Reds Re-Sign Hunter Strickland To Minor-League Deal

The Cincinnati Reds re-signed relief pitcher Hunter Strickland to a minor-league deal on Saturday. Strickland had seven saves for the Reds last year to go along with a 4.91 ERA (4.78 FIP), 1.51 WHIP, 33 walks and 60 strikeouts in 62 1/3 relief innings. He lost his handle on the closing gig in August due […]

Felix Bautista Hopes To Be Ready For Opening Day

Baltimore Orioles closer Felix Bautista (knee, shoulder) is feeling good and hopes to be ready for Opening Day. He has thrown four bullpen sessions in spring training and went at 70 percent effort on Friday. Bautista thinks he can start getting into spring games on March 15 or 16. Since he's a reliever, he will […]

5 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitchers Who Broke Out in 2022

Sometimes you can smell it coming and other times it's out of nowhere. Breakouts can happen at any time at any age, and when they do happen, they become a fantasy manager's best friend. With young, developing players who display continued improvement over a few seasons, breakouts can be seen with relative ease. However, it's […]

Analyzing Pitcher Fly Ball Data for Fantasy Baseball 2023

Pitchers don't have much of a say about what happens after a pitch they throw is put into play. There is a ton of randomness that occurs after a hitter makes contact with a ball, and that makes a lot of pitching statistics hard to trust. Getting ahead of this gives us an advantage. We […]

Who Is The Tigers' Closer? Fantasy Baseball Saves Outlooks

With the departure of Gregory Soto, who did most of the heavy lifting as the Detroit Tigers closer, the organization will have a few internal options to look towards. Soto reached a one-year, $3.9 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies, who were targeting a high-leverage arm to capitalize on their bullpen depth. Soto's departure changes […]

Noteworthy Hitting Leaders (xBA) - Statcast Review for Fantasy Baseball

While the fantasy baseball prep work has been ongoing for months for some, many fantasy managers are turning their attention over in more earnest as the calendar flips to February and the NFL season winds down. While there will be many prep strategy articles, the most basic starting place is to familiarize yourself with the […]

Jorge Alfaro Has Not Arrived To Camp

Boston Red Sox catcher Jorge Alfaro has not arrived to camp due to ongoing visa issues. The hope is that the 29-year-old will be able to arrive from Colombia within the next few days. Alfaro signed a minor-league deal with the Red Sox over the offseason. The right-hander slugger has a good chance of making […]

Michael Kopech Still Not 100 Percent

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Michael Kopech (knee, shoulder) mentioned that he is currently not 100 percent yet. The 26-year-old ended the season on the injured list due to shoulder inflammation. He also had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee, but Kopech is aiming to be ready for Opening Day. Last […]

Daniel Hudson Throws On Friday

Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Daniel Hudson (knee, ankle) was able to throw off the mound for the first time on Friday. The 35-year-old is working his way back from a left ACL tear and ankle tendinitis. The right-hander is hopeful to be ready for the beginning of the season. Hudson was excellent for the […]

Ji-Man Choi Loses Arbitration Hearing

Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Ji-Man Choi has lost his arbitration hearing with his new organization. That's not exactly the best way to start off his career with the Pirates. Choi requested $5.4 million for the 2023 season, but lost and will now make $4.65 million for the upcoming season. It's still a $1.45 million raise […]

Sam Bachman Regains Velocity

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Sam Bachman appears to be in great shape heading into the spring. The 23-year-old is back up to 95-96 mph in recent bullpen sessions. That's great after seeing Bachman drop into the low-90s last season. The former first-round pick struggled during the majority of his 2022 campaign. He finished with […]

Mike Zunino Should Be Ready For Spring Opener

Cleveland Guardians catcher Mike Zunino (shoulder) is expected to be ready for the spring opener next week. The 31-year-old is returning from thoracic outlet surgery, but appears to be headed in the right direction. He signed a one-year deal worth $6 million over the offseason. Zunino is expected to be the starting catcher for this […]

Cubs Sign Edwin Rios To One-Year Deal

The Chicago Cubs signed free-agent corner infielder Edwin Rios to a one-year, $1 million deal on Friday. In a corresponding move, the team placed relief pitcher Ethan Roberts (elbow) on the 60-day injured list. Rios became a free agent in 2022 when he was non-tendered by the Los Angeles Dodgers after hitting .244 with seven […]

Robbie Grossman Heads To Rangers

Free-agent outfielder Robbie Grossman signed with the Texas Rangers on Friday. The New York Post's Joel Sherman reported the deal is for one year and $2 million. Grossman comes to Texas after a disappointing 2022 campaign for the Detroit Tigers and Atlanta Braves. He hit a combined .209/.310/.311 with a .622 OPS, seven home runs, […]

