Freddie Freeman Wins NL MVP

Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman won the National League MVP award on Thursday. Freeman received 28 of the 30 first-place ballots. Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts finished second and Padres third baseman Manny Machado came in third. The 31-year-old tested positive for COVID-19 three weeks before the delayed Opening Day in late July and had […]

Angels To Pursue Freddie Freeman?

The Los Angeles Angels hired Atlanta Braves assistant general manager Perry Minasian as their new general manager on Thursday, potentially making it more likely that the Southern California native Freddie Freeman will be targeted by the Angels next offseason. LA will also be clearing future Hall of Fame first baseman Albert Pujols' contract from their […]

Angels Hire Perry Minasian As New GM

The Los Angeles Angels are hiring former Atlanta Braves assistant general manager Perry Minasian as their new general manager on Thursday, according to a source. Minasian will replace Billy Eppler. He's spent the last three years working with Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos. Minasian also spent nine years filling a variety of scouting […]

Year-in-Review: Luke Voit

The 2020 MLB season just ended, and it is already time to start preparing for the 2021 season. Let’s kick things off by looking back at one of the more significant standouts in the 2020 season, Luke Voit. Voit entered spring in a potential timeshare at first base for the Yankees, but after a late […]

Giants Sign Jason Vosler Tuesday

The San Francisco Giants agreed to terms on a major league deal with infielder Jason Vosler on Tuesday. The 27-year-old played for Triple-A El Paso in the Padres organization in 2019, setting career-highs in batting average (.291), on-base percentage (.367), slugging percentage (.523) and OPS (.890). A 16th round pick of the Cubs in 2014, […]

Don Mattingly Wins Manager Of The Year Award With Marlins

Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly was named the National League Manager of the Year on Tuesday for leading the team to their first playoff appearance in 17 years despite the COVID-19 pandemic threatening to derail the entire season. Mattingly was the fifth person in history to win the award after being named Most Valuable Player, […]

Kevin Cash Named AL Manager Of The Year

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash was named the American League Manager of the Year on Tuesday. Cash led the Rays to their first AL East title since 2010 despite having 13 players on the injured list on Sept. 1. Twelve Rays had at least one save and the pitching staff's 3.56 ERA was the […]

Tony La Russa Charged With DUI From February Arrest

Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa was recently charged with suspicion of driving under the influence as a result of a traffic stop in February. La Russa was stopped in Phoenix on Feb. 24 and told an officer he had hit something and had a tire blown out. He was taken into custody after […]

Luis Rojas Likely To Return As Manager

New York Mets manager Luis Rojas is likely to return for his second season after the sale of the team to new owner Steve Cohen. President Sandy Alderson said it's "very likely" that Rojas will remain at the held but has "left the door slightly ajar" pending his decision on a new president of baseball […]

Brodie Van Wagenen Leaving Mets

New York Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen and much of the team's front office are leaving the team after hedge-fund manager Steve Cohen completed his $2.4 billion purchase of the franchise on Friday. Special assistant to the GM Omar Minaya, assistant GMs Allard Baird and Adam Guttridge and executive director of player development Jared […]

Red Sox Bring Back Alex Cora As Manager

The Boston Red Sox rehired former manager Alex Cora on Friday, according to a source. Cora helped lead the team to a World Series title in 2018 but mutually agreed to part ways before the 2020 season due to his involvement in the Astros' sign-stealing scandal. He was suspended for one season for his role […]

Jose Abreu Leads Way For White Sox Silver Slugger Winners

Three Chicago White Sox hitters were awarded Silver Sluggers on Thursday in the American League, including first baseman Jose Abreu, shortstop Tim Anderson and left fielder Eloy Jimenez. Abreu won the award for the third time after he hit .317 with 19 home runs and 60 RBI in the shortened 2020 season. Anderson and Jimenez […]

Ronald Acuna Jr., Freddie Freeman Win Silver Sluggers

Atlanta Braves outfielders Ronald Acuna Jr. and Marcell Ozuna, first baseman Freddie Freeman and catcher Travis d'Arnaud all won Silver Slugger Awards on Thursday. The rest of the National League Silver Sluggers included San Francisco Giants second baseman Donovan Solano, San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres third baseman Manny Machado, Washington Nationals outfielder […]

2021 First Look Fantasy Values: First Base and Second Base

The baseball offseason may officially begin with the end of the World Series but the projections offseason began last Thursday night with the release of the first Steamer projections for 2021. Created and maintained by mathematics teacher Jared Cross and his former students, Steamer remains the industry standard for non-aggregated projection systems, as well as […]

Red Sox Meet With Alex Cora

The Boston Red Sox met with former manager Alex Cora in Puerto Rico last week as they continue to search for their next manager, according to a source. Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and general manager Brian O'Halloran met with Cora, who mutually parted ways with Boston in January due to his involvement in the […]

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Slimming Down

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. told the Dominican newspaper elCaribe that he's lost 32 pounds since he reported to summer camp. "I finished the season more or less and put that in mind. I started with the slow swing and when I lost 20 pounds I started feeling better," Guerrero said. He […]

