Archie Bradley in the Mix for Closer Spot in 2018

Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Archie Bradley will compete with Brad Boxberger and Yoshihisa Hirano for the closer role in Arizona. In his first season as a reliever, Bradley posted a 3-3 record with a 1.73 ERA, 74 strikeouts and one save. He spent most of the year as the D-backs most versatile bullpen hand, pitching multiple […]

Indians Sign Stephen Fife

The Cleveland Indians signed pitcher Stephen Fife to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. Fife is 31 and hasn't pitched in a major league game since he underwent Tommy John Surgery in 2014. He spent 2017 with the Marlins organization and with the Seibu Lions in Japan. He's organizational depth, at […]

2018 Early Bullpen Outlooks - American League Central

The American League Central comes second in our series of 2018 Early Bullpen Outlooks. Check out the first of the series, on the American League East, right here. The AL Central doesn't have bullpens with anywhere near the firepower of the AL East, but there are still some solid arms that can contribute to fantasy […]

Fernando Rodney Plans To Pitch For Years To Come

Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Fernando Rodney, who will turn 44 years old this March, thinks he can remain effective for several more years. "If you can control the game, it doesn't matter how old you are," Rodney said. "Closing is the situation in the game that I feel most comfortable. I feel like I can […]

Alex Reyes Enters 2018 Without a Set Role

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Alex Reyes is already in Jupiter, Fla., getting a head start on spring training. The young right-hander is recovering from last year's Tommy John Surgery, and the team has set May 1 as a goal for having him back on the mound. What they have not yet set, though, is […]

2018 Dynasty Baseball Strategy - Discovering Closers

When looking to develop talent in a dynasty league, there are two paths to follow. The first is to select prospects. The depth of your league will determine how far you have to reach into the minors. In a 12-team league, you're probably looking to find the next Fernando Tatis Jr. In a 20-team league, […]

Jon Niese Signs with Rangers

The Texas Rangers signed free-agent relief pitcher Jon Niese to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. The former Yankee and Met will try to resurrect his career after missing all of 2017 due to complications from knee surgery. The 31-year-old Niese is now three full seasons from his last effective campaign in […]

NL Rookies Ready to Leap into Starting Lineups in 2018

Drafting rookies is always a tricky proposition. There are usually several first-year players who make a huge impact on fantasy teams, but they aren't always the ones we expect. Last year's NL rookie class featured studs like Cody Bellinger and Rhys Hoskins, as well as solid producers such as Josh Bell and Ian Happ. On […]

2018 Early Bullpen Outlooks - American League East

Baseball season is almost back, but before that comes fantasy baseball draft season. In this series of articles to be published over the next several weeks, we will look into the bullpens of all 30 teams, taking a look at closers, setup men, and other bullpen arms in the process. Some teams have roles already […]

2018 Relief Pitchers - Early Points League Rankings and Tiers

It's time to round out our early points league rankings with a look at the bullpen. Relief pitcher values will fluctuate greatly throughout the season, so choosing wisely on draft day can save you a lot of grief. Here are the first round of RotoBaller’s 2018 fantasy baseball points league rankings for relief pitcher in the month […]

Brad Hand (RP, SD) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~105 CURRENT ADP: 119 ANALYSIS: Brad Hand followed up a strong 2016 with a fantastic 2017 campaign in which he posted a 2.16 ERA (2.90 xFIP) with 21 saves and a 33.4% K% over 79 1/3 IP. His innings total is likely to go down with a full season in the closer's role, but the […]

Tigers Sign Travis Wood

The Detroit Tigers signed free-agent pitcher Travis Wood to a minor league deal Monday, according to the Tigers. In 39 games (14 starts) for the Royals and Padres in 2017, Wood boasted an ugly 6.80 ERA, 1.73 WHIP and only 65 strikeouts in 94 innings. the soon-to-be 31-year-old southpaw doesn't have much left at the […]

Chris Bassitt, Jesse Hahn Could be Bullpen Pieces in 2018

The Oakland A's are currently stretching out pitcher Chris Bassitt as a starter, but manager Bob Melvin mentioned that both Bassitt and Jesse Hahn could be bullpen options next season. Injuries cost Bassitt all of 2017, but he has been a starter for the majority of his major league career. Hahn made 13 starts for the […]

Felipe Rivero (RP, PIT) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~80 CURRENT ADP: 88 ANALYSIS: Felipe Rivero combined a sparkling 1.67 ERA with a 29.3% K% in 2017, making him among the most valuable relievers in the fantasy game. He did it with a fastball velocity spike (98.5 mph vs. 95.8 mph in 2016) that helped his entire arsenal play up. Rivero threw his fastball for […]

Matt Albers Agrees To Terms With Brewers

Free-agent relief pitcher Matt Albers has agreed to a two-year deal with the Milwaukee Brewers, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Albers, 35, spent last year with the Nationals, where he had a 1.62 ERA in 61 innings and struck out 63 batters. It was the best year of his career, and he was […]

