Josh VanMeter Signs Minors Deal With Yankees

Free-agent infielder/outfielder Josh VanMeter signed a minor-league deal with the New York Yankees on Wednesday, according to a source. VanMeter didn't play in the big leagues at all this past season and instead slashed a combined .209/.400/.354 with six home runs, 22 RBI and 34 runs scored in 51 total games in the Arizona Complex […]

Hye-seong Kim To Be Posted After 2024 Season

The Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced on Tuesday that they will post All-Star second baseman Hye-seong Kim for major-league clubs after the 2024 season, which will be his seventh in Korea. The soon-to-be 25-year-old infielder was named the top high-school hitter in South Korea in 2016 and was drafted by the […]

Vinesh Kanthan Announced As Marlins' Director Of Baseball Operations

The Miami Marlins officially announced Vinesh Kanthan as the team's director of baseball operations Tuesday. Kanthan spent the past five seasons with the Texas Rangers, most recently as assistant director of baseball operations for the reigning World Series champions. He also held roles in sports science and analytics during his tenure. Kanthan was previously in […]

Dusty Baker To Join Giants As Special Assistant

Former Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker is expected to join the San Francisco Giants as a special assistant to the front office, per MLB.com's Maria Guardado. The 74-year-old, who managed the Giants from 1993 through 2002, also served as a special adviser to CEO Larry Baer from 2018-19. His storied playing and managing career will […]

Brendan Donovan Won't Be Limited In Spring Training

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (elbow) has two weeks left in his throwing program and is expected to have no limitations for the start of spring training. Donovan has been rehabbing his right elbow after having surgery in August to fix a flexor tendon in his elbow. Before the 26-year-old's season ended early, […]

Nolan Gorman Feeling Good With Spring Training Approaching

St. Louis Cardinals left-handed-hitting infielder Nolan Gorman said he has been working with a nutrition program that has increased his flexibility and decreased his back inflammation. Gorman has battled back pain since a 2020 weight-lifting injury but wants to adhere to the program and play more games in 2024. The 23-year-old also finished the 2023 […]

Tommy Edman Could Be Delayed Heading Into Camp

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Tommy Edman (wrist) said that he might be slightly delayed on the hitting side heading into spring training. He's going through a progression and expects to be ready for Opening Day, but he hasn't had any bat-to-ball contact this winter other than wiffle balls in his rehab. Edman had arthroscopic […]

Hitter Batted Ball Distribution: Using Sabermetrics for 2024 Fantasy Baseball

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

Enrique Hernandez Is Gaining Interest From The Angels

Free-agent utility man Enrique Hernandez is drawing interest from the Los Angeles Angels, according to Ken Rosenthal. The veteran infielder had surgery to repair a double hernia back in October, so the market has been slow to show interest in him. He would fit in nicely with the Angels' lineup, as he can play all […]

Michael Busch Expected To Play First Base In Chicago

The Chicago Cubs acquired infielder Michael Busch and reliever Yency Almonte earlier this week from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for lefty Jackson Ferris and outfielder Zyhir Hope. The Athletic's Keith Law thinks Busch is a natural first baseman and will almost certainly play there for the Cubs. He also has experience at second […]

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 […]