Wander Franco Facing Lesser Charges In Dominican Republic

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco is facing a lesser charge after a judge in the Dominican Republic analyzed evidence that alleges he had a relationship with a 14-year-old girl and paid her mother thousands of dollars for her consent. Franco was originally accused of commercial and sexual exploitation and money laundering, charges that carry […]

Jackson Holliday Voted Best Hitting Prospect

In a 2024 MLB Pipeline poll of front-office executives from all 30 organizations, Baltimore Orioles shortstop Jackson Holliday received 70 percent of the votes as baseball's best hitting prospect. Holliday is the game's top prospect after slashing .323/.442/.499 over four minor-league levels in his first full year of professional baseball in 2023. He was also […]

Yankees Ready To Part Ways With Gleyber Torres?

The Athletic's Brendan Kuty writes that it doesn't seem likely that the New York Yankees will look to keep infielder Gleyber Torres around long term. Torres has said he wants to remain with the team for the rest of his career, but the Yankees have discussed dealing him at each of the last two trade […]

Wander Franco Likely To Be Banned From Entering U.S.

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco will likely not be allowed to enter the United States while facing accusations of sexual abuse of a minor, an aggravated felony in his native Dominican Republic, according to two immigration attorneys who have worked with major-league teams and players. Based on this, Franco's presence at spring training and […]

Re-Drafting The 2012 Fantasy Baseball First-Year Player Draft - Mookie Betts, Gerrit Cole, Francisco Lindor, Yoenis Cespedes, and more

This is the third edition of a series here at RotoBaller from Benjamin Chase. The series explores previous First-Year Player Drafts and re-drafts those FYPDs with the information we've received since from drafted players and international signees that would have been eligible. This series shows that often the top guys in FYPD drafts remain the […]

Colt Emerson A Dynasty Name To Remember

MLB's 2024 MLB Pipeline Poll, which asks front-office executives from all 30 organizations for their opinions on prospects, named Seattle Mariners middle infielder Colt Emerson as the most underrated prospect. The 2023 first-round pick slashed .302/.436/.444 in 79 plate appearances with Single-A Modesto as a 17-year-old. While he is not in MLB Pipeline's Top 100 […]

Cardinals Add Chaim Bloom To Front Office

The St. Louis Cardinals are set to hire Chaim Bloom to their front office in an advisory role, according to sources. The Cardinals had been linked to the former Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer, dating back to the beginning of the offseason. The 40-year-old was fired by Boston in September after the team was […]

Chris Taylor Set For Utility Role In 2024

The Los Angeles Dodgers' tentative plan in 2024 is to platoon outfielders Jason Heyward and Manuel Margot in right field, with new acquisition Teoscar Hernandez in left field. Meanwhile, the Dodgers plan to get at-bats for Chris Taylor all over the field, including in left. The 33-year-old can also play center field, second base, third […]

Batter BABIP: Using Sabermetrics for 2024 Fantasy Baseball

The most accessible of the fantasy-relevant advanced stats is BABIP, or Batting Average on Balls In Play. It simply measures a player's batting average on balls in play, with outcomes such as strikeouts and home runs removed from consideration. In general, the league average hovers around .300, a nice round number to remember. However, it […]

Oneil Cruz Healthy For The Start Of The Season

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz (ankle) is healthy heading into the 2024 season, according to manager Derek Shelton. "He's healthy. He's moving around. That's a really encouraging sign for everybody who's a Pirates fan," Shelton told reporters. The 25-year-old shortstop fractured his left ankle back in April of the '23 season and missed the entire […]

Rays Acquire Jose Caballero From Mariners

The Tampa Bay Rays acquired infielder Jose Caballero from the Seattle Mariners on Friday in exchange for outfielder Luke Raley, according to a source. Caballero will now be in play to start at shortstop for the Rays in 2024, given Wander Franco's off-the-field situation in the Dominican Republic and the possibility that he'll face a […]

Mets Claim Diego Castillo Off Waivers From Diamondbacks

The New York Mets claimed infielder Diego Castillo off waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday. Castillo was dropped from Arizona's 40-man roster this offseason when the team re-signed Lourdes Gurriel Jr. He had just one plate appearance at the major-league level with the Snakes in 2023 after hitting .206 (54-for-262) with 11 home runs, […]

Wander Franco Officially Charged

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco was officially charged with commercial sexual exploitation and money laundering following allegations that he had a relationship with a minor whose mother also faces the same charges in the Dominican Republic on Thursday after initially being arrested on Monday for failing to appear at a summons late last week. […]

Tommy Edman Hopeful For Start Of Spring Following Wrist Surgery

St. Louis Cardinals utility player Tommy Edman (wrist) is hopeful that he will be ready to go for the start of spring training following October surgery on his wrist. Edman's wrist issues cost him some time in the 2023 season as he was limited to 137 games after appearing in at least 153 contests in […]

Ronny Mauricio Undergoes Surgery, Expected To Miss 8-12 Months

New York Mets rookie infielder Ronny Mauricio (knee) underwent surgery to fix a torn ACL in his right knee on Wednesday and is expected to be out anywhere from eight to 12 months. Mauricio suffered the serious injury while playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic. The promising 22-year-old will now be forced to miss […]

