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 […]

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 […]

Jonathan Davis Returning To Marlins

The Miami Marlins re-signed outfielder Jonathan Davis to a minor-league deal on Monday that includes an invitation to major-league spring training. Davis will return to South Beach to provide outfield depth for the Fish. The 31-year-old right-handed hitter appeared in only 34 games for Miami in 2023 and hit .244 (22-for-90) with two home runs […]

Matt Vierling The Current Favorite To Start At Third Base

As of right now, the likely favorite to start at third base on Opening Day for the Detroit Tigers is Matt Vierling, whom the team acquired in a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies last offseason. With a weak free-agent market for hitters, the Tigers seem content to let their internal options battle it out while […]

MJ Melendez To Primarily Play The Outfield This Season

Kansas City Royals catcher/outfielder MJ Melendez is expected to primarily play the outfield in 2024 after he mostly served as a catcher in his second MLB season in 2023. The 25-year-old produced impressive numbers at the position in 148 games over 602 plate appearances, slashing .235/.316/.398 with 16 home runs, 56 RBI, 29 doubles, three […]

Chris Taylor Set For Utility Role In 2024

The Los Angeles Dodgers' tentative plan in 2024 is to platoon outfielders Jason Heyward and Manuel Margot in right field, with new acquisition Teoscar Hernandez in left field. Meanwhile, the Dodgers plan to get at-bats for Chris Taylor all over the field, including in left. The 33-year-old can also play center field, second base, third […]

Rays Shopping Harold Ramirez

The Tampa Bay Rays have been shopping designated hitter Harold Ramirez, whose OPS+ the last two seasons is 21 percent above league average, according to sources. Ramirez is projected to earn $4.4 million in arbitration next season, according to MLB Trade Rumors, and trading him would create even more at-bats for Jonathan Aranda and 25-year-old […]

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 […]

Three Front-Runners For Teoscar Hernandez

The Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox appear to be the front-runners to sign free-agent outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, a two-time Silver Slugger winner. Some are speculating that Hernandez will wait for Cody Bellinger to sign before inking his own deal, but the Angels, Dodgers and Red Sox aren't in on Bellinger, […]

Jorge Soler Drawing Interest From Handful Of Teams

Free-agent outfielder Jorge Soler is drawing interest from the Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox, according to sources. He had some trouble staying healthy early in his career, playing more than 100 games just once from 2015-18. But since 2019, he's played at least 137 games in three of four […]

Rays Land Richie Palacios In Trade With Cardinals

The Tampa Bay Rays acquired left-handed-hitting outfielder Richie Palacios from the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday in exchange for right-handed reliever Andrew Kittredge, according to a source. Palacios made his debut for the Cardinals in 2023 when he was promoted on Aug. 18, and he posted an impressive .823 OPS with six home runs and […]

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 […]

Mitch Haniger Returns To Mariners In Trade With Giants

Outfielder Mitch Haniger is headed back to the Seattle Mariners in a trade with the San Francisco Giants that sends former Cy Young winner Robbie Ray to San Francisco while right-hander Anthony DeSclafani joins Haniger in heading to the Mariners. The veteran spent five seasons in Seattle before joining the Giants in free agency prior […]

Mariners Ship Robbie Ray To Giants In Friday Blockbuster

The Seattle Mariners and San Francisco Giants connected for a blockbuster trade on Friday as Seattle will send former Cy Young winner Robbie Ray to the Giants in exchange for former Mariners outfielder Mitch Haniger and right-hander Anthony DeSclafani. Ray, the 2021 AL Cy Young winner with the Toronto Blue Jays, went on to sign […]

Michael Brantley Calls It A Career

Long-time big-league outfielder Michael Brantley has announced his retirement from baseball. The veteran spent 15 seasons in the majors, 10 with the then-Cleveland Indians followed by another five with the Houston Astros. Injuries plagued the 36-year-old throughout his career as he appeared in 120 games or more in just seven of his 15 campaigns. He […]

Padres Sign Oscar Mercado To Minor-League Deal

The San Diego Padres signed free-agent outfielder Oscar Mercado to a minor-league deal. Mercado will report to spring training in 2024 hoping to impress the coaching staff and earn a reserve outfield role on the Opening Day roster. The 29-year-old Colombian played in only 20 games at the major-league level in 2023 with the St. […]

