Chris Sale, SP, ATL
Sale closed out another dominant season with another dominant performance on Wednesday, as he struck out 10 in 5.2 IP against the Reds, allowing just 1 ER, to finish with exactly 200 K's for the season. He concludes the regular season with a spectacular 2.16 ERA, (2.82 xFIP) 0.98 WHIP, and 200:31 K:BB across 162.2 IP this season. He would likely be winning his 2nd Cy Young Award in 3 years, if it weren't for Jacob Misiorowski. The only real question mark for Sale going forward is his age; otherwise there's no reason to expect any less from him in 2027. Despite being 37 years old, he enters next season as a top-5 SP.
James Wood, OF, WAS
Wood went 0-4 with 2 K's against the Tigers on Wednesday, as he continues to struggle since the start of the 2nd half. Wood had a monstrous 1st half of the season, slashing .279/.410/.575 with 28 HR's across 97 games. But since then, he has hit a meager .216/.314/.313 with just 2 HR's across 35 contests. In fact, he hasn't homered since July 26. He did miss a month because of injury, but that's still 26 games without a dinger. Wood's K% and HardHit% have stayed roughly the same in the second half, but his FB% has plummeted from 38.8% in the first half to 19.5% since the break, which at least partially explains the power outage. He has a history of low fly ball rates so the slump shouldn't be completely ignored. Still, Wood hits the ball hard enough that he's worthy of a late 1st round/early 2nd round draft pick in 2027, even though he's likely fallen out of top-5 consideration.
Framber Valdez, SP, DET
Valdez concluded his season by allowing 2 ER's in 5.1 IP against the Nationals on Wednesday, while also notching 6 K's and 3 BB's. It was a strong September for the veteran southpaw, as he posted a 1.93 ERA in 23.1 IP across his 4 starts this month. Over his final 10 starts of the season, Valdez recorded a solid 3.12 ERA, although that has come with a less than stellar 43:26 K:BB across 60.2 IP. Overall, Valdez took a big step back in his Tigers' debut this season, as he finishes with a 4.03 ERA, marking the first time since 2019 that he's finished north of 3.70. His 6.98 K/9 is by far the lowest of his career, and his 8.6% SwStr% is his first time in single digits since his rookie season in 2018. To add insult to injury, his walk rate is also his highest in 5 seasons. Valdez has quickly fallen from being a solid #2 fantasy starter to someone who is barely worth even drafting.
Connor Prielipp, SP, MIN
Prielipp lasted 5.1 innings against the Giants on Wednesday, allowing 2 ER's on 4 hits and 2 BB's, while punching out 3. The rookie finishes his campaign with a mediocre 4.87 ERA across 24 appearances (22 starts), but his underlying numbers suggest that he has some promise. Prielipp recorded a strong 128:44 K:BB across 125.2 IP this season, while finishing with a respectable 3.95 xFIP. He finished the season particularly strong, posting a 2.81 ERA and 27:6 K:BB across 32 IP over his last 6 appearances. He struck out at least 5 batters in 18 of his 24 appearances overall this season. The 25-year-old should almost certainly play a role in the Twins rotation next season, and could be worth a shot late in 2027 fantasy drafts.
Sonny Gray, SP, BOS
Gray concluded his fantastic 2026 campaign by going 6 scoreless innings against the Guardians on Wednesday, allowingjust 4hits and 1 BB in the contest, while striking out 3. He ends the season with a shiny 2.72 ERA, although his 3.69 xFIP indicates that there may have been some good fortune here. Gray's 83.2% LOB% was the highest of his career, and his 9.9% HR/FB was 2% below his career mark. Meanwhile, his 7.93 K/9 is his lowest mark since 2016, and a far cry from the 10.01 K/9 he posted last season. He should still be a solid pitcher going forward, but he's likely to disappoint you, if you're expecting another sub-3.00 ERA season in 2027.
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