Nationals Sign Welington Castillo

The Washington Nationals added catching depth on Monday by signing catcher Welington Castillo to a minor league deal, according to a source. Castillo will make $950,000 if he is with the major league team in 2021. The 33-year-old was with the team in spring training in 2020 but decided not to play in early July […]

Howie Kendrick Retires After 15 Seasons

Second baseman Howie Kendrick announced his retirement on Monday after 15 major league seasons. Kendrick won a World Series title with the Washington Nationals in 2019 and was named the MVP of the National League Championship Series while also hitting a go-ahead home run in Game 7 of the World Series to help beat the […]

Blue Jays, Mets The Front-Runners For George Springer

The Toronto Blue Jays and New York Mets would seem to be the favorites to sign free-agent outfielder George Springer this winter. ESPN's Jeff Passan wrote that when it comes to Springer, "executives believes this is a two-team race" between the Blue Jays and Mets. Both teams are looking to improve and have a need […]

Giants Sign John Brebbia Monday

The San Francisco Giants signed right-handed reliever John Brebbia (elbow) to a one-year deal on Monday. Financial terms of the deal weren't disclosed. The 30-year-old missed all of the 2020 season after having Tommy John surgery in June. He had a 3.14 ERA in 175 innings with the Cardinals from 2017-19, including a 1.10 WHIP […]

Royals In Play For Jurickson Profar

The San Diego Padres are trying to re-sign infielder/outfielder Jurickson Profar, but the Kansas City Royals are also in play for him. Profar will be just 28 years old in February and had a solid slash line of .278/.343/.428 in the shortened 2020 season. On top of it, he's a switch-hitter and provides defensive versatility […]

Nolan Arenado Expected To Stay Put

Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado has been a potential trade chip with $199 million remaining on his contract this offseason, but the conventional wisdom inside baseball is that he won't be going anywhere this winter. However, if he were to be traded, sources say that one possibility is a pairing of two trades involving […]

Yu Darvish Unlikely To Be Traded

Chicago Cubs ace Yu Darvish's name is out there in trade talks this winter, but it might just be an example of a willingness for the Cubs to consider anything. The runner-up in the National League Cy Young voting, Darvish's chances of getting traded are "very low," according to one executive. The Japanese right-hander had […]

Joe Maddon Thinks Jo Adell Needs More Seasoning

Los Angeles Angels manager Joe Maddon thinks top outfield prospect Jo Adell "needs more time in the minor leagues, no question." Adell is possibly the best prospect the Angels have had since Mike Trout, but he struggled as a rookie in 2020 to the tune of a .161 batting average. The rookie struck out 55 […]

A Year to Forget: Relievers Who'll Rebound in 2021

The 2020 season was so weird, unprecedented, awkward, and chaotic, it might be wise to toss out most of the stats when prepping for your 2021 fantasy drafts. But we are also human, and sometimes getting that bad taste a down season leaves in your mouth can be nearly impossible no matter the circumstances. These […]

Biggest Risers of 2020 - Starting Pitcher

With just 60 games worth of data to draw from during the 2020 season, it's going to be a challenge for fantasy owners to determine how much to weigh those numbers when projecting 2021 performance. We see hot and cold two-month stretches all the time in a normal season, and there's plenty of time to […]

Statcast Review - Noteworthy xBA/xSLG Hitting Leaders

Thanks to its abbreviated schedule, the 2020 MLB season resulted in some unusual outcomes. Michael Conforto posted the highest full-season BABIP since Ty Cobb in 1913, Luke Voit was on pace for 60 home runs, and Robbie Ray walked a ridiculous 18% of the batters he faced. xStats were not immune to that weirdness, xBA […]

Jackie Bradley Jr. Drawing Plenty Of Interest

Free-agent outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. is drawing interest from the Phillies, Cubs and Blue Jays, among other teams. The 30-year-old is coming off a 2020 season in which he posted a 118 OPS+, his best mark since 2016. The Red Sox also remain interested in re-signing Bradley despite recently adding outfielder Hunter Renfroe. "The door […]

Padres Interested In Sonny Gray

The San Diego Padres are looking for another starting pitcher and have interest in Cincinnati Reds right-hander Sonny Gray. Mike Clevinger (elbow) is set to miss all of the 2021 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. San Diego's payroll in 2021 will likely be lower than last season's non-prorated Opening Day mark of around $150 […]

Trevor Bauer Too Expensive For The Reds

Free-agent starting pitcher Trevor Bauer is too expensive for the Cincinnati Reds, so he won't be returning to the team in 2021 and beyond. Bauer's National League Cy Young season in 2020 helped the team end their six-year playoff drought, however. The right-hander declined the team's $18.9 million qualifying offer in November, assuring that the […]

Matt Barnes Penciled In As Red Sox Closer

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that relief pitcher Matt Barnes is currently penciled in as the team's closer for the 2021 season. The 30-year-old right-hander had nine saves in 13 tries last year, with most of them coming after the club traded Brandon Workman to the Phillies. "If the season started tomorrow and […]

