Alex Cora Not Concerned About Lineups

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora is not concerned with the particulars of lineup construction based on splits, according to Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe. Cora is not concerned with splitting up righties and lefties and doesn’t plan to get carried away with batter/pitcher matchups if it’s a small sample. With this news, there […]

Andrew Benintendi Success Stems From Summer Break

Boston Red Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi has already accomplished in his rookie year what many players fail to reach in their entire career; he joined the 20 homers and 20 steals club. Benintendi attributes his sudden rise to stardom to an offseason before his sophomore season at the University of Arkansas. "I didn't play summer […]

Champ or Chump - Jarrod Dyson and J.D. Martinez

Major League GMs are making up for lost time, as the moves have been fast and furious over the past few days. The Arizona Diamondbacks completely remodeled their outfield by signing free agent Jarrod Dyson and trading for Steven Souza Jr. Dyson is discussed below, and Souza's fantasy prospects will be considered in a future […]

Nomar Mazara Not Far From Competing for an MVP

SportsDay's Evan P. Grant believes if Texas Rangers outfielder Nomar Mazara makes a small adjustment, he will be in the conversation for MVP in 2018. Grant is encouraged by Mazara's 100-RBI campaign from a season ago and believes if he can clean up his approach against lefties, then there is more success to come. The […]

Fantasy Implications - J.D. Martinez to the Red Sox

The national nightmare is finally over. After weeks upon months of fantasy owners developing carpal tunnel syndrome from hitting F5 repeatedly, desperately searching for any new updates, J.D. Martinez has signed a five-year, $110 million contract with the Boston Red Sox. After accumulating a .251 average and .687 on-base plus slugging percentage with 24 home […]

Angels Trade For Jabari Blash

The Los Angeles Angels acquired outfielder Jabari Blash from the New York Yankees in exchange for a player to be named later or cash. Blash hit just .213 with five home runs and 16 RBI last year for the Padres. He has some pop in his bat but likely won't be anything more than a […]

Chris Owings Will Roam The Whole Field

Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Chris Owings will get plenty of playing time this year, according to manager Torey Lovullo. "He’s going to walk all over the diamond and impact the game at a different angle at different times throughout the course of the season." The agenda seems to be getting him repetitions at all the […]

Wil Myers Believes He's Stronger And Faster In 2018

Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports San Diego Padres outfielder Wil Myers put on over 20 pounds in the offseason, increasing his playing weight to 224. Despite the gain, Myers thinks he's both faster and stronger. This could be an iteration of the classic "best shape of my life" maxim, but fantasy owners could take […]

Ben Zobrist Remains Out

Chicago Cubs infielder/outfielder Ben Zobrist (back) remains sidelined for workouts. Zobrist has been absent all week with a back issue. Manager Joe Maddon seems to be playing it slow with the veteran and said “he’s fine.” Aside from daily leagues or an injury to Javier Baez or Ian Happ, Zobrist shouldn’t hold much fantasy value […]

Brandon Guyer Has an MRI on His Left Wrist

Cleveland Indians outfielder Brandon Guyer had an MRI done on his left wrist on Wednesday. Guyer "tweaked" his wrist in the outfield on Tuesday and will be examined on Thursday in order to determine the next course of action. While there's nothing official yet, it sounds like Guyer might be facing an extended absence. Set […]

Pirates Ink Michael Saunders To Minors Deal

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed free-agent outfielder Michael Saunders to a minor league deal Wednesday. Saunders was an All-Star in Toronto in 2016, but he fell off big time last year, hitting just .237/.312/.429 with 14 home runs and 38 RBI in 333 at-bats. Add Saunders to the list of players competing for playing time in […]

Michael Conforto May Be Out Longer

New York Mets outfielder Michael Conforto (shoulder) dislocated his shoulder last year and required September surgery, and Dr. A of Inside Injuries said that a normal recovery timetable for his type of surgery would be seven to eight months. From a medical standpoint, the chances of Conforto being ready to return in April seems to be […]

Chris Taylor Will Also Play Shortstop And Second In 2018

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts explained on Wednesday that outfielder Chris Taylor will get repetitions at shortstop and second base, in addition to manning the outfield in 2018. The Dodgers have a recovering Logan Forsythe penciled in at second, and shortstop Corey Seager was hurt late last season. So Taylor, along with Kike Hernandez, will serve as […]

Juan Lagares To Frequently Lead Off This Spring

The New York Mets do not have a “traditional” leadoff hitter on their current roster. With outfielder Michael Conforto out until at least May 1, the team just might believe the player most likely to hold down the fort, Juan Lagares, is the man to sit atop the lineup for now. As such, they plan […]

Corey Dickerson's Situation With Rays Likely Resolved By Thursday

The Tampa Bay Rays should know by Thursday whether anyone is willing to trade for outfielder Corey Dickerson. If no one does, he'll go on waivers after being designated for assignment. The odds are that he will clear waivers and be released over the weekend. The Rays would then be left with paying just $1 […]