Bubba Thompson Claimed Off Waivers By Yankees

The New York Yankees have claimed outfielder Bubba Thompson off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds. It's the second time he's been claimed this offseason as the Reds claimed him from the Texas Rangers but recently designated him for assignment after they re-signed reliever Buck Farmer. The former first-round pick has appeared in the big leagues […]

Brett Phillips Inks Minors Deal With White Sox

The Chicago White Sox have signed outfielder Brett Phillips to a minor-league deal. The deal will pay the veteran $1.2 million if he makes the big-league team. The 29-year-old had his best season at the plate in the 2021 season with the Rays but is coming off a pair of dismal campaigns with the Orioles […]

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 […]

Mets Sign Harrison Bader

The New York Mets signed free-agent outfielder Harrison Bader to a one-year deal for approximately $10 million, according to a source. The Mets have been looking for help in the outfield this offseason, and Bader should immediately slot in as their primary center fielder in 2024, which will allow Brandon Nimmo to slide over to […]

Chris Sale Traded to the Braves: Fantasy Baseball Outlook

Over the weekend, Chris Sale was traded to the Atlanta Braves, and infielder Vaughn Grissom was shipped off to the Boston Red Sox. The Braves, as with every major league team, needed some pitching help after a dominant 2023 came to a quick halt in the playoffs. The team is built to win now and […]

Starling Marte Begins Winter League Play

New York Mets outfielder Starling Marte (groin) is hitting second and playing right field on Wednesday in his first winter ball game for the Leones del Escogido in the Dominican Republic. It was another injury-filled year for Marte in 2023, but it's a good sign that he's already playing in games this offseason. The 35-year-old […]

Starling Marte Likely To Play Winter Ball

After missing significant time in 2023, New York Mets outfielder Starling Marte (groin) is likely to play winter ball in the Dominican Republic after New Year's Day, according to people briefed on the matter. However, nothing has been firmly established regarding Marte's offseason plans, and it's unclear how much action he'll see if he actually […]

Padres Prefer To Keep Fernando Tatis Jr. In Right Field

The San Diego Padres would like to keep outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr.'s Platinum Glove in right field in 2024, but they haven't ruled out the possibility of moving him over to center field after trading both Juan Soto and Trent Grisham to the New York Yankees this offseason. Most of the potential outfield trade candidates […]

Derek Hill Signs Minors Pact With Rangers

Free-agent outfielder Derek Hill has signed a minor-league deal with the Texas Rangers. The former first-round pick of the Detroit Tigers hasn't been able to maintain a job at the MLB level, as he has just 108 big-league games under his belt. In that time, he has hit .229 with four home runs and 10 […]

Giants Still Looking To Add Big Names In Free Agency

The San Francisco Giants missed out on Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in free agency, both of whom ended up with the rival Dodgers, but they remain interested in some of the biggest names available such as Blake Snell, Cody Bellinger, and Matt Chapman. The club did ink Korean outfielder Jung Hoo Lee this winter […]

Way Too Early 2024 MLB Rookie of the Year Favorites

The temperature outside is near freezing here in the Northeast, there's a warm glow in the fireplace, and the ball that draws 2023 to a close has yet to drop in Times Square. So, you know what that means... it's the perfect time to speculate who will take home MLB Rookie of the Year in […]

Rangers Sign Diego Castillo, Andrew Knapp, Others

The Texas Rangers signed free-agent right-handers Diego Castillo, Jesus Tinoco and Gerardo Carrillo, outfielders Sandro Fabian, Elier Hernandez and Derek Hill, and catcher Andrew Knapp to minor-league deals with invitations to major-league spring training on Wednesday. Castillo, 29, allowed six earned runs in just 8 2/3 relief innings for the Seattle Mariners this year, but […]

Reds Sign Conner Capel To Minor-League Deal

The Cincinnati Reds signed free-agent outfielder Conner Capel to a minor-league deal on Tuesday that includes an invitation to major-league camp in spring training. Capel will give the Reds some minor-league depth heading into the 2024 season. The 26-year-old played in 32 games for the Oakland Athletics last season, going 19-for-73 (.260) with no home […]

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 […]