Royals, Whit Merrifield Agree On Four-Year Extension

The Kansas City Royals signed second baseman Whit Merrifield to a four-year, $16.25 million extension on Sunday, according to a source. The deal also includes $2 million in performance bonuses and a fifth-year club option. Merrifield's deal can top $30 million if he maxes out on the contract. It's well-earned for the 30-year-old after he […]

Ryan Braun Working To Hit More Fly Balls

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun has been working with a private hitting coach in the offseason and is making changes to his swing for the first time in his career. Braun is focused on turning his hard outs into more home runs. The 35-year-old hit a disappointing .254/.313/.469 with 20 home runs, 64 RBI and […]

Paul DeJong Could Hit Third For Cardinals

St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong, who has hit 44 home runs in the last year and a half over 223 games, could be the team's third hitter in 2019. He hit 19 home runs and had 68 RBI while hitting .241 last year after slugging 25 long balls and hitting .285 in his rookie […]

Second Base Could Be Timeshare In Milwaukee

Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell said he envisions second base being a "shared" position with candidates Hernan Perez, Cory Spangenberg and Tyler Saladino being candidates. Prospects Mauricio Dubon and Keston Hiura are also on the horizon in the minor leagues. That's if the team doesn't sign an established second baseman before the season starts. Spangenberg […]

Ender Inciarte Expected To Be Leadoff Hitter

Atlanta Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos said that manager Brian Snitker is leaning toward using outfielder Ender Inciarte as the leadoff man, with Josh Donaldson, Freddie Freeman, Ronald Acuna and Nick Markakis following him. Inciarte hit .265/.325/.380 with 10 home runs, 61 RBI, 83 runs scored and career-high 28 stolen bases in 2018, but he […]

Austin Hays In Final Stages Of Rehab

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Austin Hays (ankle, shoulder), who entered last year as the team's top prospect, said he's in the final stages of his rehab and is hoping to be healthy in spring training after his season was derailed by injuries. Hays said the last step of his rehab will be base running in spring […]

Tyler Thornburg Could Have Shot At Closer Role

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Tyler Thornburg (shoulder), who was shut down last September due to complications from thoracic outlet syndrome, could be a wild card in the team's bullpen this year. His injury in 2018 led to him allowing 15 earned runs in just 24 innings all year. The hard-throwing right hasn't been healthy […]

Dylan Covey, Manny Banuelos Candidates For Fifth Starter Spot

Chicago White Sox starting pitchers Dylan Covey and Manny Banuelos are the top contenders for the fifth starter spot behind Carlos Rodon, Reynaldo Lopez, Ivan Nova and Lucas Giolito, according to general manager Rick Hahn. Covey should be considered the favorite after finishing up the 2018 season strong. He'll be worth a dollar investment in […]

Jimmy Nelson To Be Full Go In Spring Training

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Jimmy Nelson (shoulder) said he will be full go in spring training. "Absolutely. But not just opening-day roster. One of my goals is to start opening day. I'm not going to beat around the bush," Nelson said. The right-hander missed all of 2018 due to his injury, but he went 12-6 […]

Byron Buxton Bulks Up

Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton added 21 pounds of muscle to his skinny frame in the offseason during an extra long winter workout schedule. He believes that the added muscle will keep him healthy in 2019. A former top prospect, Buxton has been a bust in the big leagues due to injuries and ineffectiveness, and […]

Bradley Zimmer Hopes To Be Ready By Spring Training

Cleveland Indians outfielder Bradley Zimmer (shoulder), who had surgery to fix a torn labrum in his right shoulder in July, is hoping to return for spring training. His initial recovery time was estimated at eight to 12 months. “Based on how I’m feeling now, I feel like I’ll be ready for spring training,” Zimmer said. […]

Charlie Blackmon Could Be Moved To Corner Outfield Spot

Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon could be moved to a corner outfield spot in 2019 as the team toys with the idea of positional adjustments. Blackmon is open to a move that would likely mean a mix of David Dahl and Ian Desmond in center field. Blackmon hasn't played any position other than center field […]

Lance McCullers Jr. Not Rushing His Rehab

Houston Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. (elbow), who will miss the entire 2019 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on Nov. 6, said he will take longer with his rehab process since time is on his side. He is targeting being ready in time for the start of spring training in 2020 and is […]

Astros Bringing Alex Bregman Along Slowly

Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman (elbow), who had surgery on Jan. 11 to remove bone chips from his right elbow, said the team is bringing him along slowly. He could throw and hit now if he wanted to, but the Astros are holding him back "because they're smart." Bregman broke out in his third […]

Jose Altuve Expected To Be Ready For Spring Training

Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (knee), who underwent surgery on Oct. 19 to repair a patella avulsion fracture in his right knee, said he expects to be ready for spring training in two weeks. He has progressed to the point where he can hit and work out, but he hasn't tried to run at […]

