Trevor Story Settles For $5 Million

Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $5 million deal, according to sources. A late-season injury ended Story's 2018 on a sour note, but it didn't take away from what was a breakout 2018 campaign. The 26-year-old hit .291/.348/.567 with a career-high 37 home runs, 108 RBI, […]

James Paxton, Didi Gregorius Avoid Arbitration

New York Yankees starting pitcher James Paxton and shortstop Didi Gregorius both avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to undisclosed one-year, non-guaranteed contracts. Starting pitcher Sonny Gray, reliever Tommy Kahnle and catcher Austin Romine also settled. Paxton was acquired from the Mariners after going 11-6 with a 3.76 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and career-high 11.7 […]

Indians Avoid Arbitration With Francisco Lindor

The Cleveland Indians avoided salary arbitration with shortstop Francisco Lindor on Friday by signing him to a one-year, $10.55 million deal, according to a source. Lindor can do it all, and he proved it with a .277/.352/.871 slash line, 38 home runs, 92 RBI, 129 runs scored and 25 stolen bases in 158 games for […]

Xander Bogaerts, Jackie Bradley Avoid Arbitration

Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts and outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. both avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to one-year deals. Bogaerts will receive $12 million this season, while Bradley will make $8.55 million. Bogaerts is a tier below the top fantasy shortstops after hitting .288/.360/.522 with a career-high 23 long balls, 103 RBI, […]

Javier Baez Earns Raise For 2019

Chicago Cubs shortstop Javier Baez avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $5.2 million deal. The 26-year-old superstar broke out in 2018 with a .290/.326/.554 slash line and career highs across the board in home runs (34), RBI (111), runs (101) and stolen bases (21) on his way to finishing second in […]

Addison Russell Signs For $3.4 Million

Chicago Cubs shortstop Addison Russell avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $3.4 million deal. He can make $600,000 in bonuses if he's on the roster for 150 days this year. Russell will open the year finishing out his suspension for domestic violence, and nobody is really counting on him to make […]

A's Avoid Arbitration With Four Players

The Oakland Athletics avoided salary arbitration on Friday with outfielder Mark Canha, starting pitcher Sean Manaea, infielder Jurickson Profar and shortstop Marcus Semien by signing them to undisclosed deals. Profar is the biggest name from a fantasy perspective. He was acquired from the Rangers in the offseason and figures to be the team's regular second […]

Trea Turner Avoids Arbitration

Washington Nationals shortstop Trea Turner avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $3.725 million deal, according to sources. Turner is mainly useful for his speed (89 steals the last two years), but he also hit .271/.344/.416 with a career-high 19 homers and 73 RBI in 2019. His 20-homer, 40-steal upside firmly puts […]

Jose Peraza Avoids Arbitration

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Jose Peraza avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $2.775 million deal, according to a source. Peraza put himself on the fantasy map in 2018 by hitting .288/.326/.416 with 14 home runs, 58 RBI, 85 runs scored and 23 stolen bases in 157 games as the team's everyday shortstop. […]

Mariners Sign Tim Beckham

The Seattle Mariners signed free-agent shortstop Tim Beckham to a one-year, $1.75 million deal with $250,000 in incentives on Thursday. The former first overall pick in 2008 was a disappointment in 2018 after a career year in 2017. He hit .230/.287/.374 with 12 home runs and 35 RBI in just 96 games with the Orioles. […]

Javier Baez - Don’t Overpay for Last Season's Stats

A common mistake by fantasy managers on draft day is taking a player based on his previous year's statistics and thinking it will be repeated the following season. A player’s draft day price can become heavily inflated after one breakout year. It's easy to fall victim to the belief that a one-year sample size is now […]

ADP Champ or Chump - Yasiel Puig and Adalberto Mondesi

Champ or Chump began the year with two positive outlooks because it's always a good idea to begin your draft prep with a dose of optimism. However, you won't win your league on draft day no matter how many players you like end up on your roster. You can lose your league on draft day […]

2019 Shortstops - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings

It’s never too early to start looking toward the fantasy baseball season, so I’m here to kick off RotoBaller’s position-by-position rankings analysis series with the ever-so-glamorous shortstop position. Shortstop is rich at the top and while it boasts intriguing depth, this is not a position to wait on, especially if you also have a middle-infield […]

Phillies To Make Manny Machado Another Offer

The Philadelphia Phillies remain primarily interested in free-agent shortstop Manny Machado, and they are expected to make a second offer to the superstar this week. The White Sox and Yankees remain interested in him as well. While the Phils will meet with free-agent outfielder Bryce Harper in person in Las Vegas this Saturday, they haven't […]

Trevor Story Rankings Debate - Comparing RotoBaller's Rankers

For the RotoBaller baseball crew, it's our favorite time of the entire year. It's time to revive our signature series of articles debating the overall ranking of some of the most fantasy-relevant players of the 2019 baseball season. That's right, it's Ranker vs Ranker time! RotoBaller's expert writers have come up with our consensus rankings […]

