
Players Association Rejects Idea For Federal Mediator
The Major League Baseball Players Association on Friday rejected the league's request for a federal mediator to negotiate between the two sides for a new collective bargaining agreement. "Two months after implementing their lockout, and just two days after committing to Players that a counterproposal would be made, the owners refused to make a counter, […]

Matt Magill Retiring From Baseball
Former relief pitcher Matt Magill is retiring, according to his recent Twitter post. Magill posted a 4.63 ERA with 158 strikeouts across 149 2/3 innings pitched with four different teams in his career, most recently with the Seattle Mariners.

Diamondbacks Sign Dan Straily To Minor League Contract
The Arizona Diamondbacks have signed starting pitcher Dan Straily to a minor league free-agent contract with an invite to spring training, Straily last pitched for the Baltimore Orioles in 2019, where he posted a 9.82 ERA with 33 strikeouts across 47 2/3 innings pitched. While he does not possess any fantasy value at first glance, […]

NFBC Cutline with Curtis Jones - Benched with Bubba EP 435
Bubba (@bdentrek) is joined by NFBC veteran Curtis Jones (@CurtisJonesW). The guys will discuss Curtis's history in the NFBC, his success in the Cutline format, tips and tricks for cutline leagues, and much more. Be sure to subscribe to the Benched With Bubba Podcast, part of RotoBaller Radio's Podcast Network. Like and Subscribe to the RotoBaller channel on Youtube to […]

Triple-A Schedules Expanded To 150 Games
The schedule for each Triple-A team will be expanded from 144 games to 150 games in the first full season the minor leagues are being run by Major League Baseball. Because the season didn't start until May due to the coronavirus pandemic last year, the Triple-A schedules were cut to 120 games in 2021. The […]

MLB Asks Mediator To Assist In CBA Talks
Major League Baseball has requested the assistance of a federal mediator to help resolve the labor issues between the league and Players Association so that a new collective bargaining agreement can be reached, according to a source. The league sees this as the most productive path toward reaching an agreement to avoid any potential delay […]

Noteworthy Hitting Leaders (Pull Rate) - Statcast Review for Fantasy Baseball
As the MLB and MLBPA keep working towards ending the lockout and getting baseball back into our lives, we've been keeping the offseason content going by digging into some 2021 stats. While we all obviously want the lockout to end, this is a useful time to do your research and have a better understanding of […]

Early 2022 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Rankings - 5x5 Roto Mixed Leagues
The 2022 MLB season will hopefully be here before we know it, and similar to previous years we are ready to start releasing our first-cut rankings! Below in this article you'll see our MLB team's early 2022 fantasy baseball starting pitcher rankings and tiers for 5x5 mixed roto leagues. This time of year is always […]

Early 2022 Fantasy Baseball Shortstop Rankings - 5x5 Roto Mixed Leagues
It's still early in the 2022 MLB preseason, but we are ready to rock! In this article you'll find our team's early 2022 fantasy baseball shortstop rankings and tiers for 5x5 mixed roto leagues. This time of year is always exciting for baseball fans and fantasy baseball players, and we are more excited than ever. […]

Failure to Launch: Decreasing Launch Angles and Home Runs for Fantasy Baseball
Once the toast of advanced stats in the baseball universe, average launch angle’s prominence as a performance predictor has taken a step back to other power-focused metrics such as barrel rate and max exit velocity. Perhaps this is because the “launch angle revolution” from a few years ago turned out to be more of a […]

Early 2022 Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Rankings - 5x5 Roto Mixed Leagues
The 2022 MLB season will hopefully arrive before we know it, and questions will need to be answered. Who will be the closer on each MLB team, and how wild will the closer carousel be this year? Which relief pitchers will hold the most value for holds leagues? Below you'll find our early 2022 fantasy […]

AL Outfielders Set to Bust for Fantasy Baseball
In previous seasons, the outfield position has been one of the deepest positions to find top-end talent as well as deeper talent. In 2022, this appears to be the case again as the top-250 players based on ADP are littered with talent at the position. That being said, there are several land mines sprinkled throughout […]

Universal Designated Hitter Likely For 2022 Season
Barring something completely unexpected, it's assumed that the universal designated hitter will be in place for the 2022 season. Both sides -- Major League Baseball and the players union -- are in favor of the universal DH. Players also offered a 12-team playoff format and the league proposed to drop free-agent compensation during talks on […]

Cedric Mullins Battled Crohn's Disease In 2021
Baltimore Orioles All-Star outfielder Cedric Mullins revealed on Wednesday that he was diagnosed with Crohn's disease after undergoing colon surgery last offseason. Mullins was baseball's only 30-30 player last season, and he remarkably did it while battling the disease. The 27-year-old began experiencing symptoms in the spring of 2020, initially thinking he was suffering from […]

Bubba and Bat Flip 111 - 2022 Fantasy Baseball Second Base Preview - Benched with Bubba (Episode 434)
Bubba (@bdentrek) is joined by Bat Flip Crazy (@BatFlipCrazy). In tonight's episode, the guys continue their positional previews with the second base position. They go over the top 10 in the current ADP, discuss some later targets, some ADP debates, listener questions, and more. Be sure to subscribe to the Benched With Bubba Podcast, part of RotoBaller […]

