The 2026 MLB season is almost here and that means you’re likely prepping for your fantasy baseball draft. One of the best ways to prepare is to do as many mock drafts as possible. Of course, sometimes it’s tough to find an accurate representation of your league settings by using the public mock draft lobby.
Not to fear! If you’re a Yahoo Fantasy+ subscriber, you have access to the Instant Mock Draft tool, allowing you to practice your draft in seconds. You can test different strategies, pick from various draft slots and experiment with roster construction as many times as you want, anytime, instantly. Now is a great time to subscribe to Yahoo Fantasy+, so you can use the wealth of tools for your draft prep.
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In this series, we’re going to be using the Instant Mock Draft tool to pick from each of the 12 slots in a 12-team fantasy baseball league. In this piece, we’ll be drafting from the No. 10 overall pick.
We had some fun with this draft, selecting (almost) only veteran players over the age of 30.
More Mock Drafts
Full Roster
C: Cal Raleigh, Mariners
1B: Freddie Freeman, Dodgers
2B: Jose Altuve, Astros
SS: Dansby Swanson, Cubs
3B: Matt Chapman, Giants
OF: Kyle Schwarber, Phillies
OF: George Springer, Blue Jays
OF: Christian Yelich, Brewers
UTIL: Xander Bogaerts, Padres
UTIL: Marcus Semien, Mets
SP: Chris Sale, Braves
SP: Jacob deGrom, Rangers
RP: Carlos Estévez, Royals
RP: Sean Manaea, Mets
P: Sonny Gray, Red Sox
P: Zack Wheeler, Phillies
P: Jack Flaherty, Tigers
P: Jameson Taillon, Cubs
Bench: Mike Trout, Angels
Bench: Ramon Laureano, Padres
Bench: Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees
Bench: J.T. Realmuto, Phillies
Bench: Nolan Arenado, Diamondbacks
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The “What If?” All-Stars
If you were wondering what kind of hardware this roster is rocking, it’s seven regular-season MVPs, two World Series MVPs, eight home run titles and three Cy Young awards. I could go on and on, into batting titles and whatnot, but I’ll save you the time. Most of this roster has won the World Series or has been to the Fall Classic in their careers. While it’s a fun exercise, this roster really isn’t that bad. It’s actually pretty good if players stay healthy, bounce back and/or duplicate what they did last season.
[Draft your Yahoo Fantasy Baseball team for the 2026 MLB Season]
Based on 2025, you could make an argument for both Schwarber and Raleigh going higher than their current ADPs. Regression is baked in but what if we don’t see much of that? There’s a world where Raleigh duplicates his 2025 season (or comes close to it). It’s naive to think such events can take place but not out of the realm of possibility. Even Springer finished as a first-round asset last season at age 35. Yet, he’s going in the sixth round most of the time. Yelich was a top-24 bat, too!
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We tend to ignore these veteran players as they get older, assuming we’ll see some sort of falloff. Most assume that decline will always happen — but what if it doesn’t? At least not in 2026. This team is very much the “What If?” All-Stars — a rag-tag bunch of former titans trying to hold on or reclaim greatness. This is only a mock, but I’ll be honest, I might track this team for science.
One more run on elite arms
Could you build a more imposing yet terrifying 1-2 punch than Sale and deGrom up top at starting pitcher? Again, it becomes the tale of two seasons — which one will it be? The one where these vets struggle to stay healthy, or one in which they compete for more awards to add to the Hall of Fame resume? In my mind, both are being overdrafted but that doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t pan out.
With Sale, you get an elite pitcher for about 60-70% of the season. You can’t be mad if he makes it to 20+ starts but doesn’t get much past that mark. If Sale drops down a few rounds from his 38.9 ADP, don’t be shy. Perhaps the best way to go about Sale if you draft him is to get a solid 3-4 months out of him and then offload the ace for an area of need if someone underperforms or an injury pops up.
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As for the Rangers starter, deGrom bounced back after failing to start 30+ games in every season since 2019. Will we see another 30 starts from deGrom or will the injury bug hit again? His xERA was higher than the results and his strikeout percentage was the lowest it’s been since 2016. I’m concerned about regression, even if deGrom is able to stay healthy. But he’s in a solid environment on the Rangers, who have a plus defense. With deGrom, it’s another case of “Is he being drafted too high?” The answer is probably yes, given all the variables, but as long as he gets to 150+ innings, you should get a reliable option with upside.
Old heads still getting it done
This bench is a lot of fun. Admittedly, you’ll probably want to snag another reliever at some point, so if one of those vets struggles, we’d cut ‘em loose. But I think Trout, Laureano and Stanton are all being undervalued based on last season. Laureano finished 37th in fantasy points among OFers last season but is being selected as the OF52 so far on Yahoo. If he regresses, I think you still get value there.
Stanton played half a season and still put up over 500 fantasy points. It’s tough to project the former MVP but there’s a scenario in which he gets to around 100 games and lands somewhere in the top-36 OFers. Trout was OF27 last season in points and is the OF59 right now in drafts.
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The math doesn’t really add up unless you believe all three will get hurt or go back to struggling. Would I advise grabbing all three on the same team? Not particularly, but an argument can be made that they can still provide real value.
Takeaways from the 10th pick
Don’t ignore these veteran players. Again, maybe don’t go and comprise a team made entirely of them. But most are going well below where they should be in drafts because of this age bias. It’s a gamble but isn’t that what every draft is? You’re going to have to pick your spots to be bold and there’s also the likelihood that one of these vets plummets down your draft board. These are the types of players who can help contribute to winning a league. Especially low-risk moves like selecting Trout or Stanton for your bench. Worst-case is you cut them loose and pick someone up off waivers early in the season. Best case, they provide much-needed depth and put up similar numbers to last season.