Nolan Arenado Headlines NL Gold Glove Winners

Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado was awarded his eighth Gold Glove award on Tuesday in as many seasons. His 15 defensive runs saved this year were three more than any player at the hot corner. Arenado's streak is the second-longest to start a career in MLB history, behind Ichiro Suzuki's 10. It's the third-longest […]

Alex Gordon Wins Eighth Gold Glove In Final Season

Kansas City Royals outfielder Alex Gordon, who announced his retirement at the end of the 2020 season, won his eighth and final Gold Glove award on Tuesday. The 36-year-old finished off his career by winning a Gold Glove in four straight seasons. The other American League winners included Seattle Mariners first baseman Evan White, Cleveland […]

Can Yankees Retain DJ LeMahieu?

The New York Yankees will likely make a strong effort to re-sign infielder DJ LeMahieu and they already extended him a one-year, $18.9 million qualifying offer, but MLB Trade Rumors predicts that he'll leave for the division-rival Blue Jays. The 32-year-old won the MLB batting crown in 2020 by hitting .364 with 10 home runs […]

Ryon Healy Elects Free Agency

Milwaukee Brewers infielder Ryon Healy has opted for free agency after refusing an outright assignment off their 40-man roster to Triple-A San Antonio. The 28-year-old played in only four regular season games for Milwaukee this year and hit .143 with no home runs, runs or RBI. Healy went 0-for-3 in the second game of the […]

Mitch Moreland's Option Declined By Padres

The San Diego Padres declined a 2021 team option on first baseman Mitch Moreland and he will become a free agent. With the universal designated hitter in question, the Friars opted against a reasonable $3 million price tag for Moreland, who they acquired via trade in 2020. With the resurgence of incumbent first baseman Eric […]

Red Sox Talking With Alex Cora

The Boston Red Sox are expected to interview former manager Alex Cora in the coming days, according to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman. Boston parted ways with Cora last January due to his part in the Astros' sign-stealing scandal during 2017, and Cora was suspended for all of 2020. According to The Boston Globe's Alex […]

Brad Hand, Carlos Santana, Domingo Santana Become Free Agents

The Cleveland Indians declined 2021 options on relief pitcher Brad Hand ($10 million), first baseman Carlos Santana ($17.5 million) and outfielder Domingo Santana ($5 million) on Friday, making them free agents. Hand will receive a $500,000 buyout and the Santanas will each receive $250,000. The 30-year-old Hand led baseball with 16 saves this year, but […]

Cubs Likely To Pick Up Anthony Rizzo's Option

The Chicago Cubs are likely to pick up first baseman Anthony Rizzo's $16.5 million option for the 2021 season before the Sunday deadline, according to sources. The Cubs did the same for the 31-year-old before last season, picking up a similar $16.5 million option for 2020. Rizzo continues to be a stalwart at first base […]

Tigers Officially Hire A.J. Hinch

The Detroit Tigers officially hired former Houston Astros manager A.J. Hinch as their new manager on Friday. Hinch was a backup catcher for the 2003 Tigers. The hiring comes one year after he was fired by Houston for his part in the sign-stealing scandal, and he was suspended for all of the 2020 season. Hinch […]

Tigers Finalizing Deal To Make A.J. Hinch Their Manager

The Detroit Tigers have made progress in finalizing a deal to make former Houston Astros manager A.J. Hinch their next manager, according to sources. Hinch lost his job with Houston before the start of the 2020 season for his role in the team's sign-stealing scandal. Former Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire retired on Sept. 19 with […]

Fantasy Baseball Applications of zxwOBAcon Analysis

In part one of this series, I established that zxwOBAcon is the primary driver of season-to-season changes in xwOBAcon and that the biggest risers in zxwOBAcon each season tend to be rebound candidates. Furthermore, rebound candidates recover all of their zxwOBAcon losses more often than not and frequently outperform their season x zxwOBAcon in season […]

Randy Arozarena's 2021 Fantasy Value: WPC+ Videocast

Pierre Camus and Nicklaus Gaut look back at the amazing rookie season and postseason run by Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena in order to project his fantasy baseball value and ADP for 2021. Like and subscribe to the RotoBaller channel on Youtube to get all our latest podcasts and catch us on iTunes and […]

White Sox Name Tony La Russa Their New Manager

The Chicago White Sox named Tony La Russa, a three-time World Series champion, as their new manager on Thursday. The 76-year-old hasn't served as a big league manager since ending his 16-year run with the Cardinals in 2011, a season that ended in his third championship. La Russa has a 2,728-2,365 managerial record and began […]

White Sox Close To Hiring Tony La Russa?

The Chicago White Sox could officially name Tony La Russa as their new manager as early as Thursday. La Russa got his start in the big leagues in 1979 with the White Sox, and rumors have been swirling for more than a week that he'd land there. The 76-year-old won three straight American League pennants […]