White Sox Extend Aaron Bummer

The Chicago White Sox have signed relief pitcher Aaron Bummer to a five-year, $16 million contract extension. The extension also has two club options and can reach $31 million. Bummer was very useful out of the White Sox bullpen last year and threw to a 2.13 ERA with 60 strikeouts in 67 2/3 innings. Bummer […]

Kenley Jansen Working On Slider In Camp

Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen threw a bullpen session on Friday with Rick Honeycutt, Orel Hershiser and Joel Peralta in order to work on his slider. Jansen said he worked on his cutter and two-seamer in the offseason, but he said he needs to devote some time to improving his slider. Jansen had a […]

Phillies Avoid Arbitration With Hector Neris

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Hector Neris agreed to a $4.6 million deal to avoid arbitration. The deal includes a $7 million team option for 2021 which would have been Neris' final year of arbitration eligibility before free agency. Neris had a career-year last season posting 28 saves with a 1.02 WHIP which were backed up […]

Michel Baez Ready To Start Despite Long Odds

San Diego Padres pitcher Michel Baez is building up as a starter this spring training. Amongst a crowded group, Baez is likely seventh in line for the rotation behind Cal Quantrill, but the Friars believe he fits the bill. The 24-year-old prospect debuted in 2019 to a 3.03 ERA (4.36 FIP) and 8.5 K/9 in […]

Archie Bradley Wins Arbitration, Remains Buy-Low Candidate

Arizona Diamondbacks closer Archie Bradley won his arbitration case against the Diamondbacks and is set to earn $4.1 million this year. He took over as the closer halfway through the season in 2019 and saved 18 games. The Diamondbacks are sporting an improved lineup and should be in line for an increase in wins, which means […]

Jeurys Familia Sharp In Live Bullpen Session

New York Mets relief pitcher Jeurys Familia impressed during a live bullpen session on Thursday. He reportedly induced swings and misses and weak contact from Peter Alonso, Jeff McNeil and Dominic Smith. Familia is coming off of a horrific 2019 campaign in which he posted a 5.70 ERA, a 1.73 WHIP and 63 strikeouts in 60 […]

Ty Buttrey Expected To Be Ready For Opening Day

Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Ty Buttrey (oblique) played catch on Thursday and threw at around 60-70 percent intensity and "felt good, no pain, throwing." Buttrey had an MRI exam less than week ago on his oblique, but he's expected to be ready by Opening Day as the primary eighth-inning setup man for Hansel Robles. […]

Keone Kela To Face Hitters Thursday

Pittsburgh Pirates closer Keone Kela (illness) is scheduled to face live hitters on Thursday after missing his first live batting practice session due to a viral infection. The Pirates have named Kela their ninth-inning closer heading into the 2020 season after he posted a very nice 2.12 ERA and 1.01 WHIP with one save in […]

Matt Magill Dealing With Shoulder Discomfort

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Matt Magill (shoulder) is being held back after feeling shoulder discomfort prior to camp. However, Magill said the injury is minor and he threw a bullpen session on Tuesday without issues. The right-hander finished 2019 as the team's closer and is a leading candidate for the same role this season. Barring […]

Second Year Pitcher Preview: Fantasy Baseball 2020 ADP Analysis

Host Anthony Aniano of RotoBaller Radio discuss the 2020 fantasy baseball season and keeps you updated with all the latest news and analysis Be sure to tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (channel Sirius 210, XM 87) - every weekday morning between 6-7 AM ET, every weekday afternoon from 1-2 PM ET, Saturday nights from 9-11 PM ET […]

Relief Pitchers to Target for Holds

Hold on... there are fantasy leagues that reward middle relievers, not just starters and closers? Yes, there are, and leagues that reward holds are one of the fastest-growing segments of fantasy baseball as real baseball continues to diminish the role of the starter in favor of building deep bullpens with multiple relievers that throw 95+ […]

Sergio Romo Resumes Throwing

Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Sergio Romo (shoulder) is throwing a bullpen session on Wednesday after tweaking his non-throwing shoulder earlier in the week. He remains on track to be ready for the start of the season and won't need much time to get his arm ready for a setup role in his first full season […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball: Spin Rate

Spin rate has become one of the most recognizable Statcast metrics, with supporters of a given pitcher highlighting his spin rates to make their case. Unfortunately, the baseball world has done a lousy job conveying what spin rate really means. The result has been a ton of owners who know that spin rate exists, but […]

Alex Reyes Being Stretched Out As Starter

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Alex Reyes is on a starter's workload this spring and impressed during live batting practice on Monday. With Miles Mikolas (elbow) expected to miss the start of the regular season, Reyes, along with John Gant, Ryan Helsley, Genesis Cabrera, Daniel Poncedeleon and Austin Gomber, will be looking to win the No. […]

Seth Lugo Has Small Fracture On Toe

New York Mets pitcher Seth Lugo (toe) has a small fracture on his left pinkie toe, but it's "no major concern," according to manager Luis Rojas. Lugo will take around three days off from throwing. It looks like this isn't an injury that will keep the 30-year-old out for the start of the regular season. […]

