NL-Only Deep League Draft Targets

Objectively, deep-league AL or NL-only fantasy baseball is the best format to play this summer. For one, NL-only leagues were the original formats of fantasy baseball. With both an expanded and limited player pool, the unique challenges of balancing depth with team need come to the fore. While this writer might be in the minority, I […]

Brandon Morrow Hopes To Play Catch Early Next Month

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Brandon Morrow (elbow) is hoping to play catch around Feb. 6. Morrow had 22 saves in his first season in Chicago in 2018, but his elbow injury cost him the entire second half of the season, and it looks like he won't be ready for Opening Day in 2019. The right-hander […]

2019 Points League Draft Strategy - Fantasy Baseball

When discussing fantasy baseball. An often neglected-but-entertaining format is the points league. These exist in both cumulative season-long and weekly head-to-head formats. While existential debates about scoring categories and their true depiction of player worth are endless, points leagues arguably get closest to the objective of sabermetrics. Points leagues attempt to define a player’s contribution […]

Cody Allen Will Close For Angels

Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Cody Allen will be the team's closer in 2019, according to general manager Billy Eppler. “He has a history of pitching in big games and big spots," Eppler said. Allen was recently signed to a one-year deal after a disappointing 4.70 ERA and 1.36 WHIP in 2018, although he did […]

Top 420: Points Leagues Tiered Staff Rankings (January)

Welcome back RotoBallers. Today we are here to start looking at points leagues and head-to-head (H2H) formats. In this column, you will find our staff's preliminary 2019 fantasy baseball points league rankings for January and the top 420 players. Over the next few days, we will also be publishing individual tiered rankings analysis columns for each […]

Cody Allen Expected To Sign With Angels

Free-agent relief pitcher Cody Allen is in serious discussions with the Los Angeles Angels on a one-year deal, according to sources. The agreement is believed to be in place and is only pending a physical. With Blake Parker now in Minnesota, Allen could be the favorite to close in Anaheim over options like Ty Buttrey, […]

Yankees Closing In On Adam Ottavino

The New York Yankees are closing in on free-agent relief pitcher Adam Ottavino on Thursday, according to sources. If the agreement is completed, the deal is expected to be in the three-year, $25 million range. Ottavino had an excellent year in 2018 and was Colorado's best reliever, posting a 2.43 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, six saves […]

Alex Reyes Making Progress In Rehab

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Alex Reyes (elbow, lat) had a light mound session to work on his mechanics on Tuesday during the team's instructional league in Florida. “Alex has continued steady progress with his throwing progression,” general manager John Mozeliak shared in an email after Reyes’ workout. “He is utilizing our ‘Pitching and Performance Staff’ […]

2019 Bullpen Outlooks - National League Central

Now that the National League East and all their moves have been covered, it's time to look at the NL Central and discuss the lack of movement in that division. Several teams in the NL Central could benefit from strengthening their relief corps, yet only one team has made any noise in free agency or […]

AL Rookies to Target in 2019 Mixed Redraft Leagues

As the New Year has finally come, and fantasy football is over, at last, fantasy baseball draft season is right around the corner. With that comes mock drafts, draft previews, ADP analysis, and of course, player recommendations. This article will help owners get ready by looking to the American League All-Star team of rookies to […]

NL Rookies to Target in 2019 Mixed Redraft Leagues

As the New Year has finally come, and fantasy football is over, at last, fantasy baseball draft season is right around the corner. With that comes mock drafts, draft previews, ADP analysis, and of course, player recommendations. This article will help owners get ready by looking to the National League All-Star team of rookies to […]

2019 Relief Pitchers - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings

A tough position to evaluate is that of relief pitchers, as a lot of success for closers comes from success from teams. There are also a lot of bullpens by committee these days, further stifling the value of closers. That being said, only four of the pitchers that ranked in the top-10 in saves in […]

AL-Only Deeper League Draft Targets

Objectively, deep-league AL or NL-only fantasy baseball is the best format to play this summer. For one, NL-only leagues are the original formats of fantasy baseball. If readers are not into history, the strategy should also convince them to jump in. With both an expanded and limited player pool, the unique challenges of balancing depth […]

Archie Bradley Settles With Diamondbacks

Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Archie Bradley avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to an undisclosed one-year deal. Many pegged Bradley as the favorite for saves in Arizona's bullpen heading into 2018, but that didn't happen and they preferred to use him in a setup role. The hard-throwing righty had a 3.64 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, […]

Dodgers Avoid Arbitration With Chris Taylor, Others

The Los Angeles Dodgers avoided salary arbitration on Friday with infielder/outfielder Chris Taylor, outfielders Kike Hernandez and Joc Pederson and relief pitchers Pedro Baez, Josh Fields and Yimi Garcia by signing them to undisclosed one-year deals. Taylor is the most attractive fantasy piece of the bunch because of his ability to player almost anywhere on […]

