2019 Points League Draft Strategy - Fantasy Baseball

When discussing fantasy baseball. An often neglected-but-entertaining format is the points league. These exist in both cumulative season-long and weekly head-to-head formats. While existential debates about scoring categories and their true depiction of player worth are endless, points leagues arguably get closest to the objective of sabermetrics. Points leagues attempt to define a player’s contribution […]

Casey Mize Invited To Spring Training

The Detroit Tigers invited top pitching prospect Casey Mize to spring training, according to a source. Mize is the team's No. 1 prospect and had a 3.95 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 14 strikeouts in 13 2/3 innings in five starts in the Rookie League and at High-A Lakeland after being the first overall pick last […]

Ketel Marte To Play Center Field

Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen said second baseman Ketel Marte will play center field and other positions this year. It was the expected course of action with A.J. Pollock to depart in free agency and after the acquisition of infielder Wilmer Flores, who will play the keystone. The position versatility will be nice, but […]

Yadier Molina Open To Playing Past Current Contract

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina (knee) hinted on Monday that he's open to playing another year after his $60 million, three-year contract is up after the 2020 season. But the catch is that he'd only want to play for St. Louis. The veteran catcher had a bone spur removed from his left knee in […]

Cardinals Interested In Extension For Paul Goldschmidt

The St. Louis Cardinals are interested in discussing a contract extension with first baseman Paul Goldschmidt that would keep him with the team past the 2019 season. "Whenever a good player comes to the Cardinals, if they have a year left on their contract, we always think down the road," owner Bill DeWitt said. "We'd […]

Sonny Gray Signs Extension With Reds

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Sonny Gray, who was traded from the New York Yankees on Monday in exchange for second base prospect Shed Long and a competitive-balance draft pick, agreed to a three-year contract extension that will keep him under contract through the 2022 season. He will be paid $30.5 million over three years with […]

Reds Acquire Sonny Gray

The Cincinnati Reds officially acquired starting pitcher Sonny Gray from the New York Yankees on Monday in exchange for second base prospect Shed Long, according to league sources. The deal could also include the Reds sending a draft pick to the Yankees, and Cincy could be finalizing an extension for Gray as part of the […]

Twins To Use Martin Perez As Starter

The Minnesota Twins plan to use starting pitcher Martin Perez in their rotation in 2019. It makes the left-hander more attractive for fantasy purposes, but only as a dollar late-round flier in deep AL-only leagues. Perez was 2-7 last year for the Rangers with an ugly 6.22 ERA, 1.78 WHIP and 52 strikeouts in 85 […]

Miles Mikolas Open To Contract Extension

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas said on Sunday that he's open to a possible contract extension before he hits free agency after the 2019 season. He's open to continuing negotiations into the regular season if need be. Mikolas hadn't pitched in the majors since 2014 before last year, and he surprised everyone by […]

Rafael Devers Feels Healthier

Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers, who is still only 22, hired a nutritionist in the offseason and has been eating healthier after a challenge from team management after his first full season in the majors. “I feel healthy right now,” Devers said Saturday at the team’s annual Winter Weekend event. I think I’m […]

Dansby Swanson, Mike Soroka Expected To Be Ready

Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson (wrist) and starting pitcher Mike Soroka (shoulder) are both expected to report to spring training without physical limitations. However, both are expected to be eased into the Grapefruit League schedule. Swanson's left wrist bothered him pretty much all year until he was shut down in the final week, and he […]

Cody Allen Will Close For Angels

Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Cody Allen will be the team's closer in 2019, according to general manager Billy Eppler. “He has a history of pitching in big games and big spots," Eppler said. Allen was recently signed to a one-year deal after a disappointing 4.70 ERA and 1.36 WHIP in 2018, although he did […]

Shohei Ohtani To Have Follow-Up Appointment Soon

Los Angeles Angels general manager Billy Eppler said designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (elbow) will have his next follow-up appointment soon. Ohtani is unlikely to be ready for Opening Day, but they are unsure beyond that on his timetable for hitting. Ohtani, the 2018 American League Rookie of the Year, won't pitch at all in 2019, […]

Jose Martinez Could Play Every Day

St. Louis Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said first baseman Jose Martinez "could play every day" and will push for playing time in 2019. Mozeliak said he expects Martinez to contribute in some way every game. While Martinez hit .305/.364/.457 with 17 home runs and 83 RBI in 2018, he's more suited for a designated […]

Using Sabermetrics For Fantasy Baseball Part 4 - Batted Ball Distribution (Hitters)

