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 […]

2014 Fantasy Baseball Draft Prep: 5 Free Agent Hitters With the Most to Lose

The 2013-14 MLB offseason is drawing to its close and with that, many of the top free agents have made their decisions on where they are going to play. From a fantasy baseball perspective, there are some players who got it "right", and there are a few who fantasy owners must be screaming about considering […]

Pittsburgh Pirates Hot Stove: MLB News & Fantasy Baseball Analysis

  Pittsburgh Pirates 2014 Team Outlook The 2014 Pittsburgh Pirates will be out to prove that last season was no fluke. They should carry over the momentum of their first winning season and playoff appearance in 21 years and doing so will most likely put them back in the playoffs. The Buccos are a team […]

Los Angeles Dodgers Hot Stove: MLB News & Fantasy Baseball Analysis

  Los Angeles Dodgers 2014 Team Preview The 2014 Los Angeles Dodgers will look to capitalize on their historic run to close out the 2013 season. The core of the team that went 54-27 in the final 3 months of the season will be back to try get over the hump and advance to the […]

San Diego Padres Hot Stove: MLB News & Fantasy Baseball Analysis

San Diego Padres 2014 Outlook The big issue for the third place, 76-86, Padres going into 2014 will be the same as it was for the club in 2013 - health. No less than nine key players missed time last season due to DL stints, injuries, and PED suspensions. With fingers-crossed that key players will […]

Miami Marlins Hot Stove: MLB News & Fantasy Baseball Analysis

  Miami Marlins 2014 Outlook Oh the Miami Marlins, what a unique yet confusing organization to follow. Yes, it’s true that not many teams can say they have won two World Series within a handful of years, but how many teams have suffered that much turmoil and uncertainty throughout their existence? Going into the 2013 […]

Fall From Grace: The Alex Rodriguez Saga, PED Timeline & MLB Suspension

  The Alex Rodriguez PED Saga You know the name, you’ve heard the stories. Alex Rodriguez’s meteoric rise to fame and excessive fortune is outmatched only by his catastrophic fall from grace, the latest chapter of which is developing before our eyes.   The Rise Most baseball fans can remember the glory years of Alex […]

Detroit Tigers Hot Stove: MLB News & Fantasy Baseball Analysis

  2014 Tigers Overview Consistently fielding one of the best teams on paper, and in terms of fantasy relevance, the 2014 Detroit Tigers team will be no different. After failing to make the World Series last year, the team did make some major changes. At the very top, long-time manager Jim Leyland stepped down after […]

Oakland Athletics Hot Stove: MLB News & Fantasy Baseball Analysis

If there is one thing that ‘Moneyball’ taught us about the Oakland A’s, it’s that they do not need to be big spenders in order to put a winning team on the field. The defending American League West Champions for the past two seasons did not have many needs to address with their young, sabermetrics […]

San Francisco Giants Hot Stove: MLB News & Fantasy Baseball Analysis

2013 Giants Overview When it comes to the San Francisco Giants, there has never been any debate that their greatest strength lies in the hands of their pitchers. That was never more clear than during the 2013 season when, as the pitching staff struggled, so too did the team’s record. After two World Series titles […]

MLB News: Yankees Finally Sign Matt Thornton

Thornton Officially a Yankee The Yankees officially signed former White Sox reliever Matt Thornton to a 2-year, $7 million on Friday. The deal, which was agreed to earlier in the offseason, resulted in the Yankees designating Vernon Wells for assignment due to a lack of space on the 40-man roster. The 35-year-old Wells will not […]

MLB News & Fantasy Baseball Analysis: Kansas City Royals Hot Stove

Big Moves & Expectations from the Royals The 2013 season was a very exciting one for the Kansas City Royals and for fantasy baseball players who owned members of the Royals. Kansas City finished with an 86-76 record while scoring 648 runs or exactly four runs a game. As the 2014 season gets closer and […]

MLB News and Analysis: Will Matt Kemp Be Traded? If So, To Where?

  A Potential Trade Brewing with Matt Kemp? In December, Matt Kemp's agent, Dave Stewart, was quoted saying, "something is brewing", referring to trade talks surrounding his client. Dodgers general manager, Ned Colletti, has already stated that they will listen to all offers for his outfielder. The Red Sox have supposedly talked with the Dodgers about […]

MLB News & Fantasy Baseball Analysis: Atlanta Braves Hot Stove

Crazy Offseason in Atlanta Brian McCann signs with the Yankees Losing Brian McCann may not be the worst thing for the Braves. On one hand, they lose a proven leader and one of the best clutch-hitting catchers in recent memory, but on the other, replacement Evan Gattis might well be even better. Gattis only had […]