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In the auction draft format, fantasy baseball managers are not bound by the rules and structure of the snake draft. Given the freedom afforded by the format, you may feel antsy towards spending too much on the big names.
Of course, it is often making the right decisions with the big names that set your roster apart. You don't want to blow all of your money on players not worth the cost. This article will look at a few of those big names that are in line to offer fantastic value at their current average auction values (AAV).
In this article, we will highlight players with average auction values above $20 that should offer the most value. Be sure to check out more of RotoBaller's fantasy baseball auction draft articles as well.
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Shohei Ohtani, UT/SP, Los Angeles Dodgers
$51 AAV (Average Auction Value)
You probably don't need to be convinced of drafting Shohei Ohtani. However, the auction league format allows everyone the opportunity to nab the reigning NL MVP. As it stands, the average league is letting up the race for Ohtani at a hefty $52 AAV. However, he may very well be worth much more.
Of course, a shoulder injury limited the two-way player to just hitting in 2024. The counting stats in that department blew the rest of the competition out of the water, as Ohtani slashed .310/.390/.646 with 54 home runs, 130 RBI, 134 runs, and 59 stolen bases.
There's no legitimate knock against Ohtani's 2024 season, with a jaw-dropping .442 xwOBA and .660 xSLG making it easy to think he can do better in 2025.
He'll get back on the pitcher's mound this year as well, though it may take until late May or June. In his last season on the mound, he held a 3.14 ERA, 142 ERA+, 4.00 FIP, 1.06 WHIP, 31.5 percent strikeout rate, 10.4 percent walk rate, and 115 Stuff+ grade through 23 starts for the Los Angeles Angels.
It doesn't feel right to complain about a player with a 1.06 WHIP and 31.5 percent strikeout rate, but some may feel that Ohtani's pitching doesn't add enough value. You'd prefer he returns to his 2022 marks, where he held a 2.33 ERA, 2.40 FIP, 1.01 WHIP, 33.2 percent strikeout rate, and 6.7 percent walk rate through 28 starts.
However, we haven't seen Ohtani pitch in a Dodgers uniform. With a six-man rotation, a shutdown bullpen, and an elite lineup behind him, he is sure to see some improvements from his 2023 season with a lost Los Angeles Angels squad.
RotoBaller recommends up to a $66 auction value for Ohtani based on the standard $260 budget. It may feel wrong to blow so much of your budget on one player, but these kinds of players only come along once in a generation.
Shohei Ohtani, Gorgeous 75mph Curveball. 😍 pic.twitter.com/ZAUuREAqtE
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 12, 2023
Aaron Judge, OF, New York Yankees
$47 AAV (Average Auction Value)
The presence of Shohei Ohtani and Bobby Witt Jr. sometimes deafens the immense impact Aaron Judge brings to fantasy baseball.
The 32-year-old had perhaps his best season yet, slashing .322/.458/.701 with 58 home runs, 144 RBI, 122 runs, and 10 stolen bases in 704 plate appearances. With his .723 xSLG, 26.9 percent barrel rate, and 18.9 percent walk rate, it isn't likely his production will dip much in 2025.
You can't replace the kind of production Aaron Judge brings to a fantasy baseball roster. Judge was 14 home runs and 14 RBI ahead of the next best man in the American League in 2024 and is set to produce just as well going into 2025. CUTTER projects 53 home runs, 114 RBI, and a 1.056 OPS across 667 plate appearances in 2025.
RotoBaller recommends $51 for the Yankees superstar. Again, it hurts to blow so much of your budget on one player, but these players are special and can help win your league regardless of whoever else is on your roster.
Tarik Skubal, SP, Detroit Tigers
$37 AAV (Average Auction Value)
Injury problems and destitution within Detroit's baseball premises had prevented Tarik Skubal from establishing SP1 status in fantasy baseball, but you can only hold back greatness for so long.
He had an incredible 2024 season, with a 2.39 ERA, 2.49 FIP, 0.92 WHIP, 30.3 percent strikeout rate, and 4.6 percent walk rate through 31 starts and 192 innings pitched.
His stuff may be the best in the league, with a 16.5 percent SwStr%, 34 CSW%, and 112 Pitching+ grade in 2024. And with less worry about the quality of the supporting cast in Detroit, you should trust that Skubal turns in another stellar season.
RotoBaller recommends $40 for Skubal. While it is a pretty penny, the 28-year-old enters his prime years as arguably the league's best pitcher.
Tarik Skubal, Nasty 90mph Slider. 😨 pic.twitter.com/CLGMRKfkST
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) February 26, 2025
Juan Soto, OF, New York Mets
$38 AAV (Average Auction Value)
In the biggest deal of the offseason, Juan Soto moved boroughs and signed with the New York Mets on a massive 15-year, $765 million contract. Despite moving only around seven miles away from his previous home in Yankee Stadium, he enters an incredibly different environment.
If he's made one thing clear in his career, Juan Soto will mash regardless of locale. In 2024, he slashed .288/.419/.569 with 41 home runs, 109 RBI, 121 runs, and seven stolen bases through 157 games.
As elite as his counting stats were, his advanced numbers look even better. He held an 18.1 percent walk rate, .462 xwOBA (.421 wOBA), .316 xBA, .646 xSLG, 19.7 percent barrel rate, and 57 percent hard-hit rate in 2024.
While you can't replace hitting in front of Aaron Judge and spending half the year in the homer-friendly Yankee Stadium, going from the Yankees to the Mets is a relatively lateral move. Both teams should again contend for the playoffs and Soto will still have a mighty fine time batting behind Francisco Lindor and in front of Pete Alonso. Expect a marginal decrease in runs and home runs.
We can sometimes overlook the impact Juan Soto makes in fantasy because we may be more focused on Ohtani, Witt Jr., and Judge, but the four-time All-Star is only just entering his prime years. RotoBaller recommends $41 for the 26-year-old, making his $38 AAV a fantastic value.
Ketel Marte , 2B, Arizona Diamondbacks
$24 AAV (Average Auction Value)
While superstar Corbin Carroll struggled some in 2024, Arizona still managed to end up as the league's top-scoring offense. That is primarily because of the superhuman efforts of Arizona vet Ketel Marte in 2024.
Marte had a career year, slashing .292/.372/.560 with 36 home runs, 93 runs, 95 RBI, and seven stolen bases in 136 games. If those counting stats didn't make it clear, he smacked the ball in 2024, supported by an unprecedented 53.8 percent hard-hit rate.
It is ultimately his power that sets him apart from the rest of the crop this season. Naturally, the second base position doesn't produce the heaviest hitters, so his 36 home runs give any fantasy baseball roster a massive positional advantage (Marcus Semien came closest in 2024 with 23 home runs, Christopher Morel and Brandon Lowe knocked 21, and Jose Altuve hit 20).
The likely lead-off hitters against left-handed pitchers (a group he maintained a .448 wOBA and 1.080 OPS against) and the two-hole batter behind Corbin Carroll against right-handed pitchers, Marte enters 2025 in an incredibly advantageous spot.
RotoBaller recommends throwing $28 at Marte. While his name doesn't carry as much weight as Ohtani or Judge, $24 AAV is a bargain for an elite hitter at a position that's thin on talent.
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