Trey

Yesavage

While this may seem like a cautious placement for the first-round pick, the Blue Jays allegedly want Yesavage to avoid the April weather in Vancouver, where their High-A team is located. If the 21-year-old pitches like many expect he will, he should be moving up shortly.

This one came down to the wire as Yesavage was one of just a handful of unsigned first-round selections heading towards Thursday evening’s signing deadline. However, the expectation all along was that the two sides would eventually reach a deal. The 21-year-old right-hander — who receives a slightly over-slot deal of $4.117 million as the 20th overall pick, according to MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis — possesses front-of-the-rotation upside for fantasy purposes if everything comes together as he pairs three above-average offerings with strong command. The usual risks that come with starting pitching prospects for dynasty purposes apply here, but he’s one of the more intriguing arms from his draft class.

Yesavage was outstanding for the Pirates in 2024 with a 2.03 ERA and 145/32 K/BB over his 93 1/3 innings. The right-hander has some of the best fastball data in the class thanks to its spin and the ability to get the pitch into the high 90 mph range. On top of that he shows a plus splitter and a slider, and he’ll mix in a solid curveball to keep hitters honest. He throws all four pitches for strikes, but there is some effort to his arm action. Yesavage did battle a partially-collapsed lung, but assuming good health, he has the upside to be a frontline starter with a floor of backend arm that can still help a fantasy roster.