Dodgers, Cody Bellinger Agree To One-Year Deal

The Los Angeles Dodgers and outfielder Cody Bellinger agreed to a one-year, $17 million deal to avoid salary arbitration before the league's Dec. 1 lockout, according to sources familiar with the agreement. The 26-year-old is coming off the worst season of his career, slashing .165/.240/.302 with 10 home runs in 95 games, but he played […]

Marcus Stroman to Cubs - Fantasy Impact

The Chicago Cubs signed veteran Marcus Stroman to a three-year, $71 million deal to anchor a veteran pitching staff on a rebuilding team. This is a good time to look back to Marcus Stroman's 2021 season and look ahead to what the 2022 fantasy baseball season might bring. Read about other free agent moves and […]

Projecting Power in 2022: Increases in Air% Exit Velocities

Balls come and balls go but regardless of the current offensive environment in baseball, what hasn't changed is our fantasy love of power. But after the happy fun ball days of 2019 and 2020, the MLB went back to the lab in an attempt to deaden some of the bouncy ball hijinks. And deaden they […]

Fantasy Baseball Strategies with THE GILDZ - Benched with Bubba EP 422

Bubba (@bdentrek) is joined by NFBC Veteran Andrew Geller (@the_Gildz). The guys chat all things draft strategy. Comparing 12-team league and 15-team league strategies, FAAB strategies, going for your guys, different game plans, and much much more. It's a great off-season draft primer to get ready for the 2022 fantasy baseball season. Be sure to […]

Nomar Mazara Lands With Padres

The San Diego Padres signed outfielder Nomar Mazara to a minor league deal that includes an invite to big-league spring training. Mazara was eligible to sign a minor league during MLB's lockout because he didn't finish the 2021 season on any team's 40-man roster after he was released by the Detroit Tigers in June. Mazara […]

Yankees Sign Reliever Jimmy Cordero

The New York Yankees signed former Chicago White Sox and Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Jimmy Cordero to a minor league deal on Wednesday. The right-hander was recovering from Tommy John surgery that he had in March and did not pitch at all last season. The 30-year-old could be a nice high-upside, low-risk signing, but it's […]

Yankees Sign Ender Inciarte

The New York Yankees signed outfielder Ender Inciarte to a minor league deal on Wednesday. The three-time Gold Glover can sign with a team during MLB's lockout because he was not on a 40-man roster to end last year. The 31-year-old was an All-Star in 2017 and has hit .280 with 118 stolen bases and […]

Valuing Injured Players Returning In 2022

Last year's season-ending injury list is an All-Star team. It holds three of the best players in the game and plenty of other superstar adjacent players. Now, heading into the 2022 fantasy baseball season, we have to evaluate the value of these injured players. Should we be concerned about Ronald Acuna Jr? Is Jacob deGrom […]

Bubba and Bat Flip 105 - 2021 Fantasy Baseball Shortstop Review - Benched with Bubba (Episode 421)

Bubba (@bdentrek) is joined by Bat Flip Crazy (@BatFlipCrazy). In tonight's episode, the guys begin their positional recaps with the shortstop position. They go over the top 15-20 second basemen according to the RazzBall Player Rater. Discuss the good and the bad of the second base position as well as answer some awesome listener questions. […]

Joey Votto 2021 Year-In-Review

"I want to get back to being dangerous." This is a real quote from Joey Votto prior to the 2021 season. Although never seen as a prodigious slugger, the 38-year-old Votto was still bankable for 25+ home runs in his prime. Thus, when he combined for just 27 home runs between 2018 and 2019, the […]

A Seam-Sifted Ranger Suárez Looks to Quantum Leap

He was a starter throughout his minor league career but Philadelphia's Ranger Suárez had only seen action from the bullpen in the big leagues before 2021 and again started this past year as a reliever. Suárez dominated from the jump, posting a 1.12 ERA (3.32 FIP) over 40.1 IP, starting as a multi-inning fireman role and […]

Mark Canha and Eduardo Escobar to Mets - Fantasy Impact

The New York Mets have been major players in the free-agent market so far this offseason. Before the MLB lockout, they made two high-profile signings by acquiring starting pitcher Max Scherzer and outfielder Starling Marte. Not to be lost in the shuffle, the Mets also signed outfielder Mark Canha and infielder Eduardo Escobar. The acquisitions […]

Bubba and Bat Flip 104 - 2021 Fantasy Baseball Second Base Review - Benched with Bubba (Episode 420)

Bubba (@bdentrek) is joined by Bat Flip Crazy (@BatFlipCrazy). In tonight's episode, the guys begin their positional recaps with the second base position. They go over the top 15-20 second basemen according to the RazzBall Player Rater. Discuss the good and the bad of the second base position as well as answer some awesome listener […]

K-BB% Fallers for Fantasy Baseball - Starting Pitchers to Watch in 2022

We opened up this two-part series in this post, where we went over the K-BB gainers in 2021. Now, it's time to look at the other side of the coin and some of the most notable fallers. In the first part, I reviewed why I believe this statistic to be the most important metric to […]