Jackie Bradley Jr. (OF, BOS) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~210 CURRENT ADP: 278 ANALYSIS: Boston Red Sox outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. is a defensive specialist. He has not demonstrated consistent offensive capability to be relevant in fantasy. His slash line since he has been in the big leagues is .239/.318/.407; all of these stats are below league averages in 2017. Bradley’s performance in […]

Max Kepler (OF, MIN) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~230 CURRENT ADP: 275 ANALYSIS: Minnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler was a popular late-round sleeper in 2017, but he unfortunately failed to break out the way many expected him to last season. Instead of improving, the left-hander posted statistics that were very similar to the numbers that he logged in his 2016 rookie season. […]

Ben Zobrist Misses Second Straight Day With Back Problem

Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reports that Chicago Cubs infielder/outfielder Ben Zobrist (back) was held out of a workout for the second straight day with a back problem. Zobrist should be fine, but manager Joe Maddon didn’t want to push it. Zobrist will likely have more value to the Cubs than fantasy owners in 2018, as he […]

Daniel Nava Held Out Of Workouts

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Daniel Nava (back) was held out of Tuesday's workouts due to lower back discomfort. Nava also dealt with back problems last year, so the team will play it cautious early in camp. The veteran outfielder hit well with the Phillies last year (.301/.393/.421), but he was fortunate with a .357 BABIP. He […]

Ryan Braun To Play Left Field And First Base

Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell said that outfielder Ryan Braun will only play left field and first base this year, and outfielder Christian Yelich will primarily play left field during the season but will see some time in right field this spring. In Milwaukee's crowded outfield, Domingo Santana appears to be the odd man out […]

Michael Conforto Hitting Off Tee

New York Mets outfielder Michael Conforto (shoulder) has progressed to hitting off a tee. This is a step forward from when we last heard about Conforto the other day, where he was simply long tossing. Although Conforto’s return date remains up in the air, the team is still targeting May 1. If it truly ends up shaking […]

Franchy Cordero Continues Climbing Development Ladder

After debuting at 22 years old and logging 99 plate appearances in 2017, San Diego Padres outfield prospect Franchy Cordero spent his MLB offseason in the Dominican Winter League and won both Rookie of the Year and MVP awards, finishing in the top five in average, on-base percentage, slugging, OPS, home runs, RBI and runs. […]

Six Padres Outfielders Vying For One Position

Per Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune, San Diego Padres Manager Andy Green put a positive spin on the overcrowded outfield situation in San Diego. With Manuel Margot and Wil Myers occupying two spots, Hunter Renfroe, Jose Pirela, Alex Dickerson, Franchy Cordero, Travis Jankowski and Matt Szczur will all fight for playing time in […]

Nick Mariano's 2018 Dynasty Sleepers List (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. The term "sleeper" remains a volatile one, but when you add the dynasty-league wrinkle to it then you really open yourself up to a can of worms. Some people are in 12-team dynasties with a rather healthy stable of prospects available for the picking, […]

Mark Trumbo (OF, BAL) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~175 CURRENT ADP: 247 ANALYSIS: Baltimore Orioles outfielder Mark Trumbo did not have a very good 2017 season, posting a -0.6 WAR . He fell from hitting 47 homers in '16 to 23, and he only played in 13 fewer games. He only had 65 RBI last season, failing as a source of power for […]

Dexter Fowler (OF, STL) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~180 CURRENT ADP: 248 ANALYSIS: St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Dexter Fowler is hoping for a better season this year than he had last year. 2017 was Fowler's first year with the Cardinals, and he slashed .264/.363/.488 with 18 home runs and 64 RBI, but he was only able to play in 118 games. Injuries […]

Jackie Bradley Unlikely To Be Traded

Boston Red Sox outfielder Jackie Bradley is unlikely to be traded after the team signed free-agent outfielder J.D. Martinez on Monday, according to sources. Boston's outfield is likely to consist of Andrew Benintendi in left field, Bradley in center and Mookie Betts in right, with Martinez the primary designated hitter. Bradley is still an elite […]

Odubel Herrera (OF, PHI) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~155 CURRENT ADP: 211 ANALYSIS: Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Odubel Herrera had a rollercoaster 2017 season with the Philadelphia Phillies. A strained hamstring injury resulted in just 138 games played this season, a career-low. He also went on to see a sharp decline in BB%, an increase in K% and a career-low .281 batting average. These […]

Nicholas Castellanos (3B/OF, DET) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~80 CURRENT ADP: 103 ANALYSIS: The Detroit Tigers offense is aging and showed a significant drop-off from their 2016 season. In 2017, while most of the roster was struggling, Nicholas Castellanos was the lone bright spot as he continued to improve his offensive ability. Castellanos had a .272 average with 26 home runs and […]

Orioles Sign Alex Presley

The Baltimore Orioles signed free-agent outfielder Alex Presley to a major league deal Monday, which will include an invite to major league spring training. Presley saw a lot of action (71 games) with the Tigers in 2017 and performed admirably, hitting .314 with three home runs, 20 RBI and five steals. However, his chances of […]