James Loney

According to Jon Heyman, the Braves have reached an agreement with James Loney.

Fantasy Impact

The Braves were in need of a first baseman with Freddie Freeman (wrist) going the DL. Loney hit .265 with nine home runs and 34 RBIs in 100 games with the Mets last season. He will likely be the primary first basemen while Freeman is out. He is only worth fantasy consideration in deep mixed leagues and NL-only leagues.

First baseman James Loney was released by the Rangers Monday after batting .174 in 46 at-bats this Spring.

Fantasy Impact

This diminishes the little bit of value James Loney had left as a fantasy option. The Rangers will use Mike Napoli at first along with Ryab Rua and potentially Joey Gallo in 2017. I'm sure Loney will show up on a new roster soon, but that won't change his value much.

James Loney was 2-for-3 with a double and three-run home run on Friday night, scoring three runs against the Braves. Loney has a .450 batting average and five extra-base hits over the last seven days. He has an .830 OPS in 82 at-bats this season.

Fantasy Impact

Loney has hits in 11 of his last 12 games and has been a strong left-handed option for the Mets at 1B, contributing with three multi-hit games in his last six games. He may not continue to hit for power, but his .285 career average shows that he can hit for contact and he has posted at least a .280 batter average over each of the last three season. Loney does not have a hit against Julio Teheran, the Braves' starter on Saturday in three career at-bats and he has an .801 OPS against right-handed pitchers this season.

James Loney was informed that he won't break camp with the Rays this season. Loney will either be dealt to another team or released outright following the start of the season.

Fantasy Impact

Loney has never been an especially valuable fantasy 1B considering his extreme lack of power. He does hit for a high average, but even with that hasn't shown an ability to get on base at a consistent clip. He's always fared much better against RHP, so he could wind up as a platoon player for another team.

According to Tampa Bay Times reporter Marc Topkin, there seems to be "some initial interest" in Rays first baseman James Loney this offseason.

Fantasy Impact

The report also suggests that the Rays would have to eat part of the $8 million owed to the veteran in 2016 for a deal to be completed more than likely. Loney has a polished glove, but only hit .280/.322/.357 with four home runs and 32 RBI last season in only 388 at-bats due to multiple stints on the DL. The Rays have prospect Richie Shaffer essentially ready to take on an expanded role, which could be the reason they'd be willing to get rid of Loney in the first place. If he were to be dealt, Shaffer would immediately be very interesting in deeper leagues.