JP Sears

Acquired from the Yankees in August of 2022 as part of the Frankie Montas trade, Sears led the Oakland clubhouse in innings last year by a significant margin and was the only A's pitcher trusted to make more than 22 starts. That isn't saying much given the company he kept in what was the worst rotation in the American League, but Sears averaged nearly a strikeout per inning and would seem to have the arsenal to generate even more swing-and-misses moving forward. His four-seamer, slider and changeup all rated as better-than-average offerings in 2023, and his sweeper had a whiff rate of 30.0 percent. Somewhat surprisingly, it was left-handed hitters who did the most damage against him, even as a southpaw. Call that an aberration and see if he can take another leap forward in 2024 as a late-round fantasy flier.

Sears came into 2022 near the back end of the Yankees top 30 prospect and finished it as one of the pieces sent to Oakland in the Frankie Montas trade. Sears had worked as a starter throughout his minor league career as a strike-thrower whose command makes his stuff look better than it really is to get batters out. The league had little trouble with his fastball (.318 BA, .298 xBA), but his slider was rather unhittable as the league hit .130 off the pitch while swinging and missing at it one third of the time. The lack of velocity limits the fantasy upside Sears brings to the table as much as pitching for a terrible Oakland club does to him. His fantasy value would be tied up in his ability to get wins with good ratios, and all three of those areas are tough to project for this still-developing sophomore.