Braves Agree To Multi-Year Extension With Alex Anthopoulos

The Atlanta Braves agreed to a multi-year contract extension with president of baseball operations and general manager Alex Anthopoulos on Friday that will keep him with the team through the 2031 season. Anthopoulos was promoted to his current role in February of 2020 after joining the Braves as an executive vice president and GM in […]

Michael Chavis Inks Minors Deal With Mariners

The Seattle Mariners and infielder Michael Chavis have agreed on a minor-league deal for the 2024 season. The deal comes with an invite to big-league spring training. A former top prospect with the Red Sox, the 28-year-old is now with his fourth organization as he's struggled to put it together at the plate at the […]

Gleyber Torres, Yankees Avoid Arbitration

Infielder Gleyber Torres and the New York Yankees agreed to a one-year, $14.2 million deal for 2024 on Thursday to avoid salary arbitration. A career-low 14.6 percent strikeout rate helped Torres to a fine offensive season in 2023. He finished with a .273/.347/.453 slash line, an .800 OPS, 25 home runs, 28 doubles, two triples, […]

Billy McKinney Staying With Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed free-agent outfielder Billy McKinney, infielder Sergio Alcantara, outfielder Gilberto Celestino, right-hander Ben Heller, infielder/outfielder Jake Lamb, left-hander Michael Plassmeyer, right-hander Ryder Ryan and right-hander Hunter Stratton to minor-league deals with invites to spring training on Thursday. McKinney was traded to the Pirates from the New York Yankees in December and will […]

Nick Madrigal, Cubs Settle At $1.81 Million

The Chicago Cubs and infielder Nick Madrigal have settled on a one-year, $1.81 million deal to avoid arbitration. The 26-year-old was hampered by a hamstring injury in the 2023 season but reportedly entered the offseason with no physical restrictions. Despite excellent contact skills and bat control, Madrigal's production at the plate has cratered over the […]

Michael Busch Being Traded To The Cubs

Along with reliever Yency Almonte, the Los Angeles Dodgers are sending infielder Michael Busch to the Chicago Cubs on Thursday, according to a source. We still don't have the return confirmed on what is going back to the Dodgers, so stay tuned for more details. The 26-year-old former first-rounder was being blocked at the major-league […]

HR/FB: Using Sabermetrics for 2024 Fantasy Baseball

Using BABIP to predict a player's batting average is great. Batting average is a category in many league formats, and every hit is an opportunity to steal a base or score a run. Most fantasy managers find the long ball sexier, though. Every HR comes with a guaranteed run scored and at least one RBI. […]

Matt McLain Fully Healthy Heading Into 2024 Season

A right-oblique strain ended Cincinnati Reds middle infielder Matt McLain's impressive rookie season early. Had he not missed the final month of the season, he might have finished higher than fifth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting. The 24-year-old slashed .290/.357/.507 with 16 home runs and 50 RBI in only 89 games […]

Marlins Hiring Rachel Balkovec As Farm Director

The Miami Marlins are hiring Rachel Balkovec as their new director of player development, according to sources. She comes over from the New York Yankees, where she spent the last two years as a manager in the minor leagues at Single-A Tampa, the first female to do so. The Marlins are in the midst of […]

Yankees Ready To Part Ways With Gleyber Torres?

The Athletic's Brendan Kuty writes that it doesn't seem likely that the New York Yankees will look to keep infielder Gleyber Torres around long term. Torres has said he wants to remain with the team for the rest of his career, but the Yankees have discussed dealing him at each of the last two trade […]

Re-Drafting The 2012 Fantasy Baseball First-Year Player Draft - Mookie Betts, Gerrit Cole, Francisco Lindor, Yoenis Cespedes, and more

This is the third edition of a series here at RotoBaller from Benjamin Chase. The series explores previous First-Year Player Drafts and re-drafts those FYPDs with the information we've received since from drafted players and international signees that would have been eligible. This series shows that often the top guys in FYPD drafts remain the […]

Colt Emerson A Dynasty Name To Remember

MLB's 2024 MLB Pipeline Poll, which asks front-office executives from all 30 organizations for their opinions on prospects, named Seattle Mariners middle infielder Colt Emerson as the most underrated prospect. The 2023 first-round pick slashed .302/.436/.444 in 79 plate appearances with Single-A Modesto as a 17-year-old. While he is not in MLB Pipeline's Top 100 […]

Cardinals Add Chaim Bloom To Front Office

The St. Louis Cardinals are set to hire Chaim Bloom to their front office in an advisory role, according to sources. The Cardinals had been linked to the former Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer, dating back to the beginning of the offseason. The 40-year-old was fired by Boston in September after the team was […]

Batter BABIP: Using Sabermetrics for 2024 Fantasy Baseball

The most accessible of the fantasy-relevant advanced stats is BABIP, or Batting Average on Balls In Play. It simply measures a player's batting average on balls in play, with outcomes such as strikeouts and home runs removed from consideration. In general, the league average hovers around .300, a nice round number to remember. However, it […]

Braves Sign Luis Guillorme, Avoid Arbitration With Huascar Ynoa

The Atlanta Braves signed free-agent infielder Luis Guillorme to a one-year, $1.1 million eal on Friday and also avoided salary arbitration with right-hander Huascar Ynoa by inking him to a one-year, $825,000 deal. Guillorme, 29, is a left-handed hitter who played second base, third base and shortstop in 2023 and slashed .261/.344/.333 in 823 plate […]

