Dodgers Shifting Focus To Madison Bumgarner

The Los Angeles Dodgers are shifting their focus to starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner now that Gerrit Cole chose the Yankees, according to sources. It would be extremely odd to see a lifelong Giants pitcher in blue and white, but it could happen. MadBum isn't the dominant left-hander that he was in his prime with San […]

White Sox Acquire Nomar Mazara

The Chicago White Sox acquired outfielder Nomar Mazara from the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night in exchange for minor league outfielder Steele Walker. The 24-year-old Mazara hit .268 with 19 home runs, 66 RBI and a .786 OPS in 2019. He projects to make around $5.5 million in arbitration and is eligible for free agency […]

Gerrit Cole To Yankees - Fantasy Impact

Cue up the Star Wars music, the Evil Empire landed their man. The biggest free agent of the MLB offseason is officially off the board, as first reported by Jon Heyman of MLB Network. Gerrit Cole and the New York Yankees are in agreement on a nine-year $324 million contract. Cole's contract is the largest […]

SP Strikeout Risers: 2019 Season Review

For the last four seasons, MLB has seen an increase in strikeout rate (K%). Since 2015, K% has increased from 20.4% to 23.0%. We’ve also seen an increase in walk rates and a poorer league-wide ERA. Those trends can make it difficult to assess whether a pitcher is actually better at inducing swings and misses. […]

Barrel and Exit Velocity Batting Leaders: Statcast 2019 Review

The 2019 season saw more home runs hit than ever before in Major League history as 6,776 balls left ballparks across the league. The top-hitting club of them all was the Minnesota Twins with 307 big flies. Chief among them was none other than 39-year-old Nelson Cruz, who finished in a tie for seventh in […]

Yankees and Gerrit Cole Agree To Deal

Starting pitcher Gerrit Cole has agreed to a nine-year, $324 million deal with the New York Yankees. Cole had a career-year last season while with the Houston Astros, finishing second in Cy Young voting by recording a 2.50 ERA to go along with 326 strikeouts and 20 wins (five losses) throughout 33 starts. He is […]

Luis Urias to Brewers, Trent Grisham to Padres - Fantasy Impact

It's hot stove time and there's already been more activity on the market than we've seen in the past couple of offseasons, with more big signings on the horizon. One of the first and more surprising offseason deals to get done was a trade between the Brewers and Padres that sent infielder Luis Urias and […]

Stephen Strasburg Returns To Nationals On Record Deal

The Washington Nationals have brought back starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg on a record deal worth $245 million over seven years. Strasburg opted out of the remaining four years and $100 million on his old contract. His new deal makes him the highest paid pitcher of all time, but Gerrit Cole is likely to top that […]

Early 2020 ADP Reflections - Catcher

When a baseball season ends, the following season can’t come here soon enough for some fans, myself included. We start thinking about what we want to see from some players, which includes letdowns, bounce-backs, and even young prospect candidates. Instead of letting them bounce off the brain walls, let’s put these musings into digits. This […]

Jurickson Profar to Padres - Fantasy Impact

The Oakland Athletics recently sent infielder Jurickson Profar to the San Diego Padres in exchange for catcher Austin Allen and a player to be named later. Upon making the trade, San Diego and Profar immediately agreed on a deal for $5.7 million for this upcoming season to avoid arbitration. The Padres finished 70-92 in 2019 […]

2019 Season in Review - Shane Bieber

In each of the past three seasons, MLB has held a "Player's Weekend" where one of the promotions is players having the ability to wear a nickname on the back of their jersey. For both of his MLB seasons, Indians starting pitcher Shane Bieber has worn "Not Justin" on the back of his uniform. After […]

Rays Acquire Hunter Renfroe And Xavier Edwards

The Tampa Bay Rays acquired outfielder Hunter Renfroe and prospect infielder Xavier Edwards on Thursday for outfielder Tommy Pham. Renfroe, a 27-year-old slugger, will head to the Rays after bashing 25-plus homers in three consecutive seasons. Despite his reputation as a defensive liability, Renfroe materially improved his game in 2019 with a +5.1 defensive WAR. […]

Tommy Pham Headed To San Diego

The San Diego Padres acquired outfielder Tommy Pham for outfielder Hunter Renfroe and prospect infielder Xavier Edwards on Thursday. After three straight seasons with over 20 homers and 15 steals, the 31-year-old Pham will join a Friars roster starved for on-base savviness. A late bloomer, Pham didn’t become a full-time player until 2017 but owns […]

Jonathan Villar to Marlins - Fantasy Impact

The low-budget Marlins made a splash (pun intended) on the free-agent front in their typically cost-prohibitive way by picking up recently waived infield Jonathan Villar in exchange for minor leaguer Easton Lucas. They also claimed first baseman Jesus Aguilar, who is one year removed from a 35-HR, 108-RBI season but struggled mightily last year between […]

Gerrit Cole The Priority For Yankees

The New York Yankees are making signing starting pitcher Gerrit Cole their top offseason priority and have ownership-level approval to offer him a record-setting deal, according to sources familiar with the team's plans. The 29-year-old right-hander, who led baseball in strikeouts in 2019, is set to smash David Price's record contract for a pitcher of […]

