A's Acquire Cole Irvin From Phillies

The Oakland Athletics acquired left-handed relief pitcher Cole Irvin from the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday in exchange for cash considerations. Turning 27 years old on Sunday, Irvin has 19 career major league appearances (three starts) over the last two years with Philly. He's posted a 6.75 ERA with a poor 17.2 percent strikeout rate over […]

Steven Souza Jr. Heading To Houston

The Houston Astros agreed to an undisclosed deal with free-agent outfielder Steven Souza Jr. on Saturday, according to a source. The 31-year-old hit just .148 in 27 at-bats in 11 games for the Chicago Cubs in the shortened 2020 season after missing all of the 2019 campaign while recovering from surgery to fix an ACL […]

Carl Edwards Jr. Agrees With Braves

The Atlanta Braves agreed to a minor league deal with free-agent relief pitcher Carl Edwards Jr. on Friday night. The 29-year-old right-hander helped the Chicago Cubs win the World Series in 2016 and had a nice 3.03 ERA and 34 percent strikeout rate with the team from 2016-18. However, he started struggling in 2019 when […]

Didi Gregorius Returns To Phillies

Free-agent shortstop Didi Gregorius has reached a two-year agreement worth $28 million with the Philadelphia Phillies, according to reports on Saturday. Gregorius will now return to the Phillies, where he posted a .284/.339/.488 slash line to go with 10 home runs and 40 RBI in 237 plate appearances in 2020, his first season in Philadelphia. […]

Eddie Rosario Signs With Cleveland

Free-agent outfielder Eddie Rosario agreed to a one-year, $8 million deal with the Cleveland Indians late on Friday. Rosario is coming off a successful 2020 campaign where he hit .257/.316/.476 with 13 home runs and 42 RBI in just 231 plate appearances with Minnesota. Rosario, who will be assured of a corner outfield starting role […]

Fantasy Baseball News and Chicago Cubs talk with Dave Swan - Benched with Bubba (Episode 337)

Bubba (@bdentrek) is joined by Dave Swan (@davithius). The guys will recap the wild week in MLB Hot Stove action and how it relates to Fantasy Baseball. Then take a dive into the fantasy questions that surround the Chicago Cubs. Be sure to subscribe to the Benched With Bubba Podcast, part of RotoBaller Radio's Podcast Network. Like […]

Josh Naylor (OF, CLE) - 2021 Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers

People often forget that Josh Naylor was a first-round pick. He hasn't even been bad in the minors. His plate discipline has been a strength all throughout. He only struck out over 16.8% once as a minor leaguer and that was in his first run at Double-A. He posted a 20.6% strikeout rate that season. […]

Digging Into K% Leaders - Christian Yelich

As we discussed in Part 1 focusing on Ketel Marte, it can sometimes be tough to know which way to go with it. There are the very basic stats: batting average, runs batted in, home runs, and maybe on-base percentage, but we know they are not always the most useful in player analyses even if […]

AL Outfielders Set to Bust in 2021

While there are plenty of MLB free agents who still need a home, the return of baseball for 2021 is much closer than it currently feels. As long as nothing goes off the rails over the next few weeks, there will be big-league players taking the field at Spring Training complexes in Florida and Arizona in […]

Cardinals Trade For Nolan Arenado

Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado was traded to the Cardinals on Friday for a likely package of Austin Gomber, Luken Baker and Jhon Torres. One of the league's premier third basemen, Arenado will take his career .890 OPS to an offense that Fangraphs projected to score a meager 4.44 runs per game in 2021 before […]

Braves Have Checked In On Justin Turner

The Atlanta Braves are among the teams that have checked in on free-agent third baseman Justin Turner. The veteran third baseman doesn't have a shortage of suitors, but most still see the Los Angeles Dodgers as heavy favorites to re-sign him. The Blue Jays were also interested, but that's more unlikely after they signed infielder […]

A's Sign Carlos Perez To Minor League Deal

The Oakland Athletics signed free-agent catcher Carlos Perez to a minor league deal on Friday. If Perez finds his way onto the major league roster, he'll earn $650,000. The 30-year-old backstop has played four seasons in the big leagues and hasn't seen any action in the majors since 2018 with the Braves and Rangers, when […]

Cubs Have Interest In Reunion With Jake Arrieta

The Chicago Cubs have some interest in a reunion with free-agent starting pitcher Jake Arrieta, with the team likely to sign one or two buy-low starters on the open market. Arrieta says that he is healthy and ready to go and was scheduled to throw a bullpen for interested teams on Friday in the Austin, […]

Yadier Molina Expected To Re-Sign With Cardinals

Free-agent catcher Yadier Molina is expected to re-sign with the St. Louis Cardinals after the Caribbean Series, if not before then, according to a source. The veteran backstop is playing for Puerto Rico's Criollos de Caguas. The Cardinals have reportedly already made Molina a one-year offer. The Red Birds also re-signed long-time Cardinal Adam Wainwright […]

Daniel Murphy Retiring From Baseball

Free-agent first baseman Daniel Murphy announced on Friday that he is retiring from Major League Baseball after 12 seasons. The 35-year-old was a three-time All-Star and a .296 career hitter with the New York Mets, Washington Nationals, Chicago Cubs and Colorado Rockies. He was the MVP of the National League Championship Series in 2015 when […]