Rays Acquire Jose Caballero From Mariners

The Tampa Bay Rays acquired infielder Jose Caballero from the Seattle Mariners on Friday in exchange for outfielder Luke Raley, according to a source. Caballero will now be in play to start at shortstop for the Rays in 2024, given Wander Franco's off-the-field situation in the Dominican Republic and the possibility that he'll face a […]

Mets Claim Diego Castillo Off Waivers From Diamondbacks

The New York Mets claimed infielder Diego Castillo off waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday. Castillo was dropped from Arizona's 40-man roster this offseason when the team re-signed Lourdes Gurriel Jr. He had just one plate appearance at the major-league level with the Snakes in 2023 after hitting .206 (54-for-262) with 11 home runs, […]

Mariners Set To Acquire Luke Raley From Rays

The Seattle Mariners are reportedly set to acquire outfielder/first baseman Luke Raley from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for infielder Jose Caballero. The potential deal follows up on a blockbuster trade in which Seattle sent former Cy Young winner Robbie Ray to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for outfielder Mitch Haniger and right-hander […]

Tommy Edman Hopeful For Start Of Spring Following Wrist Surgery

St. Louis Cardinals utility player Tommy Edman (wrist) is hopeful that he will be ready to go for the start of spring training following October surgery on his wrist. Edman's wrist issues cost him some time in the 2023 season as he was limited to 137 games after appearing in at least 153 contests in […]

Red Sox View Vaughn Grissom As Everyday Second Baseman

Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said the team views infielder Vaughn Grissom as an everyday second baseman after they acquired him from the Atlanta Braves in the trade that sent left-hander Chris Sale to Atlanta. It was a bit of a curious move for the pitching-needy Red Sox to part ways with […]

Vaughn Grissom Traded To The Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox have acquired infielder Vaughn Grissom as part of their trade that sent Chris Sale to the Atlanta Braves. Boston is sending Sale and a majority of his $27.5 million 2023 salary to Atlanta in exchange for Grissom, who is a highly regarded infield prospect. Grissom has seen major league action in […]

Blue Jays Grab Isiah Kiner-Falefa On Two-Year Deal

The Toronto Blue Jays have signed utility player Isiah Kiner-Falefa to a two-year, $15 million contract with $1 million of performance bonuses included. The veteran spent parts of four seasons with the Texas Rangers to begin his career before spending the last two seasons with the New York Yankees. Most recently, the 28-year-old hit .242 […]

Reds Ink Hernan Perez To Minors Deal

The Cincinnati Reds have signed utility player Hernan Perez to a minor-league deal. The 32-year-old hasn't appeared in the big leagues since the 2021 season with the Washington Nationals but has rather spent the last two seasons playing in Korea and Mexico. Originally signed out of Venezuela by the Tigers, Perez received significant playing time […]

Twins Bring In Niko Goodrum On Minor-League Pact

The Minnesota Twins have signed utility player Niko Goodrum to a minor-league deal. The signing is of the full-circle variety as the Twins drafted Goodrum in the second round of the 2010 draft while he debuted in the big leagues with the club for 11 games in the 2017 season. However, the bulk of Goodrum's […]

Yankees Claim Jeter Downs Off Waivers From Nationals

The New York Yankees claimed infielder Jeter Downs off waivers from the Washington Nationals on Tuesday. Downs will now join the Yankees organization after the Nationals designated him for assignment last week. The 25-year-old was once considered a top-100 prospect when the Boston Red Sox landed him in the blockbuster trade that sent outfielder Mookie […]

Red Sox Hire Dillon Lawson As Hitting Coordinator

The Boston Red Sox hired Dillon Lawson as a hitting coordinator Monday, per The Athletic's Brendan Kuty. Lawson had served as the New York Yankees' primary hitting coach from the start of the 2022 season through the middle of last season, at which time the team released him amid major offensive struggles. While the Yankees […]

Jonathan India Being Eyed By Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays are targeting Reds second baseman Jonathan India on the trade market. The Blue Jays are rather thin in the infield as third baseman Matt Chapman and second baseman Whit Merrifield both hit the open market this offseason. As it stands, shortstop Bo Bichette and first baseman Vladimir Guerrero are the lone […]

Top 250 Dynasty Fantasy Baseball Prospects Rankings (2024 Update)

Welcome back RotoBallers to the 2024 update of our MLB team's dynasty fantasy baseball prospects rankings for the 2024 season. This update includes a few changes/additions. First, while they may not be considered "prospects" in many leagues, foreign signees from Japanese or Korean professional leagues will be eligible in first-year player drafts, so they are […]

David Fletcher Outrighted By Braves

Atlanta Braves infielder David Fletcher has been outrighted off of the club's 40-man roster and assigned to Triple-A Gwinnett. Fletcher was passed through waivers and unsurprisingly went unclaimed given the $15 million he is still owed on an extension signed while a member of the Los Angeles Angels. The Braves acquired the 29-year-old in a […]

Jeter Downs Designated For Assignment Tuesday

Washington Nationals infielder Jeter Downs was designated for assignment Tuesday, per MLB.com's Jessica Camerato. The move came to make room on the 40-man roster for recently-signed relief pitcher Dylan Floro. The 25-year-old Downs was a former top shortstop prospect for the Boston Red Sox, but he spent most of his time in 2023 with the […]