A's Spreading Out Their International Money

The Oakland Athletics are spreading around their international bonus-pool money this year, bringing in a deep class that includes four prospects on Baseball America's top-100 international prospect list -- shortstop Edgar Montero, outfielder Jose Ramos, right-hander Erick Matos and outfielder Sebastian Rojas. The A's have seen the switch-hitting Dominican Montero blossom from a skinny kid […]

Twins Sign Shortstop Daiber De Los Santos

The Minnesota Twins' most notable first-day international signings on Monday are shortstop Daiber De Los Santos and outfielder Eduardo Beltre, both from the Dominican Republic. De Los Santos ranked eighth on MLB Pipeline's top-50 international prospect list, while Beltre ranked 39th. "Tooled-out shortstop. Deluxe body/frame and plenty of athleticism. Real shortstop, plus run, plus-plus arm. […]

Mets Sign International Catcher Yovanny Rodriguez

The New York Mets agreed to terms with catcher Yovanny Rodriguez, shortstop Jensy Rivas and outfielder Edward Lantigua on Monday to kick off the 2024 international signing period. According to MLB Pipeline, Rodriguez is the No. 6 overall international prospect, with Rivas ranking 31st and Lantigua at No. 41. Rodriguez is expected to sign for […]

Victor Hurtado Getting $2.7 Million From Nationals

The Washington Nationals are signing outfielder Victor Hurtado for $2.7 million to open the 2024 international signing period on Monday, while also adding Angel Feliz for $1.8 million, according to multiple people familiar with the terms. Hurtado was ranked as the No. 20 international prospect by MLB.com for this class. The 16-year-old left-handed hitter has […]

Reds Ink Outfielder Adolfo Sanchez

The Cincinnati Reds agreed to terms with outfielder Adolfo Sanchez (MLB.com's No. 5 international prospect) and shortstop Naibel Mariano (No. 42) to open the 2024 international signing period on Monday, according to an industry source. Sanchez's deal is for $2.7 million, while Mariano will receive $1.65 million. Sanchez is one of the best overall hitters […]

Yankees Agree With Francisco Vilorio

The New York Yankees agreed to terms with outfielder Francisco Vilorio, MLB.com's No. 15 international prospect, on Monday to open the 2024 international signing period. The Yankees lost $1 million from their international signing pool when they signed left-hander Carlos Rodon last offseason. Vilorio is a tall, projectable outfielder with plenty of power potential. He […]

Mets Sign Vladi Miguel Guerrero

The New York Mets have signed international free agent Vladi Miguel Guerrero on Monday. The 16-year-old outfielder is the son of Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero Sr. and the brother of current Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Monday is the start of the international signing period, one that will run through Dec. 15, […]

Christopher Morel Likely To Serve In Super-Utility Role

Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell and general manager Carter Hawkins said on Saturday that outfielder Christopher Morel will likely be used in a super-utility role again in 2024 rather than focusing on just one position. Morel has been working some at first base this winter and he's played every position but first base and catcher […]

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 […]

Is Mitch Haniger Worth a Late-Round Flier? Fantasy Baseball Outlook

Answering whether or not Mitch Haniger is worth a late-round flier in fantasy baseball is not as easy to answer as it should be. That is because we cannot predict whether or not he'll be healthy enough to play a meaningful amount of games to warrant a roster spot. We can't predict health of any player, […]

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 […]

Fantasy Baseball Prospect Outlooks for Michael Busch, Yency Almonte, Jackson Ferris, Zyhir Hope - MLB Trade Analysis

The Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers hooked up on Thursday, January 11 for a trade that will have an immediate impact in all fantasy baseball leagues, but the deal could have tentacles that reach out for quite some time due to the players that were involved. The interesting part of this was two teams […]

Riley Greene Progressing In His Rehab

Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene (elbow) is progressing in his rehab, according to Evan Petzold of The Detroit Free Press. Greene underwent Tommy John surgery on his non-throwing arm back in September and has been rehabbing and training at the team's complex in Florida. He's been hitting, playing catch, and doing some defensive drills, per […]

White Sox Sign Rafael Ortega To Minor-League Deal

The Chicago White Sox signed free-agent outfielder Rafael Ortega to a minor-league deal. Ortega spent most of his time in 2023 in the minors with the New York Mets and Texas Rangers but also played in 47 games with the Mets, going 25-for-114 (.219) with a home run, eight RBI and six stolen bases in […]

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 […]

