This article is part of our Farm Futures series.
It never hurts to ask. A subscriber responded to Ian Kahn's most recent update to the RotoWire Dynasty Rankings with a question:
Have you ever considered doing two sets of rankings during the season - one for teams going for it and one for teams playing for the future?
— Jenny Butler (@lucydresch) March 14, 2020
I had not thought of doing this, and I would not have had time to do it if the season had started on time, but the delayed start to the season gave me a perfect opportunity to take Jenny up on her request.
The second of two installments will be a top-300 dynasty rankings specifically designed for rebuilding teams — the rankings for contending squads was released last week. I am ranking these players with the RotoWire Dynasty Invitational format in mind. This is a 20-team standard 5x5 rotisserie dynasty league where managers keep 35 of 40 players every year. In my experience in this league and several others like it, the worst place you can be is middle of the pack and still attempting to make win-now moves. If winning your league in 2020 or 2021 is not a realistic proposition (be honest with yourself!), then these rankings are designed specifically for you. Rebuilding doesn't mean trading every big leaguer for prospects and young MLB hitters at any cost. However, the longer you hold superstar veterans like Nolan Arenado and Max Scherzer, the less you will get when you eventually accept that