Dynasty: too close to call. Redraft: Sal Stewart. The FanRanked staff dynasty board has them nearly level, Merrill #15 and Stewart #17, but the expert consensus has Stewart ahead (#26 to #52). The community leans Merrill, FRV 70.1 to 66.6. For 2026 redraft, the consensus has Stewart ahead, #33 to #55.
JD on Jackson Merrill (Oct 2, 2026): This might be an ultra aggressive ranking that blows up in my face, or I could be a pioneer who sees reality before everyone else. Here is what I see in Merrill: He is 23 years old He just finished his 3rd year in the major leagues (at 23 years old) He has put up above average offensive stats every season (130 wRC+ in 2024, 115 in 2025, 105 in 2026). He absolutely exploded in the 2nd half and was the 5th best player on our player values (only behind PCA, Elly, FTJ, and Jackson Chourio). HE WILL BE 24 YEARS OLD IN 2027! He is similar in age to prospects like Sorota, Baez, Condon, and Tibbs while having 3 seasons in the big leagues under his belt. Ask yourself this question, if Konnor Griffin put up these 3 seasons of performance from 2026 to 2028, would you consider it a success? How excited would you be by Griffin heading into his age 23 season with this performance to start his career? Because I see no reason to rank a player who is still effectively a "prospect" above someone like Merrill who just put up a near 30/30 season at 23 years old. (For reference, Griffin is 16 in the expert consensus while Merrill is 52(!)) Is Merrill a perfect player? Not at all, he is far from it. He doesn't take enough walks and strikes out more than I would like for someone with his exit velocities. But he barrels the ball a ton, has an ideal launch angle, and is just now starting to enter the age where most players hit their prime. Merrill could be a sneaky 40 HR candidate next year, and if he continues to run like he did this year (27 SB) and manages his K rate, you have all of the makings of a top 5 player for 2027. But sure, continue taking the 20 year old prospect because he might turn into Merrill one day in this spot instead.
JD on Sal Stewart (Oct 2, 2026): I'm really trying to hold my nose and ignore the weak September that Sal Stewart put up to end the season. He only had one home run while slashing .247/.287/.280, and I'm willing to chalk that up to him being beaten down by a full season of games, as well as a team that wasn't really competing for the playoffs at the end of the year. When he's on, you have a middle-of-the-order threat with a lot of power, manageable K rates, and no noticeable platoon deficiencies. The fact that he was doing this all as a 22-year-old makes it even more impressive. This ranking may be a tad aggressive, but I think September was an aberration for him and he is going to be a high-performing dynasty asset for a long time and he should only continue to improve as he starts to enter his prime.
Data as of . Consensus boards refresh daily; the staff board moves when it is republished.
| Metric | Jackson Merrill | Sal Stewart |
|---|---|---|
| Team | SD | CIN |
| Position | OF | 1B/3B |
| Age | 23 | 22 |
| Staff Dynasty Rank | #15 | #17 |
| Dynasty Consensus Rank | #52 | #26 |
| Redraft Consensus Rank | #55 | #33 |
| FRV (FanRanked Value) | 70.1 | 66.6 |
| Expert Sources | 11 | 11 |
| Dynasty Rank Range | #15–#87 | #5–#50 |
| Rest-of-Season Value | $1 | — |
| $ Earned Year to Date | $25 | — |
| ROS Rank (Top 300) | #203 | — |
| 30-Day Consensus Move | Up 10 spots | Up 6 spots |
| Stat | Jackson Merrill | Sal Stewart |
|---|---|---|
| PA | 664 | 700 |
| HR | 26 | 32 |
| R | 86 | 87 |
| RBI | 87 | 111 |
| SB | 27 | 15 |
| AVG | .254 | .263 |
| OBP | .303 | .330 |
| SLG | .440 | .457 |
| OPS | .743 | .787 |
| wOBA | .320 | .339 |
| xwOBA | .347 | .343 |
Price a Jackson Merrill-for-Sal Stewart trade in the Dynasty Trade Calculator · compare their rest-of-season dollars in the Roto & Redraft Trade Analyzer