Rays Open To Trading Blake Snell

The Tampa Bay Rays have told other teams that they are open to the idea of trading starting pitcher Blake Snell, a former Cy Young winner, according to multiple sources. Tampa isn't actively shopping the left-hander, who has three years and $39 million left on his five-year, $50 million extension, but trading the 27-year-old represents […]

Rays Designate Hunter Renfroe For Assignment

The Tampa Bay Rays designated outfielder Hunter Renfroe for assignment last Friday to help clear their 40-man roster for three young prospects. Renfroe appeared in 42 games last year (34 starts) during the shortened 2020 season and hit the first grand slam in Rays postseason history during the wild-card sweep of the Blue Jays. However, […]

Year-in-Review: Shane Bieber

2020 AL Cy Young winner Shane Bieber was just simply remarkable in every definition of the word this past season. He led the majors in a number of statistics such as ERA (1.63) and strikeouts (122) and tied for the major league lead in wins (8) and quality starts (10). The deeper you look into […]

Early 2021 Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft - ADP Surprises

Of course, there are many changes to be made throughout the offseason. It feels as if the dust is still settling on the 2020 World Series yet baseball fans are more ready for the upcoming season than ever. We have no idea whether a full schedule can be played, what games will look like, and […]

Nick Mariano's Early 2021 Fantasy Baseball Shortstop Rankings

As we begin to look towards the 2021 baseball season, we can only hope that COVID-19 will be handled well enough to let the season run as normal. Since this is a mere early ranking exercise and we have so much ahead of us, let's just close our eyes and chat as if a 162-game […]

Analyzing Fly Ball Metrics: Pitchers to Trust in 2021

Welcome back to some 2020-2021 offseason fantasy baseball analysis! I recently took a look at pitchers who could see a decrease in performance next season based on their fly-ball metrics from this season. Some of these metrics included home run-to-fly-ball ratio, fly-ball rate, and average launch angle. To reiterate the value of this type of […]

Aroldis Chapman's Suspension Reduced

New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman's suspension for throwing near the head of Tampa Bay Rays infielder Mike Brosseau was reduced from three games to two games on Thursday after Chapman appealed the decision. Chapman will serve the suspension at the beginning of the 2021 season. The flame-throwing left-hander struck Brosseau out in the at-bat […]

Matt Arnold Promoted To General Manager

The Milwaukee Brewers promoted Matt Arnold to senior vice president and general manager on Thursday. The 41-year-old joined the Brewers as a vice president and assistant general manager in October of 2015. He was promoted to senior vice president and assistant general manager in June of 2019. Milwaukee has made the playoffs each of the […]

Nationals Are A Potential Suitor For J.T. Realmuto

The Philadelphia Phillies would love to bring back catcher J.T. Realmuto, but they are "discouraged" about their chances of re-signing the All-Star backstop. The Washington Nationals are a potential suitor for Realmuto, as well as the division-rival Mets. When Realmuto was on the trade block two years ago, Washington was one of the clubs that […]

Astros Showing Interest In Marcell Ozuna

The Houston Astros have expressed interest in free-agent outfielder Marcell Ozuna. After a big season with the Braves in 2020, at least 10 teams are interested in signing Ozuna. The Astros could sign Jackie Bradley Jr. to play center field with George Springer likely leaving in free agency, but they could also target Ozuna for […]

Nolan Arenado Could Be An Option For Mets

Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado could be an option for the New York Mets and could be more attractive as a trade target than Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor because of his contract. Arenado and Lindor can become free agents after the 2021 season, but Arenado would need to opt out of the $164 million […]

Robinson Cano Tests Positive For PED, Suspended For 2021

New York Mets second baseman Robinson Cano has tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug on Wednesday. Cano will be suspended for the entire season and will forfeit his $24 million salary in 2021. This is the second positive test for Cano in his career, which results in the automatic 162-game suspension. After struggling in his […]

Teams Interested In Steven Brault

Teams have been calling about Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander Steven Brault, according to a source. Brault is attractive because he carries three years of control and had a career-best 3.38 ERA in 2020. The 28-year-old is also in his first year of arbitration eligibility. He was arguably the team's best starter last year in the shortened […]

Fantasy Baseball Best Ball with Brian Seymour - Benched with Bubba (Episode 322)

Bubba (@bdentrek) is joined by Brian Seymour (@BrianJSeymour) of the Fantasy Best Ball Exclusive. The guys go over Fantasy Baseball Best Ball strategy, sites to play on, different types of best ball games, and much more to get ready for the 2021 draft season. Be sure to subscribe to the Benched With Bubba Podcast, part of RotoBaller […]

Nick Mariano's Early 2021 Fantasy Baseball Third Base Rankings

Hope springs eternal for the 2021 baseball season, but it's hard to imagine we'll be completely past COVID-19 by then. Plus, we could see opening salvos for the CBA debates to come. But for now, let's just close our eyes and dream of a perfect world and chat as if a 162-game season will come […]

