20 mins agoTampa Bay Rays second baseman
Brandon Lowe (knee) said his broken right kneecap has healed and that he should not have limitations going forward this winter or going into the 2024 campaign. Lowe barely played in over 100 games for the second time in his six seasons in the big leagues and slashed .231/.328/.443 with 21 home runs, 15 doubles, a triple, 68 RBI, seven stolen bases and 58 runs scored in 436 total plate appearances. The 29-year-old left-handed hitter has impressive power at the second base position and also had a career-high 39 home runs in 149 games in 2021. However, injuries continue to limit him and he'll need to improve against left-handers if he's going to improve on his 2023 numbers. Lowe is a risk/reward power bat at the keystone in fantasy.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Tampa Bay Times - Marc Topkin
50 mins agoPittsburgh Pirates shortstop
Oneil Cruz (ankle) has appeared in instructional games this offseason in the Dominican Republic. "Watching his at-bats made me smile," manager Derek Shelton said. Cruz is rehabbing from a fractured left ankle that he suffered way back in early April that knocked him out for the rest of the 2023 season. As long as the 25-year-old doesn't encounter any setbacks this winter or next spring, he should be ready for Opening Day as Pittsburgh's starting shortstop with a bunch of fantasy upside. The 6-foot-7, 215-pound Dominican has impressive power and speed at a premium position, but he has also yet to play more than 87 games in a single season in his three years in the majors to this point. In 98 career games, he's hit .237 with 19 home runs, 61 RBI and 13 stolen bases in 410 plate appearances.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Pittsburgh PG - Jason Mackey
1 hour agoNew York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said that utility man
Jeff McNeil is expected to get the majority of his playing time at second base in 2024, which is why the team is looking to add an outfielder who will play a lot. McNeil played 99 games at the keystone last year but also spent a good amount of time in left and right field for the Mets. It's unclear if the drop in playing time in the outfield in 2024 will cause him to lose outfield eligibility completely for fantasy managers, and his presence at second more often could impact the playing time for youngsters
Ronny Mauricio and
Brett Baty. The 31-year-old McNeil missed the end of the regular season with a partial UCL tear in his right elbow, but he should be healthy and good to go for Opening Day, barring any setbacks between now and then.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Tim Britton
2 hours agoNew York Mets manager
Carlos Mendoza said that closer
Edwin Diaz (knee), who had season-ending knee surgery in March, is "fully healthy." Mendoza wouldn't commit to saying Diaz will have a normal spring training, but he said the Mets will have to put together a plan that makes sense. Diaz suffered a torn patellar tendon in his right knee during the World Baseball Classic and didn't pitch at all for the Mets. New York is going to be extra-cautious with the 29-year-old hard-throwing reliever, but as long as he doesn't have any setbacks this offseason or next spring, he should be ready for Opening Day in 2024. Before the devastating injury, Diaz was a top-tier fantasy closer after saving 32 games with 118 K's in 62 innings in 2022.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Newsday - Tim Healey
4 hours agoThe Detroit Tigers officially signed manager A.J. Hinch to an undisclosed contract extension on Monday after they completed the new deal a week after the season ended. Hinch's previous deal as the skipper ran through the 2025 season. Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris took over for Al Avila in September of 2022 and has been Hinch's boss for more than 14 months. "We're going to be working together for a long time," Harris said of Hinch. In his career as a manager in the big leagues, Hinch has gone 791-717 and has been to the playoffs four times, all with the Houston Astros. He famously led the Astros to the World Series title in 2017 but was later suspended a year for his role in the sign-stealing scandal.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Cody Stavenhagen
7 hours agoSt. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said that the team's projected starting outfield for the 2024 season is
Lars Nootbaar,
Tommy Edman and
Jordan Walker, with
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7 hours agoThe Philadelphia Phillies gave manager Rob Thomson a contract extension through the 2025 season on Monday. Thomson was set to enter the final year of his two-year deal this year after taking over as interim manager on June 3, 2022, after the Phillies fired Joe Girardi. Since taking over, he's led the Phillies to back-to-back National League Championship Series and one NL pennant. Philadelphia went 90-72 during the 2023 regular season and finished second in the NFL East. Before Thomson became interim manager in 2022 and led the team to the World Series, he was on the verge of retiring. A lot has changed since then and he will remain the skipper of the team for at least two more seasons.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: USA TODAY Sports - Bob Nightengale
7 hours agoSouth Korean star outfielder Jung Hoo Lee has been posted by the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization and will now have a 30-day negotiating window with major-league baseball teams through early January. The 25-year-old was the MVP of the KBO in 2022 and led the league in batting average (.349), hits (193), RBI (113) on-base percentage (.421) and slugging percentage (.575). He is known for his bat-to-ball skills and control of the strike zone, striking out 304 times and walking 383 times in 884 games in his seven seasons in the KBO. Lee missed most of the second half in 2023 due to an ankle injury, but he still hit .318/.406/.455 in 86 games. He has been linked to the San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees and San Diego Padres so far.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Yonhap News - Yoo Jee-ho
