Phillies Acquire Jose Alvarado In Three-Team Trade

The Philadelphia Phillies acquired left-handed relief pitcher Jose Alvarado in a three-team trade on Tuesday involving the Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Dodgers. The Rays sent Alvarado to the Phillies, the Phillies sent left-hander Garrett Cleavinger to the Dodgers and the Dodgers sent infielder Dillon Paulson and a player to be named to the […]

Red Sox Sign Matt Andriese

The Boston Red Sox agreed to a one-year deal with right-handed pitcher Matt Andriese on Wednesday. The deal includes a team option for the 2022 season. In addition, Boston claimed catcher Deivy Grullon off waivers from the Reds. Andriese made 16 appearances (one start) for the Angels in 2020 and had a 4.50 ERA, 1.00 […]

Dodgers Agree With Tommy Kahnle

The Los Angeles Dodgers agreed to a two-year deal with reliever Tommy Kahnle (elbow) on Wednesday, according to a source. Kahnle will receive $750,000 in 2021, $3.45 million in 2022 and a $550,000 signing bonus. The deal includes $750,000 in performance bonuses in 2022. The right-hander had Tommy John surgery in August while with the […]

Sam Fuld Promoted To General Manager

Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski announced on Tuesday that the team promoted Sam Fuld to general manager. Former GM Matt Klentak was reassigned in October. The 39-year-old Fuld has been in the team's front office since 2017, joining them initially as the major league player information coordinator. He was the director of […]

Giants Sign John Brebbia Monday

The San Francisco Giants signed right-handed reliever John Brebbia (elbow) to a one-year deal on Monday. Financial terms of the deal weren't disclosed. The 30-year-old missed all of the 2020 season after having Tommy John surgery in June. He had a 3.14 ERA in 175 innings with the Cardinals from 2017-19, including a 1.10 WHIP […]

A Year to Forget: Relievers Who'll Rebound in 2021

The 2020 season was so weird, unprecedented, awkward, and chaotic, it might be wise to toss out most of the stats when prepping for your 2021 fantasy drafts. But we are also human, and sometimes getting that bad taste a down season leaves in your mouth can be nearly impossible no matter the circumstances. These […]

Matt Barnes Penciled In As Red Sox Closer

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that relief pitcher Matt Barnes is currently penciled in as the team's closer for the 2021 season. The 30-year-old right-hander had nine saves in 13 tries last year, with most of them coming after the club traded Brandon Workman to the Phillies. "If the season started tomorrow and […]

Cubs Agree With Jonathan Holder

The Chicago Cubs agreed to terms with right-handed pitcher Jonathan Holder on Thursday on a 2021 non-guaranteed contract. The 27-year-old is 10-6 with 14 holds and a 4.38 ERA with 86 earned runs allowed in 176 2/3 innings over 157 major league games in his career, with all but two coming as a reliever. Holder […]

Scott Oberg Playing Catch

Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black said that relief pitcher Scott Oberg (arm) is playing catch again after missing all of the 2020 season due to blood clots in his right arm. "He's slowly picking up the intensity," Black said. "Feel really good about Scotty." Without setbacks, the 30-year-old could be back to full strength by […]

Year-In-Review: Diego Castillo and Nick Anderson

As I created my early 2021 Relief Pitcher rankings, I realized how wide open so many bullpens are right now due to free agency. But there is at least one team that can sleep well knowing the back end of their bullpen is solid as bedrock and that's the Tampa Bay Rays. Diego Castillo and […]

Angels Sign Alex Claudio

The Los Angeles Angels signed left-handed reliever Alex Claudio to a one-year, $1.125 million deal on Wednesday. The 28-year-old had a 3.44 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in 311 appearances for the Rangers and Brewers from 2014 to 2020, recording 217 strikeouts and 78 walks in 311 2/3 innings. Left-handers have hit just .202/.246/.310 against him […]

Reds Closing Job Amir Garrett's To Lose?

Cincinnati Reds left-handed reliever Amir Garrett thinks the 2021 closer job is "mine to lose" after the team traded former closer Raisel Iglesias to the Angels last week. The 28-year-old intends to fill the ninth-inning role, and manager David Bell said that Garrett will be a candidate, along with Lucas Sims and Tejay Antone. Garrett […]

Mariners Acquire Rafael Montero From Rangers

The Seattle Mariners acquired right-handed reliever Rafael Montero from the Texas Rangers on Tuesday in exchange for 17-year-old pitching prospect Jose Corniell and a player to be named later. Montero, 30, was Texas' closer for most of last year with Jose Leclerc (shoulder) making just two appearances. He was 0-1 with a 4.08 ERA. Montero […]

Dusty Baker Unsure If He'll Return Beyond 2021

Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker is unsure if he wants to manage the team beyond the 2021 season. "Maybe," Baker said. "Depends how I feel. Depends on how the team feels about me. ... You never know what changes are going to come about in life." The 71-year-old is entering the final year of his […]

Greg Holland Re-Signs With Royals

The Kansas City Royals re-signed reliever Greg Holland on Monday to a one-year deal worth at least $2.75 million. Holland can make as much as $4.5 million with performance bonuses, according to sources. The 35-year-old went 3-0 with six saves and a nice 1.91 ERA in 28 appearances for the Royals during the shortened 2020 […]

