White Sox Close To Hiring Tony La Russa?

The Chicago White Sox could officially name Tony La Russa as their new manager as early as Thursday. La Russa got his start in the big leagues in 1979 with the White Sox, and rumors have been swirling for more than a week that he'd land there. The 76-year-old won three straight American League pennants […]

Sergio Romo's 2021 Option Not Picked Up

The Minnesota Twins declined relief pitcher Sergio Romo's $5 million 2021 option on Wednesday, making him a free agent, according to sources. The Twins will give Romo a $250,000 buyout. The 37-year-old veteran was a key late-inning contributor for Minnesota for a Twins bullpen that was among the best in the American League in 2019 […]

Rays To Be Aggressive With Bullpen Stable

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash said the team will "get aggressive" with their bullpen stable of arms in Game 6 of the World Series against the Dodgers on Tuesday. "If we can somehow get a lead and limit them, we've got some of the big guys in the back end of the bullpen that […]

Rangers To Use Two Pitching Coaches In 2021

The Texas Rangers will use Doug Mathis and Brendan Sagara as co-pitching coaches for the 2021 season, with Mathis working from the dugout and Sagara working out of the bullpen. Former pitching Julio Rangel was let go after two seasons on the job and after Texas pitchers combined for a 5.07 ERA the last two […]

Matt Strahm To Have Knee Surgery

San Diego Padres left-handed pitcher Matt Strahm (knee) will undergo a patellar tendon repair in his right knee. He underwent a similar surgery on his left knee in 2017 when he was with the Royals. Strahm went 0-1 with a 2.61 ERA in 19 outings in his third season with the Friars this year. The […]

Tigers Interview George Lombard, Marcus Thames

The Detroit Tigers have interviewed Dodgers first base coach George Lombard and Yankees hitting coach Marcus Thames, who both previously played for the Tigers, for their managerial opening, according to sources. The two join long-time Tigers coach Lloyd McClendon as candidates who have interviewed for the job. McLendon served as the interim manager following Ron […]

White Sox Interview Tony La Russa

The Chicago White Sox have interviewed Tony La Russa for their managerial opening, and he remains a top candidate in their search, according to two sources. General manager Rick Hahn and executive vice president Kenny Williams each spoke with the 76-year-old. La Russa managed the White Sox from 1979-86 before moving to the Athletics and […]

Dodgers Expected To Go With Bullpen In Game 2

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts wasn't willing to divulge who would start Game 2 of the World Series against the Rays on Wednesday. "It's going to be a bullpen, whatever, kind of game, using various arms," Roberts said. "Who starts that game, I just don't know yet." They'll be opposed by 2018 American League […]

Rays Add Brett Phillips, Ryan Sherriff To World Series Roster

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Brett Phillips and left-handed pitcher Ryan Sherriff have been added to the team's roster for the World Series. Right-hander Aaron Slegers and left-handed reliever Jose Alvarado were subsequently dropped from the roster. Tampa will go with 13 pitchers against the Dodgers, one fewer than they used during the American League Championship […]

Luis Perdomo Undergoes Tommy John Surgery

San Diego Padres pitcher Luis Perdomo (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery last week and will miss the entire 2021 season. The 27-year-old was once a staple in the Friars staff, making 64 appearances (49 starts) across 2016-2017, but struggled to achieve consistency in the majors. Relegated to long relief and mop-up duties in 2020, Perdomo […]

Aaron Boone Will Return As Manager In 2021

New York Yankees managing general partner/co-chairperson Hal Steinbrenner said on Tuesday that manager Aaron Boone will return next season for his fourth year as the Yankees skipper, but also that he was "very disappointed" with the team's inconsistent play in 2020. Boone became the first big-league manager to win 100 or more games in each […]

White Sox Mutually Part Ways With Rick Renteria

The Chicago White Sox mutually agreed to part ways with manager Rick Renteria on Monday. The team also parted ways with pitching coach Don Cooper on Monday. General manager Rick Hahn is looking for something a bit different moving forward as the White Sox move from a rebuilding phase to their goal of winning multiple […]

How I Won Tout Wars

I am extremely fortunate to be able to write an article entitled, “How I Won Tout Wars.” It is truly a humbling experience, and I am both excited and proud to pen today’s words. Including all of the draft preparation that I describe in my aforementioned articles, here a few of the reasons that (I […]

Aroldis Chapman Collects First Postseason Save This Year

New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman picked up a four-out save against the Rays on Thursday, striking out two and allowing one baserunner. Chapman used his slider sparingly on Thursday with his sinker (two pitches) and splitter (one pitch) combining to account for more of his total pitches than his slider (two pitches), but the […]

Yimi Garcia Blows Game 1

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Yimi Garcia blew the game (with an assist from manager Don Mattingly) in Game 1 of the National League Division Series. Garcia got just one out, allowing three runs on three hits. He also allowed two inherited runners to score. Starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara was inexplicably allowed to start the seventh […]

Yankees Add Michael King To Postseason Roster

New York Yankees pitcher Michael King was added to the team’s postseason roster in advance of the ALDS. Used as a reliever and a spot starter during the regular season, King is likely to be used exclusively in relief (if at all) this postseason, and the 25-year-old’s status as an early-relief innings eater makes him […]