White Sox Officially Make Offer To Manny Machado

The Chicago White Sox have officially made an offer to free-agent shortstop Manny Machado. The White Sox remain interested in free-agent outfielder Bryce Harper, but they haven't made him a formal offer. The White Sox aren't believed to be willing to give either superstar more than a six-year deal, so we'll see if they are […]

Using Sabermetrics For Fantasy Baseball Part 1 - BABIP for Hitters

Hello fellow RotoBallers! Sabermetrics have become an integral tool for fantasy baseball draft prep, but a concise resource for understanding the basics can be difficult to find. This series attempts to define and explain all of the metrics fantasy owners may find useful, citing examples of how to use them in the process. Twenty degrees […]

Troy Tulowitzki Agrees With Yankees

The New York Yankees agreed with free-agent shortstop Troy Tulowitzki on an agreement for the league minimum on Tuesday, according to league sources. The Blue Jays will pay the remainder of his $20 million salary for 2019 after releasing him last month. Tulo missed all of 2018 after multiple surgeries on his heels and played […]

Is it Legit? Jose Peraza's 2018 Breakout

We continue with our next edition of "Is It Legit?" to discuss another surprising breakout performer from the 2018 MLB season in order to assess his value heading into 2019. With so many players seemingly becoming fantasy baseball darlings overnight, it can be challenging to sift through the multiple hype trains and determine which players […]

Daniel Murphy to the Rockies - Fantasy Implications

Rockies fans watched a 2018 team that disappointed on offense and the front office might have just made the key addition to fix some of those headaches. Second baseman Daniel Murphy will be joining the Rockies on a two-year deal and should offer an exciting upside bat, with a glove that might not play all […]

A's Acquire Jurickson Profar In Three-Team Trade

The Oakland Athletics acquired infielder Jurickson Profar from the Texas Rangers on Friday in a deal that also included the Tampa Bay Rays, according to league sources. The Rangers will receive pitcher Brock Burke, infielder Eli White, Kyle Bird, Yoel Espinal and international money from the Rays, while the Rays will receive reliever Emilio Pagan, […]

Manny Machado To Meet With White Sox

Free-agent shortstop Manny Machado is expected to meet with the Chicago White Sox next week. The Yankees, White Sox and Phillies are the three teams believed to be pursuing the superstar the most. Chicago has plenty of money to spend and also just traded for Machado's brother in law, first baseman Yonder Alonso. Machado would […]

Manny Machado To Meet With Yankees Wednesday

Free-agent shortstop Manny Machado is scheduled to have a meeting with the New York Yankees on Wednesday. Machado is the top option on the free-agent market alongside superstar outfielder Bryce Harper. The Yanks could use Machado at the 6 for at least half the season with Didi Gregorius (elbow) recovering from Tommy John surgery. They […]

Padres Discussing Trade For Jurickson Profar

The San Diego Padres are discussing a potential trade for Texas Rangers infielder Jurickson Profar, but no deal is imminent, according to sources. The Friars are in the market for an infielder who can cover at the 6 until their top prospect, Fernando Tatis Jr., is ready for the big leagues next year. Profar can […]

Padres Interested In Marwin Gonzalez

The San Diego Padres are interested in free-agent infielder/outfielder Marwin Gonzalez. With the Padres seeking a utility infielder who can play shortstop until prospect Fernando Tatis Jr. is ready, other options include Daniel Descalso, Nick Ahmed, who is a favorite of Padres skipper Andy Green, and Rangers infielder Jurickson Profar. Gonzalez had a great year […]

Yanks Have No Preference For Gleyber Torres' Position

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said it doesn't really matter where infielder Gleyber Torres plays -- second base or shortstop -- to start the 2019 season with Didi Gregorius (elbow) injured. It'll likely depend on who the Yanks bring in through free agency, with shortstop Manny Machado looming large as one of their most […]

A's Talking About Jurickson Profar

The Oakland Athletics are among the teams talking to the Texas Rangers about a trade for infielder Jurickson Profar, according to sources. Profar would be an option to play the keystone if free-agent second baseman Jed Lowrie signs elsewhere on the open market. Franklin Barreto is also an internal possibility. Profar was a post-hype breakout […]

Jordy Mercer Joining Tigers

The Detroit Tigers have agreed to an undisclosed deal with free-agent shortstop Jordy Mercer. Detroit will replace the glove-first Jose Iglesias with another defensive-minded player in Mercer, who turned 32 in August. He hit just .251/.315/.381 with six home runs and 39 RBI in 394 at-bats for the Pirates this year and has virtually no […]

J.P. Crawford May Start In Minors

The Seattle Mariners don't want to rush shortstop J.P. Crawford at the start of next season after they recently acquired him from the Phillies. The Mariners are seeking a veteran shortstop on the free-agent market that would allow Crawford more time to develop in the minors to start next season. Alcides Escobar is a potential […]

Orioles Hire Brandon Hyde As Next Manager

The Baltimore Orioles hired former Chicago Cubs bench coach Brandon Hyde to be their next manager on Tuesday, according to sources. Hyde has a lot of work ahead of him for a team that finished with the worst record in baseball (47-115) and in last place in the tough American League East. A turnaround for […]