Yankees Claim Matt Gage Off Waivers

The New York Yankees have claimed reliever Matt Gage off waivers from the Houston Astros. Gage had been designated for assignment by Houston after Josh Haders' historic five-year contract became official. The left-handed Gage debuted with 1.38 ERA ball across 13 innings with the Blue Jays in 2022 before appearing in just five games for... Read More

Alex Wood Agrees With A's

Free-agent left-hander Alex Wood agreed to an undisclosed deal with the Oakland Athletics on Saturday, pending a physical, according to sources familiar with the deal. The 33-year-old veteran southpaw should be a part of Oakland's starting rotation to open the 2024 campaign after he went 5-5 with a 4.33 ERA (4.47 FIP), 1.43 WHIP, 42... Read More

Adam Ottavino Re-Signs With Mets

Free-agent relief pitcher Adam Ottavino and the New York Mets agreed to a one-year, $4.5 million deal, pending a physical, on Saturday. Ottavino became a free agent this offseason after declining a $6.75 million player option, with $4 million of it being deferred. The 38-year-old veteran will return on a cheaper deal and will return... Read More

Fantasy Baseball Outlooks For Rhys Hoskins, Robert Stephenson, Aroldis Chapman, James Paxton - MLB Signings Analysis

There has been a host of significant free-agent signings over the last few days with the MLB offseason nearing its end before pitchers and catchers report to spring training. Rhys Hoskins, Robert Stephenson, Aroldis Chapman, and James Paxton all found new homes for the 2024 season of late. Each club certainly improves with their respective... Read More

Elvis Alvarado Signs Minors Deal With Marlins

Free-agent right-hander Elvis Alvarado, who was in big-league camp with the Detroit Tigers last spring as a non-roster invitee, signed a minor-league deal with the Miami Marlins on Saturday. The Tigers originally acquired Alvarado in the minor-league portion of the Rule 5 draft. The 24-year-old Dominican hurler has yet to make his major-league debut and... Read More

Matt Festa Signs With Padres

Free-agent right-hander Matt Festa signed a minor-league deal with the San Diego Padres on Friday that includes an invitation to major-league spring training. Festa comes over to the Friars after parts of four seasons with the Seattle Mariners. In 2023, he threw nine relief innings and gave up four earned runs on four hits (one... Read More

Top Fantasy Baseball Pitcher Prospects - 2024 Draft Targets and Sleepers

In fantasy baseball redraft leagues, each draft pick is expected to provide results immediately, as many formats don’t offer minor league slots to stash fantasy baseball prospects who will emerge in the summer. It’s a lot harder to predict the immediate impact of starting pitching prospects as opposed to hitters for a plethora of reasons.... Read More

Ross Stripling Working On New Pitch

San Francisco Giants right-hander Ross Stripling is working on a new pitch for the 2024 season -- the deathball, which is a type of gyro slider that is designed to drop late. The pitch looked filthy while Stripling was throwing it live on Thursday while he worked out north of Houston. Stripling said he's looking... Read More

Hector Neris, Cubs Agree To One-Year Deal

Free-agent right-handed reliever Hector Neris and the Chicago Cubs are in agreement on a one-year, $9 million contract that includes an option for the 2025 season, according to a source familiar with the deal. The $9 million team option converts to a player option at 60 games. The total maximum value of the deal with... Read More

2024 Fantasy Baseball Closers and Saves: Bullpen Draft Strategies and Late-Round Targets

As we prepare to navigate another busy fantasy baseball season of drafting, which is the best season we have all year, we need to contemplate how we will tackle the stickiest wicket in fantasy baseball: saves. How we value relief pitchers has changed throughout the last few seasons. We know that relief pitchers are throwing... Read More

Where Does Matt Moore Fit With The Angels? Fantasy Baseball Outlook

The Los Angeles Angels have made a number of notable additions to their bullpen this winter, one of which is left-hander Matt Moore, who has inked a one-year, $9 million pact to play on the West Coast in 2024. Moore lands a nice one-year guarantee after resurrecting his career over the last two seasons. It's... Read More

Orioles View DL Hall As A Starter Long-Term

Baltimore Orioles general manager Mike Elias said that the team views left-hander DL Hall as a starting pitcher in the long-term. Elias said that Hall could remain in the bullpen in 2024, depending on how spring training goes, before he's eventually stretched out over the next year. There's also a possibility that Hall is stretched... Read More

Cubs, Red Sox Express Interest In Ryne Stanek

The Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox are two big-market teams that have expressed interest in veteran free-agent reliever Ryne Stanek this winter. In his third season for the Houston Astros and seventh overall in the big leagues, Stanek had a 4.09 ERA (4.60 FIP), 1.24 WHIP, 21 walks and 51 strikeouts in 50 2/3... Read More

Dillon Tate Looking Healthy Ahead Of Spring Training

Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said he saw right-hander Dillon Tate (forearm) in Sarasota, Florida, a few days ago and said Tate looks "unbelievable" and healthy. The skipper is hoping that Tate will be a contributor again in 2024 after a forearm injury kept him out for the entire 2023 season. Barring a setback, the... Read More

Giants Sign Tommy Romero To Minor-League Deal

The San Francisco Giants signed free-agent right-hander Tommy Romero to a minor-league deal on Thursday. Romero made his major-league debut in 2022 with the Tampa Bay Rays and also saw action with the Washington Nationals, allowing 12 runs (10 earned) on 11 hits (seven home runs) while walking nine and striking out seven in 8... Read More

