Jose Leclerc The Front-Runner For Rangers Closer Role?

Texas Rangers general manager Chris Young named several players currently on the roster as potential options to serve as the team's closer in an interview Saturday, per the Athletic's Levi Weaver. This included Jose Leclerc, Jonathan Hernandez, Ian Kennedy, Danny Duffy, Brett Martin, and Brock Burke. Joe Barlow would also be considered in this mix. […]

Reds Agree To Minor-League Deal With Chad Pinder

MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reported Monday that the Cincinnati Reds have agreed to a minor-league contract with free-agent utilityman Chad Pinder. The deal would include an invitation to big-league camp as a non-roster player. The 30-year-old spent most of his time in the outfield in 2022 with the A's, but he also saw time at first […]

Mets Expected To Make Bid On Shohei Ohtani In 2023

MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported Monday that the New York Mets are expected to pursue Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher/designated hitter Shohei Ohtani in 2023 should he enter free agency. The 28-year-old phenom would be in high demand given his elite hitting and pitching talent. Ohtani slashed .273/.356/.519 with 34 home runs, 95 RBI, and […]

Angels Have "Strong Interest" In Zack Britton

USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported Monday that the Los Angeles Angels have "strong interest" in free-agent relief pitcher Zack Britton if his price tag were to drop. The 35-year-old lefty was one of baseball's better relief pitchers from 2014-2020 with the Orioles and Yankees. However, a number of injuries limited Britton to just 19 innings […]

Early 2023 Fantasy Baseball Rankings - 5x5 Roto Mixed Leagues

Hello there fellow RotoBallers! Below you'll find our MLB team's early 2023 fantasy baseball rankings and tiers for 5x5 mixed roto leagues. This is an exciting time of year for MLB and fantasy baseball fans, as the MLB season is getting closer and there's a full year of fantasy baseball that lies ahead. We're here […]

Miguel Vargas Has A Chance To Start At Second Base

Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Andrew Friedman said that if he had to guess now, he sees Max Muncy at third base, Gavin Lux at shortstop, Miguel Vargas at second base and Chris Taylor in the outfield, with Miguel Rojas serving in a utility-infield role. The Dodgers have plenty of defensive versatility and competition heading […]

Grayson Rodriguez Expected To Be In Opening Day Rotation

Baltimore Orioles general manager Mike Elias said that he expects pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez to open the 2023 regular season in the starting rotation. Elias also thinks outfield prospect Colton Cowser will make his MLB debut at some point this year. Rodriguez is Baltimore's No. 2 prospect and seventh overall in all of baseball, per […]

Alex Kirilloff Hoping For Normal Spring Training

Minnesota Twins outfielder/first baseman Alex Kirilloff (wrist) started swinging a bat early in January and said he's taking 50 to 60 swings per day and is on track with what his doctors wanted to see. He's hoping for "mostly a normal" spring training, but the goal is to be healthy for the most possible regular […]

Marlins Acquire Matt Barnes From Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox and Miami Marlins have reportedly made a deal, per a tweet from The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal on Monday morning. According to Rosenthal's tweet, Boston is trading reliever Matt Barnes to Miami for fellow relief pitcher Richard Bleier. Barnes pitched to a 4.31 ERA, a 3.87 FIP, 34 strikeouts, and 21 walks […]

Royals Re-Sign Zack Greinke

The Kansas City Royals are reportedly re-signing veteran starting pitcher Zack Greinke, per a tweet from Bob Fescoe of 610 Sports in Kansas City on Monday morning. Fescoe tweeted the following: "Royals have reached a deal to bring Zack Greinke back for one more year, per source. Deal will be officially announced tomorrow afternoon. #royals." […]

Darren O'Day Announces Retirement

Relief pitcher Darren O'Day announced on Monday he's retiring from the league in a tweet. O'Day made his Major League debut with the Los Angeles Angels in 2008 and has appeared in every Major League season since. The 40-year-old made 644 appearances over the years, pitching for Los Angeles, the New York Mets, Texas, Baltimore, […]

Travis Jankowski Signs Minor-League Deal With Rangers

The Texas Rangers and outfielder Travis Jankowski agreed to a minor-league deal with a non-roster invitation to the big-league camp. In 2022 the 31-year-old played for the New York Mets and Seattle Mariners. With the Mets, Jankowski collected a 35 OPS+ with just a .445 OPS through 63 plate appearances. He was picked up by […]

Josh Harrison Signs With the Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies and infielder Josh Harrison agreed to a one-year, $2 million deal. Harrison was one of the few remaining infielders left in free agency, and he is expected to make an impact in Philly. The 35-year-old spent his 2022 campaign with the Chicago White Sox and slashed .256/.317/.370 with a .687 OPS and […]

Gleyber Torres Avoids Arbitration

The New York Yankees and second baseman Gleyber Torres avoided arbitration after agreeing to a one-year, $9.995 million deal. The two parties were initially at odds, with Torres filing at $10.2 million and the Yankees offering $9.7. The second baseman has been involved in extensive discussions to be traded at the deadline with Pablo Lopez […]

New York Yankees Will Have Shortstop Battle

According to New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone, the Yankees will have a shortstop battle in Spring Training. Current shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa is defending his spot as the starter, but young stars such as Oswald Peraza and prodigy Anthony Volpe will be evaluated in Spring Training for a possible starting role. Kiner-Falefa slashed .261/.314/.327 in […]