Michael Pineda Returning To The Twins

The Minnesota Twins agreed to re-sign starting pitcher Michael Pineda to a two-year, $20 million deal on Thursday, according to a baseball source. Pineda will miss the first month-plus of the 2020 season while finishing off a suspension, but the big right-hander has plenty of upside, especially while staying in pitcher-friendly Minnesota. The 30-year-old Dominican […]

Nationals Can't Afford Both Stephen Strasburg, Anthony Rendon

Washington Nationals principal owner Mark Lerner said that the team can't afford to re-sign both starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg and third baseman Anthony Rendon this offseason. "They’re huge numbers. We already have a really large payroll to begin with," Lerner said. Washington could still bring both players back, but it's highly unlikely. Strasburg, who was […]

Dodgers Interested In Blake Treinen

The Los Angeles Dodgers are interested in relief pitcher Blake Treinen, according to a source. Treinen was non-tendered by the A's on Monday after he had a rough year with Oakland, posting a 4.91 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, 59 strikeouts and 16 saves in 58 2/3 innings. The 31-year-old right-hander was the best reliever in baseball […]

Cardinals Enter Mix For Madison Bumgarner

The St. Louis Cardinals are a new potential bidder for the services of starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner, according to a source. The Twins, Reds, White Sox and Braves have also been linked to the veteran left-hander, and he could sign a deal before the winter meetings start next week in San Diego. The Cardinals rotation […]

Padres To Pursue Kwang-Hyun Kim

The San Diego Padres will pursue Korean starting pitcher Kwang-Hyun Kim this offseason after extensively scouting him. San Diego won the rights to Kim in 2014, but the two sides weren't able to reach an agreement and Kim returned to the Korean Baseball Organization. Teams have until Jan. 5 to sign Kim. The 31-year-old could […]

Yoshitomo Tsutsugo Drawing Plenty Of Interest

Japanese outfielder Yoshitomo Tsutsugo, whose posting window closes two weeks from Thursday, is drawing interest from a group that includes the White Sox, Blue Jays, Tigers and Twins, according to sources. Tsutsugo has averaged 35 home runs per season over the last four years with the Yokohama Bay Stars. Because of those lofty numbers, he'll […]

Mets Acquire Jake Marisnick From Astros

The New York Mets acquired outfielder Jake Marisnick from the Astros on Thursday in exchange for lefty relief pitcher Blake Taylor and outfielder Kenedy Corona. The 28-year-old Marisnick is a wizard with the glove and can play all three outfield positions at an above-average level. However, he hit just .233 with 10 home runs and […]

Brewers Trade For Omar Narvaez

The Milwaukee Brewers acquired catcher Omar Narvaez from the Mariners on Thursday in exchange for minor league pitcher Adam Hill and a competitive balance Round B draft pick. The left-handed hitting Narvaez, 27, had a career year for Seattle in 2019, hitting .278 with 22 home runs and 55 RBI in 132 games. He'll effectively […]

Reds Have Interest In Madison Bumgarner

The Cincinnati Reds are among the teams interested in starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner. Current manager David Bell worked previously in the Giants front office. The Braves, Twins, Angels, Padres, Yankees and Phillies are other possibilities for the veteran southpaw, and he could sign before the winter meetings kick off next week. Injuries are now a […]

Zack Cozart Expected To Be Ready For Spring Training

Los Angeles Angels general manager Billy Eppler said that third baseman Zack Cozart (shoulder) is in a normal hitting progression and all indications are that he'll be active and without restrictions in spring training next year. The 34-year-old has played in just 96 games in his two seasons in Anaheim and has been a massive […]

No Timetable For Shohei Ohtani To Pitch In Games Next Year

Los Angeles Angels general manager Billy Eppler isn't giving a timetable for when starting pitcher/designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (elbow, knee) will pitch in games next season. The Angels will have more of an idea once the Japanese right-hander completes his throwing progression this month. Ohtani didn't pitch at all last season while recovering from Tommy […]

Angels Acquire Dylan Bundy

The Los Angeles Angels acquired starting pitcher Dylan Bundy from the Orioles on Wednesday in exchange for Triple-A pitcher Isaac Mattson and other prospects, according to sources. Bundy has had his fair share of struggles in Baltimore, going 7-14 last year with a 4.79 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 162 strikeouts in 161 2/3 innings over […]

Twins, White Sox Heavily Pursuing Madison Bumgarner

The Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins are among the heaviest suitors for starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner now that Zack Wheeler has agreed with the Phillies, according to sources. The Yankees are involved to some extent, too. Veteran lefty Cole Hamels also inked a deal with the Braves on Wednesday. Bumgarner's market has been very […]

Rangers, White Sox Interested In Marcell Ozuna, Nick Castellanos

The Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox are both interested in outfielders Marcell Ozuna and Nick Castellanos, according to sources. Ozuna hit .241/.328/.472 with 29 home runs, 80 runs, 89 RBI and 12 stolen bases in 130 games in his second season with the Cardinals, while Castellanos hit a combined .289/.337/.525 with 27 homers, 100 […]

Zack Wheeler Agrees With Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies and starting pitcher Zack Wheeler are in agreement on a five-year deal worth more than $100 million, according to sources. Wheeler's market was moving very fast and he was expected to sign before next week's winter meetings. The right-hander will slot into a rotation next to the likes of Aaron Nola, Jake […]