Busts and Disappointments - 2018 Year-in-Review

Love ‘em or hate ‘em (and you probably hate ‘em), busts are a huge part of fantasy baseball. While it’s fun to gush over all the new breakout stars of 2018, we also need to reflect on the players that made us want to pull our hair out last season. Highly-drafted busts can be season […]

Fernando Tatis Jr. Homers In Winter Ball

San Diego Padres infield prospect Fernando Tatis Jr. (thumb), who suffered an avulsion fracture in his left thumb in the minor leagues in July, hit a home run in his first at-bat in winter ball for Estrella in the Dominican Republic. The 19-year-old shortstop is ranked as the No. 2 prospect in all of baseball […]

Alex Cora Receives One-Year Extension

The Boston Red Sox signed manager Alex Cora to a one-year contract extension through the 2021 season. The deal includes a team option for the 2022 season. Cora more than deserved it after leading the team to 108 wins in the regular season and a World Series title in his first year at the helm. […]

Pirates Trade For Erik Gonzalez

The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired infielder Erik Gonzalez and minor league pitchers Tahnaj Thomas and Dante Mendoza from the Indians on Wednesday in exchange for outfielder Jordan Luplow and infielder Max Moroff. With both Jordy Mercer and Josh Harrison likely to depart in free agency this winter, the Bucs need some added middle infield depth and […]

Indians Acquire Jordan Luplow, Max Moroff

The Cleveland Indians acquired outfielder Jordan Luplow and infielder Max Moroff from the Pirates on Wednesday in exchange for infielder Erik Gonzalez and minor league pitchers Tahnaj Thomas and Dante Mendoza. This trade doesn't move the needle all that much for fantasy or real life, but it gives the Tribe some more options for depth […]

Brian Snitker Awarded NL Manager Of The Year

Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker was named the 2018 National League Manager Of the Year on Tuesday. Snitker led the Braves to the NL East title and received 17 first-place votes to finish ahead of Brewers manager Craig Counsell and Rockies skipper Bud Black. The Braves spent 115 days in first place in 2018 and […]

Bob Melvin Named AL Manager Of The Year

Oakland Athletics manager Bob Melvin was named the 2018 American League Manager Of the Year on Tuesday. Oakland's plus-22 win total from the previous season was the highest increase in baseball from 2017 to 2018. The A's also entered the year with the lowest payroll on Opening Day, but they managed to win 97 games […]

Yankees Doing Background Work On Manny Machado

The New York Yankees are doing "extensive" background work on free-agent shortstop Manny Machado. The Yankees were originally lukewarm on pursuing Machado after his playoff shenanigans this year, but they may have changed their tune already. Machado will command a huge contract but is easily one of the best young players both offensively and defensively […]

Corey Seager On Track For Spring Training

The Los Angeles Dodgers are confident that shortstop Corey Seager (elbow, hip) will be ready for spring training after he underwent Tommy John surgery in April and a hip operation in August, according to president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. “Everything, to this point, all the checkpoints have been really good, really positive,” Friedman said. […]

Xander Bogaerts, J.D. Martinez Likely To Test Free Agency

Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts and outfielder J.D. Martinez are likely to test free agency after the 2019 season if they don't sign long-term deals before then. Both are Scott Boras clients. Martinez has opt-outs in his current deal, which could go as long as five years. Both Bogaerts and Martinez had fantastic seasons […]

Marwin Gonzalez's Market Is Not Down

"Everyone but one team" is interested in free-agent infielder/outfielder Marwin Gonzalez. Despite a down year in 2018 (.247-16-68), Gonzalez can play all over the diamond and will have his choice of where to sign this winter. The versatile infielder/outfielder hit a career-best .303/.377/.530 with 23 home runs, 90 RBI and eight stolen bases in 2017. […]

Pirates Re-Sign Jung Ho Kang

The Pittsburgh Pirates re-signed infielder Jung Ho Kang to a one-year, $3 million deal on Thursday. Kang got six at-bats in the big leagues in 2018 but missed all of the 2017 season due to his third DUI in his native South Korea. If his problems are past him, Kang could be a real sleeper […]

Dodgers Exercise Dave Roberts' Option

The Los Angeles Dodgers exercised manager Dave Roberts' option for the 2019 season on Wednesday, according to president Andrew Friedman. However, the team still expects to sign Roberts to a long-term deal soon. The option buys the team more time to negotiate with Roberts on an extension. Roberts has led the Dodgers to three straight […]

Phillies Still Interested In Manny Machado

Despite all of free-agent shortstop Manny Machado's shenanigans during the postseason with the Dodgers, the Philadelphia Phillies remain interested in signing him this winter. "If you're trying to find the young free agent who's good at everything and a prince in the clubhouse, you're going to be looking for a long time," general manager Matt […]

Dansby Swanson Has Surgery On Wrist

Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson (wrist) underwent left wrist surgery to have loose bodies in his wrist removed on Monday. He's expected to report to spring training without any restrictions and will likely be cleared to resume all baseball activities at some point in December. Swanson missed almost two weeks in May with a fatigued […]