Rockies Sign John Curtiss To Minors Deal

The Colorado Rockies signed free-agent reliever John Curtiss to a minor-league deal with an invitation to big-league spring training on Thursday, according to a source. Curtiss is expected to be ready for the start of the 2024 season after having arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow last August. Before his injury, the 30-year-old right-hander allowed... Read More

Carl Edwards Jr., Cubs Agree On Minor-League Deal

Free-agent relief pitcher Carl Edwards Jr. and the Chicago Cubs agreed to a minor-league deal on Friday, according to a source familiar with the deal. Edwards had a 3.69 ERA in 31 2/3 innings with the Washington Nationals last season. His deal with the Cubs includes an invitation to spring training. Edwards will be reuniting... Read More

William Smith The Leading Candidate To Close For Royals

At the moment, Kansas City Royals left-hander William Smith is the team's leading candidate to open the 2024 season as the closer after they signed him to a one-year, $5 million contract early in free agency. Smith, who turns 35 years old in July, has won three straight World Series titles with three different teams.... Read More

Josh Rogers Signs Minors Deal With Rockies

The Colorado Rockies have signed pitcher Josh Rogers to a minor-league deal. The 29-year-old didn't appear in the big leagues in the 2023 season but rather spent the campaign with Triple-A Albuquerque in the Rockies organization. He made 30 appearances (13 starts) for the Isotopes but struggled mightily to an 8.02 ERA (and 7.82 FIP)... Read More

Josh James Signs Minors Deal With Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals have signed right-hander Josh James to a minor-league deal. The deal presumably comes with an invite to big-league spring training, although not yet confirmed. Once a highly-touted young arm with the Astros, the now-30-year-old's career has been decimated by injury, most recently flexor tendon surgery that cost him all of last... Read More

Does Robert Stephenson Move the Needle for the Angels? Fantasy Baseball Outlook

The Los Angeles Angels have been dealt their fair share of body blows in recent years, some of which have been self-inflicted. Mike Trout continues to be injury-prone, their sizeable investment in former Nationals superstar Anthony Rendon has yielded 200 fruitless games in four seasons, and their decision to hold onto now-Dodger Shohei Ohtani through... Read More

Closers and Relief Pitcher Fantasy Baseball Rankings and Tiers - Roto Leagues (January Updates)

Hey, RotoBallers! We are back with more fantasy baseball rankings. Today, we will look at our MLB team's early 2024 fantasy baseball closer and relief pitcher rankings and tiers for 5x5 mixed roto leagues. Saves are one of the most volatile categories in fantasy baseball. However, the good news is that many teams have a clear... Read More

David Robertson Inks One-Year Deal With Rangers

Free-agent reliever David Robertson has signed a one-year deal in the $11-12 million range with the reigning World Series champion Texas Rangers. The veteran signed a one-year deal with the Mets prior to the 2023 season and wound up tossing a tidy 2.05 ERA across 40 appearances with the club. However, Robertson was part of... Read More

Royals In Search Of A Closer

The Kansas City Royals are in search of a high-leverage pitcher to close out games for the club in the 2024 season. With the free-agent market devoid of quality closing options, the Royals have turned to the trade market to address their need. The club has signed relievers Will Smith and Chris Stratton this offseason... Read More

Ronald Guzman Signs Minors Deal With Orioles

Free agent first baseman/pitcher Ronald Guzman has signed a minor-league deal with the Baltimore Orioles. The 29-year-old declared last offseason he was attempting to transition into a two-way player but that plan was put on hold when he injured his forearm after throwing a pitch in a spring training game with the San Francisco Giants... Read More

Michael Lorenzen Being Eyed By The Orioles

Free-agent right-hander Michael Lorenzen is receiving interest from the Baltimore Orioles as the club remains active in the starting pitching market. Lorenzen split the 2023 season between the Tigers and Phillies, making his first career All-Star appearance. He worked to a solid 3.58 ERA in 18 starts with the Tigers but struggled to a 5.51... Read More

Pitcher BABIP: Using Sabermetrics for 2024 Fantasy Baseball

While FIP is a useful tool to predict a pitcher's future ERA performance, fantasy managers should remember that ERA, not FIP, is what matters in most formats. This means that we are interested in the "luck" that separates the two statistics. While some of this luck is unpredictable, we can and should predict some of... Read More

Where Does Aroldis Chapman Fit With The Pirates? Fantasy Baseball Outlook

The Pittsburgh Pirates have added a high-octane arm to their relief corps as they have signed veteran big leaguer Aroldis Chapman to a one-year, $10.5 million pact for the 2024 campaign. This marks the southpaw's sixth different organization in the big leagues as he has spent time with the Reds, Yankees (twice), Cubs, Royals, and... Read More

Who Is The Astros Closer? Fantasy Baseball Saves Outlooks

Heading into the 2024 offseason, the Houston Astros bullpen did not seem like a crew that needed a massive overhaul. While Hector Neris, Phil Maton, and Ryne Stanek hit free agency, the steady hand of closer Ryan Pressly and the breakout of 26-year-old reliever Bryan Abreu meant that only low-end additions were likely. But the... Read More

Tigers Sign Drew Anderson To Minor-League Deal

The Detroit Tigers signed free-agent right-hander Drew Anderson to a minor-league deal on Wednesday. Anderson, who turns 30 years old in March, spent the last two seasons pitching overseas in Japan. He's pitched in the big leagues for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox and Texas Rangers. In his five years in the big leagues... Read More