Dynasty: Nolan McLean. Redraft: Paul Skenes. The FanRanked staff dynasty board has McLean ahead, McLean #34 and Skenes #44, but the expert consensus has Skenes ahead (#13 to #46). The community disagrees, leaning Skenes, FRV 86.7 to 67.1. For 2027 redraft, the consensus has Skenes ahead, #36 to #64, and Frank's 2027 projection agrees ($15.6 and $22.4).
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.
JD on Paul Skenes (Oct 20, 2026): What do you do with Paul Skenes? I really don't think I'm overreacting to his second-half performance, because he very clearly lost a tick or two on all of his stuff. Unfortunately, that made him much more hittable and he limped to a post-All-Star break stat line of 4.23/1.27 across 66 innings. His value seems to be carried more so by velocity that any other pitcher ranked this high, as every minor step back seems that much more hittable. If you remember back to his draft year, one of the main concerns was that his fastball shape was not elite and people were worried that would make him very hittable in the big leagues. When he was averaging 98+ MPH, those concerns seemed to go away, but as soon as that velo started to drop you saw the issues rear up again. What does Skenes look like at a 95 mph average fastball? What about 94? I'm worried about what kind of pitcher he becomes if this trend continues into 2027. I'm not sure if he's hiding an injury or he lost something mechanically over the course of the season that caused this regression in stuff. If it's just a mechanical issue, that makes me optimistic that he can bounce back to his dominate self in 2027. However, I think it is far more likely that something is breaking down and he will either need to get something fixed or his stuff will never be the same. The other option is that Livvy Dunne is slowly draining his life force away and within 2 years he will be a shell of himself as she makes her MLB debut for the Pirates. If I am being realistic, all 3 of these are equally likely options. If you are in a dynasty league holding Skenes, I'd love to know what you're thinking and what your plan is heading into 2027. Are you a believer that the stuff will return, or are you starting to hit the panic button?
Data as of . Consensus boards refresh daily; the staff board moves when it is republished.
| Metric | Nolan McLean | Paul Skenes |
|---|---|---|
| Team | NYM | PIT |
| Position | SP | SP |
| Age | 25 | 24 |
| Staff Dynasty Rank | #34 | #44 |
| Dynasty Consensus Rank | #46 | #13 |
| Redraft Consensus Rank | #64 | #36 |
| FRV (FanRanked Value) | 67.1 | 86.7 |
| Expert Sources | 15 | 15 |
| Dynasty Rank Range | #36–#168 | #4–#27 |
| 2027 Projected Value | $15.6 | $22.4 |
| 2026 $ Earned | $14.0 | $9.0 |
| 2027 Projected Rank | #65 | #31 |
| 30-Day Consensus Move | Down 3 spots | Down 2 spots |
| Stat | Nolan McLean | Paul Skenes |
|---|---|---|
| IP | 179.2 | 174.1 |
| W | 12 | 10 |
| SV | 0 | 0 |
| ERA | 3.16 | 3.82 |
| WHIP | 1.17 | 1.12 |
| K | 194 | 200 |
| K/9 | 9.7 | 10.3 |
Price a Nolan McLean-for-Paul Skenes trade in the Dynasty Trade Calculator · compare their 2027 dollars in the Roto & Redraft Trade Analyzer