Dynasty: Nolan McLean. Redraft: Gavin Williams. The FanRanked staff dynasty board has McLean ahead, McLean #34 and Williams #41, and the expert consensus agrees (#58 and #46). The community agrees too, FRV 67.1 to 61.1. For 2027 redraft, the consensus has Williams ahead, #45 to #64, but Frank's 2027 projection has McLean ahead ($15.6 to $14.8).
JD on Gavin Williams (Oct 20, 2026): Every start for Gavin feels like a ride on Mr. Bones' Wild Ride. If you don't know that incredibly niche piece of internet culture, here you go. It's incredible how dominant he can look and how hard it can be for him to find the zone sometimes. In his Game 5 start against the White Sox in the Division Series, he goes out there and absolutely mows down guys for five innings and 12 Ks and then loses the strike zone and can't make it out of the sixth. The crazy part is it's not like his walk rate was obscenely high like it was in previous seasons at an 8.2% BB rate, but it's the fact that he can still get all these Ks while making so many uncompetitive pitches when his command disappears. I think Gavin is one of the highest-upside arms in baseball right now and if anyone outside of the top five was going to challenge for the #1 ranked SP next year I think he is the safest bet. However, it's a pretty high-variance play because he also is the most likely to regress with his command and post a mid-4 ERA with bad walk rates. His floor will always be somewhat stable because of the absurd Ks that he will give you, but be prepared to take the good with the bad.
JD on Nolan McLean (Oct 20, 2026): Nolan McLean stands in a tier of his own for me, because he's in a weird spot where there feels like a big gap between him and the top 7 starters, but he's very clearly better than the next starter after him, Logan Gilbert, mainly due to his age. My favorite thing about McLean is the way he spins it. He has a 98th percentile curveball in xwOBA allowed at .163, and some of the PitchingNinja videos of his highest RPM pitches look like straight witchcraft. Despite his elite-looking curveball, it's actually his sinker that was his most valuable pitch by far, having saved an incredible 27 runs this season, leading to an ERA reduction versus the average of 1.35. That was by far the most valuable sinker in baseball this year in total run value (although Josh Hader(?)) Was better on a rate basis per 100 pitches). I would love to see a guy like McLean with an elite defense behind him, because I feel like the sinker/curveball combo would really play up with a team like the Brewers behind him. Unfortunately he will have to settle with the Mets' defense going forward, who ranked 25th last year, and I don't see a path to them getting much better.
Data as of . Consensus boards refresh daily; the staff board moves when it is republished.
| Metric | Gavin Williams | Nolan McLean |
|---|---|---|
| Team | CLE | NYM |
| Position | SP | SP |
| Age | 27 | 25 |
| Staff Dynasty Rank | #41 | #34 |
| Dynasty Consensus Rank | #58 | #46 |
| Redraft Consensus Rank | #45 | #64 |
| FRV (FanRanked Value) | 61.1 | 67.1 |
| Expert Sources | 15 | 15 |
| Dynasty Rank Range | #30–#128 | #36–#168 |
| 2027 Projected Value | $14.8 | $15.6 |
| 2026 $ Earned | $18.0 | $14.0 |
| 2027 Projected Rank | #70 | #65 |
| 30-Day Consensus Move | Up 3 spots | Down 3 spots |
| Stat | Gavin Williams | Nolan McLean |
|---|---|---|
| IP | 184.1 | 179.2 |
| W | 14 | 12 |
| SV | 0 | 0 |
| ERA | 3.76 | 3.16 |
| WHIP | 1.11 | 1.17 |
| K | 248 | 194 |
| K/9 | 12.1 | 9.7 |
Price a Gavin Williams-for-Nolan McLean trade in the Dynasty Trade Calculator · compare their 2027 dollars in the Roto & Redraft Trade Analyzer