Year-In-Review: Framber Valdez

Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez has been one of the team's many intriguing prospects over the past several seasons. He first got consistent playing time (mostly in relief) in 2019 and put forth poor results with a 4-7 record, 5.86 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, and 20.7% strikeout rate over 70 2/3 inning pitched. He also pitched […]

Biggest Fallers of 2020 – Relief Pitchers

In an abbreviated 60-game season, a large number of relievers previously considered to be lockdown closers or dominant set-up men struggled consistently, ultimately resulting in a negative impact on their fantasy value. As we previously did with RP risers, we will now look at the biggest fallers of the 2020 season as we gear up […]

Dodgers Add Brandon Morrow On Minor League Deal

The Los Angeles Dodgers agreed to a minor league deal with relief pitcher Brandon Morrow on Friday, according to sources. Morrow will be returning to the Blue after pitching for the team in 2017, when he had a nice 2.06 ERA in 45 games while appearing in all seven World Series games later that year. […]

Raisel Iglesias To Angels - Fantasy Impact

The 2020 Winter Meetings may be taking place virtually, but that didn't stop the Los Angeles Angels from addressing one of their biggest needs before some participants could even log on. The Angels acquired former Reds closer Raisel Iglesias who should immediately slot into the ninth-inning that has been a sore spot for the Halos for […]

Daniel Bard Wins NL Comeback Player Of The Year

Colorado Rockies right-hander Daniel Bard was named the National League Comeback Player of the Year on Thursday. Bard returned to the big leagues in 2020 after a six-year hiatus. He had a 1.93 ERA over 73 appearances back in 2010 but began dealing with injuries and mechanical issues in 2012. Bard spent most of the […]

Phillies Finalizing Deal With Dave Dombrowski

The Philadelphia Phillies are finalizing a deal with Dave Dombrowski to take over as their president of baseball operations on Thursday, according to sources. The Phillies signed outfielder Bryce Harper and traded for catcher J.T. Realmuto before the 2019 season, but the team has since finished fourth and third in the National League East. Philly's […]

Giants Agree With Matt Wisler

The San Francisco Giants agreed with right-handed reliever Matt Wisler on a one-year, $1.15 million deal on Tuesday. Wisler was excellent in 2020 with the Twins, recording a 1.07 ERA and 35 strikeouts over 25 1/3 relief innings. He was used as an opener in four games and also picked up one save. Most of […]

Top 250 Dynasty Prospects for 2021

The 2020 baseball season was unlike any year we’ve ever seen with its shortened season and schedule that can perhaps be best described as organized chaos. The absence of a minor league season played havoc with prospect prognosticators. The 2021 season — and perhaps beyond — will continue to present unique challenges as the pandemic […]

Biggest Risers of 2020 – Relief Pitchers

In 2020, we saw a large number of relief pitchers, previously not in the upper tier of fantasy rankings, breakout or bounce back from 2019 decrepitude. Below we will take a look at a few of the biggest relief pitcher risers of the 2020 season as we gear up for 2021 drafts in the spring. […]

Top 50 Fantasy Baseball Redraft Prospects for 2021

The abbreviated, wild-ride known as the 2020 MLB season has come to an end and the playoffs are in full swing. Sadly, that means fantasy baseball seasons are finished. And prospects watchers have turned their attention towards the 2021 season. The 2020 season saw a significant number of key contributions from rookies and, had you […]

Angels Acquire Closer Raisel Iglesias From Reds

The Los Angeles Angels have traded for Cincinnati Reds closer Raisel Iglesias, according to a Twitter post by the Angels. Relief pitcher Noe Ramirez and a player to be named later will head to Cincinnati. Iglesias should immediately slot into the closer role for an Angels team that had five different players earn a save last […]

Nick Mariano's Early 2021 Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Rankings

The 2021 MLB season isn't guaranteed to be normal but I have hope that next spring will be much healthier. As such, I will approach ranks as if a traditional 162-game season is coming. Join me for my position-by-position ranking series for the 2021 fantasy baseball season. How much weight do we give 2020? How […]

Rangers Hire Former Pitcher Chris Young As GM

The Texas Rangers hired Chris Young as executive vice president and general manager on Friday, and he'll work under president of baseball operations Jon Daniels, who has been the team's GM since 2005. The 6-foot-10 Young pitched 13 seasons in the majors and has been the senior vice president in charge of on-field operations and […]

Taylor Rogers Agrees To $6 Million Deal

The Minnesota Twins and closer Taylor Rogers agreed to a one-year, $6 million deal on Thursday, according to multiple reports. Rogers had a 4.05 ERA with nine saves and two blown chances in 21 relief outings during the shortened 2020 season. The southpaw was the team's last arbitration-eligible player. In 2019, the left-hander had 30 […]

Archie Bradley, Brian Goodwin Non-Tendered

The Cincinnati Reds declined to tender contracts to relief pitcher Archie Bradley, outfielder Brian Goodwin, infielder/outfielder Kyle Farmer, catcher Curt Casali and reliever R.J. Alaniz on Wednesday. Farmer was quickly re-signed to a one-year deal. Bradley, 28, was acquired from the Diamondbacks in 2020 and had a 1.17 ERA in six games as a setup […]