Kevin Newman Agrees With Diamondbacks

Free-agent shortstop Kevin Newman agreed to a minor-league deal with an invitation to spring training with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday. Newman will give Arizona some veteran infield depth heading into the 2024 season. The 30-year-old veteran spent last season playing for the Cincinnati Reds, slashing .253/.311/.364 with three home runs, 16 doubles, 28 RBI, […]

Ronny Mauricio To Have Surgery Soon

New York Mets rookie infielder Ronny Mauricio (knee) will have surgery to fix a torn ACL in his knee shortly after New Year's Day, according to a league source. The 22-year-old is in good spirits after injuring his right knee on Dec. 10 while playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic. He was expected to […]

Wander Franco Arrested In Dominican Republic

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco was arrested in the Dominican Republic on Monday for no-showing at his meeting last Thursday with the prosecutor who is investigating him for alleged relationships with underaged girls, according to sources. The arrest was because Franco did not show up to his summons and not because there has been […]

Vaughn Grissom Traded To The Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox have acquired infielder Vaughn Grissom as part of their trade that sent Chris Sale to the Atlanta Braves. Boston is sending Sale and a majority of his $27.5 million 2023 salary to Atlanta in exchange for Grissom, who is a highly regarded infield prospect. Grissom has seen major league action in […]

Andrelton Simmons Announces His Retirement

Shortstop Andrelton Simmons officially announced his retirement from professional baseball on Thursday. Simmons wraps up a lengthy MLB career after spending 11 seasons with the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angels, Minnesota Twins and Chicago Cubs. The 34-year-old last played in the majors with the Cubs in 2022, when he went 13-for-75 (.173) with no home […]

Way Too Early 2024 MLB Rookie of the Year Favorites

The temperature outside is near freezing here in the Northeast, there's a warm glow in the fireplace, and the ball that draws 2023 to a close has yet to drop in Times Square. So, you know what that means... it's the perfect time to speculate who will take home MLB Rookie of the Year in […]

Wander Franco To Be Questioned By Police Thursday

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco has been officially summoned by police in the Dominican Republic to appear for questioning on Thursday, according to sources. Franco is currently under investigation by police and Major League Baseball for alleged inappropriate relationships with minors. Allegations that Franco was in a relationship with a minor surfaced on social […]

Blue Jays Grab Isiah Kiner-Falefa On Two-Year Deal

The Toronto Blue Jays have signed utility player Isiah Kiner-Falefa to a two-year, $15 million contract with $1 million of performance bonuses included. The veteran spent parts of four seasons with the Texas Rangers to begin his career before spending the last two seasons with the New York Yankees. Most recently, the 28-year-old hit .242 […]

Reds Ink Hernan Perez To Minors Deal

The Cincinnati Reds have signed utility player Hernan Perez to a minor-league deal. The 32-year-old hasn't appeared in the big leagues since the 2021 season with the Washington Nationals but has rather spent the last two seasons playing in Korea and Mexico. Originally signed out of Venezuela by the Tigers, Perez received significant playing time […]

Twins Bring In Niko Goodrum On Minor-League Pact

The Minnesota Twins have signed utility player Niko Goodrum to a minor-league deal. The signing is of the full-circle variety as the Twins drafted Goodrum in the second round of the 2010 draft while he debuted in the big leagues with the club for 11 games in the 2017 season. However, the bulk of Goodrum's […]

Giants Looking Into Trade Market For Shortstop

The San Francisco Giants are reportedly looking at the trade market to fill their needs at shortstop, SF Chronicle's Susan Slusser reported Monday. The team has seemingly parted ways with long-time starter Brandon Crawford. They also have prospect Marco Luciano who slashed just .231/.333/.308 in 45 plate appearances last season. The team recently signed catcher […]

Yankees Claim Jeter Downs Off Waivers From Nationals

The New York Yankees claimed infielder Jeter Downs off waivers from the Washington Nationals on Tuesday. Downs will now join the Yankees organization after the Nationals designated him for assignment last week. The 25-year-old was once considered a top-100 prospect when the Boston Red Sox landed him in the blockbuster trade that sent outfielder Mookie […]

Red Sox Hire Dillon Lawson As Hitting Coordinator

The Boston Red Sox hired Dillon Lawson as a hitting coordinator Monday, per The Athletic's Brendan Kuty. Lawson had served as the New York Yankees' primary hitting coach from the start of the 2022 season through the middle of last season, at which time the team released him amid major offensive struggles. While the Yankees […]

Top 250 Dynasty Fantasy Baseball Prospects Rankings (2024 Update)

Welcome back RotoBallers to the 2024 update of our MLB team's dynasty fantasy baseball prospects rankings for the 2024 season. This update includes a few changes/additions. First, while they may not be considered "prospects" in many leagues, foreign signees from Japanese or Korean professional leagues will be eligible in first-year player drafts, so they are […]

Third Base and Shortstop - Early 2024 Fantasy Baseball ADP Analysis

It might only be the second week of December, but 2024 draft season is already beginning to heat up. Sites like NFBC and Fantrax make it easy to scratch that early draft itch and I've already completed one draft for 2024, a 50-round draft champions draft on NFBC. I've been working through my early 2024 […]