Yankees Settle With Dellin Betances

The New York Yankees avoided salary arbitration on Friday with relief pitcher Dellin Betances by signing him to a one-year, $7.125 million deal. Betances is set to become a free agent after the 2019 season, but general manager Brian Cashman has expressed interest in entering extension talks at some point. The hard-throwing right-hander posted a […]

Astros Avoid Arbitration With Roberto Osuna, Others

The Houston Astros avoided salary arbitration on Friday with relief pitchers Roberto Osuna, Brad Peacock, Will Harris and Ryan Pressly, starting pitcher Collin McHugh and outfielder Jake Marisnick by signing them to undisclosed one-year deals. Osuna served a suspension in the middle of the 2018 season and was then traded to the Astros, where he […]

O's Avoid Arbitration With Three Players

The Baltimore Orioles avoided salary arbitration on Friday with starting pitcher Dylan Bundy, relief pitcher Mychal Givens and infielder Jonathan Villar by signing them to undisclosed one-year deals. Villar was proving to be a bust in 2018 with the Brewers before he was traded to the Orioles, where he flourished in 54 games by hitting […]

Alex Colome Gets $7.325 Million From White Sox

Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Alex Colome avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $7.325 million deal. Colome split his 2018 season with the Rays and Mariners and had a 3.04 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 9.5 K/9 and 12 saves, with 11 of them coming in Tampa early in the season. He posted […]

Kirby Yates Settles With Padres

San Diego Padres closer Kirby Yates avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $3.062 million deal, according to a source. Yates will enter 2019 as the Friars closer, but he's merely a low-end fantasy closing option on a team that is perennially near the bottom of the National League West. The right-hander […]

Will Smith Earns $4.225 Million For 2019

San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Will Smith avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $4.225 million deal. Smith was one of the team's most reliable late-inning relievers last season, posting a shiny 2.55 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 71 strikeouts in 53 innings and 14 saves. The southpaw is likely to enter the 2019 […]

Ken Giles Gets $6.3 Million From Toronto

Toronto Blue Jays closer Ken Giles avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $6.3 million deal. Giles had a rough 2018 season. He posted a 4.65 ERA and 1.21 WHIP with Houston before being traded to the Blue Jays midseason. He was slightly better in Toronto and saved 26 games total between […]

Dan Winkler Gets A Raise

Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Dan Winkler avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $1.61 million deal, according to a source. Winkler was a huge high-leverage asset for Atlanta last year, posting a 3.43 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 69 K's in 60 1/3 innings with two saves. While he won't be drafted in […]

Corey Knebel Avoids Arbitration

Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Corey Knebel avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $5.125 million deal, according to sources. Knebel's 2018 season wasn't as fruitful as 2017, as he dealt with an injury and even spent time in the minors. But he bounced back late in the year and looked like his […]

Arodys Vizcaino Avoids Arbitration

Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Arodys Vizcaino avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $4.8 million deal, according to sources. Injuries limited Vizcaino to just 38 1/3 innings last season, but he was solid when on the field, posting a 2.11 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, career-high 16 saves and a 9.4 K/9. The right-hander […]

2019 Bullpen Outlooks - National League East

Last year's Bullpen Outlook got started with the American League, so let's take the National League on first this time around. Some signings and trades have made a splash in the bullpens of the NL East, and there may still be more to come. With some top free agent closers and setup men still looking […]

Red Sox Settle With Steven Wright

The Boston Red Sox avoided salary arbitration with pitcher Steven Wright by signing him to a one-year, $1.375 million deal. Knee issues limited the knuckleballer to only 53 2/3 innings (four starts) for the BoSox in 2018, but he was great when on the mound (2.68 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 7.0 K/9). He doesn't strike many […]

Shane Greene Avoids Salary Arbitration

Detroit Tigers closer Shane Greene avoided salary arbitration on Thursday by agreeing to a one-year, $4 million deal, according to sources. Although Greene managed to close out 32 games for the rebuilding Tigers in 2018, he was one of the worst fantasy closers due to his bloated 5.12 ERA and 1.37 WHIP despite his 65 […]

David Robertson to the Phillies - Fantasy Impact

David Robertson became one of the highest-paid relievers this offseason after negotiating a two-year, $23 million deal to join the Philadelphia bullpen. Robertson has long been thought of as one of the top bullpen arms in the game, but recently has dipped in the fantasy world without a clear path to saves after a few […]

Blake Parker Agrees With Twins

The Minnesota Twins are finalizing a one-year deal worth slightly more than $3 million with free-agent relief pitcher Blake Parker on Monday, according to sources. Parker had a 3.26 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 9.5 K/9 and 14 saves in 67 outings for the Angels last year. He should be the favorite to close with his new […]