Trade Of Masataka Yoshida Considered Unlikely

The Boston Red Sox are reportedly listening on outfielder Masataka Yoshida, but for now a trade isn't seen as especially likely. The Red Sox have also checked in on free-agent outfielder/designated hitter Jorge Soler, but there's suspicion they'll be outbid again, maybe by the rival Toronto Blue Jays. Former Red Sox DH J.D. Martinez and […]

Fantasy Baseball Outlooks for Robbie Ray, Mitch Haniger, Anthony DeSclafani, Andrew Kittredge, Jose Caballero, Luke Raley - MLB Trade Analysis

Last Friday, January 7, we saw a smattering of MLB trades. These were by no means any of the biggest names of the offseason, but we saw a former Cy Young winner and multiple All-Stars change teams. The three trades involved seven players and four teams, lefties, righties, youngsters, vets, pitchers, and position players. Let's […]

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 […]

Astros, Kyle Tucker Settle At $12 Million

The Houston Astros and outfielder Kyle Tucker settled at a $12 million salary for the upcoming 2024 season on Thursday to avoid salary arbitration, according to a source. It's a $7 million raise from a season ago. The 26-year-old has become one of the best left-handed sluggers in the game after slashing .284/.369/.517 with an […]

Juan Soto Avoids Arbitration With Yankees

Outfielder Juan Soto and the New York Yankees agreed to a one-year, $31.5 million deal on Thursday to avoid salary arbitration for the 2024 season. It's a new record deal for an arbitration-eligible player, beating two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani by $1 million from his one-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels in 2023. Soto and […]

Anthony Santander Avoids Arbitration With O's

Outfielder Anthony Santander and the Baltimore Orioles settled at $11.7 million for the 2024 season on Thursday to avoid salary arbitration, according to a source. It's a big raise for Santander, who made $4.3 million last season on his way to slashing .257/.325/.472 with 28 home runs and 95 RBI in 656 plate appearances over […]

Yankees, Juan Soto Working On 2024 Salary Figure

The New York Yankees and outfielder Juan Soto are still working on a salary figure for the 2024 season. The Yankees agree that Soto will break Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani's arbitration-eligible $30 million record, but they haven't agreed yet on how much Soto will beat it by. The 25-year-old left-handed slugger will […]

Andrew Vaughn, White Sox Settle At $3.25 Million

The Chicago White Sox and first baseman Andrew Vaughn have avoided arbitration with a one-year, $3.25 million deal for the 2024 campaign. The young slugger took over full-time duty at first base following the departure of Jose Abreu in the 2023 season and went on to hit .258 with 21 home runs and a .743 […]

Randy Arozarena Avoids Arbitration

Outfielder Randy Arozarena and the Tampa Bay Rays avoided salary arbitration on Thursday by settling at $8.1 million for the 2024 season, according to a source. Arozarena put up his third straight 20-20 season in 2023, but it also came with a career-low .25 batting average. The 28-year-old also displayed better plate discipline, though, and […]

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. […]

Giants Searching For More Power In Lineup

San Francisco Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi mentioned several potential avenues for replacing the power in their lineup lost from trading outfielder Mitch Haniger, per MLB's Maria Guardado. One was to bring in another outfielder with pop, as newly-signed outfielder Jung Hoo Lee is known more for his contact skills. Zaidi also mentioned […]

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 […]

Jorge Soler Hasn't Had Any Dialogue With Marlins

Free-agent outfielder/designated hitter Jorge Soler said he has not been in contact with the Miami Marlins this offseason. "There has been no contact with the Marlins," Soler said. Soler opted out of the final year of his deal with Miami, making it unlikely that he'll return to South Beach in 2024 and beyond. The 31-year-old […]

Pete Crow-Armstrong Voted Best Defensive Prospect

In a 2024 MLB Pipeline poll of front-office executives from all 30 organizations, Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong was voted the best defensive prospect. Crow-Armstrong has been considered the top defensive player in the minor leagues for a while now, and he made his major-league debut in Chicago in 2023, going hitless in 14 at-bats […]

Giancarlo Stanton Unlikely To Be Traded

The Athletic's Chris Kirschner believes that New York Yankees outfielder/designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton is essentially untradeable. Since the 2022 All-Star break, Stanton has hit .182/.268/.400 with 31 home runs and an 84 wRC+ in 549 plate appearances. He's owed over $98 million over the next four years and has a full no-trade clause. Not many […]