Cody Bellinger Has Surgery On Shoulder

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger (shoulder) underwent surgery on Tuesday to fix the right shoulder that he dislocated while celebrating a home run in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series against the Braves. Bellinger will start his rehab in Arizona next week and should be ready for spring training in 2021. The […]

Theo Epstein Stepping Down

The Chicago Cubs announced on Tuesday that Theo Epstein will step down as president of baseball operations on Nov. 20. Jed Hoyer will be named to the role as his replacement. Epstein will leave the organization after nine years with the team. The Cubs under Epstein recorded 505 regular season wins since 2015, which is […]

Blue Jays Interested In George Springer

The Toronto Blue Jays are looking to make a big splash this offseason and are interested in free-agent outfielder George Springer. It's unlikely that Springer will land a deal longer than 10 years in length, with MLB Trade Rumors projecting him to sign a five-year, $125 million contract. "He's the kind of player I'd have […]

Brewers To Listen To Offers For Josh Hader

The Milwaukee Brewers "intend to listen" to offers for All-Star relief pitcher Josh Hader, according to sources. The Brewers will want a big return for a player they think is the best left-handed reliever in baseball. Hader ranks in the top two percent in strikeout rate (39.7 percent) and in the top four percent in […]

Noteworthy xwOBA-wOBA Pitching Leaders

One of the oddities brought on by the shortened 2020 season was the number of qualified pitchers with huge gaps between their xwOBA and wOBA. In 2019, only seven qualified pitchers posted a wOBA at least 0.050 points away from their xwOBA in either direction, a number that ballooned to 52 pitchers in 2020. Of […]

Mike Clevinger Will Undergo Tommy John Surgery

The San Diego Padres and starter Mike Clevinger (elbow) agreed to a two-year contract extension through 2022 on Monday. The team also announced the right-hander will undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the 2021 season. Clevinger registered a 2.84 ERA after joining the Friars midseason, but an elbow impingement limited him to just one inning […]

Braves Sign Drew Smyly To One-Year Deal

The Atlanta Braves signed left-hander Drew Smyly to a one-year, $11 million deal on Monday. The 31-year-old went 0-1 with a 3.42 ERA in five starts and two relief outings for the Giants last season after San Francisco signed him to a one-year deal in January. He was released by the Rangers after going 4-7 […]

Bubba and Bat Flip 58: 2021 Fantasy Baseball First Base Preview - Benched with Bubba (Episode 321)

Bubba (@bdentrek) is joined by Bat Flip Crazy (@BatFlipCrazy) to continue their positional previews with the wonderful first base position. They will go over the Top 10 in NFBC ADP, go over some later round targets, and then a ton of awesome listener questions to get you ready for the catcher position. Be sure to […]

Year-in-Review: Clint Frazier

With the 2020 MLB season in the books, the focus now shifts to the 2021 season. Coming off such a strange and unusual 2020 season, the biggest questions will revolve around just how much should fantasy players buy into small-sample-sized performances. That question will very much be surrounding Clint Frazier, the former top prospect who […]

Nick Mariano's Early 2021 Fantasy Baseball Second Base Rankings

As usual, I'll start by saying the 2021 baseball season may still be affected by COVID-19. Maybe even more labor disputes just for a curveball. But for now, let's just close our eyes and dream of a perfect world and chat as if a 162-game season will come next spring. Join me for my position-by-position […]

Nick Bitsko Likely To Have Surgery

Tampa Bay Rays pitching prospect Nick Bitsko (shoulder), the team's first-round pick this year, is likely to have surgery soon to relieve discomfort in his right shoulder. The severity of the injury won't be known until after the procedure. The 18-year-old was taken 24th overall by the Rays out of high school, but the hard-throwing […]

Blake Snell, Kevin Kiermaier Available In A Trade?

The Tampa Bay Rays could be receptive to trading players like starting pitcher Blake Snell and outfielder Kevin Kiermaier this offseason as they look to balance their budget after losing significant revenue in the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season. Tampa has already declined the 2021 options on starter Charlie Morton ($15 million) and catcher Mike Zunino […]

Year-In-Review: Pete Alonso

New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso endured a 2020 season which fell short of expectations coming off his breakout 2019 rookie campaign. After posting a .260/.358/.583 line in 2019, Alonso put up just a .231/.326/.490 line over 239 plate appearances in 2020. Alonso also clubbed 16 home runs, with six doubles and 35 RBI […]

Kim Ng To Become Marlins GM

Kim Ng is in line to become the new Miami Marlins general manager. She will become the first female general manager of an MLB team. She is a long-time baseball executive who has been MLB's senior vice president for baseball operations since 2011. Ng is also the first woman hired to a general manager position […]

Analyzing Fly Ball Metrics: Pitchers Who Could Bust in 2021

Welcome to the 2021 offseason! This past season was different and exciting, offering a new flavor of baseball with definite impacts on fantasy baseball. The shortened season brought forth some new strategies from a fantasy perspective and smaller sample sizes from an analytics perspective. That being said, assuming a "regular" 2021 season, it makes sense […]