookie Betts, SS, Los Angeles Dodgers
This one pains me, as I enjoy watching Betts, who has been one of baseball’s best players over the past decade. But I’m not sure that the 33-year-old will have the category juice to justify his ADP, even if he bounces back to some degree from a down year. He hasn’t posted an impactful steals total since 2018 and has totaled 39 homers in 266 games over the past two years.
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Round 5: Max Fried, SP, New York Yankees
I’m out on a bit of a limb here, as Fried is well-liked around the fantasy industry. I see him as someone with a mediocre ceiling, thanks to his good-but-not-great strikeout skills. I could say the same thing about Logan Webb, who has a similar ADP, but Webb improved his whiff rate last season and tends to make up for his lack of per-inning strikeouts by being baseball’s best workhorse.
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While it’s the ceiling that primarily drives me away, Yahoo Fantasy Plus data shows that Fried has a lower floor than some managers believe. In fact, his floor is the sixth lowest among starters (295.8 points) with a top 100 ADP.
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Round 6: Josh Naylor, 1B, Seattle Mariners
I can’t do it. I can’t pretend that Naylor has enough speed to swipe 15 bases, let alone 30. I also can’t pretend that I feel good about his first full season in pitcher-friendly T-Mobile Park. Naylor thrived in a limited sample with the Mariners down the stretch, but it wasn’t enough to override my concerns.
Round 7: Austin Riley, 3B, Atlanta Braves
I covet several players in the Rd. 7 cohort, which means that I won’t draft Riley this year. I believe that the 28-year-old can get his career back on track in 2026, but there is still plenty of reason for hesitation, given that he has hit .258 with 35 homers, 110 RBI and 117 runs over 212 games in the past two seasons.
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Round 8: Alex Bregman, 3B, Chicago Cubs
I’m well-aware of the weakness of the third base position this season, which has me on the lookout for any hot corner options with a solid ADP. Unfortunately, Bregman is overvalued. Going from Fenway Park to Wrigley Field is a major downgrade. Bregman has amassed a total of nine steals over the past six seasons, owns an unremarkable .263 average since 2020 and last hit more than 26 homers in 2019.
Round 9: Oneil Cruz, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates
Although Cruz strikes the ball as hard as virtually anyone, he doesn’t strike it often enough to be an effective hitter. The lanky slugger struck out 32.0% of the time last season, which contributed to a lowly .200 average and .676 OPS. His swing-and-miss tendencies were nothing new, and the same can be said of his struggles against southpaws. Cruz hit .102 with a .400 OPS against lefties, and the Pirates will soon be forced to turn him into a platoon player.
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Yahoo Fantasy Plus assigns Cruz the third-lowest floor (595.5 points) among players with a top 100 ADP, which supports my stance that he is best left for a different manager.
Round 10: Salvador Pérez, C/1B, Kansas City Royals
The main reason that I won’t draft Pérez is that the catcher position is loaded with appealing late-round options. The other reason is age — Pérez will turn 36 in May, and I don’t feel the need to draft an aging catcher when there are so many options at the position. Pérez will be helpful in homers and RBI, but he doesn’t score many runs, and he posted a batting average above .255 in just one of the past four seasons. My opinion on Pérez is backed by Yahoo Fantasy Plus data, which shows him as having the lowest floor of anyone (629.6 points) being drafted in his ADP range.
Round 11: Tyler Glasnow, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers
I could have listed Pablo López, who is out for the season. But anyone who is drafting López isn’t putting much effort into their draft. Instead, I’ll list Glasnow, who has thrown 100 innings just three times in his 10-year career and has a career-high of 134 innings. It seems foolish to project him for more than 120 innings, and I would much rather take a chance on a high-upside youngster, such as Jacob Misiorowski or Trey Yesavage.
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Round 12: Agustín Ramírez, C, Miami Marlins
I’m not sure that Ramírez can last a full season as a lineup regular. His defensive skills are subpar, which is a big deal at such an important position. In fact, prospect Joe Mack may already be better suited to handle Miami’s pitching staff. If Ramírez were to move off the catcher position, he would immediately become an offensive liability unless he improves on the .701 OPS from his rookie year. Given that he fared worse as the season went on (.637 OPS in the second half), a year-two surge seems unlikely.
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