Oneil Cruz Playing Well In Dominican Winter League

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz, the team's No. 3 prospect and No. 59 overall per MLB Pipeline, hit a home run in Game 3 of the semifinals in the Dominican Republic Winter League and was 3-for-3 with a double, three runs scored and an RBI in Game 4. The 6-foot-7 22-year-old hit .357 with four […]

Francisco Lindor Open To Contract Extension

New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor, who is eligible for free agency after the 2021 season, said that he's open to discussing a long-term contract extension with his new team. If the 27-year-old does work out an extension with owner Steve Cohen, president Sandy Alderson and general manager Jared Porter, it would likely come before […]

Year-in-Review: Corey Seager

Corey Seager posted an overall .305/.374/.502 triple-slash in his first three Major League seasons (2015-2017) and was widely regarded as one of the best young shortstops in baseball. However, Tommy John and hip surgery forced the former first-round pick to miss most of the 2018 season. While he was able to return to action in […]

Early One-Man Mock (Round 1) - 2022 Fantasy Baseball

There is no such thing as too early when it comes to draft prep. The calendar won't flip to 2022 for another few weeks but we at RotoBaller aren't ones to sit around and wait. Mock drafts take time, so I took matters into my own hands to complete a one-man mock. For the most […]

Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco to Mets - Fantasy Impact

The MLB Hot Stove has been far too quiet this offseason, outside of the Padres’ couple of days of fun, but the Mets helped heat things up on Thursday trading for Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco. Rumors of the Indians shopping Lindor had been discussed for quite some time, and the Mets have been potential […]

Padres Working On Extension For Fernando Tatis Jr.

The San Diego Padres continue to work on a long-term contract extension with shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., and they would ideally prefer it to be completed before the Mets sign a possible extension with newly acquired shortstop Francisco Lindor, according to a source. It's unclear if a Tatis extension will come in the next week, […]

Trevor Story A Dark-Horse Option For Blue Jays

Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story could be a dark-horse option for the Toronto Blue Jays after they were the runner-up for shortstop Francisco Lindor, who was traded to the Mets in a blockbuster trade involving starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco on Thursday. Toronto has also been connected to outfielder George Springer, but his reported asking price […]

Yankees Plan To Have Gleyber Torres At Shortstop

The New York Yankees plan remains to have shortstop Gleyber Torres continue as the starting shortstop in 2021, hopefully with DJ LeMahieu at second base if they can re-sign him. General manager Brian Cashman said this offseason that Torres "wasn't in the best shape" to begin summer camp, and he committed nine errors during the […]

Cleveland Lands Amed Rosario, Andres Gimenez, Others

Cleveland is trading away shortstop Francisco Lindor and starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco on Thursday in exchange for shortstop Amed Rosario, infielder Andres Gimenez, right-hander Josh Wolf and outfielder Isaiah Greene. Rosario, who has a career slash line of .268/.302/.403 with 32 homers, 148 RBI and 50 steals in four seasons, should have a better chance […]

Mets Acquiring Francisco Lindor, Carlos Carrasco

The New York Mets are finalizing a deal to acquire shortstop Francisco Lindor and starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco from Cleveland in exchange for shortstop Amed Rosario, infielder Andres Gimenez, outfielder Isaiah Greene and right-hander Josh Wolf, according to a source. Lindor, who was set to become a free agent after the 2021 season, is a […]

Blue Jays, Mets The Likeliest Trade Partners For Francisco Lindor

The Toronto Blue Jays and New York Mets are the likeliest trade partners for Cleveland shortstop Francisco Lindor. The Blue Jays, Mets, Giants and Twins appear willing to spend, but it will be difficult to find a match like the Dodgers were for outfielder Mookie Betts last year. Plus, there are solid free-agent shortstops available […]

Three Hitters Set To Break Out Later Than Expected

Finding breakout hitters can be a difference-maker for fantasy teams, especially when those hitters have had limited success at the major league level and are older than when players typically have their best seasons. Whether it be through added playing time, skill improvements, or some combination of the two, post-prime breakouts can be excellent draft […]

