Getting to Know Yamamoto, Imanaga, Matsui, and Other NPB Pitchers New to MLB
Perhaps never before have so many pitchers made the leap from Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) to MLB as this offseason. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (now with Los Angeles Dodgers) and Shota Imanaga (now with Chicago Cubs) were the big fish, but they were hardly alone as MLB clubs in general seem increasingly eager to sign foreign league... Read More
Bryan Hudson Makes Opening Day Roster
Milwaukee Brewers left-hander Bryan Hudson was told that he's made the team's Opening Day roster out of spring training. Hudson was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers in January and will now open the 2024 season pitching out of Milwaukee's bullpen. The 26-year-old southpaw made his MLB debut last year with the Dodgers and allowed... Read More
Cubs Option Hayden Wesneski To Triple-A
The Chicago Cubs have optioned right-hander Hayden Wesneski to Triple-A Iowa. Jose Cuas and Luke Little have grabbed the final two bullpen spots on the roster while Javier Assad and Jordan Wicks have also made the team. A rough spring did not help Wesneski's chances of cracking the Opening Day roster as he posted a... Read More
Jordan Romano, Erik Swanson To Start On Injured List
Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider said that it's "reasonable to say" that both closer Jordan Romano (elbow) and late-inning reliever Erik Swanson (forearm) will start the season on the injured list. The Blue Jays haven't made any official moves yet, though, because starter Kevin Gausman's (shoulder) status will play into the pitching puzzle. Ideally,... Read More
Clayton Beeter Makes Opening Day Roster
New York Yankees rookie right-hander Clayton Beeter said he was informed that he's made the team's Opening Day roster out of camp. But with Luis Gil earning the No. 5 starting rotation spot to open the year, Beeter will open his first MLB campaign pitching out of New York's bullpen as a long reliever, which... Read More
Jesse Chavez Inks Minor League Deal With Braves
The Atlanta Braves have signed pitcher Jesse Chavez to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. The 40-year-old journeyman spent last season in Atlanta, but was recently cut by the Chicago White Sox after a tough time in the Cactus League this spring. Despite his rough numbers with the White Sox this... Read More
Late-Round Closer and Relief Pitcher (RP) Fantasy Baseball Draft Values and Targets In 2024
Welcome to our late-round closers and relievers article for 2024 fantasy baseball drafts! Late-round picks in fantasy baseball can often be the difference between a mediocre team and a championship contender. While it's easy to get caught up in the excitement of selecting big-name players early in the draft, finding those hidden gems in the... Read More
Colorado Rockies Trade P.J. Poulin To Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers have acquired left-handed pitcher P.J. Poulin from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for cash considerations. Poulin put up a woeful 6.52 ERA and 1.83 WHIP with 39 strikeouts over 49 ⅔ IP last season for Triple-A Albuquerque. The 27-year-old will get out of the tough pitching environment in Albuquerque and hope to... Read More
Jesse Chavez Signing Is Not Official
The Minnesota Twins were reportedly in agreement with relief pitcher Jesse Chavez earlier on Sunday. However, the two sides have not officially agreed on a deal. It sounds like the Twins and Chavez are discussing a one-year contract, but haven't made it official. The 40-year-old is looking to pitch at least one more season in... Read More
Twins Sign Veteran Reliever Jesse Chavez
The Minnesota Twins have signed veteran reliever Jesse Chavez to a one-year big league deal and he will serve in a middle relief role or pitch in matchup-specific opportunities. It will be the 40-year-old's tenth different major league club and 17th season, which is an enviable feat in and of itself. The Twins have lost... Read More
Oakland Athletics Acquire Reliever Austin Adams
The Oakland Athletics have acquired veteran reliever Austin Adams from the New York Mets in exchange for cash considerations. The 32-year-old was added to the Athletics' 40-man roster and in a corresponding move, Trevor Gott was placed on the 60-day IL after it was determined he would need Tommy John surgery. Adams made 24 appearances... Read More
Sean Newcomb To Start The Year On Injured List
Oakland Athletics left-hander Sean Newcomb (knee), who has not pitched since March 20, is experiencing irritation in the left knee that he had surgery on last September, and it will put him on the 15-day injured list to begin the 2024 season. Newcomb had a 3.00 ERA in four Cactus League outings this spring and... Read More
Post-Hype Pitchers Set To Break Out For Fantasy Baseball (2024)
"Post-hype" has become a fancy buzz term across the fantasy industry over the years. Generally speaking, your model post-hype sleeper is a player who once carried high expectations but failed to deliver. These players tend to be in their second or third year, as they either began their careers as much-ballyhooed prospects and initially underperformed,... Read More
ESPN H2H Fantasy Baseball Points League Primer: Bargains and Busts
Many different kinds of fantasy baseball leagues are calling to the wide variety of fantasy baseball players in the world. Analysis is done frequently for those playing in high-stakes leagues, and not for those playing in smaller, perhaps less competitive, leagues. While many fantasy players flock to snake drafts, many folks still play in points... Read More
AL-Only League Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 375 for March Drafts
Hello RotoBallers! One of the biggest fantasy draft weekends of the year has officially arrived. Opening Day is Thursday and less than a week away. It's go time! For fantasy managers who still play in old-school leagues such as AL-only or NL-only formats, we've got you covered. Today, we will look at our 2024 AL-only... Read More
