Mets Add Eduardo Nunez

The New York Mets signed infielder Eduardo Nunez to a minor league deal on Saturday, according to a source. The 32-year-old will be a non-roster invite to spring training. The 10-year veteran debuted with the Yankees in 2010 and spent the last three seasons with the Red Sox. Nunez has been a key utility player […]

Early Mock Draft Analysis: MLB Mixed Leagues

Don't tell us it's not draft season yet! Truth be told, the RotoBaller crew was already planning a mock draft days after the World Series ended. As it turns out, we decided to wait until some free agent moves were made and settled for a slow draft that began shortly after the Winter Meetings. We […]

Top 250 Prospects for 2020 Dynasty Leagues

It’s hard to believe it’s that time again. Major League Baseball’s spring training is just weeks away now, which means it's also fantasy baseball season. This year at RotoBaller, we’re rolling out even more in-depth prospect coverage — starting with a ranking of the Top 250 prospects for dynasty leagues. That’s right. Not 100. Not […]

Luis Urias Dealing With Wrist Injury

Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Luis Urias (wrist) is heading back to the U.S. to have his wrist injury checked out after developing soreness at the end of the winter ball season in Mexico, according to general manager David Stearns. The team expects to know more by the middle of next week. The Brewers are hoping for […]

Trevor Story Agrees To Two-Year Deal

The Colorado Rockies and All-Star shortstop Trevor Story agreed to a two-year, $27.5 million contract on Friday night, according to a source. The deal will cover the final two years of Story's arbitration eligibility. The two-time All-Star has hit .276/.341/.537 over four seasons in the big leagues, and he set career highs in runs scored […]

Fernando Tatis Jr. - 2019 Season in Review

A year ago, though he was highly valued in dynasty leagues, Fernando Tatis Jr. was viewed merely as a late-round flier in redraft formats. At just 20 years old and with only 450 plate appearances above Single-A, there was a large degree of uncertainty around his 2019 outlook. Would San Diego's front office manipulate his […]

Houston Astros Cheating Scandal: Fantasy Baseball Impact

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) - Monday through Friday from 6-7 am ET and from 1-2 pm ET. You can also find new weekly shows on BlogTalkRadio live […]

Orioles Interested In Tim Beckham

The Baltimore Orioles are interested in shortstop Tim Beckham and have discussed a minor league deal with him, according to multiple sources. Beckham spent 1 1/2 seasons in Baltimore. He was handed an 80-game performance-enhancing suspension on Aug. 6 of last year, so he will start the 2020 season serving the rest of that suspension. […]

Luis Rojas To Be New Mets Manager

The New York Mets are finalizing a deal with Luis Rojas on Wednesday to be the next manager. He'll replace Carlos Beltran, who the team parted ways with last week in the wake of Beltran's role in the Astros sign-stealing scandal. The 38-year-old was the team's quality control coach in 2019 and interviewed for the […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball: Barrels

Last time, we looked at how exit velocity (or EV) is only one piece of the fantasy analysis puzzle. Baseball broadcasts will commonly cite Launch Angle (LA) to complement their EV figures, but it is given in terms of degrees. Am I evaluating a baseball player or trying to find the hypotenuse of an isosceles […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball: BABIP for Hitters

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. Many know […]

Eric Samulski's Prospects Live Bestball 50 Draft Breakdown

This offseason, Prospects Live announced a new draft format that they were hoping would bring together the dynasty crowd with more redraft-heavy players. The format was simple and also completely complicated. Each league would be a five-year Best Ball Dynasty featuring 30 teams where each owner would draft a roster of 50 players, and the […]

2019 Season in Review: Carlos Correa

Over the first five seasons of his career, Carlos Correa has demonstrated why the Astros chose him first overall in the 2012 MLB amateur draft. He captured American League Rookie of the Year honors in 2015, along with some down-ballot MVP consideration. In 2017, he made his first All-Star team, finishing 10th in the league […]

Will There Be Fantasy Fallout for the Astros?

The Houston Astros have landed in hot water this offseason after receiving sign-stealing allegations against them dating back to their World Series championship season of 2017. A long and thorough investigation by MLB has confirmed that the elaborate scheme to notify batters of specific pitches was indeed true, and the organization is now facing the […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball: Exit Velocity

If you've watched a baseball broadcast in the so-called Statcast Era, you have undoubtedly noticed the broadcasters commenting on a batted ball's exit velocity, or EV. Many have taken to using stats like Hard% and Soft% to forecast how a player should be performing, expecting larger Hard% rates to produce larger BABIP and HR/FB figures. […]

Early 2020 ADP Reflections - Shortstop

When a baseball season ends, the following season can’t come here soon enough for some fans, myself included. We start thinking about what we want to see from some players, which includes letdowns, bounce-backs, and even young prospects. Instead of letting them bounce off the brain walls, let’s put these musings into digits. This includes […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball: HR/FB