Cubs Land Zach Davies, Four Prospects From Padres

The Chicago Cubs agreed to send right-hander Yu Darvish and his personal catcher Victor Caratini to the San Diego Padres on Monday night in exchange for right-hander Zach Davies, shortstop Reginald Preciado (Padres No. 11 prospect), outfielder Owen Caissie (No. 13), outfielder Ismael Mena (No. 15) and shortstop Yeison Santana (No. 16). San Diego was […]

Padres Reach Deal With Ha-seong Kim

The San Diego Padres reached an agreement with Korean star infielder Ha-seong Kim on Monday, according to multiple reports. The 25-year-old was one of the top infielders on the open market when he was posted earlier this month by the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korean Baseball Organization. Kim primarily played shortstop and third base in […]

Ha-seong Kim Has Picked A Team

Korean shortstop Ha-seong Kim has picked a team and is negotiating whether the contract will be fully guaranteed at the major league level, according to Korean media reports. The Kiwoom Heroes star had received multiple offers in the five-plus-year range earlier in the week, but it appears that he is closing in on a deal […]

Biggest Brl/BBE% Fallers from 2020

Last week, I discussed the importance of the Brl/BBE% and examined some players who had improved the most in the shortened 2019 season. If you haven't yet taken a look at that, I would encourage you to because I also gave a detailed breakdown of why I like this particular stat. However, if you simply […]

Ha-seong Kim Has Multiple Offers

Korean shortstop Ha-seong Kim could have multiple long-term offers on the table from MLB teams, according to sources. The Kiwoom Heroes star has several offers in the five-plus-year range. Kim's posting period will end on Jan. 1, which gives MLB teams one more week to work out a deal with him. The 25-year-old had a […]

Marcus Semien Could Be A Fit With Red Sox

Free-agent shortstop Marcus Semien could be a fit with the Boston Red Sox, but at second base. Semien has played the most games of any shortstop from 2018-20 and was fifth among shortstops in WRC+ in 2018. He was the college roommate of current Red Sox scouting director Paul Toboni. Xander Bogaerts remains entrenched at […]

Projecting Power in 2021: Late ADP Options

Like a sitcom catchphrase from a bygone era, we all want more power. We'll take it early and we'll take it late but it always feels extra sweet when one of your final picks suddenly becomes one of the mayors of dong city. Looking at a player's exit velocities can tell us a lot about […]

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 […]

Experts Think Francisco Lindor Will Be Traded

All 20 MLB team executives that were polled for ESPN's annual Hot Stove survey predicted that Cleveland shortstop Francisco Lindor will be traded before Opening Day, with one calling a trade "just a matter of where and when." Lindor has been the most-discussed trade candidate this offseason and Cleveland is motivated to move Lindor's 2021 […]

Squaring It Up: 2020's Biggest Brl/BBE% Gainers

Often when it comes to fantasy baseball, we get overloaded with statistics and it becomes hard to sort out what's useful from what's misleading. Many experts can write pages about why they swear by certain stats as being the most predictive for future success or accurate in reflecting who had a good season. In the […]

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 […]

Projecting Power in 2021: Early ADP Air% Exit Velocity

Looking at average exit velocity to project future power is not very useful compared to looking only at balls hit in the air. Because who cares how hard ground balls are hit? However, it can be even more useful to parse out those velocities into more refined bins and cast a more critical eye to […]

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 […]

Blue Jays Enamored With Francisco Lindor

Toronto Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins gave a glowing review of Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor on Tuesday. "I'm going to step out of the way and let you guys make some deals for us," Atkins said on MLB Network. "We think the world of that organization. We think the world of Frankie." Bo […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Red Sox Acquire Minor-Leaguer Christian Koss

The Boston Red Sox acquired minor league infielder Christian Koss from the Colorado Rockies on Thursday in exchange for minor league left-handed pitcher Yoan Aybar. The 22-year-old Koss was a 12th-round pick in 2019 and was an All-Star in the Rookie-level Pioneer League in 2019. He hit .332 (63-for-190) with 11 home runs, 51 RBI, […]