DJ LeMahieu Ready For 2023

New York Yankees utility infielder DJ LeMahieu (toe) is reportedly ready for the 2023 season. According to Yankees hitting coach Don Lawson, LeMahieu is back to his old self. The 34-year-old opted not to undergo surgery on his toe and missed the Yankees' 2022 playoff campaign. Currently, LeMahieu is solely hitting off machines and coaches and […]

RotoBaller Writers Nominated For 13 FSWA Awards, For Second Consecutive Year

For the second consecutive year, RotoBaller writers were named as finalists for a total of 13 writing awards to be presented by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association. This year's award winners, determined by an independent panel of judges, will be announced live on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio on February 22. Throughout the company’s history, RotoBaller […]

Kenta Maeda Not Expected To Have Restrictions This Spring

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Kenta Maeda (elbow) said that he won't have any restrictions and is expected to have a normal spring training. Maeda didn't pitch at all last season after having Tommy John surgery in September of 2021. The 34-year-old veteran right-hander is apparently recovered, though, but he won't be all that attractive to […]

FIP/xFIP: Using Sabermetrics for 2023 Fantasy Baseball

While we've only examined how to evaluate hitters using advanced stats thus far, sabermetrics are at least as useful for pitchers. The first advanced pitching stat most fantasy managers encounter is FIP. FIP stands for Fielding Independent Pitching and attempts to measure a pitcher's actual skill instead of the effects of luck or his supporting […]

Brock Burke Could Be In The Closing Mix

Texas Rangers general manager Chris Young isn't ruling out the possibility that left-hander Brock Burke could close some games for the team in 2023. Burke made his major-league debut as a starter for the Rangers in 2019 and had a 7.43 ERA (6.55 FIP) and 1.54 WHIP in his first six starts. But he was […]

Hirokazu Sawamura Returns To Japan

After two seasons with the Boston Red Sox, right-hander Hirokazu Sawamura signed with the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball on Saturday to return to Japan. He appeared in 104 games for Boston from 2021-22 and had a 3.39 ERA (4.59 FIP), 1.44 WHIP, 101 strikeouts and 59 walks in 103 2/3 innings pitched […]

Nick Senzel Expected To Be Starting Center Fielder

It's still unknown if Cincinnati Reds outfielder Nick Senzel (toe) will be ready for the start of spring training after he had surgery to fix a broken toe last November, but manager David Bell said Senzel is still expected to be the team's starting center fielder on Opening Day. "He can play all over the […]

Nationals Sign Alexander Colome To Minor-League Deal

The Washington Nationals signed free-agent reliever Alexander Colome to a minor-league deal on Friday that includes an invitation to major-league spring training. The Nationals have had plenty of interest in Colome before, including advanced trade talks with the Chicago White Sox at the 2019 trade deadline. The 34-year-old right-hander was an All-Star back in 2016 […]

Yandy Diaz Closing In On Extension With Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays and infielder Yandy Diaz are closing in on a three-year, $24 million contract extension on Saturday, according to sources. The deal would include an option for a fourth year. Diaz battled through nagging injuries in 2022 but still managed to play a career-high 137 games in his sixth season in the […]

Undervalued Outfielders Set To Breakout for 2023 Fantasy Baseball

Fantasy managers are always on the hunt for the next great breakout. Drafting someone like Trea Turner is great, but first-round picks don't win leagues. Every year, there are players like Michael Harris II and Andres Gimenez in 2022 that exceed their expectations and play a critical role in crowning a champion.  For those looking […]

Reds Planning On Full Season For Tyler Stephenson

Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell said that the team is planning for catcher Tyler Stephenson (collarbone) to be in the lineup for 140-150 games in 2023 if he can remain healthy. They will be able to achieve that by using Stephenson as the designated hitter to give him days off behind the plate. The 26-year-old […]

Rangers Sign Clint Frazier, Danny Duffy To Minor-League Deals

The Texas Rangers signed free-agent outfielder Clint Frazier and left-hander Danny Duffy to minor-league deals on Friday. Once a top prospect for the Cleveland Guardians, Frazier spent the 2022 season with the Chicago Cubs and hit just .216 with a .653 OPS and no home runs in 19 games. Staying healthy has always been a […]

Jesus Aguilar To Split Time At First Base, DH

Oakland Athletics general manager David Forst said he expects the newly signed Jesus Aguilar to split his time in 2023 at first base and designated hitter in an everyday role, similar to what he was doing last year with the Miami Marlins and Baltimore Orioles. The 32-year-old right-handed slugger spent most of his time with […]

James Kaprielian, Paul Blackburn Expected To Be Ready

The Oakland Athletics expect starting pitchers James Kaprielian (shoulder) and Paul Blackburn (finger) to be ready for spring training, according to general manager David Forst. It's the reason the team felt comfortable trading left-hander Cole Irvin to the Baltimore Orioles this week. Kaprielian had surgery to fix the AC joint in his right-shoulder in the […]

Pete Fairbanks Agrees To Three-Year Extension With Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays and reliever Pete Fairbanks agreed to a three-year, $12 million contract extension on Friday, according to sources. The deal includes a fourth-year team option and comes off a year in which Fairbanks tossed 22 scoreless innings. The 29-year-old right-hander avoids his remaining arbitration-eligible years with the deal, and his fourth-year option […]