Josh VanMeter Traded To The Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates have acquired second baseman/outfielder Josh VanMeter in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks. In exchange, the Pirates have sent right-handed pitcher Listher Sosa to Arizona. The Pirates are a bit thin offensively (to say the least) so we could see VanMeter earning a good amount of playing time as soon as the […]

Royals Pick Up Mike Matheny's 2023 Option

The Kansas City Royals exercised their team option on manager Mike Matheny for the 2023 season on Thursday. Matheny took over as the lead man in Kansas City in 2020 and has led the team to a 100-122 record since. The former big-league catcher was with the St. Louis Cardinals previously for nearly seven years […]

Jonathan India (2B, CIN) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~75 pick CURRENT ADP: ~87 overall ANALYSIS: NL Rookie of the Year showed why he was the fifth overall pick back in 2018. India hit .269 with an exceptional .376 OBP to go with 21 HR and 12 SB last season. While those numbers are great for a rookie, India has […]

Tommy La Stella To Play The Field On Thursday

San Francisco Giants second baseman Tommy La Stella (Achilles) will make his first spring appearance in the field during Thursday's game. He will start at second base. La Stella is in the midst of working his way back from Achilles surgery, which he had last fall. He played designated hitter in the team's game on […]

Rays Option Vidal Brujan To Minor League Camp

The Tampa Bay Rays optioned second baseman/outfielder Vidal Brujan to minor league camp on Wednesday, trimming the number of active players in camp to 37. Brujan went just 2-for-26 with eight strikeouts for the Rays in his first taste of MLB action in 10 games for Tampa in 2021, so he could use a little […]

Trevor Story Likely To Hit Sixth This Year

Boston Red Sox second baseman Trevor Story is likely to hit sixth in his first season with the team, a spot in the order he hasn't hit in since 2018. Outfielder Enrique Hernandez will likely lead off, followed by Rafael Devers, Xander Bogaerts, J.D. Martinez and Alex Verdugo against right-handed starters. Devers' career OPS in […]

Michael Florio's Value Picks for Fantasy Baseball Drafts

Fantasy managers spend a ton of time spent breaking down player skillsets and what a player can do well. Chances are if you are on fantasy baseball Twitter at any point, you will see people arguing about a player. There will be people saying to reach for someone and others saying to fade him. But […]

Nolan Gorman Sent To Minors

The St. Louis Cardinals reassigned infielders Nolan Gorman, Kramer Robertson and Anderson Tejeda, pitchers James Naile, Zach McAllister and Kyle Ryan, catcher Clint Coulter and outfielders Alec Burleson and Conner Capel to minor league camp on Wednesday. The moves leave the Cardinals spring training camp roster at 40 players. Gorman is the team's No. 2 […]

Undervalued and Overvalued Players - Fantrax Fantasy Baseball Draft Rankings

This year's RotoBaller Challenge is being hosted exclusively on Fantrax - The Home of Fantasy Sports. Whether you are competing against fellow RotoBallers, joining a public league, or creating your own custom league on Fantrax, you'll want to get familiar with the site's rankings and average draft position (ADP) before your league drafts. Each platform […]

Zach McKinstry Sent To Minor League Camp

The Los Angeles Dodgers optioned utility man Zach McKinstry and infielder Andy Burns to minor league camp on Tuesday. McKinstry slashed .286/.375/.357 over 16 plate appearances this spring. He saw a lot of action in the majors last year, appearing in 60 games and hitting .215/.263/.405 with seven home runs, 29 RBI and 19 runs. […]

Donovan Solano Injures His Left Hamstring

Cincinnati Reds infielder Donovan Solano (hamstring) left Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Texas Rangers with a left hamstring injury. Solano injured himself running the bases and walked off the field with a trainer. We don't know the seriousness of the injury just yet, but with Opening Day just over a week away, there's a […]

Spring Training Skill Searching: Max Exit Velocity Standouts - Brendan Rodgers, Sam Hilliard, Christian Walker, Miguel Andujar

For most advanced baseball statistics, you need plenty of data to be available before you can start interpreting them. There is so much randomness and variance in baseball, that you really cannot glean any insights from a handful of games. This doesn't turn out to be true when we're looking at maximum exit velocity. This […]

Trevor Story To Make Spring Debut Wednesday

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that second baseman Trevor Story will make his Grapefruit League debut on Wednesday against the Atlanta Braves and also play Friday and Saturday. Story will be ready for Opening Day despite signing late and leaving the team last weekend to be with his wife for the birth of […]

Second Base Draft Busts for 2022 Fantasy Baseball

When it comes to successful fantasy baseball drafts, identifying risk is as important as identifying value. We focus so much on "sleepers" and "breakouts" but often forget to really think about the players we should be avoiding. If the goal for a good draft is to build a complete team but also to hit on […]

Breakout Infielders That Will Keep Improving in 2022 (Jonathan India, Bo Bichette, Ty France)

Breakouts are perhaps the most fun part of playing fantasy baseball. Being able to identify and grab guys as they reach their potential can often be the difference between winning it all and being lost in the shuffle. Breakouts come in all shapes in sizes. They can be guys that come out of nowhere or […]

