Farm Futures: Dynasty Rankings for Rebuilders

It never hurts to ask. A subscriber responded to Ian Kahn's most recent update to the RotoWire Dynasty Rankings with a question:

I had not thought of doing this, and I would not have had time to do it if the season had started on time, but the delayed start to the season gave me a perfect opportunity to take Jenny up on her request.

The second of two installments will be a top-300 dynasty rankings specifically designed for rebuilding teams — the rankings for contending squads was released last week. I am ranking these players with the RotoWire Dynasty Invitational format in mind. This is a 20-team standard 5x5 rotisserie dynasty league where managers keep 35 of 40 players every year. In my experience in this league and several others like it, the worst place you can be is middle of the pack and still attempting to make win-now moves. If winning your league in 2020 or 2021 is not a realistic proposition (be honest with yourself!), then these rankings are designed specifically for you. Rebuilding doesn't mean trading every big leaguer for prospects and young MLB hitters at any cost. However, the longer you hold superstar veterans like Nolan Arenado and Max Scherzer, the less you will get when you eventually accept that you need to cash that player out as part of your rebuild. 

Ranking Philosophies

I have some general philosophies that pertain to these rankings that are worth sharing before you dive in: 

• Young, established MLB hitters are coveted regardless of whether you are rebuilding or contending.
• My go-to number in a rebuild is 25. If a good MLB hitter is 25 or younger, I consider that player a key part of my next great team. There is wiggle room here of course, and many factors that need to be considered, but I think that's a good general age to consider when deciding whether to hold or trade.
• Defense matters. Body type matters. One of the reasons I have Bo Bichette and Ozzie Albies ranked so highly is because I love how their bodies will age through their 20s, and I know they will be in the lineup every day. I feel more confident in players like Ramon Laureano, Byron Buxton and Tommy Edman because I know their gloves will keep them in the lineup for years to come.
• Contracts matter. If a player is locked in to a long-term contract (Bryce Harper), you know they will be playing every day for years to come. If a player does not add value with the glove and is not locked up to a long-term contract, we can't really say with confidence where they will be or how much they will be playing in a year or two.
• In the vast majority of cases, you won't regret trading pitching for hitting during a rebuild. If you are doing a startup draft and going with the Tank in Year 1 strategy, you should completely ignore pitching for the first 20-plus rounds. I had to slot the top pitchers somewhere, but feel free to discount them even more than I did if your situation calls for it.
• Catchers and closers are the two positions that I think you can largely ignore during a rebuild. That doesn't mean you shouldn't add a guy like Francisco Alvarez when he is breaking out during the 2019 season, but you don't want to get carried away rostering catching prospects or MLB catchers during a rebuild. With closers, you don't want to just give guys away for bad prospects, but you should be actively looking to move on from any and all closers on your roster if you are not a contender. If you can't find a buyer now, you will be able to find a buyer during the season as long as you remain active on the trade market.
• Pitching prospects get devalued in a rebuild (they can't be trusted and they regularly pop up on waivers) and the high-upside, distant ETA hitters like Jasson Dominguez, Noelvi Marte and Erick Pena get a bump if you don't care about winning in the short term. We're always chasing upside in a rebuild.

That should just about cover it. Obviously I had to exclude dozens of players who I'd value similarly to the players who just made the cut, so don't freak out if I excluded a guy who you'd have in the 250-300 range. Enjoy!