Bases Loaded Podcast - Relief Pitchers Preview

Mike Kurland (@Mike_Kurland) is joined by Jorge Montanez, Zach Braff and Mike Simione as they jump into their relief pitcher preview! Subscribe to the Bases Loaded podcast, part of RotoBaller Radio's Podcast Network. Like and Subscribe to the RotoBaller channel on Youtube to get all our latest podcasts and catch us on iTunes and BlogTalkRadio as well! […]

Keone Kela Dealing With Viral Infection

Pittsburgh Pirates closer Keone Kela (illness) didn't throw his scheduled live batting practice session on Tuesday because he's dealing with a viral infection. It's something that shouldn't keep Kela out for long. The 26-year-old (27 in April) right-hander will open the year as the team's ninth-inning man after posting an excellent 2.12 ERA, 1.01 WHIP […]

Four Prospect Sleepers for 2020 Redraft Leagues

Recently, Rotoballer launched a list of the Top 50 MLB prospects for the coming year. The top of the list was populated by names such as Gavin Lux, Luis Robert, and Brendan McKay. These players, among others, feature a promising combination of talent and favorable playing time projections to suggest they’ll be the cream-of-the-crop among […]

Francis Martes Suspended 162 Games

Houston Astros pitcher Francis Martes was suspended for 162 games without pay after testing positive for Boldenone, a performance-enhancing drug. Martes was suspended for a similar offense last March, so he'll miss the entire 2020 season for his second violation. The 24-year-old Dominican last pitched in the big leagues in 2017, making 32 appearances (four […]

Jake Cronenworth Offers Two-Way Abilities

San Diego Padres infielder/pitcher Jake Cronenworth will work primarily as a fielder this spring training. Cronenworth, who joined the Friars along with outfielder Tommy Pham from the Tampa Bay Rays this offseason, is competing for a roster spots among a deep crew of infielders. The 26-year-old posted a .949 OPS with 10 homers and 12 steals […]

Brian Snitker, Alex Anthopoulos Receive Extensions

The Atlanta Braves extended the contracts of manager Brian Snitker and general manager Alex Anthopoulos on Monday. Anthopoulos will be promoted to the team's president of baseball operations, and his contract is extended through 2024. Snitker and his coaching staff are now extended through the 2021 season. Snitker, 64, is 318-292 in three full seasons […]

How to Attack RP in SV+HLD Leagues

No position has seen as much evolution in recent seasons as the relief pitcher. Gone are the days where starters were expected to go seven innings as most teams have embraced the idea of "super-bullpening" and try to fit as many pitchers that can throw 95+ MPH into their bullpen as they can. Many fantasy […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball: Pitch Info

One of the most fundamental questions in fantasy sports is if a player's current performance is sustainable. More than any other sport, baseball has a slew of statistical measures that can be dissected in numerous ways to analyze player performance. Pitch Info is a publicly-available pitch tracking system that provides a lot of different data to […]

Sergio Romo Has Minor Shoulder Strain

Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Sergio Romo (shoulder) will be limited in camp the next few days with "the most minor of minor left shoulder strains," according to manager Rocco Baldelli. Romo should be back on the field soon. The veteran reliever had a 3.43 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 20 saves and 60 strikeouts in 60 1/3 […]

Ty Buttrey Tweaks Intercostal Muscle

Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Ty Buttrey (intercostal) tweaked an intercostal muscle and will be slowed down in camp for a couple of weeks. However, manager Joe Maddon still expects Buttrey to be ready for Opening Day. Relievers don't need as much time to get ramped up for the regular season, so Buttrey might not […]

Tony Watson Not The Official Closer

San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Tony Watson is the most experienced arm for the late innings with Will Smith now in Atlanta, but the Giants might start the year without naming a specific closer. New manager Gabe Kapler won't commit to using a traditional ninth-inning closer, but Watson should be seen as the favorite. He […]

Mychal Givens Under The Weather

Baltimore Orioles closer Mychal Givens (illness) will miss his bullpen session on Saturday due to an illness. Reliever Hunter Harvey is also sidelined with an illness to start the weekend. Givens was Baltimore's primary closer in 2019 and had a rough 4.57 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 11 saves while striking out 86 in 63 innings. […]

Mock Draft Review: Best Late-Round Targets

Last week, some members of the RotoBaller staff completed a 12-team mock draft for standard 5x5 format. After the draft, we each broke down our strategy and some of our favorite picks, which can be found here. However, I want to take a closer look at one portion of the draft in particular. Since we know that […]

James Karinchak Is A Relief Pitcher To Know in 2020

One of the lesser-known players that intrigues me for the 2020 MLB season is Indians relief pitcher James Karinchak. The former Bryant Bulldog was drafted by Cleveland in the ninth round in the 2017 draft and went on to have one of the most outrageous statistical seasons in minor league baseball history. As someone who […]

2020 Relief Pitcher Rankings - H2H Points Leagues

Often regarded as an inferior fantasy baseball format, points leagues offer a different style of boasting over your friends or coworkers similar to that of fantasy football. These setups are typically head-to-head formats for a one-week stretch where the player with the most points gets a win. Easy right? While it's true that roster construction […]