Mark Kotsay A Candidate For A's Managerial Job

Third base coach Mark Kotsay is among the Oakland Athletics managerial candidates who have or are expected to interview soon, and the list also include Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro, Red Sox bench coach Will Venable, Astros bench coach Joe Espada, A's bullpen coach Marcus Jensen and A's hitting coach Darren Bush, according to sources. […]

Mets Interview Brad Ausmus For Manager Position

The New York Mets interviewed Brad Ausmus for their managerial opening on Monday, marking the first interview of what's expected to be an extensive search, according to sources familiar with the situation. The 52-year-old Ausmus served as the manager for the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Angels previously, and he has a long relationship with […]

Red Sox Have Checked In With Trevor Story

The Boston Red Sox have at least checked in with free-agent shortstop Trevor Story. There are at least three serious players for Story, plus others and one mystery team. MLB Network's Jon Heyman also mentioned the Houston Astros as a team to have expressed interest in Story this offseason. Boston recently reached out to Carlos […]

2022 Fantasy Breakout Candidates - NL Central 

Identifying potential fantasy breakout players in drafts each Spring can be crucial in building a championship-winning roster for fantasy managers. Often times the breakout players, if they do in fact break out, will significantly outperform their draft position and help you find success. It may be a late-round pick performing like a quality contributor who […]

Arizona Fall League 2021 Wrap Up

The Arizona Fall League wrapped up on November 20th with a Mesa Solar Sox championship over the Suprise Saguaros. In this space, we will review the 2021 Arizona Fall League by highlighting players who were the most notable risers and disappointments based on their performance from a fantasy baseball perspective. Many of these prospects won't […]

Starling Marte to Mets - Fantasy Impact

The New York Mets' disappointing 2021 season was followed by their delay in securing a new general manager, inability to re-sign starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard, and failure to bring back starting pitcher Steven Matz from Toronto in the early part of the current offseason. This had many fans wondering whether the Mets were destined for […]

Fantasy Baseball Hot Stove with Ryan Venancio - Benched with Bubba EP 419

Bubba (@bdentrek) is joined by Ryan Venancio (@ven_armbarn) of Fantrax and the Next on Deck Podcast. The MLB Hot Stove has been on fire in recent weeks, so the guys go over all the major moves and discuss the fantasy impacts. There may be a lockout, but do not worry as Benched with Bubba will […]

Marcus Semien and Corey Seager to Rangers - Fantasy Impact

The Texas Rangers made a big splash in free agency by signing Corey Seager (10 years, $350 million) and Marcus Semien (7 years, $175 million) to create their middle infield combination for years to come. This surprised a lot of baseball fans, as the Rangers traded Joey Gallo and Kyle Gibson at the trade deadline […]

Early One-Man Mock (Rounds 2-5) - 2022 Fantasy Baseball

I've already run through the first round of my one-man mock, which you can check out right here. Now, let's move on to the next few rounds with a look at how early drafts might shake out. I took roster construction into consideration so that a team didn't select three outfielders in the first three […]

Nick Martinez Technically Still A Free Agent

Right-hander Nick Martinez's four-year, $20 million deal with the San Diego Padres didn't quite make it through before the deadline on Wednesday night, so he technically remains a free agent with the sport's lockout beginning on Thursday. However, there's no reason to believe that the two sides won't finalize the agreement after a new Collective […]

Cubs Re-Sign Michael Hermosillo Before Lockout Begins

The Chicago Cubs re-signed outfielder Michael Hermosillo to a one-year, $600,000 major league deal on Wednesday night before MLB entered a lockout on Thursday. The 26-year-old was non-tendered on Wednesday before the Cubs decided to re-sign him to a new deal. Hermosillo dealt with several injuries that slowed him down last season, but he managed […]

Johan Camargo Signs With Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies signed infielder Johan Camargo to a one-year, $1.4 million deal on Wednesday night before MLB entered a lockout on Thursday. The deal includes $100,000 in incentives. Camargo became a free agent when the Atlanta Braves didn't tender him a contract for 2022. Right-hander Adonis Medina was designated for assignment to clear a […]

Jackie Bradley Jr. Traded To The Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox traded outfielder Hunter Renfroe to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr., minor-league infielders David Hamilton and Alex Binelas. Bradley Jr. returns to Boston, where he spent the first eight years of his MLB career (2013-2020). The 31-year-old is a phenomenal defender and is expected to be Boston's […]

Jordan Lyles Agrees With Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles and right-hander Jordan Lyles agreed to a one-year deal worth $7 million on Wednesday night, pending a physical. However, the deal is unlikely to become official until the new Collective Bargaining Agreement is completed. Lyles' deal could be worth $17 million if his 2023 option is picked up. The 31-year-old had a […]

Hunter Renfroe Traded To The Brewers

The Boston Red Sox traded outfielder Hunter Renfroe to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr., minor-league infielders David Hamilton and Alex Binelas. Renfroe slashed .259/.315/.501 with 31 home runs and 96 RBI with a .816 OPS in 144 games for the Red Sox in 2021. The 29-year-old is expected to be […]