ADP Champ or Chump - Danny Jansen and Ozzie Albies

With fewer data points to go off of, younger players have always been more challenging to project than their more veteran counterparts. Unfortunately, the game is getting younger. Fantasy owners need to roster at least a few young studs if they hope to compete. Danny Jansen may not have impressed in his brief MLB debut […]

Three Up, Three Down for Prospects - First Basemen

Power. Nothing else defines the position more than pure, raw power. If you have it, you better display it in abundance, or there will be concerns. If you are smaller in stature, there will be concerns. If your talent is just hit tool, there will be concerns. If your defense is lacking, there will be […]

Padres Interested In Face-To-Face Meeting With Manny Machado

The San Diego Padres are showing interest in setting up a meeting with free-agent shortstop Manny Machado, possibly in Miami, according to sources. Now that Machado's price has come down drastically from the 10 years and $300 million he was initially requesting, the Padres have entered the mix along with the White Sox, Phillies and […]

Jung Ho Kang Has Secured His Visa

Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Jung Ho Kang has his visa in order for the 2019 season, according to his translator, Jeffrey Kim. It means that Kang should be a full participant in spring training after missing most of the 2017 and 2018 seasons. He played in just three games for Pittsburgh last year after multiple DUI's […]

Mark Trumbo Has Resumed Swinging

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Mark Trumbo (knee) started swinging again recently and plans to head to Florida early to test his surgically repaired right knee. Opening Day is a real possibility for Trumbo, barring any setbacks this spring. He played in just 90 games last year and was shut down in August before having surgery, hitting […]

Kenley Jansen Throws Bullpen Session

Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen (heart) said he threw his first bullpen session on Thursday since he underwent heart surgery. He has also dropped 25 pounds by cutting out carbohydrates and sugar this offseason. Jansen had a heart scare during the season and missed a short amount of time, but he should be good […]

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Cavan Biggio Invited To Camp

Toronto Blue Jays prospects Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio have all been invited to major league spring training. Guerrero and Bichette are the team's top two prospects, while Biggio is ranked No. 9. Guerrero is baseball's consensus top prospect after hitting .381/.437/.636 with 20 home runs and 78 RBI with four minor […]

2019 Fantasy Baseball Weekend Warrior: American League East Preview Show

Host Anthony Aniano of RotoBaller Radio discuss the 2019 fantasy baseball season and gets you warmed up for the MLB preseason. Be sure to tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (channel Sirius 210, XM 87) - Monday through Friday from 6-7 am ET. You can also find new weekly shows on BlogTalkRadio live or on demand, SoundCloud and on iTunes under RotoBaller […]

Franmil Reyes - Petco Power Hitter?

Franmil Reyes hit 16 home runs in 87 games in his rookie campaign, a 30-HR pace. Historically, hitting home runs at Petco Park has been quite difficult. Since moving to the stadium in 2004, the Padres only have had six 30-HR hitters, ranking 26th in baseball in that time, and four of those were Adrian […]

Trevor Williams - 2019 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

After being acquired by the Pirates from the Marlins in 2015, Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Trevor Williams made his MLB debut in 2016 and then pitched 150 1/3 innings in 2017. While it was good that the Pirates got a viable pitcher for a minor leaguer that has yet to pitch an inning for the […]

Is It Legit? Ketel Marte's Breakout

We keep rolling with our preseason edition of "Is It Legit?" to discuss another surprising breakout performer from the 2018 MLB season in order to assess his value heading into 2019. With so many players seemingly becoming fantasy baseball darlings overnight, it can be challenging to sift through the multiple hype trains and determine which […]

J.T. Realmuto Trade Talks Gaining Momentum

Trade talks for Miami Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto are said to be gaining momentum, with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres the most prominent in discussions at the moment. The Dodgers have the need and young players to trade, such as outfielder Alex Verdugo. The Reds, Braves and Astros are other teams with […]

Jose Leclerc Will Be Rangers Closer

Texas Rangers manager Chris Woodward said on Friday that relief pitcher Jose Leclerc will open the 2019 season as the closer. Leclerc was one of the best relievers in baseball last year (1.56 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 12 saves, 13.3 K/9), so he certainly has earned it. He's ranked by RotoBaller as the No. 15 fantasy […]

Brent Honeywell Feeling Good

Tampa Bay Rays pitching prospect Brent Honeywell (elbow) said he's feeling good in his recovery from Tommy John surgery after 11 months. The right-hander said he hasn't had any setbacks and has been throwing fastballs, changeups and screwballs during his bullpen sessions for the last three weeks. Honeywell is the team's third-ranked prospect and was […]