Champ or Chump - Felipe Rivero and Colin Moran

The Milwaukee Brewers bought all of the available outfielders, so let's continue to discuss the Gerrit Cole deal. This column previously concluded that Cole may disappoint owners in Houston, while Joe Musgrove has considerable upside. Both of the articles linked above noted that Pittsburgh's infield defense is superior to Houston's, thanks in part to the […]

Mets Not Expected To Name Closer Before Season

New York Mets manager Mickey Callaway doesn't plan on naming a specific closer in spring training. Relief pitchers Jeurys Familia, AJ Ramos, Anthony Swarzak and Jerry Blevins are all suited for high-leverage situations. "I don't think we're going to name a closer to start the season," Callaway told MLB.com in a telephone interview. "If there […]

Preston Claiborne Signs Minor League Deal With Indians

Right-handed pitcher Preston Claiborne has signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians, which includes an invitation to spring training. Claiborne appeared in just one game last season at the major league level, but he pitched well in Triple-A. In 38 Triple-A appearances, he put up a sparkling 1.89 ERA. The 30-year-old will be […]

2018 Dynasty Baseball Strategy - Basic Asset Valuation

Dynasty baseball is a beautiful thing. In a redraft league, everybody is trying to win now. You all have the same goal. Dynasty formats allow for long-term planning. If your team is competitive, you'll value players differently than a rebuilding owner. This discrepancy makes it much easier to find mutually beneficial trades. Unfortunately, this same […]

2018 Saves Risers and Fallers - What We Learned

For the fourth straight season we have a new No. 1 at the top of the closer leaderboard. Alex Colome concluded the 2017 regular season with 47 saves, six more than the second-place finisher, Kenley Jansen. No one has repeated as the top save-earner since Jim Johnson (2012-2013). As for consistency, Jansen slammed the door shut 41 times […]

Koji Uehara Expects To Play One More Year

Free-agent relief pitcher Koji Uehara said he expects to retire after one more season in 2018, although he's not interested in signing a minor league deal. "I want to play this year, for one more year," the free-agent right-hander said at a baseball clinic in Fukushima. "If I get a contract, I'm more than 90 […]

Champ or Chump - Brad Hand and Gerrit Cole

Pitching is the name of the game in both real life and fantasy baseball. Rostering the wrong arms can put any team into a hole it's difficult to dig out from under, but overpaying for the right ones can leave your team exposed on the offensive side. What's a fantasy owner to do? The best […]

Top 100: MLB Prospect Rankings for Fantasy Baseball

Prospects. For any fantasy baseball enthusiast, it's all about knowing about the prospects, rookies and call-ups. More than any other sport, baseball offers a fresh influx of rookie talent every year, both before and during the MLB season. And adding the right guy at the right time can be a league winner (see Aaron Judge and […]

Top 450: Points Leagues Tiered Staff Rankings (January)

In case you haven't noticed, we've already been cranking out all sorts of 2018 fantasy baseball rankings at RotoBaller HQ. It's only mid-January but you can already find preliminary staff rankings for mixed leagues, points leagues, AL/NL only leagues, dynasty leagues, top 2018 prospects, dynasty prospects and more. Today we are here to start looking […]

Kyle Crick Headed To Pirates In Andrew McCutchen Deal

Pitching prospect Kyle Crick will head to the Pittsburgh Pirates as part of the Andrew McCutchen deal, according to Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. Crick, 25, was used as a starting pitcher before being moved to the bullpen in 2017. His numbers improved as a reliever for Triple-A Sacramento, and he even appeared […]

Cardinals Bullpen is "Good Enough"

St. Louis Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak recently stated that his team's bullpen was "good enough." The Cardinals were reported to have interest in Tampa Bay's Alex Colome, but it seems that interest was overstated. They have also tempered their interest in Greg Holland. For now, it looks like Luke Gregerson may open the season […]

A's Remain Interested in Tony Watson

The Oakland A's are looking to add a left-handed reliever and remain interested in free-agent relief pitcher Tony Watson. Watson, 32, had a 3.38 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP last season with 53 strikeouts. He would be unlikely to see any saves in Oakland and would only be worth an add in deep leagues that count […]

Luke Gregerson Could Open the Season as Closer

St. Louis Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said he sees reliever Luke Gregerson opening the season as the team's closer if no other moves are made. The Cardinals are still reportedly shopping for relief help, and Mozeliak also mentioned the idea that Jordan Hicks could develop into the closer's role. Gregerson would likely be a […]

Angels, Cam Bedrosian Avoid Arbitration

The Los Angeles Angels and reliever Cam Bedrosian avoided arbitration at the last minute, agreeing on a one-year, $1.1 million dollar contract. Bedrosian opened 2017 as the closer, but an injury cost him a big chunk of the season. He finished the year with a 4.43 ERA and six saves. He is the favorite to […]

Joe Musgrove Among Four Players Acquired By Pirates For Gerrit Cole

As part of the Gerrit Cole deal, the Pittsburgh Pirates have acquired pitcher Joe Musgrove, relief pitcher Michael Feliz, infielder Colin Moran and outfielder Jason Martin. Musgrove spent most of his time as a starter in 2016 but worked in a swing role for the Astros this past season. In 38 games (15 starts), the […]