Champ or Chump: Year in Review

Now that the 2020 fantasy baseball season has come to a close, it is time to assess your performance. Did you ignore red flags that you wish you hadn't? Was a strong process foiled by unpredictable factors outside of anybody's control? Both of these things are likely true to some extent. The key is to […]

Craig Stammen Serves As Opener For Game 3 Friday

San Diego Padres right-handed pitcher Craig Stammen will open Game 3 of Friday’s wild-card series versus St. Louis. Stammen hasn’t made a start since Aug. 4, 2010, a healthy indicator that he won’t be long for Friday’s contest, with the Padres slated to have an “all hands on deck” approach. The longest that Stammen has […]

Sean Doolittle Posts Message To D.C. Before Free Agency

Washington Nationals left-handed pitcher Sean Doolittle put together a message on Twitter ahead of his impending free agency, thanking fans for their support during his time with the organization. Doolittle battled through injuries in 2020 to post a 5.87 ERA in 11 appearances, losing his closer’s gig early on in the year. But during his […]

Kenley Jansen Continues To Serve As Closer For Game 2

Los Angeles Dodgers right-handed pitcher Kenley Jansen looked a bit out of sorts despite locking down the save in Game 1 of the club’s wild-card series versus Milwaukee on Wednesday. Manager Dave Roberts reiterated before first pitch that Jansen was “absolutely” still the closer should a save situation present itself, which all but reassures that […]

Garrett Crochet Leaves Game 3 With Forearm Tightness

Chicago White Sox left-handed pitcher Garrett Crochet (forearm) was pulled from Game 3 of Thursday’s wild-card series versus Oakland after just nine pitches due to forearm tightness. Crochet struck out both batters that he faced, giving him a combined 6 ⅔ scoreless innings this season with 10 strikeouts. The nature of forearm tightness is never […]

Devin Williams Left Off Brewers Wild-Card Roster

Milwaukee Brewers right-handed reliever Devin Williams has been left off of the Brewers' roster for their wild-card series against the top-seeded Los Angeles Dodgers. He is reportedly dealing with an arm issue. This is a brutal blow to the Brewers and their chances in the postseason. In 2020, Williams broke out to the tune of […]

Framber Valdez Clutch Out Of The Bullpen In Game 1

Houston Astros pitcher Framber Valdez pitched five scoreless innings in relief as the Astros beat the Twins in Game 1 of the wild-card round by a score of 4-1. Starter Zack Greinke walked three hitters in four innings pitched as the Astros turned to Valdez, and the left-hander never looked back. Valdez struck out five […]

Chas McCormick Joins Wild-Card Series Roster, Joe Biagini DFA’d

Houston Astros outfielder Chas McCormick has a chance at making his Major League debut as part of the team’s wild-card series roster versus Minnesota. Ranked as the club’s No. 24 prospect per MLB Pipeline, McCormick has combined to steal 35 bases over the past two years, making him a late game pinch-runner option for manager […]

Garrett Crochet Makes Wild-Card Series Roster

Chicago White Sox left-handed pitcher Garrett Crochet impressed so much over his first five appearances out of relief (eight strikeouts, zero earned runs) that the club chose to add him to their wild-card series roster Tuesday against Oakland. Ranked as the club’s No. 4 prospect per MLB Pipeline, the 21-year-old Crochet could transition to the […]

Shane McClanahan Joins Wild-Card Series Roster

Tampa Bay Rays left-handed pitcher Shane McClanahan was added to the club’s wild-card series roster prior to Game 1 versus Toronto on Tuesday. The club’s No. 6 prospect per MLB Pipeline, McClanahan would not only be making his postseason debut should he appear out of relief, but his major league debut as well. Having averaged […]

Jordan Romano Healthy But Off Wild-Card Series Roster

Toronto Blue Jays right-handed pitcher Jordan Romano (finger) had a breakout 2020 regular season, but even as he was ready to be activated off of the injured list, general manager Ross Atkins determined that Romano needed more work before joining the playoff roster. Romano allowed two earned runs in 14 ⅔ IP, striking out 21 […]

J.B. Wendelken Makes Oakland’s Wild-Card Series Roster

Oakland Athletics right-handed pitcher J.B. Wendelken (undisclosed) has returned off of the injured list to join the club’s wild-card series roster versus the White Sox. Wendelken allowed just five earned runs across 25 innings pitched during the regular season, striking out 31 batters in that stretch. Having become a valued arm at the back of […]

Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox - Yesterday's Recap

Welcome to the September 28th edition of Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox. Discussing baseball is as fun as the game itself. It has a way of bringing people together to share different opinions about the sport we all love. A similar action can be done with fantasy baseball where we not only discuss topics […]

Reviewing Kyle Bishop's 10 Bold Predictions for 2020

My bold predictions for the 2020 season were published on March 4, or roughly a week before everything went to hell. At the time, nobody knew that we'd be left with a 60-game sprint as opposed to the usual marathon of 162. The shortened season obviously changed the calculus a great deal, but it can […]