Mike Foltynewicz Throws For Teams Friday

Free-agent starting pitcher Mike Foltynewicz threw for interested teams in Atlanta on Friday and looked to be in fine shape while hitting 90-92 mph on the radar gun. Foltynewicz was an All-Star in 2018 with the Braves when he went 13-10 with a 2.85 ERA and 1.08 ERA while striking out 202 batters and walking […]

Matt Moore Signs With Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies signed free-agent starting pitcher Matt Moore to a major league deal on Friday, according to sources. MLB Network's Jon Heyman reports the deal is for one year and $3 million. The left-hander should compete for a spot in the team's starting rotation in 2021 after he went 6-3 with a 2.65 ERA […]

Cardinals Discussing Blockbuster For Nolan Arenado

The St. Louis Cardinals are talking to the Colorado Rockies about a possible Nolan Arenado trade, but there's no word on if anything is close yet. The Atlanta Braves have also checked in on Arenado, but they are probably a long shot. Colorado wants a big haul back but don't want to eat much of […]

Cubs Reach A Deal With Joc Pederson

The Chicago Cubs have reached an agreement with free-agent outfielder Joc Pederson. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic was the first to report the agreement between the lefty slugger and his new club. Pederson is likely to slide into Kyle Schwarber's former role in left field. The slugger struggled in 2020 with just seven home runs, […]

Cardinals Bring Back Adam Wainwright

The St. Louis Cardinals are re-signing starting pitcher Adam Wainwright to a one-year deal on Thursday believed to be worth $8 million. The 39-year-old was the team's most reliable pitcher in the shortened 2020 season, throwing two shutouts and posting a 3.15 ERA in his 15th season with St. Louis. The three-time All-Star made his […]

Alex Avila Agrees With Nationals

The Washington Nationals agreed to an undisclosed one-year deal with free-agent catcher Alex Avila on Thursday. The left-handed hitter will serve as the backup in D.C. and pair with veteran Yan Gomes. Avila, who will turn 34 years old on Friday, is entering his 13th big-league season. He hit just .184 in 49 at-bats over […]

Kohl Stewart Signs With Cubs

The Chicago Cubs signed free-agent right-hander Kohl Stewart to a one-year, $700,000 deal on Thursday. Stewart will offer depth for Chicago's starting rotation but can also serve a multi-inning relief role if needed. He has pitched in parts of only two major league seasons and comes with five years of club control. The 26-year-old will […]

Mets' Offer To Trevor Bauer For 3-4 Years

The New York Mets offer to free-agent starting pitcher Trevor Bauer is thought to be for three to four years with opt-outs and less than the record $36 million annual average value. The Los Angeles Dodgers have similar interest in the right-hander but are unlikely to go for a long deal. Some teams think that […]

Dinelson Lamet Having Good Offseason

San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller said that starting pitcher Dinelson Lamet (biceps), who was shut down prior to the playoffs last year, is having a great offseason health-wise. The Padres acquisitions of starters Blake Snell, Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove this offseason were more geared for the jump from a 60-game regular season […]

Trevor Rosenthal's Stock On The Rise

Free-agent relief pitcher Trevor Rosenthal was a top-tier reliever in 2020 with the Royals and Padres and is one of the top available relief arms on the open market. Rosenthal was one of MLB's best relievers from 2012-17 with the Cardinals, but Tommy John surgery caused him to miss all of 2018 and he was […]

Reds Considering Amed Rosario

The Cincinnati Reds have been discussing whether a trade with Cleveland for shortstop Amed Rosario might make sense. Rosario was traded to Cleveland by the New York Mets in the blockbuster trade that involved shortstop Francisco Lindor. The 25-year-old was one of the main pieces in the Lindor trade, but the Indians have flexibility because […]

Mets Could Be More Likely To Land Trevor Bauer

The New York Mets trade of starting pitcher Steven Matz to the Toronto Blue Jays doesn't necessarily mean that free-agent right-hander Trevor Bauer will be signing with New York, but it does open the door wider. The Mets now have an extra $5.2 million of payroll space and a vacancy in the starting rotation. One […]

Trey Mancini To Primarily Play First Base

Baltimore Orioles general manager Mike Elias said that the team's plan is to have outfielder Trey Mancini primarily play first base going forward due to outfielder Anthony Santander's emergence in right field and the interesting mix of young outfielders the team has both on the 40-man roster and in the minor leagues. Even though Mancini […]

Starting Pitchers to Target Late - LIMA Plan

The LIMA (Low Investment Mound Aces) Plan is a long-standing draft strategy that was developed far before 2021 but it seems more applicable now than ever. FSWA Hall of Fame member Ron Shandler developed the strategy around the turn of the millennium due to the heavy emphasis on starting pitching in most drafts, leading him […]

Adam Frazier Being Discussed On Trade Market

Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Adam Frazier is being discussed on the trade market and could be the next player that the Pirates move as they continue to rebuild. The Pirates have already traded starting pitcher Jameson Taillon to the Yankees, right-hander Joe Musgrove to the Padres and first baseman Josh Bell to the Nationals this […]