Tommy La Stella To Make Spring Debut Tuesday

San Francisco Giants infielder Tommy La Stella (Achilles) will make his spring training debut on Tuesday as the designated hitter in the Cactus League game against the San Diego Padres. La Stella had surgery on his Achilles last fall and has been rehabbing ever since, but he's made good progress this spring and is ready […]

Nick Madrigal (2B, CHC) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~285 pick CURRENT ADP: ~309 overall ANALYSIS: The Chicago Cubs are in the process of rebuilding, and they acquired a big part of their plans with the acquisition of rookie second baseman Nick Madrigal from the Chicago White Sox last summer. Preceding that trade, Madrigal injured his hamstring and required surgery […]

Pierre Camus' Bold Predictions for 2022 Fantasy Baseball

Normally, I would begin this annual column by saying how grateful I am for the opportunity to be able to take up space on a major website like RotoBaller with my predictions for the upcoming season and follow with the number of years running I've done this. Truth is, I don't remember. Not that it's […]

Later-Round Fantasy Baseball Hitter Targets: Home Runs

Today, we will be highlighting some hitters that can help your team in the home runs category without costing you tons of your draft capital. We have gone through several categories already, so check out those posts if you've missed them. These analyses are vital to having a successful fantasy baseball draft in rotisserie-style leagues. […]

Hitters Under $10: Salary Cap League Draft Targets for Fantasy Baseball - Yoan Moncada, Josh Donaldson, Brandon Belt, and more

It's a cliché to say that those managers who finally dip their toe into salary cap leagues never go back to snake drafts. Snake drafts have their own charm. There is simply more going on, and thus, more fun to have when participating in a salary cap draft. There become no bounds on how one […]

Ketel Marte Gets Long-Term Extension

Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Ketel Marte has agreed to a five-year extension with the organization. His deal includes $51 million in additional guaranteed money and is worth $76 million in total. This new deal covers three additional free agent years. The Diamondbacks have locked up their cornerstone switch-hitting infielder for the next half-decade. The 28-year-old is […]

Giants Acquire Luke Williams

The San Francisco Giants have acquired infielder and outfielder Luke Williams from the Philadelphia Phillies for minor league infielder Will Toffey and cash considerations. Williams hit .245 with a .315 on-base percentage, one home run, and a pair of stolen bases in 108 plate appearances for the Phillies last season. Capable of playing all four […]

Nolan Gorman Scratched With Back Tightness

St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Gorman (back) was scratched from the Grapefruit League lineup on Sunday against the New York Mets with lower back tightness. It's unclear how serious Gorman's injury is, but we'll keep a close eye on his status in the coming days. The 21-year-old is ranked by MLB Pipeline as the […]

Giants Not Ruling Out Brandon Belt, Tommy La Stella

The San Francisco Giants aren't ruling out first baseman Brandon Belt (knee) or infielder Tommy La Stella (Achilles) for Opening Day, even though neither has appeared in a spring game yet. Belt and La Stella have been simulating game action by taking plenty of at-bats in live batting practice. Belt, 33, had surgery in September […]

Trevor Story Expected To Return Monday

The Boston Red Sox expect second baseman Trevor Story to be back in camp on Monday after leaving the team recently to be with his wife, who was giving birth to the couple's child. With a shortened spring training, manager Alex Cora expects to give Story some early season off days once the season begins. […]

Updated Fantasy Baseball Draft Rankings for Roto Leagues - Ronald Acuna, Randal Grichuk, Luis Castillo, Dylan Floro, Shane Baz and More

Welcome back RotoBallers! Spring Training is upon us, and fantasy baseball drafts are about to get busy. Below are our updated 2022 fantasy baseball draft rankings and tiers for roto leagues. We will be updating these rankings constantly, and releasing updates every few days along with relevant injury updates to be aware of. Five of […]

Jon Anderson's 2022 Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide

Baseball is happening in 2022, and it is happening in full force. With the excellent news of the lockout ending, we are ready to dive full steam ahead into the fantasy baseball draft season! I have had my head deep in baseball data since before Christmas, so I wanted to come out with a miniature […]

Diamondbacks, Ketel Marte Discussing Extension

The Arizona Diamondbacks and outfielder Ketel Marte have been engaged in extension talks, according to FanSided's Robert Murray. He has one year (plus two club options) remaining on his contract, but it appears there is mutual interest towards striking a long-term deal. It's an important development out of Arizona considering Marte's name has been floated […]

Kody Clemens Optioned To Triple-A

The Detroit Tigers optioned infielder Kody Clemens to Triple-A on Saturday. Clemens has yet to make his Major League debut but hit .247 with a .312 on-base percentage in 414 plate appearances for Triple-A Toledo last season. Primarily a second baseman, the 25-year-old also made starts at first base and in right field last season. […]

Tigers Option Zack Short To Triple-A

The Detroit Tigers optioned shortstop Zack Short to Triple-A Toledo on Saturday. Detroit looks set around the infield with Jeimer Candelario at third base, Javier Baez at shortstop, Jonathan Schoop at second base, and Spencer Torkelson the favorite to get the lion's share of the plate appearances at first base, but Short had a shot […]