Oakland Athletics Lineup Analysis: 2014 Fantasy Baseball

After winning back-to-back AL West Championships, you would think on the Oakland A’s there would be at least one fantasy superstar in the lineup. However, this group is not centered on one bat, but on numerous pieces that when put together equal more than the sum of its parts. While this is a noble approach […]

2014 Fantasy Baseball Impact Prospects: Second Base

When draft day 2014 comes around for fantasy baseball owners, there are going to be a lot of decisions to be made at second base. Many owners will want to get someone like Robinson Cano or Dustin Pedroia early in the draft because the position can be very thin at times. But this could be […]

Minnesota Twins Lineup Analysis: 2014 Fantasy Baseball

  Twins Lineup Preview: Mauer & Those Other Guys The Minnesota Twins are going to struggle to score runs again this year, simple as that.  They had the fifth-fewest runs scored as a team last year to go along with the fifth-worst batting average.  That has to improve if they are going to show they […]

The Post-Tanakalyptic Wasteland: SP Free Agents That Remain (Part II)

  In Part 1 of the Post-Tanakalyptic Wasteland, I examined the top three position players remaining in the MLB free agent pool. Here are the top three remaining pitchers—who needs them, who wants them, and where they might end up.   Top Remaining MLB Free Agents - Pitchers 1. Ervin Santana Santana had a very nice […]

St. Louis Cardinals Offseason Overview for 2014 Fantasy Baseball

  2014 St. Louis Cardinals - Offseason Overview Subtractions: David Freese (traded), Carlos Beltran (Free Agent), Edward Mujica (Free Agent), Chris Carpenter (Retired), Rafael Furcal (Free Agent), John Axford (non-tendered) Additions: Peter Bourjos (via Trade), Jhonny Peralta (Free Agent), Mark Ellis (Free Agent) Last season's National League pennant winners wasted no time this offseason to improve... yes, I said improve from their 97-win season.  Coming into this offseason, the Cardinals knew they had […]

Chicago Cubs Lineup Preview for 2014 Fantasy Baseball

2014 Chicago Cubs Lineup Preview for Fantasy Baseball In short, there’s not much fantasy intrigue in the field for the Cubs this year. Only two players have much more than back-end-of-draft upside, and they both come with serious risk. Such a poor group is going to struggle to cross the plate, deflating run and RBI […]

Los Angeles Angels Offseason Overview for 2014 Fantasy Baseball

2014 Los Angeles Angels - Team Overview The Angels are on a very tight budget these days and have little talent in their farm system available to use as a major trade chip. That said, the Angels have done a solid job filling gaps on their roster. The additions of David Freese, Raul Ibanez, Hector […]

The Post-Tanakalyptic Wasteland: Where the Remaining MLB Free Agents Will Land (Part I)

The race is over, and there’s an oft-mentioned team at the finish line. The New York Yankees signed Masahiro Tanaka to a 7-year, $155 million deal on Wednesday morning, one of the richest deals a pitcher has ever received. Assuming that Tanaka is anywhere near as potent as he was in Japan, this should be […]

2014 Fantasy Baseball Draft Prep: The Houston Astros Offense & Projections

  2014 Houston Astros - Fantasy Baseball Draft Prep Although the offseason is still fairly young, the Astros starting lineup is already beginning to take shape. Short of some sort of blockbuster trade or surprise free-agent signing, we already have a pretty good idea of who will be taking the field for the Astros on […]

2014 Fantasy Baseball Draft Prep - Texas Rangers Hitters Preview

2014 Texas Rangers Preview - Who’s Who in Arlington Texas was one of six AL teams to finish with more than 90 wins in 2013; unfortunately, only five of those teams qualified for the postseason. Texas finished 91-72, 5.5 games behind the Oakland Athletics for the Western Division title and percentage points behind the Tampa Bay […]

MLB News: Masahiro Tanaka Signs with the New York Yankees

  Masahiro Tanaka Signs with the New York Yankees The Yankees certainly have had a busy offseason with the signing of free agents Jacoby Ellsbury, Brian McCann and Carlos Beltran. These additions helped their offense but there was something missing. Their offseason activities were compared to baking a cake but leaving off the frosting and […]

New York Yankees Hot Stove: MLB News featuring Masahiro Tanaka

  Update: Masahiro Tanaka Signs with the NY Yankees It is truly amazing how quickly things can change in Yankeeland! Masahiro Tanaka will be a Yankee. He has accepted the Bronx Bombers’ offer of $155 million for 7 years. The deal which is the fifth highest in total monetary value for a pitcher in baseball […]

2014 Cincinnati Reds Hot Stove - Hitters Preview

  Despite playing in a hitter-friendly ballpark, the Cincinnati Reds’ lineup underwhelmed as a team in 2013. The Reds finished the year ranked 12th in the majors in runs scored, 18th in batting average and 22nd in steals. While losing an on-base machine like Shin-Soo Choo in the offseason could make it hard for Cincinnati […]

2014 Kansas City Royals Hot Stove - Hitters Preview

  2014 Kansas City Royals - Hitters Preview As the 2014 season approaches, the time has come to look at the hitters on the Kansas City Royals roster and what fantasy baseball owners should do about each of them. Here is a breakdown of the team’s starters and potential bench players and their impact for […]