Batting Average Fallers - 2018 MLB Season Recap

The 2018 season has now come and gone (so sad!), so it is now time to dive into trends and projections for next season! One of the main stats for measuring batters’ success is batting average. Surprisingly, Jose Altuve is the only player that was a holdover in the top 10 of batting average from […]

Rick Renteria Receives Contract Extension

Chicago White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said that manager Rick Renteria signed a contract extension some time ago and that 2019 will not be his last season under contract. Renteria has gone 129-195 in his two years as the skipper for the Pale Hose. The White Sox are in the midst of a rebuilding […]

Batting Average Risers - 2018 MLB Season Recap

The 2018 season has now come and gone (so sad!), so it is now time to dive into trends and projections for next season! One of the main stats for measuring batters’ success is batting average. Surprisingly, Jose Altuve is the only player that was a holdover in the top 10 of batting average from […]

Jose Reyes Plans To Play In 2019

Free-agent infielder Jose Reyes plans to play in 2019. Reyes will turn 36 next June and hit a pathetic .189/.260/.320 with four home runs, 16 RBI and five stolen bases for the Mets in 228 at-bats. He'll likely have to settle for a minor league deal as a utility player somewhere and is no longer […]

Cubs Won't Discuss Extension For Joe Maddon

Chicago Cubs president Theo Epstein said he has informed manager Joe Maddon that the team will not discuss a contract extension this winter and will re-evaluate the situation later in the 2019 season. Maddon will be a lame-duck manager next season, and there have been whispers that Maddon's relationship with the front office is strained. […]

Tigers Looking At Free-Agent Shortstops

The Detroit Tigers are looking at free-agent shortstops and will focus on one-year deals. A source says they have varying degrees of interest in free-agent shortstops Freddy Galvis, Adeiny Hechavarria and Jordy Mercer. All three of Galvis, Hechavarria and Mercy are glove-first types, similar to what Jose Iglesias was the last four years in Detroit. […]

White Sox Could Pursue Both Bryce Harper, Manny Machado

The Chicago White Sox might be one of the best candidates to pursue both free-agent outfielder Bryce Harper and shortstop Manny Machado this winter, although there's no guarantee they will land either in the midst of a rebuild. The White Sox currently have the second lowest payroll commitment of any team for 2019. Chicago pursued […]

R+RBI Risers: 2018 MLB Season Recap

The 2018 season has now come and gone (so sad!), so it is now time to dive into trends and projections for next season! Run production, that is R+RBI, is a key trend to monitor, as there are tight correlations to both slugging percentage and on base percentage with the respective numbers. Let's start with […]

Post-Playoff Fantasy Stock Watch - Hitters

The 2018 MLB postseason kept baseball fans on the edge of their seats, and also gave fantasy owners a new window into players as they begin to prepare for 2019. While the playoffs are a small sample, any chance to see players facing top talent from other teams, over and over, still has value for […]

Rangers Hire Chris Woodward To Be Next Manager

The Texas Rangers hired Los Angeles Dodgers third base coach Chris Woodward to be their next manager on Friday. The 42-year-old Woodward has spent the last three seasons as the third base coach for the Dodgers and played in the big leagues for 12 years in stints with the Blue Jays, Mets, Mariners and Red […]

Angels Promote Jeremy Reed to Hitting Coach

The Los Angeles Angels have promoted Jeremy Reed to their new hitting coach. Reed will replace Eric Hinske. Reed was a minor league hitting coordinator last season, and was mentioned by Kole Calhoun and Francisco Arcia as a big help to them rebuilding their swings. Prior to joining LA, Reed had been a hitting coach […]

Padres Claim Greg Garcia Off Waivers

The San Diego Padres claimed infielder Greg Garcia off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday. Garcia hit just .221/.309/.304 with three home runs and 15 RBI in 181 at-bats as a bench player for the Red Birds in 2018, so he obviously carries very minimal value in NL-only leagues. The good news is […]

Jung Ho Kang Becomes Free Agent

The Pittsburgh Pirates declined to pick up infielder Jung Ho Kang's $5.5 million option for the 2019 season, making him a free agent. Kang has hurt himself with multiple DUIs in his native South Korea, but he should still find a taker this offseason after hitting .274/.355/.482 with 36 home runs and 120 RBI in […]

Mets Sticking With Mickey Callaway As Manager

New York Mets manager Mickey Callaway will remain as the team's manager in 2019, according to new general manager Brodie Van Wagenen. "I fully support him," Van Wagenen said. There was speculation that Callaway would get the boot with a new GM coming in, but that won't be the case. The Mets had a very […]

Sell-High Now! Dynasty Players Due for Decline

As the World Series, and therefore the 2018 season as a whole, comes to an end, fantasy owners can begin to plan their 2019 seasons. For owners in dynasty and keeper leagues, this is the time to rate and review players, move on from some, and double down on others. This article will help start […]