Pull%: Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball
We have previously determined that fantasy managers generally prefer batters to hit the ball into the air to have a chance at a home run. Yet, all fly balls are not equal for this purpose. A player can maximize his power production by pulling the ball in the air. One way to illustrate this is […]

Top MLB Prospects Rankings: #176-250 - Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Leagues
RotoBaller’s fantasy baseball prospects coverage is back. The 2022 season is quickly approaching and while the MLB season hangs in the balance due to the lack of a Collective Bargaining Agreement, the minor league season will be unaffected (for players not on the 40-man roster). We’re beginning our 2022 prospect coverage with the comprehensive Top […]

Prime-Age Outfielders Set to Break Out for Fantasy Baseball
In modern baseball, we expect players to perform the instant they hit the majors, or shortly afterward. If the player hasn't broken out by age 25, we assume he will never break out. That wasn't always the case, however, as we used to view a player's mid-to-late-20s as the crucial time for a step forward. […]

Late-Round Fantasy Baseball Shortstop Targets - NFBC Draft and Hold Leagues
Welcome back RotoBallers to my ongoing series about NFBC late-round targets - today we take a look at shortstops. We are entering February and that means Fantasy Baseball draft season is ramping up. Sure, we do not know if or when the MLB season will start, but that will not stop us die-hard fantasy players! […]

Injury Risks to Avoid/Target in Fantasy Baseball: Ep. 71 of The Operating Room
Kev Mahserejian (@RotoSurgeon) and host of the RotoSaurus: High Stakes Heat podcast Dave McDonald (@RunDMcD) discuss players in fantasy baseball who are either injured coming into the 2022 season or have increased risk factors based on prior injuries. Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (channel Sirius 210, XM 87) - every weekday […]

Pitchers' and Catchers' Report: Volume 2 - Catcher's Corner Episode 23
Eric (@SamskiNYC) and Sami (@Believe_Sami) continue their preseason breakdown of pitchers and catchers being drafted in the same ADP range. They discuss if they'd take Willson Contreras over either Yasmani Grandal or Daulton Varsho and then break down the second tier of starting pitchers to explain why they love Shane Bieber, are back in on […]

Making the Case for Dylan Bundy
Earlier this week, I started writing an article about my favorite late-round starting pitchers for draft-and-hold formats and found myself digging into Dylan Bundy. I wasn't really expecting to find much that would make me want to draft him anywhere, but I was intrigued enough by the projection systems giving him consistent innings in Minnesota […]

MLB, Players Union Disappointed After Tuesday's Meeting
Both sides of Major League Baseball's labor talks are disappointed after another meeting on Tuesday, with MLB now joining the players union in that regard. The Union offered a couple small changes -- lowering the bonus pool to $100 million from $105 million - but MLB remains at $10 million. The chances that spring training […]

Noteworthy Hitting Leaders (xSLG) - Statcast Review for Fantasy Baseball
There are stats for everything now. It's great, but it can also be overwhelming at times. Depending on where we look, we can tell ourselves all different types of narratives about a player. As a result, I've always been a proponent of identifying the stats that you find to be most useful/beneficial and focusing on […]

Colorado Rockies Showing Interest In Kyle Schwarber
The Colorado Rockies have shown interest in free-agent outfielder Kyle Schwarber. According to Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post, the Rockies could likely make a run at Schwarber and play him at DH, first base, and left field. Schwarber slashed .266/.374/554 with 32 home runs in 113 games with the Boston Red Sox in 2021. […]

2022's Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Robbie Ray: Ep. 72 of The Operating Room
Kev Mahserejian (@RotoSurgeon) is joined by RotoWire's Senior Editor and host of RotoWire Fantasy Sports Today on SiriusXM, Jeff Erickson (@Jeff_Erickson) to discuss their breakout (or bust) picks for this year that mimic 2021. Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (channel Sirius 210, XM 87) - every weekday morning between 6-7 AM ET, […]

Mariners Among Favorites To Sign Seiya Suzuki
The Seattle Mariners are reportedly among the favorites to sign outfielder Seiya Suzuki when the MLB lockout ends. He hit .317 with 38 home runs and 88 RBI over 134 games with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of the Nippon Professional Baseball league in 2021. According to Peter Gammons, the Mariners, as well as the Giants, […]

Angels, Shohei Ohtani Haven't Discussed Extension
Los Angeles Angels designated hitter/starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani, who won the American League MVP last season, said that he and the team have not discussed a contract extension. The two-way superstar is under club control through the end of the 2023 season after he and the Angels agreed to a two-year, $8.5 million deal last […]

Spring Training Likely To Be Delayed
Major League Baseball and player representatives continue to hold much different views of the game's economics when it comes to a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, and the scheduled start of spring training in mid-February is in jeopardy. In another few weeks, Opening Day on March 31 could be a long shot as well. Players remain […]

Mets Could Swing Trade For Another Starter
The New York Mets are not done looking to upgrade their starting rotation, according to SNY's Andy Martino. While some big names remain in free agency, such as Clayton Kershaw, Carlos Rodon, and Zack Greinke, Martino speculates that a trade could be the more likely route, with Athletics starters Sean Manaea, Chris Bassitt, and Frankie […]