Noah Syndergaard Showing Uptick In Velocity

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that right-hander Noah Syndergaard has already shown an uptick in velocity in bullpen sessions compared to the sessions he threw a year ago. "There's going to be a marked increase in velocity (this year), in our opinion," Roberts said. The 30-year-old worked on his mechanics in the offseason, […]

Brayan Bello Shut Down With Forearm Soreness

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that right-hander Brayan Bello (forearm) has been shut down briefly due to right forearm soreness that he experienced in his last bullpen session when he threw a lot of breaking balls. Bello is scheduled to resume throwing on Monday. "We're very confident Monday he's back on his throwing […]

Michael Soroka Dealing With Hamstring Soreness

Atlanta Braves right-hander Michael Soroka (hamstring) is dealing with hamstring soreness in spring training, according to manager Brian Snitker. Soroka reported the soreness when he arrived in camp, and the Braves are holding him out for now as a precaution. It's not a great start to the spring for the 25-year-old starter as he looks […]

Lance McCullers Jr. Dealing With Arm Soreness

Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker said that starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. (arm) experienced some arm soreness in camp, but the skipper didn't specify what kind of soreness exactly after McCullers threw a bullpen session on Tuesday. Baker isn't very concerned. It sounds as if the 29-year-old right-hander is dealing with the same forearm injury […]

Clayton Kershaw Won't Pitch In World Baseball Classic

Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw announced on Friday that he will not be participating for Team USA in this year's World Baseball Classic. Kershaw declined to give a specific reason, but he said it is "super disappointing." The most likely reason is a complication with insurance for Kershaw after he missed time due to […]

Aaron Nola, Phillies In Extension Talks

The Philadelphia Phillies and starting pitcher Aaron Nola have begun discussions on a long-term contract extension, according to multiple major-league sources. He's currently scheduled to become a free agent after the 2023 season. There appears to be momentum to reach an agreement sometime this spring, and Nola has expressed his interest in remaining in Philadelphia. […]

Bryce Harper Won't Be In Camp Until March

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper (elbow) will not arrive at spring training with the team until early March, according to manager Rob Thomson. It's not much of a surprise after Harper had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in late November. The 30-year-old former MVP is expected to be out for most of the […]

Julio Rodriguez Could Run More This Year

Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez only had four of his 25 stolen bases in the second half of last season, but part of that was due to health, and part of it was pitchers paying more attention to him on the bases. But Rodriguez could be running even more in 2023. "It's a big part […]

Dustin May Will Face Restrictions In 2023

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said right-hander Dustin May will be under some limitations in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery this year, but the Dodgers haven't exactly decided what that entails. "But I'm excited for him to start the season healthy and not being in that rehab mode," Roberts added. […]

Cionel Perez, Bryan Baker Could Be Closing Options

Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said that relievers Cionel Perez and Bryan Baker could get opportunities to close out games if closer Felix Bautista (knee, shoulder) isn't ready for the start of the 2023 season. In addition to Bautista, late-inning reliever Dillon Tate (elbow) is slated to miss the first month of the season. Fantasy […]

Jameson Taillon Tweaking His Slider

Chicago Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon has been working on tweaking his slider grip in spring training. Taillon agreed to a four-year, $68 million deal with the Cubs in free agency after spending the last two years with the New York Yankees, where he went 22-11 with a 4.08 ERA (4.16 FIP), 1.16 WHIP, 76 walks […]

Four MLB Rookies Who Surged in September - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values

In 2022, we saw the MLB debuts of several up-and-coming top fantasy baseball prospects: Julio Rodríguez, Michael Harris II, Adley Rutschman, and Spencer Strider...to name a few. However there were many more "under-the-radar" prospects who produced quality rookie campaigns, and surged in September as a potential preview of what is to come in 2023. These […]

Nestor Cortes Throws Bullpen Session Friday

New York Yankees starting pitcher Nestor Cortes (hamstring), who had to pull out of this year's World Baseball Classic due to a right hamstring injury, threw a bullpen session on Friday. Cortes' injury appears to be very minor, but the Yankees aren't taking any chances this early in spring training, and it was a no-brainer […]

Kodai Senga Struggles In First Throwing Session

New York Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga didn't have the best throwing session in spring training on Thursday, but the Mets are confident he'll make the necessary adjustments to a steeper mound than in his hometown of Japan. Senga called the 52-pitch bullpen session "so-so." The right-hander topped out at 96 mph during the workout. […]

Jose Alvarado Signs Three-Year Extension

The Philadelphia Phillies signed relief pitcher Jose Alvarado to a three-year contract extension on Friday that includes a team option for the 2026 season. The deal will be worth $21.5 million, and the option is worth $9 million. The 27-year-old left-hander had already avoided arbitration with a one-year, $3.45 million deal last week, but now […]

Manny Machado Plans To Opt Out Of Contract

San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado publicly confirmed that he's told the team that he plans to opt out of his contract. He declined to get into negotiations on a potential long-term extension with the team, but he did say that he'd still like to play for the organization as long as new teammate […]