Washington Nationals Hot Stove: MLB News & Fantasy Baseball Analysis

  Hot Stove Report - Feast at the Nationals Buffet in 2014 Remember the 98 wins in 2012, bolstered by white hot teenage rookie Bryce Harper? Remember the heartbreaking loss to the Cardinals in Game 5 of the NLDS? Remember the controversial management decision to shut down Stephen Strasburg prior to the playoffs? Sure you […]

Fantasy Baseball Draft Prep: 5 Breakout Pitchers That May Regress in 2014

MLB organizations continue to pump out quality arms, and 2013 was another banner crop of young pitchers. Some of these pitchers made a significant impact on starting rotations and fantasy baseball leagues, or were key contributors for playoffs runs. Take a look at the Cards or A’s pitching staffs, loaded with fresh arms and prepared […]

Red Sox Hot Stove: MLB News & Fantasy Baseball Analysis

  2014 Boston Red Sox - Team Preview For the first time in what seems like decades, the Red Sox have managed to stay away from offseason headlines almost entirely. Such is a luxury afforded by a team that wins the world series and has been granted a temporary reprieve from the pressures of a […]

Detroit Tigers Hot Stove (Part 2): MLB News & Fantasy Baseball Analysis

  2014 Detroit Tigers - Team Preview In this MLB offseason, perhaps the team that has undergone the most drastic change has been the Detroit Tigers. In years past, Dave Dombrowski has looked to bolster his team through the addition big-name free agents. This year? Not as much. Through trades and smaller signings, Detroit has […]

Fantasy Baseball Draft Prep: 4 Young Pitchers That Will Breakout in 2014

Three things can happen when young pitchers get their big call-up to the majors. They can be highly touted, with a ton of expectations placed on their shoulders, and excel. Some of those highly touted arms can fall flat, never coming close to the performances that got them to the majors in the first place. […]

Baltimore Orioles Hot Stove: MLB News & Fantasy Baseball Analysis

  Hello RotoBallers and welcome to the first installment of the RotoBaller Orioles blog, your home for Baltimore Orioles’ fantasy analysis. This entry addresses the Orioles’ offseason, and what it means for your 2014 fantasy season.   2014 Baltimore Orioles - Team Preview The Orioles’ philosophy seems to have a couple of components which are […]

Milwaukee Brewers Hot Stove: MLB News & Fantasy Baseball Analysis

  Milwaukee Brewers 2014 Preview - State of the Team The 2013 season for the Milwaukee Brewers was one full of turmoil and bad play as the team finished in fourth place in the National League Central with a 74-88 record. The page has turned to the 2014 season however and there have been some changes […]

New York Mets Hot Stove: MLB News & Fantasy Baseball Analysis

  2014 New York Mets - State of the Team The New York Mets have been getting used to disappointing seasons over the past seven years and quite frankly the streak will most likely be continued in 2014. Just as every other team in the league the Mets have dealt with injuries to important players as […]

MLB Expands Instant Replay Usage & Rules

For years, baseball intelligentsia have debated over whether or not instant replay should be instituted in baseball, and if so to what extent. Finally, Major League Baseball took a revolutionary step a few days ago, as its owners unanimously approved the expansion of instant replay. Baseball is a game of inches, yet the onus has […]

Arizona Diamondbacks Hot Stove: MLB News & Fantasy Baseball Analysis

  Arizona Diamondbacks Team Preview When a baseball team finishes with a .500 record for two consecutive seasons you can expect some changes to be made. That is certainly the case with Arizona Diamondbacks this offseason. Arizona has been one of the more active teams in trying to improve their team for the upcoming season. One […]

Seattle Mariners Hot Stove: MLB News & Fantasy Baseball Analysis

Seattle Mariners Overview - State of the Team Pessimism mixed with a healthy dose of cynicism seems to be the natural state of most baseball fans in the Pacific Northwest. This dreary outlook is not undeserved – the Mariners are coming off four straight seasons with total losses ranging between 87, at best, and 101, at […]

Chicago White Sox Hot Stove: MLB News & Fantasy Baseball Analysis

  Chicago White Sox Team Outlook 2013 was a season to forget. The White Sox lost 99 games and did not have very many fantasy relevant players. They weren't very relevant in the AL Central either. As for 2014, there are plenty of new faces in town and there is promise for a better season […]

Colorado Rockies Hot Stove: MLB News & Fantasy Baseball Analysis

  Colorado Rockies 2014 Team Outlook As the snow falls over the Rocky Mountains, expectations are heating up for the Rockies as spring training gets closer. In his second year, Walt Weiss leads a team hungry for postseason action. We all know how the injuries to star players like Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez plagued […]

MLB News and Analysis: Clayton Kershaw's Smart Long-Term Deal

  Clayton Kershaw's New Deal Long-term deals have become all too common in the modern MLB.  It’s easy to see the appeal—if a GM can lock down a perennial all-star, they would be foolish not to. ...or would they?    Let’s break down three of the biggest MLB free agent contracts in the last three […]

MLB Hot Stove: Where Will Free Agents Nelson Cruz, Ubaldo Jiminez, and Ervin Santana Sign?

  MLB Hot Stove Analysis: Where will Cruz, Ubaldo and Santana Land in 2014? Usually when the calendar flips over to January there are a few bargains to be had for shoppers. Not so much in the world of baseball free agency however. Even with spring training closing in, there are a few players still […]