NL-Only League Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 375 for March Drafts
Hey, RotoBallers! We are back with more fantasy baseball rankings. The fantasy baseball offseason is in full swing, and we will constantly update rankings and articles until Opening Day. We recently published our AL-Only rankings article; now it's time to focus on the National League. For fantasy managers who still play in these old-school formats, we've... Read More
Top 10 Starting Pitcher Prospect Rankings For Dynasty Fantasy Baseball (2024)
The term "there is no such thing as a pitching prospect" gets thrown around a lot, sometimes jokingly, but sometimes seriously. I'm here to say that TINSTAAP is a myth. Yes, pitching prospects are more risky than hitting prospects and we're seeing more and more young arms need some sort of surgery early in their... Read More
Is Jordan Romano Healthy Or Injured? Fantasy Baseball Injury Update
Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Jordan Romano has been one of the top closers in baseball over the past few years. He is coming off back-to-back 36 save seasons and has the fourth most saves (95) since the start of the 2021 season. That makes Romano one of the better closer options in fantasy this... Read More
Points Leagues Targets for Fantasy Baseball - Hitters and Pitchers to Draft (2024)
This premium article is part of our 2024 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit and a free sample of the expert analysis loaded up in RotoBaller's Draft Kit. Enjoy this premium article for free for a limited time. All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. We all strive to do a better job... Read More
Kyle Finnegan Feels Great After Thursday's Outing
Washington Nationals right-handed reliever Kyle Finnegan (back) returned to the mound on Thursday in a Grapefruit League game after a nine-day layoff due to lower-back tightness. He took a comebacker off his right foot in the top of the seventh inning, but it ended up being harmless. "Physically I felt great," Finnegan said. "I would've... Read More
Jordan Romano Expected To Play Catch Saturday
Toronto Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano (elbow) is expected to start playing catch in camp on Saturday. Meanwhile, fellow reliever Erik Swanson (forearm) played catch on Friday for the second consecutive day. The Blue Jays plan to wait until the end of spring training early next week before making a final decision on both relievers'... Read More
Sixto Sanchez Makes Roster In Relief Role
Miami Marlins right-hander Sixto Sanchez will be on the team's Opening Day roster, according to manager Skip Schumaker. Sanchez hasn't pitched in the big leagues since the shortened 2020 season due to multiple shoulder injuries, so the fact that he will even start in the big leagues is a modest surprise for the Fish. The... Read More
Trevor Gott To Undergo Tommy John Surgery
Oakland A's reliever Trevor Gott (elbow) is set to undergo Tommy John surgery after being diagnosed with a full torn UCL in his right elbow. The 31-year-old will miss all of the 2024 season and likely a good chunk of the 2025 campaign, as well. Gott split the 2023 season between the Mets and Mariners,... Read More
CBS Undervalued and Overvalued Picks - Fantasy Baseball ADP Advantages for Drafts
When looking at certain fantasy baseball players' worth, one area to look at is the average draft position (ADP). While you will want to keep your league settings in mind while trying to grasp how other managers are drafting, looking at a player's ADP can give you a hint of where to try to target... Read More
Later-Round Prospects for Fantasy Baseball - Draft Sleepers and Values (2024)
Sleeper is an oft-used phrase in fantasy circles but the value of having one hasn't diminished. When you look back at the end of the season, you'll find the later-round players are more likely to have a larger positive impact than those drafted in the early rounds. And if you identify some before your drafts,... Read More
Jose Alvarado - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values and Sleepers (2024)
BALLER MOVE: Target in drafts ~pick 171 CURRENT ADP: ~183 overall ANALYSIS: Jose Alvarado was awesome last year. He pitched to a 1.74 ERA, 2.82 xERA, and 1.16 WHIP with a 37 percent strikeout rate. The issue is he picked up just 10 saves as he took a backseat to Craig Kimbrel while also missing some time. Kimbrel... Read More
Closers and Saves Bullpen Report for Fantasy Baseball - Late March Edition
We're another week closer to Opening Day (or, in between Opening Days for Dodgers and Padres fans). That means we have our first two official saves of 2024! Besides that, bullpen hierarchies are starting to look much more defined, and injuries are still ravaging pitchers on seemingly every team. In this weird liminal space where... Read More
ADP Champ or Chump: Jose Leclerc, Anthony Santander, and Andres Gimenez
Once a fantasy baseball draft gets going, it's all too easy to fall into the trap of looking at a guy's numbers and trusting that's who he is. In truth, just as many players perform to their 30th or 70th percentiles as their 50th. You can't always believe what you see. Three examples on 2024... Read More
Closers and Relief Pitchers to Bounce Back for 2024 Fantasy Baseball
For the last three seasons, I have written the Bullpen Report here at RotoBaller. If you are unfamiliar, the article follows bullpens throughout the season to not only get ahead of closer changes but to identify those non-full-time closers that can be useful in fantasy baseball. So when this article was up for grabs, it... Read More
Top 170 Relief Pitcher (RP) Fantasy Baseball Rankings - March Updates
Welcome back, RotoBallers, to more fantasy baseball rankings. Saves are one of the most volatile categories in fantasy baseball. Injuries to top fantasy baseball closers, Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Devin Williams and Minnesota Twins right-hander Jhoan Duran, have made the elite relief pitcher pool shrink more, as Josh Hader is the only reliever in the top... Read More