Red Sox Expect A Better J.D. Martinez In 2021

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora thinks outfielder/designated hitter J.D. Martinez will have a much better season in 2021. Martinez was fourth in the American League MVP voting in 2018 after he hit 43 home runs and led the league with 130 RBI while helping the Red Sox to a franchise-record 108 wins and a […]

Brewers Confident Christian Yelich Will Bounce Back

Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell is confident that former MVP outfielder Christian Yelich's 2020 hitting struggles won't carry over into the 2021 season. Yelich won consecutive National League batting titles in 2018 and 2019 in his first two years with the team, but he batted just .205 with 12 home runs and 22 RBI in […]

Brent Honeywell Jr. Has Another Surgery

Tampa Bay Rays pitching prospect Brent Honeywell Jr. (elbow) had another right elbow surgery on Wednesday, but the team said it was a minor surgery and that it shouldn't impact Honeywell's availability for the 2021 season. The 25-year-old has had four surgeries on his right elbow since he last pitched in September of 2017 at […]

Michael Wacha Agrees With Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays signed right-hander Michael Wacha to a one-year, $3 million deal on Friday. Wacha will help fill the void left by the departure of right-handed veteran starter Charlie Morton. Wacha went 1-4 with a 6.62 ERA in eight outings (seven starts) for the Mets in the shortened 2020 season. The 29-year-old won […]

Lance Lynn to White Sox - Fantasy Impact

Entering the offseason looking to shore up their pitching staff, the White Sox made the first big move in the 2020 starting pitcher market with the acquisition of right-hander Lance Lynn from the Texas Rangers. In return, Chicago sent top-100 prospect Dane Dunning and 2019 sixth-rounder Avery Weems down south to Arlington. In a move […]

Strike Zone Rate Analysis - Starting Pitchers

There are hundreds of metrics out there that describe pitchers. The richness of the available data is rivaled by no other sport. This can at times lead to information overload, leading us too far away from the core tenants of what success looks like. One group of statistics that are very simple and very helpful […]

Cubs Agree With Jonathan Holder

The Chicago Cubs agreed to terms with right-handed pitcher Jonathan Holder on Thursday on a 2021 non-guaranteed contract. The 27-year-old is 10-6 with 14 holds and a 4.38 ERA with 86 earned runs allowed in 176 2/3 innings over 157 major league games in his career, with all but two coming as a reliever. Holder […]

Scott Oberg Playing Catch

Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black said that relief pitcher Scott Oberg (arm) is playing catch again after missing all of the 2020 season due to blood clots in his right arm. "He's slowly picking up the intensity," Black said. "Feel really good about Scotty." Without setbacks, the 30-year-old could be back to full strength by […]

Rays Re-Sign Catcher Mike Zunino

The Tampa Bay Rays agreed to re-sign catcher Mike Zunino to a one-year deal worth $2 million on Wednesday. If the Rays decline his $ 7 million option for the 2022 season, he'll receive a $1 million buyout. The 29-year-old hit just .147/.238/.360 with four home runs and 28 RBI in 28 games during the […]

Johnny Cueto Won't Pitch In Winter Ball

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Johnny Cueto and the team have decided that he will not pitch in winter ball in his native Dominican Republic this year, given that the 2020 season was his first quasi-full season since returning from Tommy John surgery. Cueto was originally scheduled to pitch for the Estrellas Orientales. Manager Gabe […]

Anthony DeSclafani Signs With Giants

The San Francisco Giants signed right-handed pitcher Anthony DeSclafani to a one-year deal worth $6 million on Wednesday, according to a source. According to president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi, the team will continue to look for another top-tier starting pitcher. DeSclafani struggled in 2020, going 1-2 with a 7.22 ERA in nine games (seven […]

Justin Verlander Hopes to Pitch In 2021

Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander (elbow) is hoping to pitch at some point next year after having Tommy John surgery, according to general manager James Click. Click said Verlander "has every intention of trying to come back next year" but admitted that it's an "aggressive timetable." The right-hander had the surgery on Sept. 30, […]

Year-In-Review: Diego Castillo and Nick Anderson

As I created my early 2021 Relief Pitcher rankings, I realized how wide open so many bullpens are right now due to free agency. But there is at least one team that can sleep well knowing the back end of their bullpen is solid as bedrock and that's the Tampa Bay Rays. Diego Castillo and […]

Angels Sign Alex Claudio

The Los Angeles Angels signed left-handed reliever Alex Claudio to a one-year, $1.125 million deal on Wednesday. The 28-year-old had a 3.44 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in 311 appearances for the Rangers and Brewers from 2014 to 2020, recording 217 strikeouts and 78 walks in 311 2/3 innings. Left-handers have hit just .202/.246/.310 against him […]

Bubba and Bat Flip 62: 2021 Fantasy Baseball Outfield Preview PT1 - Benched with Bubba (Episode 328)

Bubba (@bdentrek) is joined by Bat Flip Crazy (@BatFlipCrazy) to continue their positional previews with part 1 of their outfield position preview. They will go over the Top 25 in NFBC ADP and then a ton of awesome listener questions to get you ready for the catcher position. Be sure to subscribe to the Benched With […]