Using BABIP to predict a player's batting average is great. Average is a category in many league formats and every hit is an opportunity to steal a base or score a run. But most owners find the long ball sexier. Every HR comes with a guaranteed run scored and at least one RBI. Many owners […]

How To Win Your Fantasy Baseball Leagues on Draft Day

I hate intros. Nobody takes the time to read these things. I could say whatever I wanted and it would literally pass zero sets of eyes. Watch.... I have hemorrhoids! See? No one. But in the rare occasion that one of you sad saps does in fact read this paragraph before jumping to the meat […]

Javier Baez, Cubs Agree On $10 Million Deal

Chicago Cubs shortstop Javier Baez avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $10 million deal, according to sources with knowledge of the deal. The superstar infielder will almost double his 2019 salary. Despite his free-swinging ways, Baez continues to be a stud, as he hit .281/.316/.531 with 29 home runs, 85 RBI, […]

Francisco Lindor To Make $17.5 Million In 2020

Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $17.5 million deal. Lindor has been the subject of heavy trade rumors this offseason and could still be dealt before spring training. He started late in 2019 due to injury but still finished with an excellent line of .284/.335/.518 with […]

Jonathan Villar Avoids Arbitration For Final Time

Miami Marlins shortstop Jonathan Villar avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $8.2 million deal. It is Villar's final season of arbitration eligibility. The 28-year-old was one of the lone bright spots for the lowly Orioles in 2019, hitting .274/.339/.453 with a career-high 24 home runs, 73 RBI and 40 stolen bases […]

Marcus Semien Gets Big Raise

Oakland Athletics shortstop Marcus Semien avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $13 million deal, according to a source. Semien finished third in the American League MVP voting in 2019 after hitting an impressive .285/.369/.522 with a career-high 33 home runs, 92 RBI and 10 stolen bases in 162 games for Oakland […]

Braves Settle With Mike Foltynewicz, Dansby Swanson

The Atlanta Braves avoided salary arbitration with starting pitcher Mike Foltynewicz and shortstop Dansby Swanson on Friday. Foltynewicz agreed to a one-year, $6.425 million contract, while Swanson settled for one year and $3.15 million. Folty predictably fell back down to Earth in 2019 after posting a 2.85 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in an All-Star 2018 […]

Indians Expected To Hold Onto Francisco Lindor

Cleveland Indians president Chris Antonetti said on Wednesday that he's more confident that All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor will be with the team to start the season after the Tribe didn't receive a trade proposal to their liking in the last few weeks. The four-time All-Star is under contract through the 2021 season, but the Indians […]

Brewers Give Craig Counsell Contract Extension

The Milwaukee Brewers are signing manager Craig Counsell to a contract extension that will run through the 2023 season, according to sources. It's a well-deserved extension, as Counsell led the Brew Crew to a National League Championship appearance in 2018 before a wild-card showing this past season. The 49-year-old coach started as the head man […]

Top 570: Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings (January)

Welcome back RotoBallers, and Happy New Year! Below you will find our staff's early 2020 fantasy baseball tiered rankings (top 570) for mixed leagues. In case you missed it, you can also see our tiered positional rankings and position-by-position analysis breakdowns as well. Four of our lead fantasy baseball analysts - Nick Mariano, Pierre Camus, Riley Mrack and Nicklaus Gaut - have analyzed the […]

Jose Iglesias Agrees With Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles agreed to a one-year, $3 million deal with shortstop Jose Iglesias on Monday, according to a source. The deal includes a 2021 team option that would make the deal worth $6 million over two years. Iglesias will replace Jonathan Villar at the 6 and at the top of the order after Baltimore […]

Asdrubal Cabrera Re-Signs With Nationals

The Washington Nationals re-signed infielder Asdrubal Cabrera to a one-year, $2.5 million deal on Saturday, according to a source. The switch-hitter batted .260 in 131 games with the Rangers and Nationals last year. The 34-year-old was key in the team's World Series run late in the season and hit .323 with six home runs, 40 […]

Top 30 Impact Prospects for 2020 Redraft Leagues

When last we checked in on the top rookies for 2020, the World Series had yet to be decided, the Astros’ obsession with garbage cans was still a secret, and Neal Huntington was running the Pirates. A number of things around baseball have changed since the last update but few, if any, moves have rattled […]

2020 Offseason Shortstop Rankings - Fantasy Baseball Mixed Leagues

It's never too early to start looking ahead to the next baseball season, so here we deliver our 2020 fantasy baseball rankings to those of you looking to scratch your fantasy itch. Whether you're already eliminated from fantasy football contention, or you're getting a head start on next year's keeper selections, RotoBaller has got you […]