Fly balls can turn into home runs. Ground balls never do. It would seem as though fantasy owners want their batters to hit nothing but flies, yet this is not the case. Why would this be? The answer, of course, comes down to batted ball distribution and the manner in which batters make contact. In […]

Top 420: Points Leagues Tiered Staff Rankings (January)

Welcome back RotoBallers. Today we are here to start looking at points leagues and head-to-head (H2H) formats. In this column, you will find our staff's preliminary 2019 fantasy baseball points league rankings for January and the top 420 players. Over the next few days, we will also be publishing individual tiered rankings analysis columns for each […]

Jake Cave - 2019 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

Bouncing around from the Yankees to the Reds before he found a home in Minnesota, Twins outfielder Jake Cave made his MLB debut in 2018. After a 2017 season where he had a .305/.351/.542 slash line in the minors with the Yankees, Cave was sent to Triple-A with the Twins after he was acquired, posting […]

Red Sox Have Discussed Extension With Xander Bogaerts

The Boston Red Sox have had contract-extension talks with shortstop Xander Bogaerts this offseason, according to multiple sources. He can become a free agent after the 2019 season and had a breakout year in 2018, hitting .288 with a .360 on-base percentage, .522 slugging percentage and 23 home runs. Bogaerts makes a lot of contact […]

Dodgers Have Increasing Interest In A.J. Pollock

The Los Angeles Dodgers have increasing interest in signing free-agent outfielder A.J. Pollock, but there is no indication that any deal is close at this time. Pollock has the ability to play center field and would help balance a lefty-heavy Dodgers lineup. The 31-year-old would be a top-of-the-order hitter for the Blue and provides fantasy […]

Reds Finalizing Deal For Sonny Gray

The Cincinnati Reds are finalizing a deal for New York Yankees starting pitcher Sonny Gray on Sunday. Infield prospect Shed Long and a draft pick are expected to be sent to the Yankees, with a possible third piece also involved. Gray struggled mightily in his two seasons with the Yankees and was demoted to the […]

Twins Agree With Martin Perez

The Minnesota Twins agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million deal with free-agent starting pitcher Martin Perez. The deal also includes a team option for 2020. The 27-year-old left-hander has pitched the last seven seasons with the Rangers and went an ugly 2-7 with a 6.22 ERA in 2018, missing some time with an injury to […]

Freddy Peralta - 2019 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Freedy Peralta only had a 6-4 record and 4.25 ERA after being called up from the minor leagues in 2018. In his 14 starts, he allowed at least three earned runs in seven of them and walked multiple batters in 11 starts. All of that being said, Peralta is lauded as […]

Nick Mariano's 2019 Early-Round Overvalued List (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Fantasy baseball drafts (and their articles) are almost all about finding the next superstar and unearthing talent late, but we can't forget that surrendering value by over-drafting can be just as crucial. In order to evaluate overvalued players here, we're going to utilize Average […]

Reds Making Progress In Sonny Gray Talks

The Cincinnati Reds are making progress in trade talks for New York Yankees starting pitcher Sonny Gray, according to insider Jon Heyman. The Reds are considering dealing two prospects and a draft pick to acquire Gray. The Braves, Brewers and Giants are also thought to be considering a trade for Gray. If Gray were to […]

Addison Russell To Get Second Chance With Cubs

Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said that shortstop Addison Russell is getting a "conditional second chance" after being suspended 40 games last October for violating the league's domestic-violence policy. "If he continues to meet the high standards we’ve laid out for him, put the work in, he will be eligible to return […]

Opening Day A Realistic Target For Yu Darvish

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Yu Darvish (elbow) is set to begin long tossing in a few days and is a week away from throwing a bullpen session for the first time this offseason. The right-hander said being ready for Opening Day is a realistic goal based on his progress so far. The Japanese starter was […]

Kris Bryant Says He's Healthy

Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant (shoulder) said he's healthy with spring training approaching. “The shoulder is perfectly healed. Feels great,” Bryant said. “Everything about it feels right back to where I was before.” The star third baseman made two trips to the disabled list due to inflammation in his left shoulder last year that […]

Chris Sale Feels Normal

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale (shoulder) said he feels back to normal already this offseason after dealing with left shoulder fatigue that landed him on the disabled list twice late in the 2018 season. “I feel normal again. I’m able to throw free and easy and feel loose and kind of have that […]

Rays Finalize Deal With Avisail Garcia

The Tampa Bay Rays finalized their one-year, $3.5 million deal with free-agent outfielder Avisail Garcia on Friday. He can earn an extra $2.5 million in performance incentives based on plate appearances. The 27-year-old is convinced his disappointing 2018 campaign was the result of knee and hamstring injuries that caused him to develop bad habits with […]