7 hours agoLos Angeles Dodgers infielder
Gavin Lux (knee) is expected to be the team's starting shortstop in 2024 when he returns from a right-knee injury that caused him to miss all of the 2023 campaign. Manager Dave Roberts said that
Mookie Betts will be the regular second baseman next year as well, so Lux and Betts should be working together regularly up the middle in LA. General manager Brandon Gomes said earlier this offseason that Lux is on track to be their starting shortstop, and the words from Roberts basically just confirms it. The 26-year-old lacks the power needed to become a high-end fantasy option at the premium position, but he'll have plenty of value on a Dodgers team with a developing hit tool and some decent speed if he avoids injuries next year.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB Network - Alanna Rizzo
7 hours agoLos Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that he expects free-agent left-hander
Clayton Kershaw (shoulder) to pitch in 2024. "He's on my to-do list. I'm going to reach out to Clayton on Thursday or Friday. I'm going to call and check in on him, his family, the kiddos and Ellen. I think it's fair to say he will pitch in '24. I think the timing is the question and with who," Roberts said. The future Hall of Famer will miss at least the first couple months of next season after already having surgery on his left shoulder this offseason. The 35-year-old veteran southpaw is expected to either return to the Dodgers or sign with the defending World Series-champion Texas Rangers. Kershaw has obviously become injury-prone toward the end of his career, but he's still managed to put up excellent numbers when he's been healthy.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Matthew Moreno
8 hours agoLos Angeles Dodgers infielder/outfielder
Mookie Betts will serve as the everyday second baseman in the 2024 season, according to manager Dave Roberts. A natural second baseman, Betts saw time at the position again in the 2023 season and even logged 98 innings at shortstop. While he is a highly-regarded defender in right field, Betts playing second base opens up a spot in the Dodgers' outfield while
Gavin Lux (knee) is expected to play shortstop on an everyday basis in the 2024 season. Coming off his sixth Silver Slugger Award, Betts finished as the NL MVP runner-up to
Ronald Acuna Jr. after hitting .307 with 39 home runs, 14 stolen bases, and a .987 OPS across 152 games last season.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: MLB Network
9 hours agoThe Milwaukee Brewers and left-hander
Wade Miley have agreed to a one-year, $8.5 million deal to bring him back to the club for the 2024 season. The deal also includes a limited no-trade clause and a mutual option for the 2025 season. Miley spent the 2023 campaign in Milwaukee where he tossed a healthy 3.14 ERA across 23 starts. His peripheral metrics weren't as positive, however, as he also posted a 4.69 FIP, 5.04 SIERA, and a tiny 16.1% K%, all of which suggest regression could be on the horizon next season. Nonetheless, the veteran has long out-pitched his underlying metrics and has largely been a reliable starter since the 2018 season.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Jon Heyman
9 hours agoFree-agent pitcher
Joe Ross has agreed to a major-league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers, pending a physical. It's been some time since the right-hander saw a big-league mound, as Ross hasn't appeared since the 2021 campaign when he had a solid 4.17 ERA across 108 innings with the Washington Nationals, his only MLB team, while also producing a rather solid 16.3% K-BB%. Unfortunately, Ross underwent his second Tommy John surgery in June of 2022, which cost him his 2023 campaign as well. Through 98 MLB appearances, 76 of which were starts, Ross has worked to a 4.26 ERA and 13.7% K-BB% while going 26-28. His fantasy value is limited at the moment, but he could be a decent waiver-wire look should he replicate his work from the 2021 season.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: MLB Transaction Tracker
9 hours agoFree-agent pitcher
Jack Flaherty is being eyed by the Pittsburgh Pirates for a short-term deal should he be unable to land a longer deal on the open market. The right-hander burst onto the scene with a 3.34 ERA across 28 starts as a 22-year-old in the 2018 season, but injuries and underperformance have been constant in recent seasons. He split the 2023 campaign between the Cardinals and Orioles, working to a 4.99 ERA across 29 appearances (27 starts) but was also tattooed for a 6.75 ERA across seven starts and nine appearances following a trade-deadline deal from St. Louis to Baltimore. Still just 28 years old and with a nice track record of success earlier in his career, Flaherty should have a solid market in free agency, whether it be for the short or long term.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Jeff Jones
10 hours agoBaltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said that "we're going to take a long look at him in spring" when referring to top shortstop prospect
Jackson Holliday. MLB Pipeline's top overall prospect turns 20 years old on Monday but is already getting close to contributing at the major-league level for an Orioles team that won the American League East in 2023. The first overall pick in the 2022 draft hit an impressive .323/.442/.499 with a .941 OPS, 12 home runs, 30 doubles, nine triples, 75 RBI, 24 stolen bases and 113 runs scored in 125 games over four minor-league stops in 2023. He made it all the way up to Triple-A Norfolk, where he played in 18 games. Holliday should already be rostered in all dynasty/keeper leagues and is going to be a popular redraft pick in 2024 as well.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MASN Sports - Steve Melewski
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